Students visit the Science Express at Mancheswar railway station in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, March 11: This was one train students did not want to miss. The Science Express, which arrived in the capital late last night after a delay of almost 12 hours, today attracted more than 3,000 visitors, a majority of whom were school and college students.

The exhibition-on-wheels, which was open for public display at the Mancheswar railway station, aims at arousing a scientific attitude among people and motivating the youth to build a career in science. The 16 coaches of this fully air-conditioned train were decked with various science projects and cut outs of the path-breaking scientific innovations.

From rockets and space travel to functioning of organs in human body, the train had an impressive assortment of projects from the fields of physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics. “I found the (a+b)3 formula to be very interesting. This will now remain etched in my mind forever,” said Priyanka Priyadarshini, a school student.

“The experiment on gravitational force and friction using dumbbells was remarkable. Even the big globe with language buttons all over was fun,” college student Vikas Pratihari said. “As you press a button on a territory, their native language starts playing,” added Vikas.

Sanjeev Garg, divisional railway manager, Khurda Road, visited the train along with J.P. Mishra, senior divisional commercial manager and other divisional officers and reviewed the arrangements for the visitors.

The Science Express, or Sciencexpress as it is being called now, is a flagship venture of the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) and department of science and technology.

A major chunk of the exhibits adorning the interiors of the train has been designed and developed by Max Planck Society of Germany.

Flagged off from Delhi by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last December, the train is expected to tour 55 cities covering 18,000 miles within a period of seven months.

It is open for exhibition from 10am to 5pm till March 13 here. The train will also halt at three other parts of the station, including Rayagada from March 14 to 17, Sambalpur from March 18 to 21 and Titlagarh from March 22 to 25.

Science Express

SHILPI SAMPAD

Bhubaneswar, March 11: This was one train students did not want to miss. The Science Express, which arrived in the capital late last night after a delay of almost 12 hours, today attracted more than 3000 visitors, a majority of them school and college students.

This innovative exhibition on wheels, which was open for public display at the Mancheswar Railway station, aims at arousing a scientific temper among people and motivating the youth to build a career in science. The 16 coaches of this fully air-conditioned train were decked with various science projects and cut outs of the path-breaking scientific innovations.

From rockets and space travel to functioning of organs in human body, the train had an impressive assortment of projects from the fields physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics. “I found the (a+b)3 formula to be very interesting. Now this would remain etched in my mind forever,” said Priyanka Priyadarshini, a school student.

“The experiment on gravitational force and friction using dumbbells was remarkable. Even the big globe with language buttons all over was fun,” college student Vikas Pratihari said. “As you press a button on a territory, their native language would start playing,” added Vikas.

Sanjeev Garg, divisional railway manager, Khurda Road visited the train along with J.P.Mishra, senior divisional commercial manager and other divisional officers and reviewed the arrangements for the visitors.

The Science Express, or Sciencexpress as it is being called now, is a flagship venture of the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) and Department of Science and Technology. A major chunk of the exhibits adorning the interiors of the train has been designed and developed by Max Planck Society of Germany.

Flagged off from Delhi by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last December, the train is expected to tour 55 cities covering18000 miles within a period of seven months.

It is open for exhibition from 10 am to 5 pm till March 13 here. The train will also halt at three other parts of the station including Rayagada from March 14 to 17, Sambalpur from March 18 to 21 and Titlagarh from March 22 to 25.