Introduction to the Ajit Foundation Science Centre

1. The Ajit Foundation
Science Centre
Exploring the Universe
Sustaining the Communities

2. –K. W. Wilson, Nobel Prize Winner, Physics
“I suggest that high-energy physicists might give some thought to what are the most
daunting social and economic problems of today, and whether there could be any way to
recruit and assist a few exceptionally capable physicists to learn considerably more about
these problems … I make this suggestion because my own recent experience with the
present state of historical research has opened my eyes to the history of physicists making
unique contributions to dominant issues facing society at large ..”
Responsibility of a Scientist
• Fundamental problems facing the global communities
• Global warming
• Sustainable water and energy resources
• Employable skills for the youth
• Creative use of science and technology

3. Sustaining the Communities
• Gandhian Vision: A community should be as self
sufficient as possible
• To what extent can a community meet it’s energy
needs using local resources?
• To what extent can a community meet it’s water
needs using local resources?

4. Renewable Energy Resources and Mathematical
Modeling
• To what extent can a community meet
it’s energy needs using local resources?
• Local sources of energy are wind
and solar
• What is the optimum
combination of wind and solar
power for a city like Bikaner?
• Can we modify existing building
so that they require less energy
for comfortable living?
• Mathematical models of sources,
demand, and the buildings can provide
valuable insights to the community.

5. Modeling WindMills for Home Power Generation
• During the summer months,
the months with the highest
energy requirement, the wind
speed is also highest.
• Mathematical Model of
micro windmills, including
their ability to handle andhi,
can allow us to integrate
wind and solar power.

6. Sustainable Local Water Resources and
Mathematical Modeling
• The only local source of water in
Bikaner is the rainwater.
• What role can rainwater harvesting
play in contemporary Bikaner?
• Mathematical models can inform the
community:
• What fraction of their water needs
can be met reliably by rainwater
harvesting?
• How to integrate RWHS with piped
water supply?

7. Ajit Foundation Science Centre
Learning Science by
Doing Science
Communicating
Fundamental Science to
the Community
Apps for Sustainable
use of energy and water
resources
Greening the Ajit
Foundation Building
Ajit Foundation Science
Dialog
Mathematical Modeling for
Sustainable Communities

8. Ajit Foundation Science Centre - People
Director: A working scientist
• Raise fund for the corpus and projects
• Coordinate the activities of the AFSC
AFSC Visiting Fellow: A working scientist
• Spend three months in Bikaner
• Work on one or more of the core activities

9. Current Activities: Building a smart Rainwater Harvesting System
Learning Science by
Doing Science
Greening the Ajit
Foundation Building
Sand Trap
Grey Water
Outlet
Turbidity
Monitor
Arduino controlled
valveRainwater storage
Tank
Piped water inlet
Potable water
outlet
Rooftop

10. Learning Science by Doing Science: A workshop
17 - 19 May 2017, 5 - 8 PM, Ajit Foundation Centre, Bikaner
Program
17 May 2017:
1. Introduction to the Ajit Foundation Science Centre
2. Rainwater harvesting systems - an introduction
3. Introduction to smart RWHS for Ajit Foundation
18 May 2017
4. Introduction to Arduino micro-controller
5. Introduction to programming
6. First program: blinking LED
19 May 2017
7. Review of the first program
8. Introduction to Electricity and Circuit Diagrams
9. Controlling a circuit using Arduino

11. Building a smart RWHS in
the Ajit Foundation, Bikaner
2017-18
Amount Line item explanation
Computers & Equipments 150,000
Computer, micro controllers,
plumbing, storage tank
Training workshops 50,000
Travel for the coordinator and
miscellaneous expenses.
Total ₹200,000

12. Long term funding for AFSC
Create a corpus that can provide
• Salary of a director
• Four Fellows
Seek external funding for “Learning Science by Doing Science”

13. Thank you