inavamsi enaganti He’s always been a dreamer. He keeps constantly evolving lists of life goals, ignoring them as he achieves them, and then adding more. He particularly burned a childhood dream in his mind: creating a science-focused amusement park.
Enaganti is now working on a version of this dream through India Param basis. The Bengaluru-based non-profit is led by young technology professionals seeking to create immersive science education programs by building science centers and experiences in public spaces, where visitors can interact with them rather than just viewing exhibits through a display case.
“Science is for everyone. It’s a way of life,” says Inaganty. “It’s not just a school subject or something that makes advanced technology better. It is involved in everything we do: Why do we sleep at night? Why do we walk a certain way? Why are there stars in the sky? When we start asking these questions, we become more aware of our world. “
After opening a small center last January, Enaganti is now leading an effort to build… Param Science Expertise Centre (PARsec) in Bengaluru’s Channainali district. It is to be the main location, in addition to exhibits and mini-experiences located in parks and bus stops around the city.
Spaces join into small ones exhibitionwhich opened Param in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar district. The 465 square meter space features six exhibitions, each focusing on one theme. In the illusion section of the show, for example, guests can enter an exhibit that plays with their sense of perception to make one person appear much larger than another in the same space. The Beuchet Chair Illusion features an oversized seat with four regular legs. When viewed from a certain angle, it looks like a regular chair. But the person sitting in the seat is far away from the viewer and thus appears small.
Cardboard Universe: The Lilliputian World screen is filled with small, complex counterparts of cardboard items such as futuristic houses, furniture, and mantels. The show, in collaboration with the sustainable startup Out of the boxIt’s meant to highlight the power of engineering when combined with art – and how one’s imagination can be unlocked with simple materials like cardboard.
More than 40,000 people visited the exhibition, including IEEE 2024 President Tom Coughlin and IEEE 2025 President Kathleen Kramer, who round Center in July.
“They were like two kids wandering into a candy store,” Inaganty says of the IEEE presidents. “Dr. Coughlin was playing with unworkable liquid tiles to create patterns in the Touch Gallery. Dr. Kramer was walking around on our walk cycle, which uses a leg-like mechanism designed by a kinetic sculptor.” Theo Jansen To look like the bike itself is walking. They were very excited. They just got off a plane and must have been jet-setting, but you would never know from the joy on their faces. This is what we hope to create for everyone. “
Quantum mechanics and auditory experience
The new 18,580 sqm flagship center in Channenahalli is scheduled to open in phases, starting in October. Enaganti expects it will attract about 8,000 visitors a day.
Besides the main science gallery, the facility will include a cultural centre, a 3,000-seat exhibition space, a startup lecture and innovation lab, and a history center with programs teaching about ancient India.
He says the exhibitions at the new Parsec Channenahalli will reflect an interdisciplinary spirit. Its team of about 100 people includes scientists, engineers, product specialists, marketers and architects.
He says some of the exhibits will focus on how ancient Indian philosophy intersects with quantum mechanics. One, he says, will play on the concept of observer-dependent reality: It combines quantum superposition theory—which assumes a system exists in multiple states until it is measured—with a Hindu philosophy that points to an unchanging inner essence. He is the ultimate observer of a constantly evolving universe. In the exhibit, visitors will enter a room filled with white screens that appear blank when viewed live, Enaganti says. But when they look at special polarized films, each of which filters light differently, the screens will reveal different shapes and forms.
Another exhibit, Rain Instrument, will be an auditory experience, Inaganty says. It is a collaboration with collective interactive action 1377. The synthesizer allows visitors to create music by controlling water droplets that fall on steel plates of varying sizes to make each note sound.
Enaganti wants to hold monthly community events where participants can try to break out science-focused science Guinness World Records.
The design of the Parsec Channenahalli space will be something out of the gallery itself, he says, explaining that the lights, curtains and even the walls will be modular. He says gallery spaces can be expanded, reduced or combined to suit a particular exhibition.
“Science is life, and life is always evolving – so the building should be,” he says. “You can’t just build a building and say, ‘Okay, we’re done.’ This is science. This is what we mean by lifestyle. Even the building must live.”
Representatives from the Param Foundation and Science Center welcomed 2024 IEEE President Tom Chandras, and IEEE University Police Kathleen Kramer, IEEE University Professor. Tushar Sharma
Teaching about science in public
City spaces are another key component of people science education, Inaganty says. His team works with the municipal civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palaik To create experiences. They include Parks’ installed Sundials: People who step into one of the Sundials become a Gnomon, the post on the dial that casts a shadow on the watch’s scale.
Digital displays at train stations and bus stops feature scientific puzzles, graphs that display air pollution and emissions levels in real time, and avatar scientists that can answer questions.
Enaganti and his team are already thinking about what’s next after the flagship opens, such as experiential learning sessions at the center, additional exhibitions in rural communities, and centers in other regions of the country, including Hyderabad and Udaipur.
“We think the main center will be like the Hall of Greats, where you come once or twice a year. Then you have small local centers and parks where you can get involved in your local community.” “You need to really make science a lifestyle.”
Parallels with the IEEE mission
The Param Foundation relies on donations, corporate sponsorships, partnerships with schools and industry organizations, and the work of volunteers to do its work. Enaganti started at Param as a volunteer before being named director in 2022.
Another volunteer and advisor to Param is an IEEE member Tushar SharmaEngineering Manager at Renesas Electronics Corp. Sharma, who is based in the company’s San Diego office, often travels to Bengaluru.
“As an engineer, I have always sought opportunities where my work can directly impact humanity and society,” he says. “In today’s rapidly advancing technological landscape, the remarkable challenge is fostering a new generation of scientific thinkers—ones deeply connected not only to technology but also to values and culture.”
Param has made progress, by “embedding science into daily life as a source of joy and lifestyle.” He says he hopes it becomes “a seminal movement, paving the way for future scientists, technologists, engineers, managers and artists around the world.”
Sharma sees parallels with IEEE’s mission: “Param embodies the scale and vision that IEEE has always aspired to achieve, demonstrating the profound impact of technology infused with purpose and values. I am thrilled that Tom [Coughlin] And Kathleen [Kramer] Had the opportunity to witness the depth and reach of this remarkable initiative, which aligns closely with the spirit of IEEE. “
Enaganti says he will know Param has truly succeeded when he no longer needs to exist.
“I want a world where Param is no longer wanted,” he says. “Where we spread this science message, so that people on their own say, ‘Hey, let’s think, let’s question, let’s ask why.’ “When we get to this point, everyone’s home and community will be a microcosm.”
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