Graduation Day for BITS Pilani MS Science Communication program at NCSM Kolkata

PRLog (Press Release) – Dec 30, 2007 – The great Rabindranath Tagore way back in 1917 had said that the highest education is that which does not merely gives us information but makes our life in harmony with our existence. In his conversation with Einstein, the great Rabindranath Tagore had said that in Science, we go through the discipline of eliminating the personal limitations of our minds and thus reach the comprehension of truth which is in the minds of the universal man.

Several of Indias scientists of repute like JC Bose, SN Bose, CV Raman, Meghnad Saha, PC Mahalanbis, PC Roy etc, have put Kolkata, the city of joy for excellence in pursuit of science courses. But with the boom in IT sector, enrollment for science courses have been falling and this trend persists all over India. It’s feared in the years to come, India will have difficulty to find teachers for science courses.

To popularize Science, the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Kolkata which was established in 1978 has successfully developed over 25 museums and science centers across India and it has plans to set up a Science Centre in each district headquarters of India. Such a move on the part of NCSM calls for appropriate human resources for the planning and management of numerous science centers.

The Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani Rajasthan which has pioneered many educational innovations is committed to cooperative education philosophy of work integrated learning for addressing the Human Resource Development issues of the Industry as well as Society at large.

It is in this context BITS, Pilani and NCSM Kolkata joined hands in July 2005 to offer a two year MS in Science Communication degree program. The MS degree has three semesters of course work with four courses in each semester and the fourth semester earmarked for dissertation work. The curriculum includes courses such as History of Science & Technology, Concepts in Science Communication, Technical Communication, Museum Planning & Organization, Exhibits and Presentation, Science Communication & IT, Museum Management & Operations, Science Learning in Non-formal settings, Science & Society apart from three courses in Professional Skills & Techniques.

The courses were taught by not only faculty from BITS Pilani but also subject experts from NCSM, Kolkata. Professional experts from Smithsonian Institution, USA shared their domain expertise throughout the program. Further value addition came from guest lectures by faculty from eminent institutions in India. The learning portal of BITS Pilani also provided IP-based Live Sessions, Meetings and On-demand facilities.

On 28th December 2007, in a colourful function organized at NCSM Kolkata, the first batch of 10 candidates who successfully completed the program received their final degree certificates from Prof LK Maheshwari Vice Chancellor BITS Pilani. The other dignitaries who addressed the gathering included Prof G Padmanaban Chairman Governing Body NCSM, Smt Deepawati Sen Chairperson Executive Committee CRTL, Dr Arabinda Mitra Executive Director Indo US Science & Technology Forum, Shri Ingit Mukherjee Director General NCSM and the vote of thanks was proposed by Dr SK Ray Director CRTL. The other dignitaries present for the function included Directors and senior officers from various Science Museums across the country and Prof HS Jabbal who had successfully steered the program to completion.

For BITS Pilani, the success of this program in India today is yet another milestone in industry university collaborations.