Kerala - Kannur   

Renewing the charm of basic sciences

KANNUR: A five-day science camp organised jointly here by Sree Narayana College and the Department of Science and Technology came to a close on Friday. The camp was held at the Sreepuram auditorium. As many as 120 students drawn from higher secondary classes from across the State attended the camp.

Organisers said the camp was successful in creating enthusiasm for learning basic sciences among the participants. There were about 30 sessions handled by resource persons from centres of excellence such as the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore; Baba Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai; Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Kerala School of Mathematics; Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai; Inter-University Centre of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune; and Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore.

K.S. Krishnan of the NCBS was the programme coordinator. The students got an opportunity to interact with eminent scientists and resource persons, including professors and scientists Sriram Ramaswamy, Vinod Kumar, Madhusudhan Venketesan, B. Gopal, A.J. Parameshwaran, Gopalakrishnan Manoj, G. Anil Kumar, and Sanjay Wategaonkar.

According to the organisers, the sessions were planned in such a way that the students got exposure to the basic aspects of biological sciences and related areas. The camp was intended to reorient the younger generation to take up a career in basic sciences such as biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics. The speakers at the camp felt that students were being weaned away from basic sciences towards career-oriented engineering and medical degrees, they said. The general interest in fundamental sciences is found to be on the wane because of the lucrative jobs that could be earned by pursuing computer science, biotechnology, bioengineering, and biomathematics.

In the concluding session on Thursday, the chief guest, V.S. Anil Kumar, Director of Student Services, Kannur University, spoke about the scientific temper and attitude that fostered a fearless approach towards life and nature. “Today, science seems to mean simply a means for enriching and enhancing material comforts of life. In fact, it has been instrumental in salvaging humanity from the darkness of ignorance,” he said. Organisation of science camps could go a long way in changing people's attitude, he stated.

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