Regional Science Centre, Chalakudy is a science museum located in

Chalakudy Chalakudy () is a municipal town situated on the banks of Chalakudy River in Thrissur district of the Kerala state in India. It is the headquarters of Chalakudy taluk. It is the base camp for travellers to Athirappilly Falls and Vazhachal Falls ...

Thrissur district Thrissur (), anglicised as Trichur, is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is situated in the central region of the state. Spanning an area of about , th ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, India. It is an autonomous institution established by the

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

, as a center for popularisation of science and scientific temper among the general public, especially among children. It started functioning in 2021.

The aim

Regional Science Center has been started by the government with the aim of imparting more knowledge about science and its basic principles among the general public, especially among the students. The center, which comes under the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum (KSSTM), will enable students to conduct experiments and research programs in science. Chalakudy Regional Science Center is one of the National Council of Science Museum's 'Innovation Hubs' aimed at providing facilities to nurture new ideas and develop an inquisitive outlook in the youth.

History

The foundation stone for the Chalakudy Regional Science Center was laid in 2010. It became operational in February 2021.

The center

The Chalakudy Science Center is the third Regional Science Center in Kerala (the other two are located in

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

and

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

), and the first sub-centre of the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum.

Facilities available

Science Gallery, Science Park and 3D Theater facilities for children are currently available here. The main attraction is the 5000 square feet planetarium. The 3D theater is a large format film projection system in which 200 people can watch the show in the planetarium theater at a time. The gallery building block that occupies science galleries, 3D theatre, innovation hub and office complex has an area of 27000 square feet. The center is spread over 3 floors. Of the four targeted science galleries, the Popular Science Gallery and the Mathematics Gallery are currently operational. The

National Council of Science Museums National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) is an autonomous scientific organization functioning under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India for science communication through its network of science museums or science centres spread acr ...

is spearheading the Innovation Hub, which is designed to organize various programs to develop science aptitude among students. As part of the Innovation Hub, the Science Library will provide students with various study classes in science-related subjects and short-term training in specialized subjects. The observatory, equipped with a high-resolution telescope for aerial observation, can observe the stars and planets in the evening after 6.30 pm. It is also said that special shows will be organized at the center during special celestial phenomena. At the center, work is also underway to install a

mirror maze A house of mirrors or hall of mirrors is a traditional attraction at funfairs (carnivals) and amusement parks. It is a maze-like puzzle (made out of a myriad of mirrors). In addition to the maze, participants are also given mirrors as obst ...

with endless corridors and endless reflections. This will be the first initiative of its kind in the state.

Location

The center is located on a four-acre plot of land near the Panampilly Memorial Government College in Chalakudy, Thrissur district.

Admission fee

Admission to the Science Center is free for children under the age of four, with an entry fee of Rs.20 for adults and Rs.10 for children between the ages of four and twelve.

References

{{Reflist Science museums in India Children's museums in India Museums in Kerala Science and technology in Kerala Museums established in 2021 2021 establishments in Kerala