July 12, 2017 TnH Global

Science Express train to halt at Nagpur from July 30

The Science Express Climate Action Special (SECAS), the prestigious train highlighting global challenge of climate change, will be in the city from July 30 to August 2. The IX phase of the Science Express exhibition train is on a nationwide tour since February 17, 2017. The train is focusing on climate change and science & technology.

This exhibition train will be available for public viewing at Nagpur station from July 30 to August 2. The exhibition is open to all between 10am & 5pm and there is no entry fee. Science Express is a flagship programme of the department of science & technology (DST). It is an innovative mobile science exhibition mounted on a 16-coach AC train, travelling across India since October 2007.

Since then, it has made eight tours of the country, travelling about 1.53 lakh km and exhibiting at 495 locations. Over its 1,712 exhibition days, Science Express received an overwhelming response with 1.64 crore visitors. “Science Express has become the largest and longest running train and the most visited mobile science exhibition and has 12 entries in the Limca Book of Records,” an official said.

Science Express Phase I to IV showcased cutting-edge research in science and technology being carried out worldwide. The Phase V to VII was based on biodiversity theme and was named as Science Express Biodiversity Special (SEBS). The Phase VIII was dubbed as SECAS showcasing global challenge of climate change. The current IX phase of the Science Express is known as SECAS II and was flagged off on February 17, 2017 from Delhi by railway minister Suresh Prabhu.

The current tour of SECAS is scheduled till September 18, 2017, during which it will be exhibited at 68 stations across India, covering 19,000km. The exhibition conveys message about climate change and is also a good opportunity to generate dialogue and discussion. Of the 16 coaches of SECAS, exhibition in 8 coaches is put up by MoEFCC and is exclusively devoted to information, case studies and material related to various aspect of climate change, the underlying science, impacts, adaptation activities, mitigation solutions and policy approaches in a manner that is easy to understand and interesting for not just school students but also the masses. In rest of the rake, there are exhibits and activities put up by department of science and technology.

At each halt of SECAS, activities are planned to engage visitors across different age groups to reinforce its message. An exciting and much sought-after outreach programme will also be conducted in local schools and institutions along with activities on railway platforms. Along with it, informative take-away material will be available for wider distribution amongst schools and visitors.

News Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com