Joining the “One Week, One Lab” campaign of CSIR, CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR), New Delhi, organised the weeklong programme from 11 to 16 September 2023.
During the programme, the institute hosted a series of events creating a science-festive atmosphere all around highlighting and showcasing the institute’s activities, initiatives and achievements in the areas of Science Policy Research and Science Communication. The events catered to a wide range of audiences including scientists, academicians, science diplomats, scientists, science communicators, science publishers, entrepreneurs, industry experts, farmers, startups, students and other stakeholders.
The programme was kicked off with the curtain raiser event on 6 September 2023 held at PHD Chamber of Commerce, New Delhi. Dr Rakesh Bhatnagar, National Science Chair at Jawaharlal Nehru University, was the Chief Guest of the event, and other dignitaries included Dr Souvik Maiti, Director, CSIR-IGIB and Dr Manoranjan Parida, Director, CSIR-CRRI. Director, CSIR-NIScPR, Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal briefed about the “One Week, One Lab” programme as well as the NIScPR activities.
Dignitaries also released NIScPR’s One Week, One Lab brochure, a short film featuring the activities of the institute was also shown.
The weeklong programme was inaugurated on 11 September 2023 by Hon’ble S&T Minister Dr Jitendra Singh. Dr N Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR and DG, CSIR, was the Guest of Honour; Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta, Director, CSIR-NPL was the Special Invitee. Following the inaugural ceremony, the names of the twelve Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) awardees for the year 2022 were also announced.
Appreciating the institute’s activities Dr Jitendra Singh said, “CSIR-NIScPR has shown the unique capacity of dissemination of scientific achievements to the society. People have started realising the significance of the core strength of this Institute.” The minister further emphasised that the experiments conducted within the walls of the labs must reach out to the stakeholders. Dr Singh expressed his appreciation for NIScPR's SVASTIK initiative, which combines traditional knowledge with modern scientific knowledge. He also congratulated the SSB awardees.
Addressing the gathering, Dr N Kalaiselvi emphasised the significance of science communication, saying that it serves as a bridge between scientists and the lay public. She praised science communicators as the real unsung heroes who play a crucial role in linking the gap between labs and the masses.
Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta said, “NIScPR is a binding force for all the CSIR labs as it records science history and disseminates it to the general public through publications.”
Earlier, in her welcome address, Dr Ranjana Aggarwal praised the campaign as a unique platform for showcasing the technological breakthroughs and success stories of each CSIR lab to a diverse range of stakeholders. She credited the Hon’ble Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, for his visionary leadership and unwavering support in making this campaign a reality.
Marking the completion of 80 years of CSIR since its inception in 1942, a book, “CSIR@80: A Photo Journey (1942-2022)” was released by the Hon'ble Minister. A book “Vigyan Pragati's Shreshtha 80 Alekhon Ka Sankalan” in Hindi was also released. Hon’ble Minister also inaugurated the “Science Media Communication Cell (SMCC),” an initiative of CSIR-NIScPR that focuses on the dissemination of Indian R&D breakthroughs through effective media communication. After the inaugural session, an exhibition of CSIR-NIScPR knowledge products was opened to the general public.
The next day, on 12 September 2023, a workshop on “India’s Startup Revolution — An Exciting Journey from an Idea to Market” was conducted at CSIR-NPL. The Chief Guest of the workshop was Dr Omkar Rai, Executive Chairman of Startup Odisha and the Guest of Honour was Mr Puneet Kaura, Chairman, CII Delhi State Council and Managing Director & CEO Samtel Avionics Ltd. The workshop aimed at exposing students to pathways towards converting their ideas into commercial products and providing a platform for networking. It was attended by industry players, startups, research institutes, universities, government bodies, and incubators involved in promoting startups.
Dr Omkar Rai spoke about India's efforts at helping startups grow in tier-2&3 cities. Mr Puneet Kaura stressed on building a growth mindset, continuous learning, networking and connecting with mentors, peers, and partners for scaling up and finding pathways to growth.
During the workshop, three books were released by the dignitaries, namely, Tech Readiness: Evaluating CSIR Innovations Under Agricultural and Environmental Themes; AcSIR Academic Handbook for PhD Programme, and Synthesis Report: Study of Life Sciences Cluster in the Context of COVID-19, A Case Study of Genome Valley.
The day-long startup workshop included technical and interactive sessions as well as panel discussions on different aspects of the startup ecosystem. The exhibition of over 30 startups, ranging from high technology to those impacting rural development, was one of the attractions. Industry experts and heads of incubation centres also discussed ways to enhance the startup ecosystem in the country.
