Inavamsi Enaganti has long been a dreamer. She keeps an ever-evolving list of life goals, checking them off as she achieves them and then adding more. One childhood dream burned particularly brightly in his mind: Create a science-focused theme park.
Enaganti is now working on a version of that dream through India’s Param Foundation. The Bengaluru-based non-profit organization is led by young technology professionals who strive to create immersive science education programs by building science centers and experiences in public spaces where visitors can interact with them instead of just viewing exhibits through a display case.
“Science is for everyone; it’s a lifestyle,” says Enaganti. “It’s not just a school subject or something that enhances advanced technology. It is connected to everything we do: Why do we sleep at night? Why do we go a certain way? Why are there stars in the sky? When we start asking these questions, we gain more information about our world.”
After opening a small center last January, Enaganti is now leading the effort to build the Param Science Experience Center (Parsec) in Bengaluru’s Channenahalli district. It is to be a flagship location, alongside mini exhibitions and experiences located in parks and bus stops throughout the city.
The spaces join a small gallery that Param opened in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar district. The 465 square meter space features six exhibits, each focusing on one theme. For example, in the illusion gallery section, 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 Illusion Beuchet chair features an oversized seat with four normal-sized legs. When viewed from a certain angle, it looks like an ordinary chair. But the person sitting on the seat is further away from the viewer and seems so small.
The Cardboard Cosmos: A Liliputian World exhibition is full of small, intricate mock-ups of cardboard objects such as houses, furniture and futuristic airships. The presentation, in collaboration with the sustainable living startup Out of the Box, aims to highlight the power of engineering combined with art – and how you can unlock your imagination even with simple materials like cardboard.
More than 40,000 people have visited the gallery, including IEEE 2024 President Tom Coughlin and IEEE 2025 President Katherine Kramer, who visited the center in July.
“They were like two kids wandering around a candy store,” Enaganti says of the IEEE presidents. “Dr. Coughlin played with immiscible liquid tiles to create patterns in the tactile gallery. Dr. Kramer raced around on our Walking Cycle, which uses a planar leg-like mechanism designed by kinetic sculptor Theo Jansen to make it look like the bike was walking on its own. They were so excited. They just got off the plane and must have been delayed, but you’d never know it on their faces. That’s what we hope. that we create for everyone.”
Quantum mechanics and the auditory experiment
The new 18,580 square meter flagship center in Channenahalli is set to open in a phased manner starting from October. Enaganti expects to attract around 8,000 visitors daily.
In addition to the main science gallery, the facility will include a cultural center, a 3,000-seat exhibition space, a start-up incubator and innovation lab, and a history center with programs that teach about ancient India, he says.
The exhibits at the new Parsec Channenahalli, he says, will reflect an interdisciplinary spirit. His team of about 100 people includes scientists, engineers, product specialists, marketers and architects.
Several exhibits will focus on how ancient Indian philosophy intersects with quantum mechanics, he says. One, he says, will play on the concept of observer-dependent reality: It combines quantum superposition theory—which posits that a system exists in multiple states until it’s measured—with Hindu philosophy, which suggests an inner, immutable core of the self. he is the ultimate observer of the ever-evolving universe. In the exhibit, visitors enter a room filled with white screens that appear empty when viewed directly, Enaganti says. But when viewed through special polarized films, each of which filters light differently, the screens reveal different shapes and forms.
Another exhibit, the Rain Instrument, will be an auditory experience, says Enaganti. It’s a collaboration with interactive art collective 1377. The synthesizer allows visitors to create music by controlling water droplets that fall on steel plates of different sizes to create each note.
Enaganti wants to host monthly community events where participants can try to break scientific Guinness World Records.
The design of the Parsec Channenahalli space will be something of an exhibit in itself, he says, explaining that the lights, curtains and even the walls will be modular. Gallery spaces can be expanded, reduced or combined to suit a given exhibit, he says.
“Science is life and life is constantly evolving – so the building must too,” he says. “You can’t just build a building and say, ‘Okay, we’re done. That’s science.” That’s what we mean by lifestyle. Even the building must live.”
Representatives of the Param Foundation and its Science Center Sri Arun Seetharam, Sri Ganesh, Ganesh Prasad S and Inavamsi Enaganti welcomed 2024 IEEE President Tom Coughlin, 2025 IEEE President Katherine Kramer, IEEE Senior Director Sri Chandrasekaran and University Associate Professor Chankay Nare. Tushar Sharma
Teaching science in public places
Urban spaces are another crucial element in teaching human science, says Enaganti. His team works with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, a city-based civic body, to create experiences. These include sundials installed in parks: People who step on one of the sundials become a gnomon, which is a column on the dial that casts a shadow on the hour scale.
Digital displays at train stations and bus stops are to feature science puzzles, infographics showing real-time air pollution and emissions levels, and avatars of scientists who can answer questions.
Enaganti and his team are already thinking about what’s next after the flagship opens, such as more experiential learning sessions at the center, more 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 the Greats, where you come once or twice a year. And then you have your local mini centers and parks where you can engage with your local community,” says Enaganti. “You need that granularity to make science a lifestyle.”
Parallel to IEEE’s mission
The Param Foundation depends on donations, corporate sponsorships, partnerships with schools and industry organizations, and the work of volunteers to carry out its work. Enaganti started at Param as a volunteer before being appointed director in 2022.
Another volunteer and advisor to Param is IEEE Fellow Tushar Sharma, director of engineering at Renesas Electronics Corp. Sharma, who is based in the company’s San Diego office, frequently travels to Bengaluru.
“As an engineer, I’ve always looked for opportunities where my work could directly impact humanity and society,” he says. “In today’s rapidly evolving technological environment, the urgent challenge is to support a new generation of scientific thinkers – individuals deeply connected not only to technology, but also to values and culture.”
Param has made progress, he says, by “incorporating science into everyday life as a source of joy and lifestyle transformation.” He says he hopes it will become “a grassroots movement that will pave the way for future scientists, technologists, engineers, managers and artists around the world.”
Sharma sees parallels with IEEE’s mission: “Param embodies the scope and vision that IEEE has always strived for, demonstrating the profound impact of technology infused with purpose and values. I am delighted that Tom (Coughlin) and Kathleen (Kramer) have had the opportunity to see firsthand the depth and reach of this remarkable initiative that is so closely aligned with the IEEE ethos.”
Enaganti says that he will know that Param has truly succeeded when he no longer has to exist.
“I want a world where Param is no longer needed,” he says. “Where we’ve spread this message of science, people are saying on their own, ‘Hey, let’s think, let’s ask, let’s ask why.’ When we get to that point, everyone’s home and community will be a mini Param.”
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