The Hindu in School Science Fest receives good response, students exhibit wide range of models

The winners in Science Fest and Ramanujan Spark Quest received cash prize, besides trophies and certificates. Around 60 teams from various schools participated in festival and 320 students attended the Spark Quest.

The Science Fest organised by The Hindu in Chikkamagaluru on Wednesday, brought together a wide range of student models focused on practical, innovative and sustainable solutions.

The exhibits spanned from renewable energy to smart city safety. Students demonstrated alternative ways of generating electricity, including a spring generator, a windmill, a piezoelectric tile, a model converting sound and vibrations into electrical energy, and a system turning organic waste into clean energy. A stone igniter was also on display.

Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner Bhanwar Singh Meena interacting with students at The Hindu in School Science Fest in Chikkamagaluru on Wednesday.

In agriculture, “Atmanirbhar Krishi,” a hydroponics system with water storage and recycling, drew attention alongside a multisensor crop health guardian.

Other models included a thermoelectric micro-acoustic pest deterrent, a fog-harvesting tree, and a project converting agricultural waste into usable energy.

Traffic and safety models tackled congestion and accidents. They included an accident-prevention system for ghat roads, a swarm-route model to ease traffic jams, a smart eco-friendly vehicle, a flood-guard street safety system, and a smart street equipped with sensors.

Water-focused exhibits featured underground flood control, a water overflow alarm, a pipeline leakage alert and fog-harvesting tree.

Urban infrastructure projects included a smart city model with rain and earthquake alarms, automatic street lights, a gas leak detector and a smart dustbin.

Other exhibits ranged from an underwater data centre and a hydraulic lift. The exhibition showed a strong emphasis on sustainability, smart technology and real-world problem-solving, particularly in energy, agriculture, water management and urban safety.

Many models combined sensors, automation and eco-friendly approaches, reflecting alignment with current scientific and developmental priorities.

Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner Bhanwar Singh Meena, who inaugurated the event, interacted with students, discussed their models, probed their understanding of the underlying concepts and appreciated their efforts in presenting complex ideas clearly.

Following are the winners in the science fest. The prize winners get cash prize of ₹3,000, ₹2,000 and ₹1,000 respectively.

The winners in the junior category: 1st prize - Shamanth K H and C.R. Punith Raj from PM Shri Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, 2nd prize - Rithkruthi K.R. and Prakruthi P. from Kuvempu Vidyaniketana, 3rd prize - Chiranth G. Anand and Sparaha D.S. from St. Mary’s International School.

In the senior category: 1st prize - Davan C.A. and Harshavardhan N.P. from Sai Angels School; 2nd prize - Ashwin M. and Anush K. from Kuvempu Vidyaniketana School; 3rd prize - Janya P. Acharya and Parnitha V.S. from St. Mary’s International School.

Class 8: Deetya A. Pai and Likhit K.N, Sri Sai Angels School won 1st and 2nd prize respectively. Haripriya S.R St. Mary’s International School won the third prize.

Class 9: 1st prize- Davan C.A. Sri Sai Angels School, 2nd prize- Vaishnavi D.N. from St Mary’s International School, 3rd prize - Neeraj S. Poojar from Kuvempu Vidyaniketana.

Class 10: 1st prize - Punith S. Devang from St. Mary’s International School, 2nd prize - Ishaan Chandra Note from St Mary’s International, 3rd prize - S.K. Punith Lakya from Sri Sai Angels School.

Besides that, there were five consolation prizes in each category. There were 60 teams for the science fest and around 320 participants for the spark quest.

Sunad Raj Jain, vice principal Excellent Moodubidire and K.C. Shankar, founder of Kuvempu Vidyaniketana School presented the prizes to the winners. Excellent Moodubidire is the title sponsor of the event.