By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 27 Aug: Governor Baby Rani Maurya inaugurated the STEAM lab-Makers Space at Maa Anandmayee Memorial School campus in Raiwala, today. Present on the occasion were MAMS staff, Senior Management team, Parents, Principals from surrounding areas and several other dignitaries. It was the beginning of a new age at MAMS with the opening of the Atal Tinkering Lab, which would help students innovate and prepare for the future.
MAMS Director Arpit Panjwani disclosed that the lab activities would be facilitated by a full-time faculty member, who is a Teach for India Alumnus and has already been conducting STEAM-based workshops for students. The lab would provide access to new-age technologies like Arduino programming, and robotics. Students would get exposure to artificial intelligence, virtual reality, machine learning, and internet-of-things. Inter-school science events, bi-annual science exhibitions, expert talks, workshops for educators would be organised in the school for more exposure and to augment a culture of scientific temper and learning. To reach out to the larger student community, the school will conduct workshops in other schools, on topics ranging from Robotics to 3D printing, Prototyping to fold scopes, and to Design challenges. This tinkering maker space will be open to all students irrespective of their geographical location or educational background. Residential STEAM workshops will be conducted once the STEAM Lab is fully-functional. It will equip the youth with scientific know-how and skills to meet the challenges of the hi-tech industry and attract more industrial investment
He added that MAMS envisions this Lab as a platform wherein new innovations and entrepreneurs would be born. The lab is being supported by the Atal Innovation Mission (NITI Aayog) and the school has already received corporate and institutional support for long term sustainability in light of its committed efforts.
The Governor went around the lab and interacted with the MAMS management, staff, parents and others present for the event. She praised the school management for taking this vital step in ensuring that students develop critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and other relevant skill sets that can help them address real-world problems.
MAMS Principal Prasenjit Chakraborty said that students living in Raiwala and other rural areas in the state would be benefited by the activities of the lab and expressed the hope that parents would encourage their wards to judiciously use of this facility.
