Report on Science popularization in Urdu through Print media

Vigyan Prasar is a national organization under the department of Science and technology, working for Science popularization.Under its “Reaching to un-reach programme", it was envisaged of bringing out popular science literature in Urdu. A national level seminar cum workshop for development of popular science literature in Urdu was organized at  Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) Hyderabad from 9  to 11 April 2013. The seminar cum workshop was inaugurated by Prof Shamim Jairajpuri the founding vice chancellor of MANUU. The current vice chancellor Mohammed Mian also addressed the gathering. The chief guest was Prof S. Irfan Habib of NUEPA, New Delhi. He deliberated on history of science writing in Urdu in India. For the first time an abstract booklet of popular science writing in Urdu titled as ‘Talkhis’ was published and released during inaugural session.

The registrar of Vigyan Prasar Dr TV Venkatsewaran deliberated on the need to develop easy to understand scientific literature in Urdu. He stressed that present time being the time of technology and knowledge so a large population cannot be denied the benefits of technology. If scientific thought is presented in mother tongue a large population is going to appreciate it and they will be encouraged to express their views. Dr Irfana Begum who was the organizer of this seminar cum workshop stressed that  popularization of science through Urdu medium is need of hour. To appreciate the beauty of science and to avail the fruits of technology is the right of every citizen irrespective of their mother tongue. She urged those scientists and writers whose mother tongue is Urdu but they prefer to write in English and Hindi to write in Urdu as well. Dr Khalid Mubashiruzzafar the co organizer of the program from the Department of Translation, MAANU stressed on the role of translation in developing popular scientific literature in Urdu. Dr Monika Kaul from Delhi University who has done her schooling from the Kashmir valley and knows Urdu, discussed on the challenges in developing scientific literature in Urdu and  their remedial measures. Dr Gauhar Raza an eminent scientist from NISCAIR, CSIR and a talented writer of Urdu talked about scientific temper. He differentiated between science and non science. The meta question which differentiates between the two actually begins with why and how. The questions beginning with why leads to religion, whereas the questions beginning with how leads to science and scientific temper.

About forty participants presented their papers on following theme  (i) Content development (ii) Reach and circulation (iii) Inculcating reading habit and (iv) Sharing experiences. I presented my paper on astrolabe which was an effort in developing popular science content in Urdu. The other notable papers were on health by Dr Abid Moiz, Science in Urdu newspapers by Asad Faisal Faruqi, Historical perspective of scientific writing in Urdu by Dr Mohammed Junaid Zakir.  During second day, a workshop on writing popular science article in Urdu was conducted. Students of School of languages, linguistics and Indology of MANUU also participated in the workshop. Dr TV Venkateswaran of Vigyan Prasar,  Dr Gauhar Raza of NISCAIR, Dr Monika Kaul of Delhi University and Dr Seemin Rubab of NIT Srinagar acted as resource persons and shared their skills and tips with participants. The participants were then taken to the library to get resource materials and write a popular science article and submit it for evaluation. The articles were evaluated by me and all the participants received critical comments and tips on improving their writing skills on the third day. The valedictory session was chaired by Professor Mohammed Zafaruddin,  the dean of School of languages, linguistics & Indology and HOD department of translation. He emphasized on the need of regularly having similar kind of workshop. He assured the cooperation and role of department of translation  in developing popular science literature in Urdu. The department is offering a very innovative masters program in Translation studies. After valedictory session the participants were taken to Charminar, Makkah Masjid and Salar Jung Museum.

