Outreach Activities @ NCCS
Recognizing the importance of connecting society with science, NCCS organizes many on-campus and extramural outreach activities to create awareness about, evoke a fascination for and encourage curiosity about science among school and college students and educators, as well as the general public. These initiatives include -
Students’ visits to NCCS: We host visits for students and educators on our campus, to give them an experiential insight into research, and to provide guidance about the career opportunities in science. Colleges interested in organizing a visit to NCCS may please follow the guidelines mentioned below-
Please note:
- Only Monday and Tuesday mornings are reserved for visits.
- We need to receive a request at least 3 weeks in advance, so that we can arrive at a mutually-convenient date and time for the visit.
- We can accommodate a maximum of 30 students per visit.
- On the day of the visit, please bring along the confirmation received from us, to be shown to the NCCS security personnel.
- Please let us know well in advance if you anticipate a delay in reaching NCCS, failing which the visit will be cancelled if the students have not arrived at the designated time.
- NCCS is located on the S.P. Pune University campus, at the end of the lane next to PUMBA; behind the Bank of India ATM. A map from the main gate of the S.P. Pune University to NCCS is given here.
- In exceptional cases, students from other classes may be permitted to visit NCCS, at our discretion.
NB: As a precautionary measure against the spread of the corona virus, we are currently not accepting requests for visits to NCCS.
NCCS is happy to host visits for small groups of college students at the Masters level, with prior appointment.
For visit requests, please write to Dr. Jyoti Rao: jyoti@nccs.res.in
Open days: These special days give the public an opportunity to get a taste of the world of research by visiting our laboratories and interacting with our scientists. A wide demographic of visitors, from young school students to senior citizens, from conventionally educated students to home-schooling groups, and from cities to small towns, enjoy a visit to NCCS on the open days.
Popular science talks: Public talks are organized on several occasions, such as the National Science Day, as a prelude to the India International Science Festival and the Nobel Prize award ceremony, when renowned scientists visit us, etc. This gave students and citizens an opportunity to interact with national and international eminent personalities, such as Nobel and Lasker Laureates, the President of HFSP, etc.
Edu-Bridge: The NCCS faculty members also visit and deliver lectures / provide training to students from educational organizations in non-urban regions with less exposure to the culture of science. These programmes thus provide the students with an opportunity to learn about science directly from the researchers, and aspire to sow the seeds of innovation. One of the major programs initiated by NCCS in this direction in 2015 was the ‘Edu-Bridge’ program with the Jankidevi Bajaj College of Science (JBCS), Wardha, which is supported under the ‘Star College Scheme’ by DBT. NCCS scientists routinely visited this college to teach fundamental concepts of science through lectures and hands-on activities to the students in their college. Some faculty members from the college also engaged in short-term research at NCCS.
Other Extramural Outreach: We are able to reach hundreds of people outside NCCS in various parts of India by holding events at schools, such as ‘foldscope workshops’, by participating in science exhibitions like the annual ‘India International Science Festival’ (IISF), the ‘Bharatiya Vigyaan Sammelan’, ‘Kutuhal’, and Vigyaan Rail, the Government of India’s science exhibition on wheels. We also help disseminate science through other media, such as popular science articles in magazines and newspapers, popular science talks at external platforms such as TEDx, podcasts, radio and TV programmes in association with the All India Radio, Doordarshan, Rajya Sabha TV, etc. The scientists of NCCS also frequently visit other academic institutions within and outside India to give talks / conduct training.
Use of media to create awareness about NCCS activities: Some examples are given below -
- Dr. Bhat and his research team spoke about their research in the documentary, ‘Wise Spice’, by Vigyan Prasar of DST, telecast on the DD National channel, DD Bharati, Lok Sabha TV & Rajya Sabha TV.
- The research findings of Dr. Manoj Bhat and his team on the influence of fenugreek seeds on metabolism was featured in Sakal Times.
- The research findings of Dr. Manas Santra & his group and Dr. Samit Chattopadhyay & his team published in PNAS were featured in articles in the newspapers, Sakal Times, The Telegraph, Loksatta and Sakal.
- The research findings of Dr. Arvind Sahu & his group published in PNAS were featured in an article in the newspaper, Loksatta.
- An article about the novel bacterial species which was named after Pune, Clostridium punense, was featured in Maharashtra Times. Discussions on C. punense by Dr. Shouche & his team from NCCS and Dr. Ranade and his team from ARI, Pune, who isolated, identified and named this species, were also broadcast by the All India Radio, Pune.
- The research carried out at NCCS was featured in the Golden Sparrow -
http://thegoldensparrow.com/news/pune-is-science-central/
http://thegoldensparrow.com/news/to-see-a-world-in-a-grain-of-sand/ - The research published by Dr. Anjali Shiras and her group, in PLoS Biology was featured on various media:
- Radio: * Delhi Rainbow FM; * AIR primary channel - Regional news
- Television: * Mumbai Doordarshan Kendra-DD News Live *Mumbai, IBN Lokmat.
- ‘Researchers from NCCS Pune and KIIT Bhubaneswar decode one more factor that can cause cancer’; Bhubaneswar Buzz.
- ‘Pune scholars decode one more factor that can cause cancer’; Hindustan Times.
- ‘Team of researchers finds cancer-causing RNA strain’; Times of India.
- ‘The carcinogenic role of untranslated RNAs’; Research Matters, Pune.
Recognition received from the PSA, Government of India, for the contributions of NCCS in connecting society with science -
