Students put ideas to test as State School Science Festival opens in Palakkad

Competitions at the 57th Public School Science Festival kicked off here Saturday, attracting enthusiastic students and teachers from across the state.

A special section for students with different abilities transformed the fair into a new and inspiring experience by showcasing their talents.

A real-time construction competition at BEM Higher Secondary School allowed these students to create works of art and models in minutes, impressing the judges despite limited resources and the lack of awards for many.

At the VHSS, Kottarakara Skills and Career Festival, students Ushas Sarovar and Ryan S. Abraham introduced the 3D printing unit, which quickly attracted the attention of the crowd.

Students of St Thomas HS Marangattupilly, Kottayam describe the solar-powered metro in the Working Model category at Bharatha Matha School in Palakkad on Saturday. | Photo Credit: KK Mustafah

The exhibit featured a variety of models, all made from the biodegradable polymer polylactic acid and the printer itself.

They demonstrated a compact 3D printer that can remove objects in just a few hours by heating polylactic acid (PLA) to about 200 °C and removing it layer by layer.

Students said that they could create three-dimensional models of the buildings if they were given plans.

In addition to various models of human organs such as skulls and hearts, they also made objects of different shapes such as flower pots and mobile tables and exhibited them at the science exhibition.

Students of GVHSS Alamcode in Attingal demonstrated HDT system (hand held device related to mobile phones) in Skill Serve category at Kottamaidan on Saturday. | Photo Credit: KK Mustafah

Vaishnav, a Plus Two student at TEMVHS in Mylode, Kollam, inaugurated a robotic dairy farm at the science festival, highlighting how cutting-edge technology can boost growth in the dairy sector. He said this was the first of its kind in the country.

Drawing on dairy farm models used for years in Europe, Vaishnav designed a system specific to Kerala that aims to improve cattle management and increase milk production.

In this automated dairy farm, robots take care of the cows and also perform the milking process. They feed the animals, clean them and transport the manure to a special processing unit where it is converted into biogas and other fuels.

Vaishnav argues that protecting cows and delivering nutrient-rich fodder on time can increase milk production. He estimates that building a 100-cow robotic dairy would cost around £2bn, but believes the up-front outlay will pay for itself in the long run with solid profits.

The festival will run at six venues and a Career Festival will be held on the Fort grounds on Sunday.