US body plans to set up 10 science centers for students

A US-based body will set up 10 science centers - Spark!Lab - across India to encourage inventive creativity in India's young people and help to create its next generation of innovators.
At an event held at the Indian Embassy here, it was announced that the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation has entered into an arrangement with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in this regard.
Operating as a public-private partnership, initially 10 pilot Spark!Lab sites would be set up over the next two years with the goal of jumpstarting an Indian-run network of up to 100 labs.

Activities will incorporate relevant topics and themes to the individual communities in India where Spark!Labs will be located.
The Lemelson Center believes that Spark!Lab can encourage inventive creativity in India's young people and help to create its next generation of innovators, it said.
Officials of the Lemelson said Spark!Lab can play an important role in India's future, helping to encourage initiative creativity and foster critical 21st century skills in its youngest citizens, which can translate into future economic growth for India.
The Lemelson Center established its first Spark!Lab in 2008 at the National Museum of American History as the core of its educational programs.

Spark!Lab is a hands-on, invention-based workspace that offers families with children ages 6-12 dynamic activities to discover the process of invention and practice 21st century skills while exploring a range of disciplines including history, science, engineering and art.