Vijayawada: Regional Science Centre to have more facilities

VIJAYAWADA: Inventions will increase when one generates interest in students. To develop the students’ knowledge, the government is coming up with initiatives to increase several activities in the state. The government has been organising science fairs from school-level to state-level and the finalists are being given Inspire Awards. Recently, 11 girls from several villages, who are studying in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, got an invitation to participate and present their ideas before international scientists of NASA , USA.

The Regional Science Centre serving the pupils from Vijayawada City, since 2005, is located in Bhavanipuram. As this science centre is the oldest equipped, the authorities of Andhra Pradesh State Council of Science and Technology (APSCST) wants to update it.  To exhibit the latest technology, National Council of Science Museum has been supporting with some equipment and ISRO accepted to provide the models of their satellites from Aryabhatta to present MOM, the Bangalore centre is already preparing the models for permanent display at the Vijayawada Science Centre.

A rare 9D theatre is also coming soon to the Vijayawada Science Centre. Those theatres are currently present only in few cities like Noida, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai. For this 9D theatre, the tender process has begun in APSCST. Baba Atomic Research Centre has also agreed to provide nuclear technology to develop the knowledge of the state’s children. The authorities are planning to provide telescopes to watch lunar eclipse and solar eclipse and other Celestial wonders. Almost all these will be incorporated in the Vijayawada Regional Science Centre within three months. The APSCST officers have proposed all this.

Lack of staff is now a major problem for APSCST, after bifurcation.  The students can watch concepts of Physics, Geographical information, Global Position System, Biological facts, different sizes of rocks, Computer calculation display system and others now at the Science centre. The students should take prior permission to visit the Science centre except on Monday,  a holiday. Students from any private institute should pay Rs. 10 and students from Government schools have to pay only Rs.5 and the authorities will allow 70 students at a time.

A vehicle of the science centre will make rounds around the state promoting the Science on Wheels. “To develop scientific knowledge and to be updated on technologies, we are arranging special programmes all over the state, at the district headquarters, with the help of the officials concerned and recently conducted a National Science Congress in Ongole successfully,” V.V.A. Krishna Murthy, member secretary, APSCST, said. “ We laid a foundation for the Rajamahendravaram Science Centre by allotting Rs 16 crores fund which will be completed within 18 months and are also planning to develop an ‘Innovation Hub’ by allotting Rs 1.8 Crores in the state with the support of the Government of India,” Krishna Murthy said.