U R Rao Satellite centre celebrated National Science Day 2021 with a series of online competitions for school children across Karnataka. The events were conducted virtually by the organising committee and were well received.
Every year, on the 28th of February, the nation celebrates National Science Day to mark the discovery of Raman Effect by Sir C V Raman. The discovery of Raman Scattering opened up an entirely new domain of spectroscopy that today find applications in a variety of fields in chemistry, material science and biology. The nationwide celebration aims to inculcate curiosity and passion for science in young children.
The theme this year as declared by the Department of Science and Technology was "Future of Science, Technology and Innovation: Impacts on education, skills and work". At URSC we organized six events based on this theme.
Test of Scientific temper was conducted as two rounds. An online test was conducted first where 28 students participated. 12 students contested in the final round showcasing creative and out of the box thinking to solve problems such as waste management, harnessing sound energy and design of a lab test setup to demonstrate the relationship between wind velocity and temperature. Essay writing in Kannada, Hindi and English for the upper primary and high school students had a participation of 145 students. The science quiz with over 60 students tested the knowledge and spontaneity of the students and the teams performed exceedingly well. Spot painting had a participation of 52 children including primary school. Extempore competition brought out the imagination and ability to frame sentences in a quick and coherent manner for effective communication. To appreciate and encourage the very important role of teachers in molding children, a teacher's event was conducted where they presented innovative ideas and methods for teaching.
The valedictory function was held on 2nd March 2021 in virtual mode presided over by Director, URSC , Shri P. Kunhikrishnan. Prof. Annapurni Subramaniam, eminent astrophysicist and Director, Indian Institute of Astrophysics was the chief guest. The function began with a welcome address by Dr Venkataramana D, Chairman, NSD Organising committee. Director URSC addressed the students endearingly and called upon them to create their future by inculcating an open mind that nurtures innovative ideas. Koushal Vadodariya, member secretary summarised the events and the noted the enthusiastic participation of the students. Prof. Annapurni kept the students engaged with an overview of stars, galaxies and their evolution in her talk titled "Stars, Galaxies and Beyond". It was followed by a question and answer session where the speaker generously spent time patiently answering queries from the students.