Childhood is a period when you have a lot of ideas, but don't know how to execute them. As the child grows up, there are more resources, but ideas become scarce. What happens to his ideas when the child grows? They get submerged in the mad rush for medical and engineering seats, observes Dr. R. Prakash Kumar, Director of Malabar Botanical Garden.
Research
Scheme for Promoting Young Talents in Science (SPYTiS), a prestigious project of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), was formed to overcome this problem and lead children to the path of science in the best way possible. The scheme encourages high school students with genuine interest in basic sciences to conduct research on topics of their interest. The council gives Rs. 5000 as aid for each project which is to be completed in around six month's time. The projects are undertaken by students individually or as groups, with the guidance of a teacher.
Starting from 2005, the Council has so far funded more than 400 projects by children. It was this scheme that aided Helvin M. Geevar of GVHSS, Pazhanji, to develop his organic fuel stove and Ashwin S. of Perambra Higher Secondary School to conduct research on his favourite butterflies. They won the first and second prizes respectively in the SPYTiS Fair 2010 held at Malabar Botanical Garden in Kozhikode, for their respective projects.
Dr. R. Prakash Kumar, the master brain behind SPYTiS, admits that students are often helped by teachers or parents in their projects, which is quite evident from the way they present it. However, there are quite a few children who have genuine interest in science and the aim of SPYTiS is to find out such talents and encourage them.
Cost-effective
Some students spend more than the allotted Rs. 5000 on their research. For example, Neeraja S. Nair of Government Higher Secondary School, Venjarammood, sought the help of GPS technology to analyse the land use problems in her native village and GIS technology to map it.
“In many cases, the researches conducted by the students under SPYTiS scheme are of very high standards. If a government agency is entrusted to conduct research on the topics that these children select, one cannot say how many crores of rupees will have to be spent on it,” noted Dr. C.K.S.Nair, Executive Vice President of KSCSTE and Principal Secretary of the State Department of Science and Technology.
Around 40 projects were presented by students who came from every nook and corner of the State. The six-member judging panel had a hard time selecting the winners. They couldn't help appreciate all the children for their presentation skills. The water-related issues were the most discussed while those related to agriculture, especially organic farming, floral studies, energy and food also found place in the programme.