On 13 September 2023, three programmes were conducted — Grassroot Innovations & Skill Development Conclave for Rural Development, Student-Science Connect Programme, and CSIR-NIScPR & KAMP Workshop for Teachers.
Grassroots Innovations and Skill Development Conclave for Rural Development began with the inauguration of an exhibition by Dr Shekhar C Mande, Former DG-CSIR, & Chief Guest of the event and Dr Sanjay Kumar, Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) was the Guest of Honour. The exhibition showcased technologies/products from different CSIR labs such as CSIR-IHBT, CSIR-AMPRI, CSIR-IIP, CSIR-CIMAP, CSIR-CSMCRI, CSIR-NBRI, CSIR-NIIST, CSIR-IICT and CSIR-NIScPR.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal emphasised the multidisciplinary nature of CSIR-NIScPR, which serves as a vital bridge between science and society at large.
Dr Sanjay Kumar stressed the importance of making scientific advancements accessible to the public and understanding stakeholder needs.
Dr Shekhar C Mande emphasised the importance of research and innovation in shaping the nation's future.
The programme on Student-Science Connect was attended by more than 150 students from Kendriya Vidyalaya Vikaspuri, Kendriya Vidyalaya Dwarka, and MM Public School. Shri CB Singh, Head, Jigyasa Training and HR Division, CSIR-NIScPR, gave an overview of the programme.
Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal emphasised the relevance of the two themes for the programme — millets and scientifically validated Indian traditional knowledge.
The programme was also graced by Dr Shekhar C Mande, Dr Sanjay Kumar and Prof. Sharmistha Banerjee, University of Hyderabad. Dr Mande highlighted the efforts undertaken by CSIR-NIScPR in the preservation and revitalisation of diminishing Indian Traditional Knowledge. He emphasised the significance of the NIScPR publication "Wealth of India" in this regard.
Dr Sanjay Kumar stressed the importance of learning through fun, teamwork, and building meaningful connections with extended family. Prof. Sharmistha Banerjee talked about India's contributions to the fields of Science and Technology. The annual report for Jigyasa, covering the period of 2022-2023, was also unveiled.
The programme included talks on the nutritional importance of millet, and scientific communication of traditional knowledge. A quiz competition and puppet show centred on science communication were also held. The event was concluded with a visit to the Raw Materials Herbarium & Museum and Ayur Vatika at CSIR-NIScPR.
The same day, a CSIR-NIScPR & KAMP Workshop on Science Communication was also organised to sensitise participating science teachers about the various facets of science communication.
Welcoming everyone, Shri CB Singh outlined the workshop's objectives. Following this, the audience was captivated by the keynote speech delivered by Prof. Sharmistha Banerjee from the University of Hyderabad.
The sharing of knowledge on an integrated approach in the education system by Prof. Sharmistha Banerjee opened the floor for insightful discussions. She emphasised the importance of introducing research and scientific methods at the school level, advocating for a more interdisciplinary approach to education.
Subsequently, in his lecture on “Science Communication: Indian Efforts and Citizen Responsibility,” delivered by Shri Hasan Jawaid Khan, Chief Scientist and Head of Popular Science Division, CSIR-NIScPR, shed light on the challenges of information consumption in today's era of information overload. Finally, Ms Sonali Nagar, Senior Scientist, CSIR-NIScPR, addressed the audience on "Nuances of Popular Science Writing," focusing on the intricacies of scientific writing and highlighting the essential elements of effective communication.
On day four, 14 September 2023, the event on “Science Communication: Public Engagement with Science” was organised. The Chief Guest of the event was Dr Santosh Choubey, Chancellor, Rabindranath Tagore University, Bhopal, and the Guest of Honour was Dr Tsering Tashi, Deputy Project Director, Navigation Spacecraft, UR Rao Satellite Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bengaluru. The programme had a technical session, panel discussion and Vigyan Kavi Sammelan.
During the inaugural session, Dr Ranjana Aggarwal highlighted the significance of the science communication event and emphasised the importance of public engagement.
Shri Hasan Jawaid Khan, Chief Scientist, CSIR-NIScPR, provided a brief background of the event, focussing on science communication and its key challenges.
Dr Tsering Tashi discussed his journey of scientific research at ISRO and stressed the importance of science outreach activities for rural communities and how he had helped numerous students from the Ladakh region through science communication programmes.
Interacting with the audience, Dr Santosh Choubey emphasised the significance of science communication and suggested creating science communication hubs across the country.
A book titled Vigyan Sanchar Ki Anwarat Yatra; three CSIR-NIScPR popular science books in English translated into Marathi, Kannada, and Bangla, respectively; Navasanchetana CSIR-NIScPR Rajbhasha magazine (July-Sept 2023 issue), and an “e-Hydrogen Digest Compendium” based on hydrogen research were released.
