By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 5 Oct: At press conference held here, today, Director General of UCOST, Prof Durgesh Pant said that, from 2022, a Frontier Hill District Children’s Science Festival is being organised for the purpose of science communication among the students of frontier hill districts in the state. Students take part in various competitions like poster competition (local traditional knowledge system), drama (environmental protection awareness), science quiz competition, poetry recitation (Hindi and local language), poetry recitation (English) that are organised. Competitions are held first at the block level and then at the district level. Students selected at the district level participate at the state level. Last year, the first Frontier Hill District Children’s Science Festival state level event was organised at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Champawat, in the presence of the Chief Minister, Uttarakhand, in which about 240 students, 50 guiding teachers from 6 border districts of the state – Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh – participated. There was participation by more than 50 different experts.
This year, the Second Frontier Hill Districts Children’s Science Mahotsav is being organised on 9-10 October, 2023, at Atal Utkrisht Shri 1008 Geeta Swami Government Inter College, Gopeshwar, Chamoli. As many as 240 participants selected at the district level in 5 competitions, and 50 guiding teachers are to participate.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Cabinet Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, MLAs of Karnaprayag and Badrinath have been invited for the inaugural ceremony of the festival. Prof. Pant added that this programme is an innovative experiment to promote science, technology and innovation in the border districts.
Prof Durgesh Pant revealed that the festival will include popular lectures by Dr CM Nautiyal, former scientist, Birbal Sahni Institue of Paleosciences, Lucknow, and fun videos by GS Rautela, former Director General, NCSM, and Advisor Science City, Dehradun. Hands on training on science will also be done.
Apart from this, a Lab on Wheels, Science Exhibition, Sky Darshan, etc., will be the centre of attraction at the festival by NCSM. The students participating in the festival will get the opportunity to directly communicate with senior scientists of the country and the state.
Present at the press conference were UCOST Joint Director Dr DP Uniyal, Manager, Public Relations, Amit Pokhriyal, Dr Ashutosh Mishra, Coordinator, Children’s Science Festival, and Jitendra Kumar.
