Scientific event calendar launched to popularize science

The Gujarat Council of Science City, Dept of Science and Technology, Govt of Gujarat, has brought out a special illustrated scientific event calendar (April 2011-March 2012) to mark programmes to be held at the Science City campus and other educational institutions. The Calendar was released by Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat this week at Gandhinagar during the event of IAS/IPS/IFS Retired Officers Conclave held as a part of Swarnim Gujarat Celebration.

The calendar aims at popularization of science and inculcating scientific temper among the common public. It also commemorates birthdays of eminent scientists and highlights important scientific inventions and discoveries on its pages each month. This year is also being celebrated as the International Year of Chemistry as well as International Year of Forests to strengthen sustainable forest Management.

This month focuses on scientist Jagdish Chandra Bose (November 30, 1858- November 23 1937) who was a physicist, biologist, botanist, archaeologist, as well as an early writer of science fiction. Bose pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics, made very significant contributions to plant science and laid the foundations of experimental science in the Indian subcontinent.

Other months highlight eminent scientists like Dr Homi Bhabha, father of Indian Nuclear science, Satyendranath Bose, known as the particle man, Dr Har Gobind Khorana, a biochemist who shared the Nobel prize in Physiology in 1968 with Marshall Nirenberg and Robert Holley, Dr Vikram Sarabhai, father of Indian space programme, Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, an Indian statistician.

Special events at Science City this month include marking of Astronomy Day on May 6, Thalassemia Day on May 8, National Technology Day on May 11, World Telecommunication Day on May 17, International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22 and World No Tobacco Day and Foundation Stone Laying Day of Gujarat Science City on May 31. Besides there will be a live phone-in programme in Gyan Vani on May 17 and 31.

Birthdays of eminent persons and scientists this month include Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel prize awardee, Hindu poet and composer, whose birthday falls on May 7, the inventor of small pox vaccination, Edward Jenner (May 17), fossil hunter Mary Anning (May 21), Joshua Lederberg, famous scientist who won the Nobel prize in 1958 for his discoveries concerning genetic recombination and the organization of genetic material of bacteria, of Sally Ride (May 26, 1951), the first female US astronaut to go to space, Benjamin Perry Pal, eminent Indian agriculture scientist and Rachel Carson, ecologist (May 27).

Inventions and discoveries highlight Lui Pasteur, inventor of definition of ‘anthrax’, Benjamin Franklin who first tested his lightning rod, C Cockerel who invented hovercrafts, James Puckle, a London lawyer who designed the world’s first machine gun, D Hyde, who patented the fountain pen.