Dr Manish Mohan Gore, Editor, Vigyan Pragati, who was responsible for conceptualising the day-long programme, delivered the vote of thanks.
After the inaugural, a technical session on “Organisations spreading science to society” was chaired by Dr Santosh Choubey and co-chaired by Dr Tsering Tashi. Experts from reputed organisations like Department of Science & Technology, All India Radio, National Research Development Corporation, TIFR, IGNOU, etc. participated.
Later, a panel discussion was held to mark the completion of 70 years of "Vigyan Pragati," the monthly Hindi magazine published by CSIR-NIScPR. The discussion was chaired by Shri Devendra Mewari, a renowned science writer, and co-chaired by Shri Kuldeep Dhatwalia, Project Manager, Science Media Communication Cell (SMCC). Ms Shubhada Kapil, Assistant Editor, Vigyan Pragati, presented the milestones of the magazine's journey. This was followed by various speakers sharing their experiences of writing for Vigyan Pragati and how it had shaped their writing skills.
Commemorating the Hindi Diwas on 14 September, a Vigyan Kavi Sammelan was also organised, during which Shri Mahendra Kumar Gupta, Joint Secretary, Administration, CSIR, was the Chief Guest and the chairperson was Dr Madhu Pant, a renowned Science Poetess and former Director, Rashtriya Bal Bhawan, New Delhi. Poets from different organisations participated and made the evening eventful.
Shri Mahendra Gupta appreciating the efforts said that such kind of science-literature integration will definitely communicate science to society in the right way. Dr Ranjana Aggarwal expressed her gratitude to all the participating poets for their creative engagement. Dr Madhu Pant recited her science poem ‘Dharti ki Yahi Pukar’ which was commended by the audience.
On day five, 15 September 2023, the Science Knowledge Convention event was organised. It was inaugurated by Chief Guest Dr Akhilesh Gupta, Secretary, SERB and Senior Adviser at the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Guest of Honour Dr Suman Kumari Mishra, Director, CSIR-CGCRI, Kolkata. The convention aimed to showcase e-resources, databases, standards and knowledge products for S&T staff, researchers, students and NKRC Nodal officers. It also featured signing of MoUs between CSIR & DST and CSIR & MoES for NKRC.
The “One Month One Lecture on e-resource” initiative was also launched along with the NKRC Report: A Journey of 21 Years, and special issues of CSIR-NIScPR journals IJBB & IJEMS. Subsequently, a panel discussion on Science and Technology Information and Knowledge Resources was held, which was chaired by Dr Manoranjan Mohanty, Head, Autonomous Institutions Division, DST and Mrs Neelu Srivastava, Chief Scientist, CSIR-NIScPR, as the Co-Chair.
Lastly, an Authors and Publishers Interaction Meet was held with sessions on scientific writing and publications, indexing tools, and e-resources for S&T research and databases. Dr Suman Mallik, former Chief Scientist, CSIR, was the Chair and Shri CB Singh, Sr Principal Scientist at CSIR-NIScPR was the Co-chair of the session. Two open sessions for discussion were organised.
A Science Exhibition and a Poster Presentation Competition were organised with the theme of Societal Impact of Research/Projects undertaken. Many students and guests participated, and several reputable science publishers including Wiley, Clarivate, Elsevier, and American Chemical Society (ACS) set up stalls. Dr Manoranjan Parida, Director of CSIR-CRRI, addressed the audience and distributed prizes to the poster competition winners. Over 800 participants attended both offline and online.
The weeklong programme concluded on 16 September 2023 with the event “Science Diplomacy for Sustainable Development” exploring how science diplomacy can contribute to sustainable development, sustainable entrepreneurship development in particular. The Chief Guest Dr Philipp Ackermann, German Ambassador to India and Bhutan, and Guest of Honour, Dr Bhaskar Balakrishnan, Former Science Diplomat, addressed the gathering. Dr Rama Swami Bansal, Head, International S&T Affairs Directorate, CSIR; Prof. Madhav Govind, Chairman, Centre for Studies in Science Policy, JNU; Shri R Madhav, Director, Indo-German S&T Centre; Dr Purnima Rupal, Former Director, CEFIPRA & Head, SCDD, CSIR and Dr Dhoya Snijders, Innovation Counsellor for India, Embassy of Kingdom of Netherlands attended the event as expert speakers.
Summarising the weeklong programme, Dr Yogesh Suman, Sr Principal Scientist & Chairman, NIScPR "One Week, One Lab" programme, presented the summary of the events. Concluding the programme, Dr Manish Mohan Gore, Scientist & Coordinator, NIScPR "One Week, One Lab" programme proposed the vote of thanks.
