Ideas germinate in young minds at science fair

Students from 12 government and NGO-funded schools got a chance to put into practice the rudimentaries learnt by them, at a science fair in the City on Saturday.

Fun wedded with science as the children conducted basic yet interesting experiments, much to the amazement of the visitors. The occasion was the 12th Annual Science Fair ‘Prabodhana’ organised by GE India Technology Centre. Over 350 underprivileged and physically challenged students made projects and flow charts for the theme:

agriculture science.  “We made this paddy waste management model in two hours. It is a lot more fun displaying it here,” said Sukanya, a class nine student of Ashraya school.

“We grow vegetables in the backyard of our school. The onion prices may have gone up, but we are not worried. Our model displays ways in vegetable waste management,”said another student.

A particularly attractive stall was the one put up by students of Shiela Kothavala Institute for the Deaf (SKID). They bagged third prize in the competition.

“We have a hanging garden on display that is most suitable to grow herbs. We have used plyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes to grow these and have planted the saplings on paper cups which will eventually tear off. These cups help the roots to hold on. Once the seeds germinate, you can mount them against the wall,” explained Akash, a class eight student of SKID.

“I want to become a farmer eventually. My grandfather is a farmer and he does not have much resources. I saw this machine on television and what you can see here is a mini version. It is called the universal harvesting system which will save energy and resources. There will be less wastage and more productivity,” said Prasanna, a class seven student who developed a small crop cutting machine with the help of his teachers.

“The fact that students from various backgrounds get to mingle and exchange ideas and thoughts with their peers from other schools is an enriching experience,” said Alok Nanda, chairman, GE Volunteers, Bangalore.

“We want the children to get their basic science principles right. Behind complex machineries are simple facts that need to be learnt properly,” said Ramakrishna Rao, a volunteer.