State-level science talent search camp for students

PUDUCHERRY

A group of 132 students from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu participated in the State-level Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan examination and science camp held in the city recently.

The students had topped their class in the online science talent search test conducted by the NCERT, Vijnana Bharati and Vigyan Prasar, which functions under the Department of Science and Technology. Over 12,000 students from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry participated in the nation-wide online aptitude test for Classes VI-XI, administered in November. The test, held annually to increase the scientific temper and involvement in the field of research, was conducted on an Android app.

Speaker R. Selvam inaugurated the camp at Vivekananda CBSE School for the participants, who were the top 20 rank-holders from each class.

Over two days, the camp featured tests in application-orientated multiple choice questions across physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, hands-on activities, observation and analysis, situational problem solving ability, lectures, interactive sessions, and Science and Technology.

Scientist N. Puviarasan led an interactive session for students. Prizes, shields and certificates were distributed to the students who had cleared the second phase of the examination. The topper in each class was given a cash prize of ₹5,000 and the second and third rank-holders were given ₹3,000 and ₹2,000 respectively.

Certificates and shields were presented to all those who attended. The top two students from each class — 18 students in total — will compete at the national-level camp, which will be held later. Addressing the valedictory session, S. Sudhakar, CSIR, Karaikudi urged students to aim at winning the national-level camp where they not only receive prizes, certificates and shields but earn a “Srijan” internship at scientific research institutions and a stipend of ₹2,000 per month for an entire year. Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan coordinators Gopal Parthasarathy, G. Kannabiran, S.P. Rajendran and S. Shyamala (Tamil Nadu) and Arun Nagalingam (Puducherry) led the two-day event.