Rendezvous with Astrolabes

Although I am a student of Physics, my first rendezvous with astrolabe was few years ago through philately. I got a Spanish stamp with the image of astronomer Al-Zarqali / Arzachel, beside his astrolabe. Then I got a Syrian stamp on which astronomer Sibt al-Mardini who was also a timekeeper (muwaqqit) was busy doing some observations on his astrolabe. Another Syrian stamp which was released at the occasion of 2nd International symposium for the history of Arabic Science clearly shows an astrolabe. I became fascinated by its beauty and versatility and came to know about two libraries and a museum in India where ancient scientific instruments including astrolabes are preserved. A small collection of unique medieval scientific instruments are preserved in Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library at Patna. Another collection of instruments are preserved at Rampur Raza Library and yet another collection is at Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad. A small but unique collection of medieval astronomical instruments is preserved in SPS museum Srinagar. All these instruments have been catalogued by great Sanskrit scholar  SR Sarma. Last year I bought the album of scientific instruments preserved at the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library. The album has been edited by Imtiaz Ahmed on the basis of a paper by  SR Sarma entitled ‘A brief Introduction to the Astronomical Instruments preserved in Khuda Bakhsh Library, Patna’ published in Khuda Bakhsh Library journal in the year 1999. Recently I had the opportunity to see the astrolabes and other instruments at Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library.

The astrolabe is an ancient astronomical instrument/ analogue computer. Astrolabe is a very versatile instrument. It was first designed by Greeks to measure the altitude of a heavenly body. It was used to ascertain position of celestial bodies like Sun, Moon, planets and stars in the sky. It was also used for measuring height and distances in land surveys. It can also be used to simulate the motion of heavenly bodies at any locality and time. In fact it can also be used to measure time. The design, manufacture and applications of astrolabes were improved by Arabs in middle ages. It was used to calculate the Qibla and to find the times for Salah. Astrolabe was adopted for navigational purposes by the German geographer, Martin Behaim.

Several types of astrolabes have been made since antiquity. The most popular type is the planispheric astrolabe, on which the celestial sphere is projected onto the plane of the equator. A typical astrolabe was made of brass and was about 6-10 inches in diameter, although much larger and smaller ones were made. An astrolabe consists of a disk, called the mater (mother), which is deep enough to hold one or more flat plates called tympans or climates. A tympan is made for a specific latitude and is engraved with a stereographic projection of circles denoting azimuth and altitude and representing the portion of the celestial sphere above the local horizon. The rim of the mater is typically graduated into hours of time, degrees of arc. Above the mater and tympan, the rete or ankabut, a framework bearing a projection of the ecliptic plane and several pointers indicating the positions of the brightest stars, is free to rotate. The rete, representing the sky, functions as a star chart. When it is rotated, the stars and the ecliptic move over the projection of the coordinates on the tympan. One complete rotation corresponds to the passage of a day. On the back of the mater there is often engraved a number of scales that are useful in the astrolabe's various applications; these vary from designer to designer, but might include curves for time conversions, a calendar for converting the day of the month to the sun's position on the ecliptic, trigonometric scales, and a graduation of 360 degrees around the back edge. The alidade is attached to the back face. When the astrolabe is held vertically, the alidade can be rotated and the sun or a star sighted along its length, so that its altitude in degrees can be read from the graduated edge of the astrolabe.

The concept of astrolabe was introduced in India by noted polymath Alberuni through his writings. The medieval rulers Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Humayun patronized astronomy. During Mughal period some finest astrolabes were manufactured in Lahore.

Astrolabes have now been replaced by sextants, GPS and other sophisticated digital devices but their study and handling leads to insights into basic measurement, geometry, stereographic projection, astronomy, geography and design and application of instruments. There are about thousand Islamic astrolabes that survive in various museums throughout world. They are pieces of beauty and craftmanship for beholders. Not only men but women also excelled in designing of astrolabes. Mirium al Ijli from Aleppo was a famous designer and crafter of intricate astrolabes that’s why she is also known as Mirium asturlabi.

