Address:Platform No.10 At Mumbai CST (Main Line Side)
Visited on July 19th,2017.
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OverView : In the year 2015, for the eighth phase, Science Express was redesigned it on the theme ‘Climate Change’ and it ran on the Indian Rail Tracks as 'Science Express Climate Action Special (SECAS)'. The basic objective was to contribute towards increasing understanding of the science of climate change, the observed and anticipated impacts, and different possible responses. The state-of-the-art exhibition aboard SECAS aimed to create awareness among various sections of society, especially students, as to how Climate Change can be combated through mitigation and adaptation. It was a unique collaborative initiative of Department of Science & Technology (DST), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Ministry of Railways, Govt. India.
In its eighth phase, from 15 October 2015 to 07 May 2016, Science Express travelled across the country, halting at 64 locations in 20 States, covering about 19,800 km. It received an overwhelming response with a total of 23,24,240 visitors, including 5,89,615 students, 30,120 teachers and 13,29,373 general visitors. With over 23.24 lakh visitors, SECAS became the biggest Climate Change Awareness Programme in the country.
SCIENCE EXPRESS CLIMATE ACTION SPECIAL (SECAS) II
Looking at the unprecedented response which SECAS received during its journey, DST in collaboration with MoEFCC and DBT, Govt. of India, decided to run the ninth phase of Science Express once again as on the theme ‘Climate Change’ as SECAS II.
The ninth phase of the Science Express as SECAS II is scheduled to run from 17 Feb. to 08 Sept. 2017, over 19000 km during which it will be exhibited at 68 stations across India. SECAS focuses on Climate Change and Science & Technology. The exhibition will convey a message about Climate Change and will also be a good opportunity to generate dialogue and discussion.The SECAS II is a unique collaborative initiative of Department of Science & Technology (DST), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India; Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC).
The state-of-the-art exhibition on board the SECAS aims to create awareness among various sections of society as to how climate change can be combated through mitigation and adaptation. Of the 16 coaches of SECAS, exhibition in 8 coaches developed by MoEFCC, is exclusively devoted to information, case studies and material related to various aspect of Climate change, the underlying science, impacts, adaptation activities, mitigation solutions and policy approaches in a manner that is easy to understand and interesting for not just school students but also the masses. In rest of the rake, there are exhibits and activities put up by DBT and DST.
The broad theme covered in each exhibition coach is as follows:
Coach 1: Understanding Climate Change - Insights in the climate as a system, the greenhouse gas effect and the underlying reasons for climate change with key message that the current change in the climate is due to human activities.
Coach 2: Impact of Climate Change - How temperature rise, monsoon variations, sea level rise are predicted to affect vital sectors like water, agriculture, forests and biodiversity, and human health and ways to reduce these.
Coach 3 & 4: Adaptation - Concepts of adaptation and examples from day to day life, adaptation strategies and stories from field. Adaptation options in urban and rural contexts and the adaptation actions India is taking.
Coach 5 & 6: Mitigation - Concept and definition with examples, emphasis on restoring balance, enhancing sinks and reducing emission through Renewable Energy (RE) technologies. Various programmes implemented by India and low carbon strategies and ambitious goal to increase RE footprint.
Coach 7: International Negotiations for Climate Change - Introduction to UNFCCC, IPCC and internationally agreed action & targets. Explaining concept of equity and common but differential responsibility, Kyoto protocol & other key outcomes of major COP, Paris Agreement, etc.
Coach 8: Positive Actions - What can one do at school, on roads, at home and in offices and focus on concept of lifestyle choices with the key message ‘Increase your Handprint. Decrease your Footprint’.
Coach 9 & 10: Exhibition put up by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt of India, covering themes like Biotechnology for bio-resources and nature conservation with emphasis on Tiger Conservation and Chemical Ecology and India’s research and development initiatives in field of Biotechnology.
Coach 11: Exhibition put up by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) showcasing select innovations, demonstrating the ingenuity of common people and an innovative project which uses augmented reality techniques. Also, exhibition on themes like Innovations in S&T, Science Education, Technological solutions for societal development, etc.
Coach 12: A Kids Zone is set up for children from Std. 5 and below to participate in fun-filled activities, games and puzzles in science, mathematics and environment.
Coach 13: The Joy of Science (JOS) Hands-on Lab in this coach is a space where students from Std. 6-10 can perform experiments and activities to understand concepts in environment, science and mathematics in an interesting manner. A training facility is also set up for orientation of teachers here.
Solar panels have been installed on the rooftop of Science Express coaches 11-13, as a collaborative effort of DST and CEL, for harnessing solar energy.
The exhibition is open to all but primarily targets students and teachers. More information is available on the website www.sciencexpress.in .
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