Kerala CM to inaugurate month-long 'Global Science Festival Kerala'

It was featured at Thiruvananthapurams Kanakakkunnu early December last year attracting huge crowd.The science extravaganza is being organised in collaboration with international science exhibition agencies, national and international museums, and esteemed organisations such as Kerala Sasthra Sanketika Sarvakalasala, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, and various national and international organisations and associations, including the renowned Museum of the Moon.A major attraction of the festival is the Night Sky Watching and Tenting, which will start from January 20.

Kerala Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan will on Monday inaugurate the month-long Global Science Festival Kerala (GSFK) at the Life Sciences Park near Thonnakkal in the state capital.

Spread over an area of 25 acres inside the Bio 360 Life Sciences Park under the Kerala government, the GSFK will feature 51 attractions in 18 pavilions covering a total of two-and-a-half-lakh square feet, organisers said.

The global science festival is organised by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) in collaboration with various state and international science agencies and will feature the wonders of science, technology and art.

NASA Scientist Dr Madhulika Guhathakurta will be the chief guest at the inaugural function presided over by Finance Minister K N Balagopal.

''Additionally, there are pavilions that offer an immersive experience through the help of AR and VR technologies such as a miniscule model of the universe, the desolation caused by war and the view of the Earth from the International Space Station. ''Further, a life-size model skeleton of a dinosaur, a model of the ship HMS Beagle, the Museum of the Moon and more will simultaneously educate and entertain visitors. There are other sights to see as well, including Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore's travelling exhibition Seeds of Culture,'' a release issued by the organisers said.

'Museum of the Moon' is a 2016 inflatable installation artwork by British artist, Luke Jerram. It was featured at Thiruvananthapuram's Kanakakkunnu early December last year attracting huge crowd.

The science extravaganza is being organised in collaboration with international science exhibition agencies, national and international museums, and esteemed organisations such as Kerala Sasthra Sanketika Sarvakalasala, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, and various national and international organisations and associations, including the renowned 'Museum of the Moon.

A major attraction of the festival is the Night Sky Watching and Tenting, which will start from January 20. The two activities will be available only on preset days.

Tickets for the festival and other packages are now available online through the website www.gsfk.org.

GSFK is expected to serve as a first step towards establishing a permanent science exhibition centre in Thiruvananthapuram, with the ultimate goal of developing a 'Science City' that operates at the national level. Chief Minister Vijayan had on June 6 last year unveiled the official logo of the festival, based on the iconic 'Tree of Life' sketch by Charles Darwin, the British naturalist who proposed the theory of biological evolution by natural selection.

GSFK is being organised with an estimated budget of Rs 10 crore.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)