Report on Indian Science Communication Congress(ISCC-2012)

The 12th Indian Science Communication Congress (ISCC-2012) with the theme of ‘Risk Communication and Development’ was held at Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi from 17-21 December. The conference was being jointly organized by National Council of Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), Indian Science Writers Association (ISWA), Vidyadeep Foundation and Jan Sewa Ashram. The conference was inaugurated by Prof. Ved Prakash, Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC) and Presidential address was delivered by Prof. Krishan Lal, President, Indian National Science Academy. Key note address was delivered by Dr. R. K. Bhandari, Former Chairman, Centre for Disaster Mitigation. Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari, Director General of Council of Scientific Research (CSIR) and veteran journalist Dr. Radhey Shyam Sharma graced the occasion as guest of honour.  Indian Science Writers Association (ISWA) conferred national awards and fellowships to fifty leading scientists and journalists of the nation. Around 250 scientists, science writers, academicians,  science correspondents and students participated in the congress. In his inaugural address Prof. Ved Prakash, Chairman, UGC, stressed the importance of quality education and research in the higher science education. In the presidential address Dr. Krishan Lal, INSA President suggested the importance of fact based debates and discussion between the scientists, communicators and common people. Dr. Manoj Kumar Patairiya talked about addressing the dilemma over emerging conflicting  issues on science and technology and role of scientists and journalists. Prof. Samir K Brahmachari stressed the importance of science communicators for bridging the gap between scientists and common people.

Several topics such as Risk Communication and Management, Nuclear Energy and Environmental Awareness, Public appreciation of Health Risks and Genetically Modified Organisms were discussed and deliberations made during the conference. The increasing public concerns on emerging issues in genetically modified organisms, nuclear energy, climate change, clinical trials, industrial hazards, etc., need to be addressed with fair, honest, and factual scientific understanding; this entire concept opens up a yet another area of science communication, i.e. “Risk Communication & Development”, which was the focal theme of ISCC-2012. The deliberations  covered a wide range of sub themes, such as: Communication for Sustainable Development; Awareness of Genetically Modified Organisms; Public Appreciation of Nuclear Energy; Public Understanding of Health Risks; Environmental Risks and Communication Strategies; Public Misunderstanding of Superstitions; Preparedness for Disasters - Natural and Human; Risk Communication and Mass Media; Scientific Temper and Risk Management, etc.

I presented my paper on Public awareness of directive on restriction of hazardous substances. We are living in an electronic age. We have e-mail, e-banking, e-business, e-books, e-medicine (telemedicine) and so on. The e-products like laptops and cellular phones have penetrated the society in a big way. However majority of users of these products are unaware of presence of hazardous chemicals in electronic goods. The Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment was adopted in 2003 by the European Union. The RoHS-directive, restricts the use of six hazardous materials (viz., lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, PBB and PDBE) in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. PBB and PBDE are brominated flame retardants used in several plastics. A long term exposure of these substances may lead to damage of Nervous system, Kidney, Bones, Reproductive System and Endocrine system. BFR release dioxins and furans which are neurotoxins.

The topics of the evening talks covered First Aid in Disaster by well known physician Dr. K.K. Aggarwal, Science and Art of Weather Forecasting by Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Secretary UGC, Disasters and Public Awareness by Dr. K. J. Ramesh, Advisor, Ministry of Earth Sciences, and Nuclear Energy Debate by Dr. S.K. Malhotra, Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India. The deliberations emphasized the need of a Science and Technology Communication Policy.

Second session of the last day was dedicated for “Young Scholars” which was chaired by Dr. M Prithviraj, Executive Director, Karnataka State Council for Science & Tech. Variety of presentations were made and appreciated by the audience.

Discussion and conclusion sessions was chaired by Dr. S K Malhotra, Director, Public Affairs, Deptt of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India and Rappoteur was Mr. B P Singh, Journalist, Chandigarh. Dr. Manoj Pataria, Director, NCSTC, GOI also share the dais and answered the queries of the participants and delegates. This session was dedicated for the interaction, discussion, suggestion and further recommendation to the higher authorities for their kind consideration.

The valedictory session of the conference was graced by dignitaries such as Mr. Noorana, Sr. Manager, Corporate communication, India Oil Corporation, Mr. Anand Khati, JS, MoES, GOI, Prof Saroj Mishra, University of Houston Clear Lake, USA and Dr. Avinash Mishra, Chief Resident Commissioner, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh.

