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Science Express is back in Delhi

A record: Kendriya Vidyalaya student Nishita Yadav, who completed the 50 lakh visitors count for the Science Express, stands aboard the much travelled train at Delhi Cantonment railway station on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: After touring over 150 locations around the country over a period of 600 days, the science exhibition train “Science Express” is now back here in the Capital. The main objective of the unique venture is to nurture curiosity among the youth, rekindle their interest in science and encourage them to pursue careers in science.

The exhibition train would be stationed at Delhi Cantonment railway station till April 9.

A large number of high schools and college students as well as other visitors are expected to attend the exhibition during this period.

According to the organisers, the exhibition has received an overwhelming response and crossed the 50-lakh visitors mark over its three phases.

To celebrate this special achievement, a function was organised at Delhi Cantonment railway station on Tuesday. Union Minister for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan was the chief guest at the celebrations.

The train has been custom-made for the Union Science and Technology Department by the Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala.

While most of the exhibits have been developed by the Max Planck Society, Germany, some exhibits are indigenous.

The inaugural edition of the Science Express was flagged off from Delhi Safdarjung station on October 30, 2007, and has already set four national records.

The third phase of the Science Express started on October 2, 2009, from Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

The exhibition with large visual images, video clips and multimedia exhibits deals extensively with cutting edge research in science and technology which is spread over the 12 exhibition coaches. The areas covered include our universe, space, black holes, galaxies, big bang, our home in the cosmos, spaceship earth, nanotechnology, building blocks of life from gene to organism, the world of senses, architecture of the mind, technologies and energy sources for future, computer applications in medicine, biotechnology, genetics, cell biology and global challenges of today.

There is also a dedicated coach on “Climate Change -- Cause, Effect and Mitigation” sponsored by HSBC as an initiative of the Earth Sciences Forum. Another special feature is the Vikram A. Sarabhai Community Science Centre's “Joy of Science Lab” where students can conduct hands-on activities in physics, chemistry, biology and maths.

The centre has been entrusted with coordinating and managing the Science Express across India.

The science communicators aboard the train interpret the exhibits, solve and queries of visitors.

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