International Conference on Science Communication

Tuesday, January 10, 2012International Conference on Science Communication for Science Temper International Conference on Science Communication for Science Temper 10-12 January 2011 at NASC Complex, Near Pusa Campus, New Delhi 10 January 2012, New Delhi.The first Plenary session is essentially a panel discussion on “History and notion of Scientific Temper” under the chairmanship of Dr P S Ahuja, Director, CSIR-IHBT, Palampur and four panellists: Hak Soo Kim of Sogang University, south Korea, Dinesh Mohan, IIT-D, Dinesh Abrol, CSIR-NISTADS and Irfan Habib from NUEPA. The six Parallel sessions for day-1 are as follows: Television and scientific temper, New electronic media and scientific temper, Radio and scientific temper, Hand on science activities, Science communication through Indian languages, and Extension activities and development of ST. Day-2 has two plenary sessions (panel discussion) on History of Science Communication and Trends in Science Communication chaired by Dr PM Bhargava and Prof Deepak Pental, Former VC, Delhi University, respectively. The panellists are T Jayaraman (TISS), Anil Kumar (CUSAT), Mridula Mukherjee (JNU) and TV Venkateswaran (VP) for PL-2; and Cludia Aguirre (Colombia), Carmelo Polino (Argentina), Arpana Caur and PVS Kumar for PL-3. Post-lunch there are six parallel sessions viz. Science fiction: A way to build ST; Science museums and extension centres; Development communication and ST; Science movements across India; Science, superstitions and scientific temper; and Role of education in building ST. On the concluding day i.e. day-3, we have two Plenary sessions (PL-4 & 5), “Indicators of scientific temper” and “Global trends in science communication/PUS” chaired by Steve Fuller, University of Warwick, UK, and Anuj Sinha, Former Head, NCSTC, respectively. The panellists for PL-4 are Fabienne Crettaz von Roten, (University of Lausanne, Switzerland), HE Wei, HU Junping and XUAN Liang, (CRISP, China), and Gauhar Raza; and the panellists for PL-5 are Hester du Plessis, (HSRC, South Africa), Luisa Massarani (Brazil), Kristina Petkova (Bulgaria), ZHANG Huiliang and LI Zhaohui (CRISP, China). The last three parallel sessions are on Policy issues and government practices, Indicators of scientific temper, and Role of education in building ST.

 

CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR), a constituent establishment of CSIR is a premier institute in Science Communication and Publishing promoting science to diverse constituents at all levels, using appropriate technologies. It provides formal linkages of communication among the scientific community in the form of research journals in different areas of S&T, information on plant, animal and mineral wealth of the country; Science popularization; Harness IT applications in information management with particular reference to science communication and modernizing libraries; Act as a facilitator in furthering economic, social, industrial, scientific and commercial development by providing timely access to relevant and accurate information; Develop HR in science communication, library, documentation and information science, and S&T information management systems and services, IPR, herbarium techniques, etc. The institute also offers wide range of information products and services ranging from production of S&T publications, translation & interpretation from foreign languages to English (scientific documents). NISCAIR also undertakes projects in its area of activities. Vigyan Prasar (VP), established in 1989 as an autonomous organisation under Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, takes up large-scale science popularization tasks/activities, to promote and propagate scientific and rational outlook, to act as a resource-cum-facility centre for S&T communication. VP develops and disseminates and market a variety of software on S & T popularization in different Indian languages (Audio, Video, Radio, TV, Print, Learning packages, Kits, Toys). It organizes training programmes on use and dissemination of software produced. National Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC) is an Apex Organisation under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India that endeavours to communicate Science and Technology, stimulate S & T temper, and coordinate and orchestrate such efforts. Main objectives of the council are: to create excitement concerning advances in Science & Technology, to enable informed decision-making at the grass roots level, and to encourage intelligent debate on developmental issues.