Windows of opportunities
Science is about wonderment, about the hows and whys. It is about the action and reaction and about the catalysts. In the prologue, we discussed the various avenues through which we could channelize the curiosity and latent energy of children. Most things appealing to our children are more of a response to stimuli. The response manifests in ways we as parents can never even expect! A male friend got his little boy to help him with cooking, and to keep him occupied, when the wife was away. I witnessed this little less than 8, instruct his Baba to not wash vegetables after they were cut, because the ‘good things will flow away’. The Father was gob struck. What an amazing response that was to the stimulus, unknowingly provided by the Father! Tuning in to this frequency, let us explore where and how we can knowingly feed such stimuli and nurture the intellectual hunger growing in children.
Most of us are content if the stated academic portion is taught to the children. Do we really give it a thought what kind of science does our child like? Where does his/her inclination lie? What catches his attention and accelerates his reasoning? The Gen-X and Y did not feel the need to know more than what was prescribed. Knowledge was acquired only as required. But the scenario today is different for a student. The world is a more organized, compact place, knowledge and information are both easily accessible, and their thirst to know more defies the sensibilities of the older generations.
Fortunately for the Gen-Z, the awareness and realization of the need for exposure to knowledge and accessibility to opportunities has been indisputably established. The process of sowing the seeds of predisposition towards subjects that will provide the right stimulus, and etch the young minds is now advancing. We see children getting opportunities to open the panes of their vision by appearing for the exams like the Homi Bhabha Bal Vaidnyanik Examination (Junior Scientist) for students of standard 6th and 9th or the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) exam for class 1 to class 12. But these are limited to taking an exam of MCQs and waiting for the scores.
Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan- churning out true talent
- It is India’s largest science talent search examination.
- It is first level on-line examination – which eliminates the need to physically remain present at some faraway examination center.
- The student can take the exam by logging in even on her/his mobile phone!
- The VVM 2020 will be a mega science experiment on pan-India scale. Never before has an exam being conducted on such a magnitude.
- The objectives this mega experiment are inculcating observational skills, a scientific mindset, and analytical thinking among the scientifically endowed students.
Trupti Nayak
Trupti Nayak has doctorate in Biotechnology from the University of Hull, UK and comes with more than 26 years of industrial work experience in a wide spectrum of industries ranging from meat exports, Dairy and Breweries to Cement and Steel and Solid waste management in India and overseas. A Lead Project Manager with an OEM of repute for air pollution control systems over 10 years, she is also a certified ISO Quality Inspector. Trupti is also a much loved motivational speaker and career guide for school children and college students and actively involved in empowering Women with opportunities for self-reliance.