Bhavans IES Held ‘Quest 2020’ – a Virtual Science Exhibition

Monday, November 16, 2020

There are no dreams too large, no innovation unimaginable and no frontiers beyond the reach of the students of Bhavans Indian Education School, Kuwait, which celebrated the World Science Day, by organizing a virtual exhibition christened ‘Quest 2020’ under the aegis of the Department of Science on November 10, 2020 on its virtual platform. The participants, the students from grades 3 to 11, connected virtually, with their team members to coordinate, collaborate and present their highly creative ideas, without any physical association. With online classes in full swing, the exhibition offered the students the much-needed opportunity to connect with their peers and to showcase their creativity, innovation, and scientific temper. The faculty of Science approached each activity in a way that they could help the students safely investigate the topics assigned to them, staying at home using common household items or objects of everyday use and also analyze and explain their project in terms of scalability and social utility. With an intent to increase the students’ appetite for innovation, and to open up further research and discoveries, the theme chosen for the exhibition was ‘Science for and with Society’.

The grand inaugural ceremony of ‘Quest 2020’ held on the virtual platform at 10.30 a.m. was graced by the presence of the honourable Chief Guest Dr. U Saravana Kumar, Isotope Hydrologist, Technical Officer – P4, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria, Mr. N.K. Ramachandran Menon, Chairman, Bhavans Middle East, Mr. T. Premkumar, Principal, Indian Education School, and the Vice Principals of IES. After the virtual lighting of the lamp, Nakshatra Neerja Binu of 8F extended a warm welcome to the virtual gathering.

The Chief Guest, Dr. U. Saravana Kumar, in his inaugural address, extolled the efforts put in by the Bhavans fraternity to explore the scientific quest in the students. Admiring the tagline of Quest 2020 - ‘Come, have fun and explore the world of Science’, he remarked that in the world full of knowledgeable students, the importance of presenting the knowledge is even more significant. Quest 2020, the annual science exhibition, he remarked, is an apt platform to think creatively, transform ideas into projects and think outside the box, facilitating the holistic development of a child. Opportunities like this also pave the way for the positive attitude in students who can easily face the problems and challenges in life.

Dr. Saravanan proclaimed that Quest 2020 was an excellent example of active learning, a cornerstone for successful scientific learning that grooms children to be future-ready learners for life. While engaging in group work, children also learn from each other, and share ideas that enhance their social and moral skills. He fondly recalled his career in the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), a premier multi-disciplinary Nuclear Research Centre of India,and imparted his inspiring life lessons to the budding scientists. Motivating the students to expand their horizons in scientific career, Dr. Saravanan introduced ‘INSPIRE’ - a flagship program for meritorious students of Class 12, and ‘Madam Curie Fellowship’. He concluded his inaugural address declaring ‘Quest 2020’ open. The Principal of Indian Education School, Mr. T. Premkumar also emphasized the holistic development as one of the key ideas proposed by the National Education Policy 2020 of India (NEP 2020). “Bhavans leaves no stone unturned to experiment its students with their knowledge by providing different opportunities to showcase their skills pertaining to various domains”, said Mr. Premkumar. He extolled the efforts of the Department of Science that culminated in a fantastic Virtual Science Gala that stole everyone’s hearts. He opined that Science Exhibitions are wonderful tools that engage all students in learning new facts and help them develop curiosity to learn more using their scientific knowledge and bringing out the best scientific inventions from their brains.

Quest 2020 showcased a plethora of activities like augmented reality, robotics, vegetable printing, video presentations, and demonstration of simple experiments. A beautiful blend of creativity and innovation was clearly visible in prosthetic limb models, working and still models. Rubik’s Cube solving and Science Quiz held on the day were truly inspiring learning experiences for the Bhavanites. Over 800 exhibits for the exhibition spoke volumes about the growing number of budding scientists in IES. Around 100 students had participated in the preliminary rounds of the Rubik’s Cube competition, and the Semi-final and final were conducted on the day of the exhibition. Alvin Viljo (3A) and Noah Koshy Panicker (4J) emerged victorious in the Rubik’s Cube Competition in the category 3 and 4. In the category 5, 6 and 7, Ihzan Muhamed Sadath (7B), Neha Susan Biju (7B) and Adharv Reji (7C) are the winners. Noel T. Ajoy (10F), Ashwin Sajan Pillai (9A) and Yunus Hamdan (8C) are the winners in the category 8,9, and 10. 240 students from classes 7, 8 and 9 had participated in the preliminary round of the quiz, and 12 students were qualified for the final which too was held on the day of the exhibition. Riddhiraj Kumar (8C), Jogesh Sriram (9E), Avanish A (7G) of Sanskriti House claimed the first place in the Science Quiz. Anjali Siju Pillai (7H), Dharithri Acharya (8C) and Unnikrishnan S (9B) of Seva House won the second place. The third place was won by Vishwanth Kumar (7H), Hesha Vipul Patel (8G) and Reyna Mary John (9G). The non-participating students visited the virtual exhibition during the time slots allotted to them. The scientists in the making transported the viewers from a virtual room to a world of mind-blowing experiments. The Chief Guest applauded the students for coming up with innovative projects and appreciated IES for hosting ‘Quest 2020’.

The eventful day came to a close with a vote of thanks proposed by the Junior Head Girl Dhwani Santhi Nair of 4D. Adithya Arun Kartha of 6J and Yalini Thirumalaisamy of 6B were the emcees for the day.

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