Stress on importance of science and openness to innovative ideas dominated the Sixth Bihar Science Conference on Tuesday.

Magadh Mahila College, along with BiharBrains (BBrains), organised the event held at colleges/universities of Bihar on the pattern of the Indian Science Congress.

Inaugurating the conference at Rabindra Bhavan, Sourav Pal, a scientist and director of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), said: 'Science is one subject which gives you more freedom and fulfilment of minds.'

Urging the students and the teachers to have scientific temperament, he said science was one subject, which on the lines of literature and fine arts, gives an individual ample freedom to do what they want to do.

Pal, a pioneer in the area of quantum chemistry, who also holds the post of director of National Chemical Laboratory, gave the examples of Archimedes, an ancient Greek mathematician and physicist, and Isaac Newton, an English physicist and mathematician, who had scientific temperament and used full freedom of their minds in what they want to do.

While Archimedes gave the theory of buoyancy, Newton gave the theory of gravity the two most important theories in physics. The three-day conference would witness paper presentations from around 280 research scholars and scientists attending the conference from all over the country.

Tripurari Saran, principal secretary, science and technology, who attended the conference, stressed the need for structuring the science education at the school- and university-level. Sharan said: 'Science education should be structured so that it gives students enough scope for new innovative ideas.'

The theme of this year science conference is 'Innovations in science and technology and development.'

During the event, experts would discuss various sub-themes such as energy, food processing and conservation technology, agro-electronics, nano technology, nano electronics and solid waste management.

Principal Dolly Sinha said Magadh Mahila College was proud to host the international conference, as it would witness the participation of scientists and research scholars from India and abroad.

Students appeared excited too. Neha, a physics student at the college, said: 'We have been reading about various scientific experiments in our textbooks but seeing live demonstration of such experiments would be enriching.'