The Department of Chemical Engineering organised Chemiscope at the A. C. Tech main building on 15th October, 2016. The 3rd edition of its kind was held to commemorate the birth anniversary of our former president, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and to test the technical adroitness of school students. Enriching school students’ learning experience by exposing them to University level thinking through Chemiscope brought huge successes in the past two years, thus encouraging the continuity of this event.
This year Chemiscope was themed ‘Freeing India’ with hopes of inculcating a sense of responsibility and reverence amongst the school students for our nation. Chemiscope ‘16 aimed to not only celebrate India’s vast diversity but also teach the meaning of free spirit wherein students learn to respect each other’s voice and individualism. Being young and bursting with enthusiasm was the key for these young minds to come up with innovative ideas for the betterment of India and to appreciate the beauty of our country.
School students were segregated into Chemtots (Classes 6th – 8th) and Chemteens (Classes 9th – 12th) to bring out their competitive edge. The technical events comprised of paper presentation, poster presentation and model making. In paper presentation, Chemtots were to go wild with ideas and talk based on the theme ‘Things Beyond Science’. The Chemteens spoke about government schemes that have been or should have been introduced in India to improve the current scenario.
Post-opia (poster presentation) allowed the Chemtots to express ideas that could be used as counter measures and precautions to avoid floods. Having experienced the devastating effects of flood first hand last year, the students were able to think of ways that could be used to prevent grave losses during such natural calamities. Chemteens made posters depicting the various problems faced by ‘Manuel Scavengers’ and highlighting their need in society though most are oblivious to their work. Model Masters (Model Making) brought forth extravagant ideas under the pretext of ‘Smart Cities’ that could be seen in the next generation. A city with renewable energy, minimal pollution and with day-to-day necessities available to all could be seen in a scaled-down version as a model.
Other non-technical events like art, writing, speaking, acting, dance, music and quiz competitions were held. In the arts category, students were asked to draw any superhero they felt could save our nation. Innovative ideas of superheroes saving the rainforest and reducing pollution were seen. Even a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi was beautiful sketched in the competition ‘Magic Brush’. Fusion Dance saw some heavyweight clashes that dazzled and enthralled the judges. However, in the end, BS Mootha Girls Higher Secondary School claimed the accolades in a thrilling contest. Non-technical events encouraged a holistic form of development for the school students giving them the confidence to stand on a stage and speak with no anxiety. Knowing how competitive the industrial world will be, key skills like speaking and spontaneity are needed. Providing a platform for these young performers was a key motivation for such events to take place.
At the end of the Chemiscope’ 16, a valediction event took place to congratulate each student who participated. With many schools competing in the various events, all eyeing the Overall Champions’ Trophy, only the school with most number of winners would be guaranteed victory. This year the winner was Amrita Vidyalayam. With the trophy given and the certificates handed out, Chemiscope ’16 came to an end with tremendous success.
