‘Science engagement cannot be separated from fundamental democracy, need to bring humanness back into science’ Premium

A crowd had gathered on the lawns of the quaint campus of National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS). They formed circles, each comprising five to six people. Soon they started moving. They went in circles, made a bridge, spun and released, resembling some kind of European folk dance.

A crowd had gathered on the lawns of the quaint campus of National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS). They formed circles, each comprising five to six people. Soon they started moving. They went in circles, made a bridge, spun and released, resembling some kind of European folk dance.

While it may have looked like a group of people having fun, it wasn’t just that. What was witnessed was the demonstration of ‘Merry Dancers’, more commonly known as the northern lights, through Scottish traditional dance, Ceilidh (pronounced as Kay-lee). Giving his instructions to them while playing his fiddle is Lewis Hou, science educator and founder of Science Ceilidh.

Science Ceilidh is a social enterprise that uses traditional Scottish dance and music for science communication, thereby aiming to support STEM, creativity, research and wellbeing in communities. Mr. Hou was in Bengaluru at NCBS, to talk about centring communities in research engagement. He spoke to The Hindu on his vision, what Science Ceilidh stands for and the importance of science communication among local communities.