National Science Day Observation and INVENTA
Physical Science Association of GCTE organised a programme related to National Science Day 2023 named "INVENTA" on February 28. The special assembly on the day was organised as follows: Harsha hosted the assembly. Sandhya P S rendered the prayer song. Science news was read out by Lekshmi S S. Ms. Anupama gave us details on National Science Day and the biography of C.V.Raman. Ms. Keerthana S.S explained Raman Effect in simple terms for the audience gathered for the special assembly. Thought for the day was presented by Alfiya Phyrosh and it emphasised the importance of activity oriented teaching of science subjects. Rajani S S from second year B.Ed Physical Science presented her reflection on the thought. Principal Dr. V. K. Santhosh Kumar sir also shared his views on the thought of the day.
In 1986, the Government of India, under then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, designated February 28 as National Science Day to commemorate the announcement of the discovery of the “Raman Effect”. This year’s edition is being celebrated under the theme of “Global Science for Global Wellbeing”, in light of India’s G20 presidency.
The Raman Effect was the discovery which won physicist Sir CV Raman his Nobel Prize in 1930. Conducting a deceptively simple experiment, Raman discovered that when a stream of light passes through a liquid, a fraction of the light scattered by the liquid is of a different colour. This discovery was immediately recognised as groundbreaking in the scientific community, being the subject of over 700 papers in the first seven years after its announcement.The Raman Effect refers to the phenomenon in which when a stream of light passes through a liquid, a fraction of the light scattered by the liquid is of a different colour. This happens due to the change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules.In general, when light interacts with an object, it can either be reflected, refracted or transmitted. One of the things that scientists look at when light is scattered is if the particle it interacts with is able to change its energy. The Raman Effect is when the change in the energy of the light is affected by the vibrations of the molecule or material under observation, leading to a change in its wavelength.In their first report to Nature, titled “A New Type of Secondary Radiation,” CV Raman and co-author KS Krishnan wrote that 60 different liquids had been studied, and all showed the same result – a tiny fraction of scattered light had a different colour than the incident light. “It is thus,” Raman said, “a phenomenon whose universal nature has to be recognized..” Raman’s discovery took the world by storm as it had deep implications far beyond Raman’s original intentions. As Raman himself remarked in his 1930 Nobel Prize speech, “The character of the scattered radiations enables us to obtain an insight into the ultimate structure of the scattering substance.” For quantum theory, in vogue in the scientific world at the time, Raman’s discovery was crucial. The discovery would also find its use in chemistry, giving birth to a new field known as Raman spectroscopy as a basic analytical tool to conduct nondestructive chemical analysis for both organic and inorganic compounds. With the invention of lasers and the capabilities to concentrate much stronger beams of light, the uses of Raman spectroscopy have only ballooned over time.
The Physical Science Association also organised a talk on 28th February 2023 at 2 P M in general hall 2. The talk was on the topic "Accidental discoveries in science". Dr. Ajayakumar G , Assistant Professor, Govt College for Women , Thiruvananthapuram, was the resource person and he brilliantly handled the session. Some of the accidental discoveries he mentioned are that of teflon, insulin, vulcanised rubber, radioactivity, penicillin , velcro and LSD. These were novel info for us.
