• Occasion was 2nd Day (4th January) of on-going five-day 106th Indian Science Congress being organized at LPU Campus• Nobel Laureate Duncan Haldane inspired school children, particularly girls, to opt tough considered subjects like mathematics and physics• Opt Science for discovering something for helping humanity, not for winning a Nobel Prize : Nobel Laureate Duncan Haldane• Convergence, inter-disciplinary approach and innovation to define the coming years in Science and Technology : Secretary DST• Nobel Laureates inaugurated three-day Children’s Science Congress at LPU Campus
As a part of the on-going Science Congress, Rashtriya Kishore Vaigyanik Sammelan (Children’s Science Congress) was inaugurated on 4th January at Lovely Professional University by Nobel Laureates Avram Hershko from Israel and F. Duncan M. Haldane from USA. While inaugurating the Congress, Avram Hershko called children as the future of scientific India and was sure that some of them may be making some important discoveries which will prove to be good for mankind, and may also make them win Nobel Prize.
Appreciating the progress that India has done over the years Prof. Duncan Haldane said, that India has to be a part of the technological development of the future. Addressing the students, Prof Haldane shared that when one encounters some problems then research takes birth. Inspiring school student, he shared, “Science, particularly physics and mathematics, are difficult subjects; however, our teachers can transmit enthusiasm in us for these. Our teachers work differently and we all learn from them.
Learn mathematics as it is basis of all kinds of quantitative sources. In my early school days I liked Chemistry but later my teachers found my more liking in physics and mathematics. Choose Science for discovering something to help humanity and to improve life of everyone, and not for winning a Nobel Prize.” Nobel Laureate Duncan Haldane inspired school children, particularly girls, to opt tough considered subjects like mathematics and physics. His presence on the occasion enthralled the budding scientists as they listened to him.
Prior to this, General President of ISCA Mr Manoj Kumar Chakrabarti thanked NCST (DST) for organizing competitions between the students for the last few years. He said that now it is realized that more and more students should take Science & Technology as their career. India has a large number of human resources. In the coming 25 years, its population will be dominated by the age group of 17-28 years and majority of this age group should be attracted to Science & Technology as their career.
The contribution will ultimately help the country to compete with other nations. LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal congratulated all school students on being a part of the mega event and appreciated them for their quality projects displayed at the Science Congress. He invoked school principals, teachers, and parents to nurture interest for science in the children concerned to them. Head, NCSTC, Department of Science & Technology, Dr Nisha Mendiratta asked school students to choose their ways at the science congress to understand science at its best by interacting with the eminent scientists present at the event. She also advised students to adopt science as career.
Fulfilling the aim of the ISC, Pride of India Expo at LPU campus proved itself major place of attraction not only for delegates, other visitors but for all school-children in the age group of 10-17. It is being visited by 20,000+ school children from 200+ schools. Six-large pandals spread over an area of more than 15,000 Sq Mt with projects from 150+ top organizations, the expo is showcasing cutting-edge technologies, scientific products- services, achievements and innovations. Students, accompanied by their teachers, mentors, guardians, were seen thronging the exhibition site.
In addition, near 120 novel projects researched, postulated and developed by school children and selected by DST (61), NCERT (15) and Punjab Council for Science & Technology (44) are also displayed and being illustrated by their creators for common understanding of the onlookers. School students’ projects were on Corals and livelihood from Andaman & Nicobar; use of Coconut shells and Betelnut Trunk for removal of arsenic from water in the better way from Assam; Menstrual Health and Hygiene-cloth diapers are better than disposable ones from Chandigarh; Plastic Waste Management and the best use of banana peels as good fertilizers from Gujarat; use of bio-pesticides like Neem, Eucalyptus, camphor from Himachal Pradesh; and many more attracted all.
In fact, Rashtriya Kishore Vaigyanik Sammelan (RKVS) is an important part of Indian Science Congress as it focuses on raising the bar of research and innovation in science in our country. The main objective of the RKVS is to provide a platform to the budding scientists to showcase their research work and projects being developed by them. The event will consist of invited talks by renowned scientists and various competitions such as science exhibitions, scientific quizzes. Workshops are being conducted to give the students hands on experience.
