Topperlearning.com features projects designed by students, across the length and breadth of India. A Class X student from Mumbai tells Biswajeet Boruah about his project 'The Rejuvenators', which made it to the top 10 in the Students Space Scientist Programme by ThinkQuest.com and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
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Name: Deep Jain
Class: IX
School: Kendriya Vidyalaya, INS Hamla, Mumbai
Project title: The Rejuvenators
Teammates: Aditya, Shankar and Ashok
The Inspiration: According to Deep, he was inspired by his school, which penalises students who forget to switch off the lights and fans while leaving a class! The idea is to make them realise the importance of saving electricity. Deep, wanted to pass on the message, of being environmentally-conscious, to others, too. "Our school would organise competitions related to the environment. So, we chose 'environmental degradation' as our project topic," Deep clarifies.
Theme and Concept: "Our basic aim was to create awareness on the whys and hows related to environmental degradation," explains Deep. For example, everybody knows that polythene bags are banned but don't know why, and how they harm the environment. "We want to make sure that people know the reasons and the solutions," says Deep.
Elaborating on their project, Deep says "It was part of a national online competition conducted on Thinkquest.com." The competition was held, separately, across the globe in more than 27 countries and the top two finalists were to go to California, USA for the final round. "We made it to the top 10 but failed to qualify for the final round," says a slightly disappointed Deep.
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The Rejuvenators, Unmasked: "We were a group of four friends, who played different roles in the project. For instance, Shankar, Ashok and I would collect the data, create the tools and invite people to vote for our project. Aditya would upload the data on the web site, ThinkQuest.com. We were helped, immensely, and rightfully guided by our head coach, Mrs Krishna Kumari," explains Deep.
In the picture: Deep (extreme right), Aditya, Shankar and Ashok
How they did it!
"Since it was an online project, we got the content ready, first. Then we created slides on PowerPoint. Next, we uploaded them on the web site," confirms Deep.
They used posters to promote their project and create awareness, as they believe that posters are the best way to make people understand things in the simplest way.
"We also made our project bi-lingual, so that people, who don’t know English, could understand it in Hindi. This gave it a mass-appeal," justifies Deep.
"We used online polls and forums to debate and brainstorm with people, across the country. The poll asking people about the chief cause of pollution also generated quite a stir, with 'ignorance' winning it hands down with 60% votes!" Deep shares.
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Making A Difference: "Many people in my society, stopped using polythene bags. Also, our school's electricity bill dropped from Rs 8,000 to Rs 5,000, as everybody started saving electricity!" rejoices Deep, who shares three top environmental problems and their solutions, from the project research:
The Problems:
- Deforestation: Relentless cutting of trees has destroyed many natural habitats, thereby killing plants and animals.
- Air Pollution: Large amounts of emissions from industries and automobiles have resulted in air pollution and thus, causing acid rain, smog and poor air quality.
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Chemicals like CFCs, released from industries, are damaging the ozone layer and harming the environment, at large.
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The Solutions:
- Save water. Always turn off the taps when you are not using them.
- Walk as much as you can because it helps in burning calories and keeps you fit. Moreover, by keeping your car or bike at home, you are reducing considerable amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) as they last 10 times longer and use two-thirds less energy.
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Top Blooper: “After being selected in the top 10, we had a telephonic interview round and we planned to sing a song, post the interview. But as soon as the interview finished, the line got disconnected,†reveals Deep. “The phone rang again, immediately,†Deep continues.
“We answered the phone and started singing. But we realised that it was not the interview panel from ISRO but someone else!†concludes Deep, with a smile.
Winning Moment: “When we received trophies from ThinkQuest.com in the presence of distinguished guests, including many well-known scientists from ISRO!†says Deep, proudly.
