Pieces of scientific innovation from the city are currently chugging through green fields, forests, across mighty hills and congested cities of the great expanse of the country.
The eight edition of the ‘Science Express: Climate Action Special’ – a 16-coach AC train that will cover over 20 States in its seven-month journey – features two coaches with the research and message of scientists of city-based National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and Ashoka Trust for the Environment and Ecology (ATREE).
The ninth and 10th coaches of the express are dedicated to bio-technology, bio-resources, and nature conservation.
For instance, among the exhibits is a model on the use of genetic methods for tiger identification and conservation, a method developed at NCBS. “Every Indian loves tigers and is fascinated by the Northeast and its biodiversity. That we at NCBS can convert this wonder into scientific understanding and then communicate our results to such a wide audience through the science train is amazing,” says Uma Ramakrishnan, who runs a lab at NCBS.
NCBS said the themes covered in the two coaches include studies on pollination, the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, and DNA-based tracking of disease causing plant viruses.
Similarly, the works of Shannon Olsson, a chemical ecologist with NCBS, comes to the fore in a poster that explores the myriad chemicals used by organisms to communicate with each other and their environment.
The Science Express was flagged off at Safdarjung Railway Station in October 15. The train is scheduled to enthral students and visitors at over 64 towns, cities and villages during its journey that ends in Gandhinagar in May 2016. Though Bengaluru remains closely associated with the train, the Science Express will not stop here. However, it’ll enter Karnataka at the end of March 2016 at Mangaluru, and then at Hospet and Wadi in early April.
