<p>Located a five-minute walk from the Sri Sathya Sai Hospital in Whitefield is Param Science Experience Centre (ParSEC), a 30,000 sq ft immersive “living laboratory” designed to make visitors rethink how they approach science. A fourth-generation centre, ParSEC boasts interactive galleries, innovative ‘makerspaces’, and live demonstration zones.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The experience begins with a gallery tracing the history of Indian science. It highlights early discoveries and applications, from a comic strip of a Chola king using stars for navigation to exhibits on architectural marvels such as the Konark Sun Temple and Kailasa Temple at Ellora. There is also a section on the 7th-century mathematician and astronomer Brahmagupta, credited with the invention of zero, and a virtual experience exploring the creation of the universe as described in the Taittiriya Upanishad.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Subsequent galleries interpret the ‘Pancha Bhootas’ — earth, water, fire, air, and space — while others explore time through clocks, and light through refraction and reflection. Concepts such as optics, electricity, magnetism, geometry, and design thinking are presented using artificial intelligence and interactive technology.</p>.No arrests yet in Bowring wall collapse in Bengaluru; UDR filed.<p class="bodytext">Two galleries stand out. The kinetic experiment zone blends biomimicry with mechanical engineering to demonstrate the physics of movement in nature. Visitors can operate a pantograph to simulate a blue whale’s swimming wave, pedal mechanisms that make parrots perform chin-ups, and observe linkages replicating the flight of ladybugs. Floral models show contrasting blooming mechanisms: a datura using rigid hinges and a lotus unfolding through tension-driven wires. The highlight is the manta ray exhibit, which demonstrates undulatory locomotion through a cam-and-follower mechanism. Using phase-shifting, it converts rotational motion into a smooth, travelling wave that closely mimics the gliding motion of a ray’s fins.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Traffic Gallery takes visitors through a psychological journey from ‘Ignorance to Responsibility’. Beginning and ending with a hopscotch path, it uses play to draw people in before confronting them with real-world consequences through a driving simulator and road-signal-based interactions. This gallery has been developed in collaboration with Param Foundation, Volvo Group Trust and the Bangalore traffic police.</p>.<p class="bodytext">ParSEC will also be introducing a ‘makerspace’, a platform for people to innovate, build, and solve community problems. “The concept of ‘makerspaces’ has existed overseas,” says Shammi Balla, executive committee member, Param Foundation. Access is available through a monthly student pass priced at Rs 999 and a yearly membership at Rs 9,999 (inclusive of taxes).</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">The Param Science Experience Centre opens to the public today.</span></p>
<p>Located a five-minute walk from the Sri Sathya Sai Hospital in Whitefield is Param Science Experience Centre (ParSEC), a 30,000 sq ft immersive “living laboratory” designed to make visitors rethink how they approach science. A fourth-generation centre, ParSEC boasts interactive galleries, innovative ‘makerspaces’, and live demonstration zones.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The experience begins with a gallery tracing the history of Indian science. It highlights early discoveries and applications, from a comic strip of a Chola king using stars for navigation to exhibits on architectural marvels such as the Konark Sun Temple and Kailasa Temple at Ellora. There is also a section on the 7th-century mathematician and astronomer Brahmagupta, credited with the invention of zero, and a virtual experience exploring the creation of the universe as described in the Taittiriya Upanishad.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Subsequent galleries interpret the ‘Pancha Bhootas’ — earth, water, fire, air, and space — while others explore time through clocks, and light through refraction and reflection. Concepts such as optics, electricity, magnetism, geometry, and design thinking are presented using artificial intelligence and interactive technology.</p>.No arrests yet in Bowring wall collapse in Bengaluru; UDR filed.<p class="bodytext">Two galleries stand out. The kinetic experiment zone blends biomimicry with mechanical engineering to demonstrate the physics of movement in nature. Visitors can operate a pantograph to simulate a blue whale’s swimming wave, pedal mechanisms that make parrots perform chin-ups, and observe linkages replicating the flight of ladybugs. Floral models show contrasting blooming mechanisms: a datura using rigid hinges and a lotus unfolding through tension-driven wires. The highlight is the manta ray exhibit, which demonstrates undulatory locomotion through a cam-and-follower mechanism. Using phase-shifting, it converts rotational motion into a smooth, travelling wave that closely mimics the gliding motion of a ray’s fins.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Traffic Gallery takes visitors through a psychological journey from ‘Ignorance to Responsibility’. Beginning and ending with a hopscotch path, it uses play to draw people in before confronting them with real-world consequences through a driving simulator and road-signal-based interactions. This gallery has been developed in collaboration with Param Foundation, Volvo Group Trust and the Bangalore traffic police.</p>.<p class="bodytext">ParSEC will also be introducing a ‘makerspace’, a platform for people to innovate, build, and solve community problems. “The concept of ‘makerspaces’ has existed overseas,” says Shammi Balla, executive committee member, Param Foundation. Access is available through a monthly student pass priced at Rs 999 and a yearly membership at Rs 9,999 (inclusive of taxes).</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">The Param Science Experience Centre opens to the public today.</span></p>