ITANAGAR, 1 Mar: The Arunachal Pradesh State Council for Science & Technology (APSCS&T) celebrated the National Science Day by organising a series of events across the districts, in collaboration with NIELIT Itanagar.
It organised a two-day online artificial intelligence workshop titled ‘Future-ready AI: From generative tech to real-world innovation’ from 24-25 February. Held virtually, the first day of the online session was conducted by assistant faculty member (CSE) Vivek Kumar, and the second day’s event was conducted by Director (i/c) RK Bigensana Singh and Assistant Professor Dr Likha Ganu, who conducted hands-on training using no-code platforms like teachable machine, followed by a mini project sprint.
An online artwork competition and a video-clip competition were organised, with winners felicitated during the main event held on 28 February at the physics department of Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU).
In the online video-clip competition, the first, second, and third positions were secured by Laryum Taye of VKV Oyan (East Siang), Taba Yagio of government secondary school Mani, and Joram Kuma of VKV Itanagar, respectively.
In the artwork competition, the top three positions went to Kabom Pait of VKV Oyan (East Siang), Joram Amree of VKV Itanagar, and Nilamso Tabronyu of VKV Amliang (Anjaw), respectively.
The main event of the National Science Day was organised at RGU on 28 February, in collaboration with RGU’s physics department. More than 80 participants attended the event. The participants were from VKV Nirjuli, VKV Itanagar, VKV Oyan, VKV Amliang, and the government secondary school Mani.
RGU Physics HoD Prof PK Kalita highlighted the transformative contributions of women scientists in India’s R&D landscape, while APSCS&T Director CD Mungyak elaborated the objectives of the National Science Day and the council’s ongoing efforts to foster scientific temperament among students.
Basic Science Dean Prof Sanjeev Kumar clarified a common misconception, informing the audience that the National Science Day does not commemorate the birth anniversary of CV Raman, and instead marks the date when his groundbreaking work was published.
RGU Vice-Chancellor (i/c) Prof SK Nayak underscored India’s long-term vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, and said that “to achieve this, women can play a pivotal role by choosing science as their field of interest, thus boosting the nation’s per capita income and helping achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat.”
The event also featured a lecture by Dr Kanchan Chowdhury, former science communicator at the National Council of Science Museums, who spoke on the theme ‘Nature’s great innovator’. In his address, Dr Chowdhury illustrated how nature has long inspired human ingenuity. He explained how the streamlined dive of a kingfisher motivated engineers to design the bullet train, how the bioluminescent angler fish guided scientists in developing eco-friendly glow sticks as alternatives to hazardous chemical ones, and how the self-cooling structure of termite mounds inspired architects to construct Zimbabwe’s Eastgate Mall using natural ventilation.
His talk captivated the audience by showing how close observation of nature can lead to sustainable and groundbreaking innovations.
The programme also included a lecture by Dr Sayan Bayan of the physics department of RGU, who spoke on the life, scientific journey, and lasting impact of Nobel Laureate CV Raman. His talk highlighted how Raman’s groundbreaking discovery continues to shape modern physics and inspire generations of researchers.
Following the academic sessions, the students were taken on guided tours of the physics laboratory and the food technology laboratory, led by MSc students and research scholars. These tours provided the participants with hands-on exposure to scientific instruments and experiments, further enriching their understanding of practical science.
The event culminated with quiz competitions and a prize distribution ceremony.
In East Siang district, the Science Club of Jawaharlal Nehru College (JNC) organised a field visit to the College of Agriculture (CoA) in headquarters Pasighat to mark the National Science Day on Saturday.
Around 50 BSc 4th semester students of JNC participated in the field visit, escorted by faculty members from the science departments.
Mahesh Kumar from the CoA’s biochemistry department apprised the students of the history of the CoA, and provided an overview of the courses offered by the institution.
The visit began with a tour of the 5G laboratory, where Prof Premaradhya N from the agronomy department highlighted the features of the 5G lab and explained advanced agricultural technologies such as drones and 3D printing. The students then visited the Centre of Excellence for Millet Production, guided by Dr Pawan Kumar, where they learned about the production and packaging of different millet products.
The group also visited the plant pathology department, where HoD Dr Girish Chand addressed the students. They further visited the entomology section, guided by Dr NY Chanu, and the department of post-harvest management, where they were addressed by Dr Helen Soibam.
The students also visited the honey testing centre and the college library of the CoA. (With DIPRO input)
