Global Scientific Festival Kerala began on January 15 in Thonnakkal, Thiruvananthapuram

The Global scientific Festival Kerala (GSFK) gets underway on Monday at the Bio 360 Life Sciences Park in Thonnakkal. Many of the displays at the festival may wind up permanently on display once the month-long mega event ends in mid-February—possibly as part of a scientific city proposal in the future.

The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (KSCSTE) and Amuseum ArtScience, the organisers of GSFK, have proposed to the government in this respect. The chair of the organising committee, Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal, stated here on Sunday that a decision has not yet been made in this regard.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's mentor in science, M. Chandradathan, explained that part of the plan is to maintain some of the displays permanently on display in a little space—possibly two acres—that may ultimately grow into a scientific city project. He stated, "The installations' layout has been designed in a way that allows for the retention of some of the exhibition." 

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will open GSFK, which is described by the organisers as a carefully planned event "that explores Science through art," to the public on Monday at 6 p.m.

The festival lasts for a month and includes outreach activities, presentations, public lectures, science displays with a theme, encounters with experts from NASA and ISRO, workshops, and kid-friendly events. In association with the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum, a night skywatch and tenting are scheduled. 

Prominent figures will visit the festival and take part in the sessions over the course of the next month. These include American astrophysicist and NASA scientist Madhulika Guhathakurtha, Danish chemist and Nobel laureate Morten P. Meldal, and conservationist Rajendra Singh, who won the Magsaysay Award. Robert Potts is a lecturer in creative design at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The keynote speaker at Monday's inauguration will be Dr. Guhathakurtha, Lead Programme Scientist, Initiatives in the NASA Exploration Technology Directorate. The meeting's chairperson is Mr. Balagopal.

Visit www.gsfk.org for more information and to purchase tickets online.