Beware of greenwash! Be aware of 'Green'

Going Green has become in thing these days. A new vocabulary where green is used as an adjective as well as a verb to show compassion to environment has emerged. It represents a wide and loosely defined spectrum of thought, attitude, philosophy and practice centered around the concern for the environment. We have green resources, products and processes like green energy, green buildings, green agriculture, green transport, green cities, green electronics, green computing, green chemistry, green pharmaceuticals, green fabrics to name a few.

Any product or process is ‘green’ if the emission of carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas is minimal during its fabrication and usage, it has consumed minimum of non renewable resources including energy and water, it has been made of recycled materials, it is recyclable after its useful life, it has utilized local resources, it respects other forms of life during its formation, usage and disposal. Going by this definition, there are shades of ‘green’ or degree of greenness. Getting completely green product or process is a mirage. A glossary of common green vocabulary is as follows.

A green economy is one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. The three pillars of a green economy are reduction in carbon emissions, improvement in resource efficiency and social equity.

Employment in low carbon sector is termed as green jobs.

Green sources of energy are those which are relatively free from the emissions of Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. The emission of carbon dioxide is negligible for renewable sources of energy like hydro, wind or Solar as well as for Nuclear energy.  It is however to be noted that renewable sources of energy are not fully green. The devices and technologies like water turbine, wind electric generator, solar cells etc. which are used to harness renewable energy, consume lots of conventional energy while fabrication and installation. This is known as their embodied energy. They become green only when they payback this energy. The issue of hazardous wastes makes Nuclear energy less green.

A green building depletes the natural resources to a minimum during its construction and operation. Green architecture is a wide ranging concept including solar passive design to minimize HVAC load, utilization of building materials having low embodied energy, recycled material and efficient water, waste and energy management during entire useful life of the building.

Green transport encompasses improving public transport system, running trains and other vehicles on biodiesel and ethanol, promotion of solar cars and battery operated vehicles and promotion of non-motorized transport like pedal bicycles. The ultimate green transport could be vehicles run on hydrogen as it produces water on combustion instead of carbon dioxide. 

Green buildings and green transport leads to green cities. The main features of a green city are that each house is to be built or retrofitted on solar passive concepts, is to be provided with solar water heaters, has  renewable energy based power generation plants, harvests rainwater, resorts to wastewater recycling etc. A green city has well developed rapid mass transport system and cycling and pedestrian tracks. The green city also has efficient waste collection and utilization system. The waste is segregated as biodegradable, non-biodegradable and toxic at household level and collected and disposed or reused likewise.

Green agriculture focuses on no-till farming, organic fertilizers, natural pesticides, rain water harvesting and drip irrigation.

Green Chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. It is an emerging philosophy which aims to protect environment by inventing new chemical processes that do not pollute. Anastas and Warner have proposed twelve principles of Green Chemistry which are now seen as a precursor to clean and green Pharmaceuticals.

Green engineering could be thought of as the transformation of existing engineering disciplines and practices to those that lead to sustainability The basic principles of green engineering include life cycle thinking in designing engineering products, minimization of depletion of resources including energy, proper handling of waste etc.

Green technology is intended to solve some of the environmental problem or at least should perform better than alternative ‘nongreen’ technologies. Nanotechnologies for providing energy, clean water and a good environment in a sustainable way are termed as Green nanotechnology.

Green electronics means design of energy efficient, safer electronic products with longer lifespan and recyclability potential.

Green washing is the practice of making an unsubstantiated or misleading claim about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company practice. So beware of green wash.

Olympiad and National Standard Examinations in Sciences

Dr. Seemin Rubab (Life Member IAPT)

ask _rubab@yahoo.co.in

           

Olympiads are internationally recognised competitions in various fields of knowledge. These are the highest level examinations and are hosted by different countries every year.

