IIT Gandhinagar hosts regional children science congress; 146 school students participate

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar hosts a five-day regional children science congress for 146 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) students from 73 districts. A total of 73 boys and 73 girls will be participating in the event from November 16 to 20, 2022.

High schools students from JNV across 73 districts of states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, and Diu, Daman and Dadra Nagar Haveli will be attending the residential event along with 40 officials, teachers, and support staff. The students of JNV Ahmedabad formed a music group to perform at the inaugural ceremony on November 16, 2022.

The aim of the regional children science congress event is to provide the students with an opportunity to go beyond the limits of their school and develop experimental, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, and inspire them to pursue their curiosity and creativity in science.

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Over the next four days of the event, the participants will be engaging in activities including science experiments, a visit to the world-class labs and interaction with IITGN faculty and scientists. They will experience demonstration of robotics, night sky viewing with a telescope, a visit to the Science City, activities by centre for creative learning (CCL-IITGN), quiz competitions on science and innovation, yoga and sports among others.

The inaugural session for the event was attended by Grassroots innovations, Indian scholar, Anil Gupta; Gujarat Council of Science and Technology (GUJCOST), advisor, Narottam Sahoo and IITGN, director, Rajat Moona. They were joined by , NVS Regional Office, Pune, Deputy Commissioner, B Venkateswaran and IITGN, chemistry associate professor, Sriram Kanvah.

In his talk at the inaugural session, Gupta shared several anecdotes of school students from across the country who turned innovators to solve the challenges in their immediate environment, and said , “We have to find solutions to our problems and not go in inertia to get used to it. We all have capabilities; you all are innovators of our country to solve its unmet needs. It is the empathy, the ability to see and feel the pain of any living being on this earth, that can inspire you to innovate solutions to their everyday challenges.”

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Welcoming all the bright young minds on the IITGN campus, Rajat Moona talked about how science and technology are interlinked and how science is spread all around us. He said , “When you learn and understand science, it generates more curiosity about how to take it forward to the next level. The theories of science and technology have evolved a lot over the years for a more nuanced understanding of things.”

JNV Parbhani, Maharashtra, student, Kusum Vaghmare, shared her excitement of coming to IITGN saying , “It feels great and proud to come to IITGN. I feel we have already become junior scientists, and now I wish to become an IITian. The programme has motivated me a lot, and I am looking forward to learning more.”