GMRT Khodad to host GMRT Science Exhibition on Feb 28 and 29 

The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) Pune will host a Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) Science Exhibition on February 28 and 29 this year at GMRT Khodad, continuing its 20-year tradition of holding a science exhibition to coincide with “National Science Day” on February 28 and the following day every year. Situated at Khodad near Narayangaon, on the Pune-Nashik highway, 80 km north of Pune, the GMRT is the largest and most sensitive radio telescope array in the world at low frequencies.

The Science Exhibition (2024) will open this year on February 28 at 9.30 a.m., with Krushi Ratna Anil Meher, trustee and working president of Gramonnati Mandal Narayangaon, serving as the chief guest. Senior geologist Afroz Chisti, director of the Geological Survey of India’s central region for Maharashtra and Pune, will be present at the closing ceremony on February 29 at 3.30 p.m.

Every year, a large number of prestigious institutions, colleges, and schools from all over the nation take part in the exhibition, according to the NCRA. It’s one of the biggest and most distinctive exhibitions in the district of Pune’s rural areas. 

For students from nearby schools and colleges, it has proven to be an excellent platform. In addition to schools and colleges, a number of public and private organizations set up booths at the annual exhibition, which draws close to 25,000 visitors from all over the nation.

Group 1 (Classes 5 to 7); Group 2 (Classes 8 to 10); Group 3 (Classes 11, 12, and ITI); Group 4 (BSc, BCS, and Diploma); Group 5 (BE, ME, and MSc); and Group 6 (primary and secondary teachers and laboratory assistants, etc.) are the categories into which the prizes will be divided this year. 

From each group, three best projects will be chosen, and each will receive a trophy and certificate. Each group will also receive a certificate and one consolation prize or trophy. Every participant who has registered will receive a participation certificate.

The exhibition will be “open to all” on both days from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Additionally, a GMRT engineering systems stall will be present where guests can obtain comprehensive information about the advanced systems within the GMRT. 

At the “Ask an Astronomer” stall, guests can also ask astronomers questions about astronomy. The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), a division of the Indian government’s department of atomic energy, established the GMRT through the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) in Pune.