On Saturday, the Indian Institute of Science, like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in the realm of science, opened its doors to the public for its annual Open Day held to commemorate the birth anniversary of its founder Jemsetji N.Tata.
With colourful banners and large crowds of students everywhere , the usually quiet campus looked like a festival ground. Little science buffs dragged their haggled parents to each department across the sprawling campus, where researchers explained various concepts through live demonstrations. At the biomolecular sciences department, researchers showed how DNA could be extracted from a strawberry, and at the Aerospace Engineering department, a live rocket propulsion demo drew crowds throughout the day.
Twelve-year-old Rishika aspires to be an astrophysicist. Her mother Sunitha Ramesh was happy to let her daughter catch a glimpse of what the future might hold for her. "It's a great initiative to draw young crowd and inspire them to dream big," said Ms. Ramesh. I feel like a kid in a chocolate factory, her daughter added.
Everything from quizzes and puzzles to presentations on the structure of human DNA and nano technology, was part of the event. The open day is also a platform for the institute to showcase its many innovations to public.
