By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 15 May: UPES organised a first-of-its-kind Math and Science Fair at its Bidholi campus, here. Strengthening its association with Samagra Shiksha-Uttarakhand for academic intervention, the university’s CSR arm organised a day-long event to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM. Rooted in developing safe spaces for children in classrooms, the event also focused on providing students with a forum to pursue their natural curiosity and ingenuity. Students from classes 6 to 8 participated and shared their research, experiments and discoveries with their peers, teachers and the wider community.
Realigning focus on quality education, the UPES-CSR’s MoU with the Samagra Shiksha-Uttarakhand supports sustainable and inclusive development for all. Signed in 2021, the MoU focuses on academic intervention with government schools in the nearby region, with Misraspatti being one. Under this academic umbrella, the university has been providing pedagogical and infrastructural support to around 12 government schools, thus benefiting over 700 students.
Interactive fairs of this nature are a stepping stone to creating interest around science and math and encouraging students to pursue careers in these fields. “The students demonstrated their interest in scientific inquiry and critical thinking, as well as the ability to work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and think outside the box. As we prepare to do similar programme with other schools, we also intend to do design challenges, Math and Science camps in the near future,” said Col Sanjay Washington (Retd), Director of CSR, UPES.
Students were divided into groups of two, to showcase their projects on the 14 concepts of math and science. Projects included concepts of fractions explained using locally available materials, matchstick puzzles, and visual mathematical geometrics to a centrifuge sprinkler. The inventiveness of each project cemented the learning that science exists everywhere.
With the success of its first Math and Science Fair, the CSR arm of UPES will also be setting up learning centres (Learnshaalas) in two more government schools and conducting donation drives (for books, blood, and clothes).