LU to throw open its labs for school kids

For the first time since it was established, the Lucknow University will throw open its laboratories for school children on Tuesday, to mark National Science Day. The labs will remain open for the young visitors from 10 am to 2 pm.

Students will have to be in their school uniforms and will be free to visit the departments of physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, geology, mathematics/ astronomy, statistics, computer science and bio-chemistry.

This year, the theme for National Science Day is ‘science and technology for speciallyabled people’. Keeping that in view, the university has invited differently-abled children of Chetna Institute, Aliganj. The youngsters will also take part in a poster competition that will be organised at the varsity on the occasion.

“Geologist Dr AK Tangri, historian Dr UN Sinha, and banker Nitin Srivastava have been invited to interact with the youngsters and inspire them,” said Prof Vibhuto Rai, the coordinator of the event.

The zoology department’s Dr SC Baugh museum is expected to be among the most sought-after destinations for the children, said a university official. “Various worms infecting us and our livestock can be seen in the helminth section of the museum, while the Annelida section boasts of common earthworms, and giant earthworms (from Ecuador) measuring about 1.5 ft in length and about 6 cm in thickness. Crabs, prawns, lobsters, insects and spiders are there in the Arthropoda collection. Kids will also see molluscs such as snails, oysters, octopuses and squids. Occupying a pride of place in the Mollusc collection is a clam shell, one half of which weighs around 101 pounds,” he added.

“Reptiles, such as, a taxidermised python, a rattlesnake skeleton, a flying lizard, iguanas, turtles, crocodiles (from Congo, Nile, Ganga and Mississippi rivers) and alligators are also there,” he said.

In addition, laboratories of geology and botany departments are also expected to impress students.

The observatory near the statistics department will be another centre of attraction. Prof Narendra K Pandey, LU spokesperson, said, “It will be a unique experience for school kids to get a feel of the university labs.”