Participation in any of these Olympiads has worldwide recognition and is considered as a great achievement. Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR is the nodal centre of the country for Olympiad programmes in mathematics and sciences including astronomy. The programmes aim at promoting excellence in science and mathematics among pre-university students and selecting teams of students to represent India at the International Olympiads in these subjects.  The Olympiad in Junior Science has been added from the year 2008. The programme is financially supported by Board of research in Nuclear Science of Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Space and Ministry of Human Resource Development. National Standard Examinations (NSE) in Sciences is the first stage of selection of students in the Science Olympiad Programme which is organised by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) in collaboration with HBCSE. Every student aspiring to go through successive stages of the programme must enroll for NSE. NSEs will be held at a large number of centres in the country.

The Olympiads are conducted by Indian Association of Physics Teachers every year as per the following five stages: 

           

Stage I             National Standard Examination in the subject (NSEP, NSEC, NSEB, NSEA and NSEJS)

Stage II           Indian National Olympiad in the subject          (INPhO,INChO,INBO,                                  

                                                                                                    INAO,INJSO)

Stage III          Orientation cum selection camp

Stage IV          Pre-departure training camp

Stage V           Participation in International Olympiad

Stage I competition is conducted by Indian Association of Physics Teachers in different parts of the country generally in the month of November every year. This competition has CBSE Class XII syllabus standard level. All the remaining stages are organized by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Mumbai.

The exam schedule for the  is as follows:

Date of NSE : Last Sunday of  November 

Physics (NSEP)                 9:30 to 11:30 A.M.

Chemistry (NSEC)          12:30 to 2:30 P.M.

Biology (NSEB)             3:00 to 5:00 P.M.

Astronomy (NSEA)        3:00 to 5:00 P.M.

Junior Science (NSEJS) 3:00 to 5:00 P.M..

Last Date for Enrolment: 15 September 

Eligiblility

Science students studying in class XI or class XII   are eligible to take part in these competitions.  Those who have already passed class XII examination are not eligible.  For National Standard Examination in Junior Science, students of class X or lower classes and born on or after July 1998 are eligible. The detail information and students brochure is available on www.iapt.org.in

Mode of Application

Any student can apply through his/ her school for participation in any one of these Olympiads.  The Principal/ Senior Faculty Coordinator in the subject may contact IAPT office at Pune and get the institution registered for the conduct of examination after  completing necessary formalities. The information about forthcoming National Standard Examinations and Olympiads is  available on website of IAPT. The Registration form for applying to IAPT, Pune office is also available on this website.

Examination Fee

Examination fee of Rs. 100/- per student per subject is to be paid only to the Coordinator in the school desiring to enroll itself as a centre. In no case, the fee is to be sent to CBSE or IAPT.  Any further information with regard to the Olympiad can be had from

           

            Prof. M.L Ogalapurkar

            NSE Co-ordinator

            I.A.P.T Office, I.I.E Campus

            128/2, J.P Naik Marg, Kothrud

            Pune – 411 038

            Maharashtra

            Tel (Off.) 020-25420163;    email iapt@vsnl.net

           

Format of Examination

 Set of last four years’ question papers with answers/solutions (in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Astronomy) is available. It can be obtained by sending a DD of Rs. 100/- in favour of “IAPT”, payable at Pune, to IAPT office and set will be dispatched by Regd. Post / Courier. Applicants are advised to write their name and complete postal address.
A set of last four years’ question papers with answers/solutions (in Junior Science) is also available. It can be obtained by sending a DD of Rs. 50/- in favour of “IAPT”, payable at Pune.

Registration of Schools as Examination Centres

The IAPT website displays details of the centres which were registered previous year.  This may be of help to candidates in locating the centre nearest to their residence and in enrolling their name at the centre by paying the required fee.  If any school/ College wants to get itself registered for the first time, the form for the Registration can be downloaded from IAPT site and sent to IAPT office, Pune at the above address. Any further information can also be had from IAPT Examination office by sending a self addressed envelope (25cmX10cm) with Rs.5/- stamp affixed  to it.

