Inauguration of S&T Media and Communicators Conclave at IISF 2023

Under the grand umbrella of India International Science Festival 2023, S&T Media and Communicators Conclave was inaugurated with lighting of lamps by distinguished experts and speakers at Day 2 of the 9th edition of IISF 2023 being held at RCB-THSTI, Faridabad, Haryana from 17-20 January 2024.

 Dr. Manish Mohan Gore, Coordinator, S&T Media and Communicators Conclave and Scientist, CSIR-NIScPR, welcomed all the students, participants, and journalists with a brief address on the need and history of the conclave. Shri. Kuldeep Dhatwalia, Senior Consultant, Science Media Communication Cell (SMCC), CSIR-NIScPR, briefed the audience about the theme of the conclave.

Dr. Manish Mohan Gore, Coordinator, S&T Media and Communicators Conclave addressing the audience in the inaugural session.

 

The chief guest at the inaugural ceremony, Shri Praveen Ramdas, National Joint Organizing Secretary, Vijnana Bharati informed the audience on how the narrative is changing regarding science and scientists in the country and how there is a feeling of pride and respect for Indian scientists and researchers worldwide. He stressed on the need of communicating science in different regional languages to spread across different parts of the country.

The Keynote Address was delivered by Dr. William Selvamurthy, President, Amity STI Foundation. He highlighted the strong role of science and Technology in meeting societal needs and hoped that Science meets the rising aspirations of India. “India fully appreciates the strong role of science and Technology in meeting societal needs. PM Modi gave a new trajectory for making developed Bharat in the upcoming 25 years and S&T will play the main role in achieving that aim", said William Selvamurthy. Shri Debobrat Ghosh, Editor, Science Inda also shared his thoughts during inaugural session.

A Master class on the theme “Science & Social Media: Good Practices” and a Panel Discussion on “Significance of Media in India’s Science Diplomacy” were organised as part of the Day 1 of S&T Media and Communicators Conclave.

Experts delivering Master Class on the theme of “Science & Social Media: Good Practices”

 

The Master class was moderated by Ms Rakhee Bakshee, Media Consultant at IIPA; and Dr Somdatta Karak, Public Outreach Officer, CSIR-CCMB; Dr Pawan Singh, Head, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, JC Bose University of S&T, YMCA; Shri Pallav Bagla, Science Journalist and Shri Deepak Sharma, Science Communicator participated as panelists.

Dr. Somdatta Karak stressed the importance of science-media collaboration and debunked the misconception. Social media, like X, fosters connections among scientist communities and enables collaborations in new scientific domains. Shri Pallava Bagla discussed disinformation, emphasizing the need for selecting suitable media to communicate diverse scientific information.
 

Distinguished speaker in the panel discussion on Science through Cinema

 

The panel discussion on Science through Cinema was moderated by Shri Debobrat Ghose, Senior Journalist and Editor, Science India Magazine. Mr Uday Kumar Verma, IAS; Dr. Arbinda Mitra, former Scientific Secretary in the Office of the PSA and Head, International Cooperation, DST; and Dr. Chaitanya Giri, Associate Professor, FLAME University and Science Diplomacy Consultant at Research and Information Systems for Developing Countries, New Delhi participated as panelists and highlighted on various aspects of significance of Media in India's Science Diplomacy.

The Science Media Communication Cell (SMCC) of CSIR-NIScPR coordinated the media publicity and visibility of the S&T Media and Communicators Conclave at print, electronic and social media platforms.

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