After Class

Surprises that Places Hold

Saad Adnan Khan

	Students of different schools who participated at the carnival. PHOTO COURTESY: DHAKA RESIDENTIAL MODEL COLLEGE

“We know very little, and yet it is astonishing that we know so much, and still more astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power.”
-----Bertrand Russell

The concept of science is dynamic and perplexing at the same time. Despite its very nature, young students of our era still pursue this field of knowledge because they believe that through this subject they can enhance, contribute and create a better nation. To provide a platform for young minds, Dhaka Residential Model College (DRMC) Science Club arranged the 6th National Science Carnival,2013 at their college premises from February 6-8, 2013.

On the occasion, several sections were organised, staring from inter school and college project display, Olympiads in the areas of Math, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Informatics, Sodoku, Earth and General Science. In addition to this, there were IQ tests, Rubik's Cube; Science based extempore speech, quiz competitions divided into three segments- junior, secondary and senior. The carnival was further enriched with Science based wall magazine competition, scrapbook competition, gaming competition and photo contest. An annual science magazine titled 'Aurora' was also published. Different schools participated, from both English and Bengali medium backgrounds.

The elaborate programme scheduled to be held within three days was indeed fun as it surely did not bore the audience who went to visit. A unique factor that played a key role in the programme was the idea of bringing young individuals (who have mastered their expertise in certain fields) to be the judge of different competitions.

Photo contest, as it is a hit field of work amongst many young amateur photographers, sparked a flare with the beauty captured on frame. 'Shohurey Shoishob', one of the popular choices at the photo context, is a blend of youth in urban areas; away from the blooming livelihood that nature has to offer. The second prize was secured by a photo 'Aashar Alo', which quite evidently paved a path of light and hope. Students, who did not take part in the competition, came to appreciate the art captured by their friends. As explained by, Arifunnahar Rakhi, a class 12 student of Holy Cross College, “I think this is by far the best segment of the competition. All the pictures tell a story and have portrayed real life incidents in the best possible manner.”

The quiz competition was also intriguing as it was designed to really make the young individuals delve deeper and boost their cognitive skills. The secondary quiz competition had six different groups who participated in a crucial battle of the minds game in the segments of audio and visual, link, and multiple choice questions and inspirational/origin rounds.

The main parts of the events included project display, scrap book, and wall magazine which were quite fantastic as well. A group of girls from Monipur High School and College explained their project, 'Botol Bati' which is a hyped-up topic at the moment. The enthusiastic bunch of young scientists, elaborately explained the use of the 'Botol Bati', its benefits and the longevity. The clear water disperses the light in all directions through refraction, which can provide a luminosity that is equivalent to a 55-watt electric light bulb. The bleach prevents mold growth so that the bulbs can last for up to five years.

The wall magazine awed all that were present as well. For example, Tasneen Asrar Adon, a grade 10 student from YWCA says, “My magazine is on 'Manobdud', where I have shown the functions of different robots, like the Humanoid Android, Icub and many others. It took me two days to prepare this project.”

The programme came to an end on February 8, 2013 when all the winners of the various sessions were announced. The platform provided by the college most certainly opened up gates for young students to see their dreams clearer.