WORKSHOP ON
POPULAR SCIENCE WRITING & ILLUSTRATION FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN
AT GUJARAT SCIENCE CITY

About Fifty secondary school children from South Gujarat, i.e., Valsad, Dang, Surat, Navsari and Narmada districts will learn from today onwards at Gujarat Science City on how to make science easy for their friends, family and community as well as the general public in their locality. These students and teachers have been selected through the District Education Officers of the above five districts on a rigorous criteria to join in the four-day residential programme organized at Gujarat Science City to promote the culture of popular science writing in vernacular language. The programme has been catalyzed and supported by the National Council of Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC), Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.

The workshop, which is second in its series, has been planned as an innovative activity on creative and popular science writing and illustration by the secondary school children (Class VIII and IX) through a series of workshops. The activity aims to inculcate scientific temperament and attitude among the young minds by understanding the science and technology better and to adopt the popular science writing, illustrations and reporting for further dissemination purposes. With careful training and guidance, school students can develop the understanding of concepts and methodology of science and technology and also to develop the skill of their own creative interpretations in forms of popular science writings, illustrations. This is a very innovative way of developing children science literature and there is very little work has been carried out at any state and national level.

The workshop will be inaugurated by Shri Vagmin Buch, Director, Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) at 12.00 hrs in the Auditorium I at Gujarat Science City. Mrs. Meenakshi Thakker, Technical Director, Doordarshan Kendra, Ahmedabad will deliver the key-note address. Shri R. K. Sahaya, eminent scientist and science editor worked with CSIR, New Delhi will train the participants during the workshop. In addition, eminent scientists from Space Application Centre (ISRO), Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), editors / journalists from print and electronic media will also interact with the participants and to guide them for their best creative expression.

Dr. Vijay S. Joshi, Retd. Professor of Mathematics from Virginia Intermont College, Bristol, V. A., will take a special interactive session on math magic with the participants and to discuss on Making three dimensional geometric model using modern technology on 24th October 2007.
During the programme, the students also get a chance to attend the Popular Science Lecture on Hymn to Agni: The God of Fire to be delivered by Padmashree Prof. P. K. Kaw, Director, Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar.

The participants will also visit the Doordarshan Kendra and to have a first hand experience about how news are collected, edited and disseminated in our day-to-day life.
Learning to write is learning to think. We hope the workshop will nurture the young minds for exploration of science.
Let the young mind blossom full of thought the thought of prosperity!

We wish to invite you to the above workshop and seek your kind advice, support and suggestion in the betterment of the above programme.

Click here to download shedule !


With warm regards.

Ashok V. Mehta
Executive Director
GUJARAT SCIENCE CITY

Capturing New Heights in Science Literacy!