Panaji: July 4, 2017 … The Science Express Train on theme ‘Climate Action Special’ – an innovative mobile science exhibition mounted on a 16 coach AC train, travelling across India will be arriving at Madgaon Railway Station on July 11, 2017.
The Science Express Train a flagship programme of the Dept. of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India will arrive at the Madgaon Railway Station on July 11, 2017 and will be stationed there till July 13, 2017. The exhibition is open to all and free for viewing between 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. but primarily targets the students and teachers.
Science Express has become the largest, the longest running and the most visited mobile science exhibition and has twelve entries in the Limca Book of Records.
The current ninth phase of the Science Express as SECAS II was flagged off on February 17, 2017 from Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station by Shri Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Railways; Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Late Shri Anil Madhav Dave, Minister of State (I/C) for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India.
The current tour of SECAS is being exhibited at 68 stations across India, covering 19000 km. SECAS is focusing on Climate Change and Science & Technology. The exhibition conveys message about Climate Change and is also a good opportunity to generate dialogue and discussion.
The SECAS II is a unique collaborative initiative of Dept. of Science & Technology (DST), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), Dept. of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Railways, Govt of India; Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC).
Climate Change is an important environmental issue, with many short term and long term impacts. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are not just global in scope and unprecedented in scale but they also more severely affect the poor and marginalized people. There is very little understanding about climate change and its impacts. The state-of-the-art exhibition on board the SECAS aims to create awareness among various sections of society as to how climate change can be combated through mitigation and adaptation.
Eight coaches of SECAS exhibition put up by MoEFCC is exclusively devoted to information, case studies and material related to various aspect of Climate change, the underlying science, impacts, adaptation activities, mitigation solutions and policy approaches in a manner that is easy to understand and interesting for not just school students but also the masses. In rest of the rake, there are exhibits and activities put up by DBT and DST.
The broad theme covered in each exhibition coach being Understanding Climate Change; Impact of Climate Change; Adaptation – Concepts of adaptation and examples from day to day life, adaptation strategies and stories from field; Mitigation – Concept and definition with examples, emphasis on restoring balance, enhancing sinks and reducing emission through Renewable Energy (RE) technologies; International Negotiations for Climate Change; Positive Actions; etc.
There is also a special Kids Zone set up for children from Std. 5 and below to participate in fulfilled activities, games and puzzles in science, mathematics and environment besides a coach on The Joy of Science (JOS) with a Hands-on Lab where students from Std. 6-10 can perform experiments and activities to understand concepts in environment, science and mathematics in an interesting manner. A training facility is also set up for orientation of teachers here.
At each halt of SECAS, activities are planned to engage visitors across different age groups to reinforce its message. An exciting and much sought-after Outreach Programme is also conducted in local schools/institutions along with activities on the railway platforms. In addition, informative take-away material is made available for wider distribution amongst schools and visitors.
DST has entrusted Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC), Ahmedabad with the task of managing the SECAS across India. VASCSC’s team of qualified, trained and highly motivated Science Communicators travelling with the train explain and interpret the exhibition, answers queries, facilitate the visitors and conduct complementary activities.
For visit to the exhibition or any queries, please send an email to sciencexpress@gmail.com or contact the team aboard the train on 09428405407. School students can participate in the JOS Lab in small batches of up to 20 students, by prior registration.
