PM Modi to kick off Indian Science Congress today at Lovely Professional University

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 106th Indian Science Congress today, 3 January, at Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab.Modi is expected to address an audience of close to 30,000 including scientists, researchers and students at the event.The five-day-long congress, which ends 7 January 2019, will involve over a hundred conferences and events of significance to both science and technology.The theme for the Congress this year is 'Future India – Science and Technology'.[caption id="attachment_5805141" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

106th Indian Science Congress.[/caption]Who are the big names attending the event?Many Union Cabinet ministers, including Science &Technology Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Textile Minister Smriti Irani, Nobel laureates, eminent scientists from different countries are expected to attend the event.Eminent scientists from DRDO, ISRO, DST, AIIMS and UGC, as well as prominent academics from US, UK, India and others are expected to be part of the sessions.Nobel laureates participating in the ISC events include

• German-American biochemist Professor Thomas Sudoph, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2013 for his contributions towards vesicle trafficking,
• Israeli biochemist and Nobel laureate in Chemistry Prof Avram Hershko, and
• British-born physicist Frederick Duncan Michael Haldane who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2016

What is the aim of the event?Through the event, the organisers at the Indian Science Congress Association and Lovely Professional University hope to stimulate scientific research efforts and raise scientific temper among the researchers and students in attendance."The government's aim is to deliver the benefits of science and technology to the last man in the society. Scientists being a pivot should put their heart and soul into finding new solutions to the problems facing the nation and improve the quality of life of common man," Science and Technology Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said in his message.Key events at the India Science CongressChildrens' Science CongressThe Children's Science Congress one of the four key events in the Indian Science Congress (ISC), with the aim of raising the bar of research and innovation in science in our country.The event provides a platform for students between 10 and 17 years of age to showcase their research and projects.The event will also play host to talks by renowned scientists, workshops to give the students hands-on experience and competitions like an exhibition and quizzes to strengthen intellect and the spirit of scientific enquiry in students.The Childrens' Science Congress will run from 4-6 January.Science Communicators' MeetThe Science communicators’ meet is an annual event held at the Science Congress to discuss and promote effective strategies to communicate science to a diverse audience. It brings academics, journalists, activists, filmmakers, scientists and other communicators from all over the world to meet, deliberate and exchange their views on how to develop science communication.The aim of the Science Communicators’ Meet is to bring together different interest groups in the field of science promotion and communication.The Science Communicators' Meet will run from 5-6 January.Women's Science CongressThe 106^th Indian Science Congress is also organising a Women’s Science Congress to showcase contributions of women to science, technology and society, according to the event page.Renowned women scientists, leaders and decision makers from government, academia and industry will be delivering talks and participating in panel discussions during the event.The Women's Science Congress will run from 5-6 January.

 Infosys Foundation — ISCA Travel Award

The ISCA has instituted the "Infosys Foundation –ISCA Travel Award" that annually awards five school-going students a travel allowance, local stay, and a plaque for attending the Indian Science Congress.Apart from this, five other deserving students will be funded for attending the Science Congress from the sales of an ISCA publication "Shaping of Indian Science".The selected students will be awarded by a committee of LPU faculty based on a write-up on the topic, "What developments in science during the last two years have influenced him/her and why?".The winners of the award were announced on 15 December, and will be awarded on 4 January.Modi and the solar-powered bus prototypePM Modi is expected to ride on a prototype of a driverless solar-powered bus to the inauguration venue at the 106th Indian Science Congress, according to a release.Students of different departments at LPU have designed and built the driverless solar-powered bus.The first prototype of the bus will be used to ferry Modi to the venue of the Indian Science Congress at the campus tomorrow.Once launched at a commercial scale, the bus may be used at airports, industrial complexes and educational institutions, the statement said, and had been designed keeping Indian conditions and the vehicle's cost Rs 6 lakh cost in mind.With an engine that is both battery- and solar-powered, the bus' running cost is negligible, the statement said.