Lucknow :

If you think rocket science is not a child’s play, think again. Rohit Kumar, a class XI student from NAS Inter College Meerut, created a working model of a hydro rocket based on the concept of Newton’s Third Law of Motion using commonly available waste at home.

But, Kumar is not the only greenhorn. Four other school children who were awarded by Council for Science & Technology for scientific innovations and projects did it within limited resources. Entries were invited from all schools in the state and these five, all from humble background, were selected for the coveted award from among 50 entries shortlisted for the final round. Significantly, four out of five students were of government colleges, where quality of education is deemed poorest in the state.

If Kumar was selected for rocket making, Sonali Mishra a class X student from Radha Kishore Government Girls Inter College, Basti was awarded for her outstanding work in the concept of mathematics. Umesh Chandra Jaiswal a class XII student also from a Government Inter College in Basti was awarded for his Unnayan Angle reader machine, a mathematical toy which determines the angle of a fixed object relative to a larger object. Mohammad Sajid, another Government Inter College student of class XII was awarded for his work on a working model of conversion of Kinetic energy into Electrical energy, his father Mohmmad Saeed is a welder. S Samridhi Jaiswal, an SKD academy student of class X received the award for her report on ‘Arsenic Contamination in Ground Water and Soil’.

Rohit explained “the bottle is partly filled with water and sealed. It is then pressurised with compressed air from a bicycle pump. Water and gas are used in a combination resulting in a 60-70 meters flight. It took me around two weeks to make it functional.” Another awardee, Sonali, remarked “I wanted to simplify the much feared mathematical concepts so that students afraid of the subject may also take interest. I was helped and motivated by my family and teachers making it easier for me to dedicate more time towards studies.” Her father Uttam Mishra is manager in a plywood factory. Mohammad Sajid said “my brother gave me the inspiration for this project. The motor utilises rollers in the road to generate electricity, so when any car passes over the rollers they turn to generate electricity,” his proud father Mohmmad Saeed.

The felicitated students of Government and private colleges give force to the thought that if provided with equal opportunities children from all walks of life can perform well on educational front. All of them were given prize money of Rs 10,000 along with mementos and certificates.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / June 20th, 2014