The seminar involves the nation’s school-going youth in critically examining current S & T issues of importance for society and sharing their own views on these issues with the student and scientific communities of the country. Source: BITM, Kolkata
The National Science Seminar (NSS) for school students is the most impactful and popular nationwide annual event organised by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, ever since 1982.
The seminar involves the nation’s school-going youth in critically examining current S & T issues of importance for society and sharing their own views on these issues with the student and scientific communities of the country.
In a run-up to the NSS-2023, the West Bengal State Science Seminar will be organised by Birla Industrial & Technological Museum (BITM), in association with the Dept. of Youth Services & Sports, Govt. of West Bengal and Royal Society of Chemistry, Eastern India Section, on September 08, 2023 (Friday), 11:00 am onwards. The topic of this year’s Science Seminar is: Millets - A Super Food or a Diet Fad?
Commemorating the International Year of Millets - an opportunity to raise awareness of, and direct policy attention to the nutritional and health benefits of millets and their suitability for cultivation under adverse and changing climatic conditions – BITM will also be launching an exhibition ‘Millets – The Superfood?’, to be followed by Millet Fest at the BITM Canteen premises on the same day.
For the inaugural session of the West Bengal State Science Seminar, Prof. Dr. P. Jaisankar, Chief Scientist & Head, Professor of Chemical Sciences, AcSIR; Department of Organic & Medicinal Chemistry, Laboratory of Catalysis & Chemical Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology and President, Royal Society of Chemistry and Sri Uttam Kumar Patra, Senior Special Secretary & Ex-Officio Director, Youth Services & Sports, Govt. of West Bengal have consented to be the Guests of Honour.
After this inaugural session, participating students, winners of the District Level Science Seminar from Kolkata, Burdwan, Darjeeling, Purulia and East Midnapore districts, from classes VIII – X, will deliver a presentation of 6-minutes duration, with supporting charts and visuals, followed by 2-minutes question-answer session with the judges on this topic.
They will be judged on the Scientific Content in Presentation, Fluency in Speech, Performance in Viva and Written Test along with Novelty in the use of Visuals. Dr. Suman Majumder, Director R & D, Actylis; Dr Madhumita Dobe, Chairperson, FAITH (Foundation for Actions and Innovations Towards Health Promotion) and Former Director, Head of the Department of Health Promotion and Education, All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health (AIIH&PH), Kolkata and Dr. Partha Chakrabarti, Senior Principal Scientist, Cell Biology & Physiology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology have consented to judge the participants.
The winning student will represent West Bengal in the National Science Seminar 2023, due to be held on 12 October 2023 at the National Science Centre, New Delhi.