The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Enriching students’ scientific flair

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Enriching students’ scientific flair

Staff Reporter

PHOTO: M.Karunakaran

IIT-M Director M. S. Ananth in discussion with PSBB Schools’ dean and director Mrs.Y.G.Parthasarathy at the valedictory of the Science Enrichment Programme for Plus-Two students on Friday. —

CHENNAI: Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School will soon be setting up a Research Science Institute on the lines of the one in the United States, the school’s dean and director, Mrs.Y.G.Parthasarathy, said here on Friday. The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, and Chennai Mathematical Institute would be some of the institutions partnering with the school.

She was speaking at the valedictory of an 18-day science enrichment programme conducted by the school. The programme saw 19 Plus-Two students participating from five CBSE schools.

Indira Vaidyanathan, Principal, PSBB, K.K.Nagar, said, “The programme was inspired by Joann Di Gennaro, president of the Centre for Excellence in Education, based in Virginia, the United States. “The programme is essentially to kindle scientific temper in students,” she said. Many of the participating students were able to realise their own potential through the programme.

She thanked the partner universities for providing the much-needed cooperation for conducting the programme. The course had interactive sessions on topics such as neuroscience, alternative sources of energy, game concept, chemistry in nanomaterials, pigeon-hole principle and integral calculus. It included a visit to SASTRA University in Thanjavur where students were able to visit labs and get a first-hand experience of higher education in science.

S. Vasudevan, professor of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, congratulated the students for giving up their holidays for a study programme.

It takes tenacity of spirit and common sense to do well in the science stream. Comfort with abstract scientific concepts is also important for students taking up the stream, he said.

Women who took up careers in scientific research did not have to worry about the proverbial glass ceiling as there was no such thing to worry about here.

Anand M. Krishnan, one of the students, said that he enjoyed the programme so much that “time simply flew.” He said that he had an opportunity to explore topics such as Einstein’s Theory of Relativity which he was interested in.

An aspiring cardiologist, he said the programme had helped him to think differently. “Now I think instead of prescribing cures, I will start finding new ones,” he said.

IIT-M director M.S.Ananth and SASTRA University dean S.Vaidya Subramaniam spoke.

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