Three school-based science projects from government schools in Puducherry were among the 30 best papers selected from across the country at the 5th National Teachers’ Science Congress-2009 organised by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication-Network, Department of Science and Technology at Orissa.
Out of 317 papers selected for the Congress, 13 were from the Union Territory. A total of 30 papers were declared as best entries in which three were from Puducherry.
S. Simon Peter Paul, a teacher at Government Smart School, Palli Thennal Post, Pangur, presented his school-based project on Micro level action plan for reducing global warming, while B. Ravichandrane of Government Higher Secondary School, Koravallimedu, Mannapet Post at Bahour presented the Ecology of a pond. A paper on the effect of egg shell and egg lime formulation on plant growth was presented by D. Aravindaraja of Government Middle School, Mudaliarpet.
“We surveyed 250 persons in Pangur village. About 80 per cent knew about climate changes. Questions on growing trees, use of cloth bags instead of plastic were posed. Many were willing to grow fruit bearing trees at their houses,” explained Mr. Paul.
Mr. Ravichandrane and his students studied a pond at Murthikuppam analysing its properties, biodiversity, food chain and inter-related food web, micro and macro organisms and medicinal plants.
Egg lime formulation had an important role in plant growth as the plants in soil mixed with egg lime formulation grew faster and gave more yield, established the study of Mr. Aravindaraja and his students.
Soon, the trio will be called for discussions with a panel of science experts for extending the projects, they said.