Come, explore Science City, virtually!

While it is difficult to travel around amid the pandemic, The Tribune takes you on a virtual tour of Pushpa Gujral Science City (PSGC), which is the brainchild of the then Prime Minister IK Gujral. It was opened for the public on March 19, 2005. Set up on 72 acres of land on the Jalandhar-Kapurthala Road, the project aims at popularising science through ‘edutainment’ i.e. education through entertainment.

It has key attractions such as the space theatre, laser theatre, 3D theatre, digital planetarium and dinosaur park among others, which were gradually added between 2008 and 2010, followed by galleries on evolution, birds and climate change theatre from 2014 to 2016.

It started a mobile science exhibition in 2015 to raise awareness among masses about different concepts of science and technology. PGSC recently introduced robotic dinosaurs and had set up an innovation hub to motivate children for out-of-box thinking. As per information, the Science City has registered over 45 lakh visitors ever since it first opened.

Technological Tower

Right in front of the Central Plaza at PGSC, the technological tower has a DNA model placed on top and small airplanes below. It reflects digital life’s impact on our well-being explaining how people use digital tools to solve problems, enhance their lives and improve their productivity.

Dinosaur Park

Real-sized reptiles get your adrenaline pumping at this park taking you to the era of dinosaurs. It showcases the evolution of dinosaurs on earth and also underlines probable reasons behind their extinction. Divided into three periods – Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous, the park houses 48 different dinosaur models in their natural habitat. As dinosaurs had become extinct after a massive volcanic eruption, a 35-feet high volcano structure comprising four moving dinosaurs with sound effects has also been created to give visitors an experience of environment on the earth millions of years ago.

Life through ages

Evolution from the Big Bang to the present day is shown in this dome-like structure. It has been divided into 16 sections through sensor-based 2D and 3D models that suddenly spring into action as one passes through. The gallery provides an experience with massive background paintings. The highlights include – origin of the solar system, evolution of multi-cellular life, invasion of land by plants and animals, coal deposits, extinction of primitive life, origin, growth and extinction of dinosaurs, rise of mammals, evolution of man-like ancestors, early homosapiens and much more.

Space and Aviation Gallery

The gallery displays models of satellites and various applications of space technology. A section shows how astronauts live in space. A replica of space shuttle has been created in one such sections, depicting the life of both Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. The model of Neil Alden Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon, explains the life on the moon and various other aspects involved. Bharat Swati Aircraft, after it retired, was gifted to PGSC by the Indian Air force to keep it as a major attraction for visitors. This aircraft was used by IAF to train the newly recruited pilots.

The Health Gallery

It depicts information about human anatomy and physiology. Compartmentalised into three sections, the gallery reveals the intricate structures and functions of human body using large working human models and other interactive exhibits. A 12-feet high beating heart model demonstrates the working of the circulatory system from ‘within’ the heart.

Evolution of Man

Through this model, the emergence of modern humans, beginning with the evolutionary history of primates — genus Homo (in particular), and leading to the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct species of the hominid family, which includes the great apes, has been explained. It also depicts the four major steps involved in the evolution of modern humans from our hominid ancestor i.e. evolving terrestriality, bipedalism, a large brain (encephalisation) and civilisation.

Science of Sports Gallery

The gallery apprises the nitty-gritties of scientific application in various sports such as cricket, volleyball, badminton, lawn tennis, basketball, football, hockey and rural sports through a playful, interesting and non-formal approach. The science of basketball (in pic) explains the scientific principles behind every action, construction of the ball, what common injuries are and what protective gears are available for players.

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket

The PSLV model depicts India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission, which successfully inserted the spacecraft into the lunar orbit on November 8, 2008. It makes visitors aware about the great history India registered on November 14, 2008, when Moon Impact Probe (MIP) was separated, which then struck the lunar South Pole in a controlled manner and India emerged as the fourth country in the world to hoist its flag on the lunar surface.