Scientists of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratories will double up as teachers and science demonstrators to at least 50,000 school students over the next year. The aim is to spark scientific curiosity among them and, hopefully, attract them to careers in scientific research. About 1,000 Kendriya Vidyalayas will connect with 38 CSIR laboratories as part of Jigyasa, a student-scientist connect programme that was launched. Though outreach programmes involving CSIR scientists and students aren’t new, this is the first time that the programme will follow a structured approach. During vacations, CSIR laboratories will host students over one-two weeks and assign them projects and organise demonstrations of various kind of research under way at these laboratories. “CSIR scientists will also get incentives… and the time spent with students will count in their annual performance review,” CSIR Director-General Mr Girish Sahni said. The range of activities planned include student residential programmes, laboratory-specific activities and on-site experiments, science and maths clubs, popular-science lectures and apprenticeship programmes. As part of institutionalising the programme, a memorandum was signed in the presence of Mr Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, and Mr Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Human Resource Development.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/
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