CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) opens up to the public every year on September 26 on the occasion of Centre of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)’s foundation day. But this year, it will be a week-long online affair and not just a single day as it happened in previous years from September 21 due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
The event is open to anyone above 12 years of age, and with an access to a smartphone and internet (http://tiny.cc/ccmbopenweek). The festival includes discussions with scientists on various topics of life sciences that the premier institute involves itself in along with a glimpse of some of the experiments.
There will be panel discussions on various urgent and contemporary issues in science and policy making. Range of sessions include fundamental questions of life and its structure to pertinent questions of translations to the impact that science makes on society. Some of the problems that India should focus on for grooming a healthy understanding of science among the public.
Sessions will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. The institute has organised a variety of activities for the attendees this year including quiz, essay writing, art, and QnA sessions. These aim to build a platform to hear back from different sections of the public on how their lives are intertwined with the different questions that CCMB addresses, said institute director Rakesh Mishra on Thursday.
“It is urgent and important for scientists to engage actively with the public. While CCMB has always been very enthusiastic about its Open Day, this year is unique where we can finally stretch it to a whole week. We hope that we will be able to exchange our thoughts and listen to public in greater depth in this new format,” he said.
Every year, at least 10,000 people visit the institute during the Open Day and this year with digital tools, it expects to reach out to more people across the country online.
