MSV-2035 Astronomy Document - Inside Design - FINAL - FINAL

Astronomy & Astrophysics 105 should also host students for semester-long or year-long M.Sc./B.Tech. projects and arrange for continued interactionwith project students through onlinemeetings and follow-up projects. • Setting-up of advanced labs in educational institutions, sponsored by, and associated with, mega projects. This is essential to prepare the next generation of scientists and technologists. 8.1.3 Diversity and Inclusivity Special efforts should be made to make the A&A community in India more diverse and inclusive, within the framework of prevailing guidelines and laws of the country. Some steps could be: • Organisations shouldmake necessary structural and cultural changes to be more inclusive, and to support and promote diversity. • Equal opportunity should be ensured for women, differently-abled and marginalised sections with suitable mandates for optimal representation in all decision-making bodies, including selection and evaluation committees. • Organisations should be encouraged to promote talented women scientists to leadership positions to create inspiration for youngwomen aspiring to pursueA&A. 8.2 PublicOutreach As a part of our Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR), disseminating knowledge and experiences to younger generation is one of the important goals. Astronomy being a fascinating subject is highly capable of developing scientific temperament at various levels in the society. This unique aspect of astronomy must be utilised extensively at different levels in the society to strengthen scientific temper through education, research and various other methods. In the country so far, with help of various science centers, planetariums and through forums like National Council of Science Museums, we have been able to connect to the society at large. However, taking advantage of many ongoing and upcomingMega Science Projects, we should attempt to make it more streamlined, focused and in synchronisation with international standards considering the scientific requirements of the society during the coming decades. One such effort has been the Vigyan Samagam (2019-2020), a year long touring exhibition of Mega Science Projects. The National Education Policy-2020 has also stressed upon dissemination of knowledge through outreach activity for larger societal benefits. Outreach has many aspects. We have tried to outline some of these below. One common factor is that we should try to reach out in the local languages where possible. The Public Outreach Committee of the ASI and its network can be used to identify resource persons who can helpwith content creation and translation. • Dissemination of research work and progress in Mega Projects. This can be in the form of press releases and audio-visual material to highlight key results and achievements in a simple language. Sharing these on social media. PhD students and post-docs should be encouraged to develop skills of content creation for outreach. MEGA SCIENCE VISION-2035