Param Science Centre

Motivation

Param seeks to create a new age convention centre catered to the growing needs of modern India. Our project aspires to guide young India by instigating curiosity, nurturing creativity and establishing confidence. The forefront of the Param project is the Science, Technology and Innovation centre. With state-of-the-art quality, the innovation centre would be as phenomenal as any amusement park, mesmerising even primitive minds with the beauty of science and technology, while also being educational at the same time. We aim to make it a remarkable destination for the residents of this city as well as for outsiders, attracting them here for the unique experience.

The project aims to be the best science, technology and innovation experience a common man can conveniently access. We also seek to provide a scientifically alternative nightlife to youngsters in the age groups of 16-35, such as stargazing, custom laser/light artworks and Robo-leagues to name a few. Fixed exhibits and long texts are things of the past. This centre will be a modular, interactive, flexible and a data-driven mechanism, on the whole, to constantly change and adapt. Furthermore, we seek to harness the power of data and personalisation to give every individual a unique experience. This would be done by scanning your mobile ticket to store your experiences on the cloud and get updates on new events relevant to you. It involves analytics on your visits and points earned from joining both physical and virtual events, competitions and hackathons.

Param’s main objective is to instil a passion for scientific temperament in a general population. Despite existing in the age of information, with everything at our fingertips, students have a need to push themselves into physical social spaces to explore science and technology. India today has the largest STEM aspirants and graduates, but less than 10% are hireable. The Indian population, compared with the number of STEM graduates and their employability, is a gap far bigger than we would like. Furthermore, to initiate this revolutionary change it needs to begin at basic cultural, societal and family levels. Society must come together to assert and urge the growing minds to pursue their passions and work towards the dream they see, which in the future have the potential to lead towards the most magnificent advancements that our nation can only imagine.

Also, there is a requirement to encourage the seed of need for scientific awareness and literacy in every individual. This will help the general population appreciate and support the scientific strides society has to make in order to adapt to the constantly changing times. This involves creating a conducive and scientifically stimulating atmosphere in a natural and innovative setting. Whether art, journalism, economics, engineering, or even philosophy, science is an integral part of each entity, thus making it imperative. Hence, it is critical that the general population is made aware of the current and future advancements in science to help push the nation forward.

For this revolution of knowledge and awareness to succeed, the coming generations must grow with curiosity, creativity, and confidence. Although the education system plays an important role, the significant factor that decides an individual’s employability, research, aptitude, and STEM awareness boils down to the motivation and passion of the student itself. With the internet at our fingertips and a plethora of online resources, learning is not an issue but introspecting passion, guidance, and motivation are the need of the hour. In today’s world of artificial realities, virtual experiences, and instantly accessible social media platforms, people can experience a collection of things from the comfort of their homes. But this could never beat the humane need for social spaces and collaborations where people can enjoy, experience, ideate, prototype, and ignite their passion for Science, Technology, and Innovation.

We do have such innovation centres and museums like Visvesvaraya Museum(Bangalore), Birla Science Centre(Hyderabad), Science City(Kolkata) in our country. But they are archaic when compared to the budget, quality, and modern aesthetic that other top science centres located around the world possess.

While Research and Development are concentrated in high-income countries, innovation is pervasive. Most countries enjoy and possess innovation like our nation. In Param, we intend to start a society-wide innovation wave that includes ideation, collaboration, validation and prototyping. It can be as simple as building a wooden bridge with sticks and thread, making collaborative art with a 3D pen or even competitions of Jugaad(frugal invention).

With a population of over a billion, we are in no way lacking in ideas but instead lacking in professional implementations. There are many existing programs encouraging rural and urban entrepreneurs; while most young graduates have an idea, they do not have a safe space to prototype it and validate their idea. Most incubators are out of the question unless one can write a proper business proposal or pitch. Unless the investor can take on the tremendous risk in their capacity for many, it is but a pipe dream. We want to tap into this raw creativity that got ISRO to Mars at a rate cheaper than an auto, not because of great technology but great ingenuity.

Thus, this incubation-innovation lab is designed not only for students, startups or enthusiastic inventors but also the overlooked community of small businesses and professions. By small, we mean the smallest, such as chatwalas and xerox shop owners. They can be aware and up-skill themselves to better cater to the world market. A simple example is where a chatwala uses dry ice(solid carbon dioxide) to make chats more visually appealing and enticing at a negligible cost. We want to grow this new world at the Param.