For students of Kashmir valley, one of the centres is department of Chemistry, university of Kashmir. Dr Altaf Pandith of the department may be contacted for the purpose.

Incentives for participants

Top 10 % at each centre:         Certificate

Top 1% at state level:              Merit Certificate

Top 1% nation-wide:              Special Merit Certificate and Book

Gold Medals are awarded to the Top 35 students  from INPhO, INChO and INBO examinations.

Merit-wise top 300 students will be called for the Indian National Olympiad in respective subjects. About 35 students selected on the basis of their performance at the National Olympiads will be eligible for the respective Orientation cum selection Camps (OCSC) at the HBCSE, Mumbai. The final teams for International Olympiads will be chosen from these students at the end of these OCSC Camps.

            The entire selection process for International Olympiads starts from these five examinations. Fee mentioned above are the only fees to be paid by a student. No additional fee are charged in the selection process anywhere anytime. Students appearing in Indian National Olympiads and International Olympiads are eligible for TA/DA.

            

Report of Second Inspire Internship science camp at NIT Srinagar from 19-23 May 2012

The   five day Inspire science camp at National Institute of Technology Srinagar was held from 19-23 May, 2012 for the brilliant students of the valley. This time, about five hundred students from various schools of the valley participated in the camp.

The camp is supported by DST and the Inspire program launched by the hon’ble Prime Minister of India has unique objective to motivate the youth of the country towards excitements of creative pursuit of science. The other goals of camp are to attract talent to the study of science at an early age and thus build the required critical human resource pool for strengthening and expanding the Science & Technology system and Research & Development base.

The camp was inaugurated on 19th May by Chairman, Board of Governers NIT Srinagar Janab Wajahat Habibullah. During inaugural session a special envelope on NIT was issued by department of post. The CPMG Jammu and Kashmir circle Mr John Samuel inaugurated a scientific philately exhibition on the occasion. During Inspire science camp several mentors from state and outside state were invited to interact with the students.  The first technical session began with a talk on ‘Remarkable scientists an engineer of India’ by Dr Seemin Rubab, the co-convener of the program. The other talks on first day were delivered by Dr Sunil Wanchoo of SMVDU  on ICT and Dr GM Malik Rector of Badarwah campus, Jammu university on Geology. Several mentors deliberated on Architechture, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biological sciences. Mohammed Jawaid Alam an entrepreneur conducted workshop on Hydroponics and Mr VSS Sastry conducted workshop on Mathematics through Origami. Workshop on “Day time Astronomy” and safe viewing of Transit of Venus and eclipses was conducted by Dr Vivek Monteiro and Dr. T.V. Venkateswaran from Vigyan Prasar. The talk on Advances in surgical sciences with particular reference to Laparoscopic techniques by renowned surgeon Dr Mushtaq Chalkoo was most inspiring for the students. Apart from showing some video clips on surgery, Dr Chalkoo enthralled audience with his anecdotes and poetry. The presentation on conservation of Heritage Buildings of Kashmir by Mr.  Saleem Beg, Convener INTACH, Jammu and Kashmir was most stimulating. Noted author of popular science and  former editor of Science Reporter Mr Biman Basu also interacted with students. Female scientists and science communicators like Dr Gopi Sharma, Dr Ranjani, Dr Kausar  and Architect Mona Chandra were very effective and popular among the students. The  deliberations on career choices by Dr. Rubab, Dr Maruf Shah, Syed Abid Shah (IAS) and Engineer Omar were informative and thought provoking during valedictory session. The students also appreciated the musical program presented by expressions and space communications group. The members from environmental group ‘Change Kashmir’ and Recycling Kashmir also interacted with students during the camp. 

