Blog

@Arch Foundation

15
Apr

A Moment of Science Please!
Posted By: archfoundation

Starting its journey in 2017, Eureka Science Fest is an annual endeavour of ARCH Foundation that began with 145 students from 5 schools of Vadodara and has grown to 3 cities with over 7000 students from 51 schools. Greater Noida and Ankleshwar is covered under Project Brighter World Lab (BWL) in association with Covestro and Vadodara is covered under Mini Science Lab (MSL) in association with Larsen & Toubro Technology Services (LTTS).
Eureka Science Fest is a three-day event that celebrates Science by creating novel learning opportunities for students, teachers and schools at large. The philosophy of the project is to allow children to enhance their understanding of science through a play-way method and showcase their ideas and investigations by creating, displaying and sharing them for an interactive audience in the form of models, presentations and DIY activities. This opportunity gives them wings to explore scientific and technological creativity, develop confidence and a sense of pride to present their talent on a bigger platform.
 
This year the 3 day events calendar was exciting to say the least –
 
Day 1 – The event kick started with a poster competition on the theme - ‘My city/village in 2050’. The creative aspiration and colourful imagination of the tiny tots caught the attention of one and all. One couldn’t miss the presence of robots, fewer green spaces and multi-layered vertical expansion and the use of flying cars to beat road traffic. A common problem highlighted by most students was the rising levels of pollution that would be a great hazard in the near future. Schools not part of the Eureka Science Fest but falling under ARCH’s operational area were also invited for the event that saw 3500 students participating in a two month time period. Winner posters from every location will now compete for the state level and then National level competition to be held in March 2019.
 
Day 2 –The second day of the event was a debate competition where students battled out to support pros and cons of different topic. In Greater Noida the topic was ‘Extensive use of technology to extract natural resources’, in Ankleshwar ‘Promoted use of mobile in the field of education’ and in Vadodara ‘Rapid Industrialisation in and around Vadodara’. The performance of the students was awe-striking considering most of them were first-time debaters. Quick thinking, sound argument, and confident speaking kept the atmosphere electrifying and intellectual but the most noteworthy responses were the witty one-liners that kept everyone entertained.
 
 
Day 3 – Mega Science Fair
Saving the best for the last, the event ended with a larger-than-life Science Fest where students from several schools participated with enthusiasm. Project BWL had students designing, creating and displaying science puzzles, maths games and working model on physics, innovation and Technology where they interacted with the audience and kept the learning spirit high.  Further, Covestro being a strong supporter of STEM education for girls, an entire section of the fair was exclusively created for girls where they could perform chemistry based DIY activities. In Project MSL, students made a 3-D working model on global warming and many interactive games, activities and quizzes related to it. There were several avenues for innovation in technology and D-I-Y everyday science activities to make the event engaging and participative. This year the teachers also competed with one another on the subject of E-waste and its management.
 
At the end, winners from each category were awarded with trophies and all the participating students were felicitated with certificates. The zest with which the students participated, the look of admiration in the audience, the streak of optimism in the teachers and the glorification of science has truly left our hearts warm and happy.
 
We at ARCH believe that the mega Science Fest is truly a celebration of learning and are committed to take Eureka Science Fest in other states with a more creative and innovative approach in the next coming year.