From a ‘Solar Bike’ to a ‘Space Elevator,’ students showed their appetite for science at the Regional Level Science Exhibition which was held at Annai Sivagami Government Girls Higher Secondary School here recently.
Latching on to the growing interest in solar energy, R. Yogeshwaran, a class 11 student of Petit Seminaire Higher Secondary School, said his Solar Bike is more efficient than other battery-operated motorbikes as it will not run out of charge easily or break down. “The solar panel is constantly charged as one rides the bike during the day time, and with four hours of battery charge, the bike can cover up to 20 km. Of course, the bike does not cause pollution either,” he said. There were 460 exhibits covering the themes science, technology, environment, maths, transportation and waste management. Of these, 310 exhibits were from government schools and 150 were from private schools. Students from Class 1 to 12 participated in the annual exhibition, with a combination of individual and group exhibits.
A committee of judges reviewed the exhibits in various categories such as primary, secondary and higher secondary sections, and the winners were awarded prizes by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy.
The winning exhibits will be sent to the State exhibition at Karaikal. The exhibits that win there will be sent to the national exhibition, said K.G. Rajendran, vice-principal, Annai Sivagami Government Girls Higher Secondary School.
Monisha M.B., a student of Achariya Siksha Mandir, made an exhibit on the ‘Space Elevator,’ which is currently being researched by NASA as a means of space transportation. She has worked out a model based on magnetic levitation and high-temperature superconductors which takes lesser time to be constructed than the NASA model, she said. It also has an option for intervention if problems occur during operations, while being an eco-friendly model which does not disturb the ozone layer.
Helping hospitals to provide better care, Hugot Monica, a student of Kannagi Government Girls Higher Secondary School, has developed an alarm system for intravenous therapy. The system will alert attending medical staff as soon as blood pressure drops and prevents overdose of glucose, she said. The alarm is linked to an iron rod which is connected to the drip.