Energy: Explore, Harness and Conserve

The theme of 20th  Children Science Congress is related with Energy.  It was decided on the basis of a brainstorming session conducted in Tezpur University, Assam. The Children's Science Congress (CSC) is a three tier competition. The congress is organized annually by NCSTC-Network, a registered society comprising a network of governmental and non-governmental organizations working for development of scientific temper and science popularization. NCSTC network works in tandem with Rashtriya Vigyan Evam Pradiyogiki Sanchar Parishad of Department of Science and Technology.
The primary objectives of the Children's Science Congress is to make a forum available to children of the age-group of 10-17 years to exhibit their creativity, innovativeness and  ability to solve a societal problem experienced locally using the method of science. Selection of subjects for activity and registration of teams is done around mid July every year. A team consists of a maximum of five students and a guide. The students then work on the projects for next 2-3 months. District Level Congress is conducted around mid October.  In Jammu & Kashmir, CSC is organized as a four tier event. After district level competition, regional level competitions are held in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh divisions of the state.  State-level competition is organized for the finalists of the three regions to select 16 teams for the national event. The teams are accompanied by five teachers/guide and a state coordinator. The state coordinator is selected alternatively from Jammu and Kashmir divisions.  The national level event which is held from 27-31 December is however represented by only one member of the team due to logistic constraints. In Kashmir division the district and regional level Children Science Congress is  coordinated by Anantnag based NGO Jammu and Kashmir Students Welfare Society. The theme of 20th National Children Science Congress 2012 is ‘Energy: Explore, Harness and Conserve’. 

Participating Students are supposed to  consult scientists and academicians from higher institutes of learning like NIT, GMC, SKIMS, SKUAST, KGP, IUST, Central silk Board, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Indian Meteorology Department, various degree colleges  and Kashmir University. Students are also supposed to  conduct surveys in their vicinity to assess a local energy related issues and problem. Participants improve their project at successive levels. The selected teams for state level competition get expert advice from judges for further improvement of their work.

The CSC prompts children to think of some significant local problem, ponder over its causes and subsequently try and solve the same using the scientific process. This involves close and keen observation, raising pertinent questions, building models, predicting solutions on the basis of a model, trying out various possible alternatives and arriving at an optimum solution using experimentation, filed work, research and innovative ideas. CSC offers child scientists great opportunities for learning and peer group interaction. It is also a learning experience for science teachers who guide child scientists. The teachers/guides receive special orientation on the theme of the CSC every year. In short, CSC not only helps in initiating students towards scientific methodology but also helps in professional growth of science teachers who may guide their student’s projects.    

Some suggested projects on energy are  as follows

·         Explore and identify energy resources in and around you

·         Listing of household energy consumption pattern (For example: Electricity, petrol, diesel, LPG, wood etc. and quantify each)

·         Finding the cost of energy consumption

·         Finding out ways to minimize energy consumption.

·         Listing inefficient energy consuming devices and replacing those with energy efficient devices.

·         Students can make list of activities that can be taken up as a replacement of energy consumption (such as washing clothes manually and not using washing machine, walking and not using tread-mills etc. etc.!)

·         Finding the efficiency of cookstove at home using water boiling test

·         Finding energy consumed per typical meal of a region

·         Energy consumed per bath in cold climate( estimation of water per bath say 40 litre, then enrgy required to get it heated upto a particular temperature), Estimation of enrgy to pump water (KWh/litre) to storage tanks

·         comparison of energy per hour for lighting by IL, CFL, hurricane lantern, LPG mantle lamp, solar lantern etc

·         comparision of energy consumed per km distance per person  traveled by, car, bus, cycle etc

·         comparison or cost estimation of energy in agriculture end use particularly water pumping, 

·         estimation of energy for thermal comfort such as w/h for fan, cooler, Ac. In colder climate w/h and Rs/h for various heating options indigenous as well as modern

·         Students can make trip to the local industry and understand the energy consumption pattern of specific industries.

 Teachers and Students are urged to participate in Children Science Congress as it is a great hands on learning experience.