‘Nothing in life is to be feared, only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.’ – Marie Curie
Delhi Public School, RK Puram hosted its Annual Inter-School Science Festival, ‘Sapere Aude’ Latin which means(Dare to Know), on 13 July 2019. A total of 34 schools across Delhi NCR, actively participated in this vibrant extravaganza.
The events were a coalescence of the efforts of the PhySoc Plasmid (Physics), Catalyst, Pre-pharmacy (Chemistry), Inquisito (Bio Club), Biotechnology,SNF@School Health and Panchtatva Environment clubs of the school. The eleven on-site activities of the festival included waste wise creativity challenge ,3D Collage of a Healthy Lunchbox, Science Quiz, Ad Act Actinium, Turncoat Debate, Slide Presentation, Model Making, Let’s Innovate, 3-D Collage and four off-site events.
The Science Quiz in its multiple stages provided a platform to test students’ knowledge on the history, significance, and application of theories related to Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. A preliminary round was conducted first followed by an invigorating knockout round.
Model Making required the students to design ingenious models outlining the importance of Physics in our everyday life. The competition was judged by Mr. Bibhuti Pandey.
Through Slide Presentation students were able to display their fascination of the wonders of space, encompassing topics ranging from black holes to extra-terrestrial life on Mars to the impact of global warming on the very planet we call home. Their presentations were judged by Mr. Sanjay Agarwal.
Ad-act-Actinium offered the students the opportunity to showcase their self-created advertisements on stage. The enactments brought out the theatrical abilities of the students along with their insight on the latest innovations in sustainable products. Mr. Amber Sahil and Dr. Ruby Mishra judged these acts.
Chem Canvas presented a myriad of artistic, thought-provoking graphics on science. The posters aimed at creating awareness about the harmful effects of chemicals and using innovative scientific methods to combat them. This creative activity was judged by Ms. Monica Bhatia.
Turncoat Debate gave the students opportunities to express their views in the form of arguments pertaining to impromptu topics on the advancements in the fields of Biology and Biotechnology. The debaters were also tested on their previous knowledge by the judges Dr. Deepak Gaur, Professor, JNU, and Dr. Atika Dayal, HOD English.
Let’s Innovate gave a voice to students to present innovative yet simple teaching methodologies to facilitate the study of biology. It provided an opportunity for students to suggest alternatives to traditional classroom teaching. The event was judged by Dr. Varsha Baweja and Dr. Kamal Gupta, Prof. Deshbandhu College.
Food Adulteration Test consisted of the young biologists exploring the effects of contaminants in food by conducting meticulous tests. Their sophisticated work was judged by Dr. Richa Mishra, Prof. Venkateshwara College, and Mr. SS Raghav, Chief Technical Officer, NFL, FSSAI.
As the name suggests, Waste- wise Creativity Challenge encouraged the students to get creative with waste. This gave them a chance to combine their sense of aesthetics with concern for the environment. This activity was judged by Dr. Jaydeep Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Ms. N Sudeshna, senior faculty, English Department.
Paint an E-Poetry required the participants to represent a given theme both graphically and poetically. The event provided an insight into the participants’ artistic as well as poetic abilities. This was judged by Ms. Richa Mishra and Mr. Shiven Singh Tanwar.
The Valedictory Function commenced with the melodious song ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ by the school choir, followed by the coming together of classical dancers in a graceful performance.
Ms. Padma Srinivasan, Vice Principal, DPS R.K. Puram, congratulated the gathered aspiring scientists and technologists for performing to the best of their abilities in the challenging atmosphere and wished them luck for their future.
Mr. JS Virdhi, HOD, Physics extended a heartfelt welcome to the Chief Guest, judges and the participants. He thanked them for their enormous contribution in making the fest successful. He concluded with a visual presentation that displayed the memorable events of the day.
The HODs of the Science Department Mr Virdi, Mr Dhawan and Mrs Niva Chhonkar felicitated the Chief Guest, Ms. Vanita Sehgal with a token of gratitude.
The winning team of DPS Mathura Road for “Ad-Act-Actinium” was invited to enact their theatrical performance and earned loud applause from the audience.
The Chief Guest, Ms. Vanita Sehgal,Principal,Delhi Public School R K Puram expressed her fascination with the innovative creations of the participants and mentioned the significant role of science in giving life to the world and Art for making it beautiful. She encouraged the aspiring scientists to not confine their knowledge within the four walls of their classroom but to apply it in the real world. She not only congratulated the students on their remarkable work but also thanked the teachers and volunteers for contributing to the success of the event.
The Principal, Ms. Vanita Sehgal, Vice Principal and the Judges for various events were invited to carry forward the Prize Distribution ceremony. The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Mr. Prem Dhawan and the event concluded with the national anthem.
The results of the On-Site Events are as follows:
| Serial No. | Name of Event | School Name | Position |
| 1. | Science Quiz | DPS Noida Gyan Bharti School DPS Gurgaon | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 2. | Model Making | KIIT World School DPS Greater Faridabad DPS International | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 3. | Slide Presentation | Somerville School, Noida Mayur School DPS Greater Faridabad | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 4. | Ad Act Actinium |
DPS Mathura Road
DPS Noida
Modern School, Barakhamba Road | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 5. | Chem Canvas | KIIT World School, Pitampura Modern School, Barakhamba Road Red Rose Public School | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 6. | Turncoat Debate | DPS Noida Mayur School Gyan Bharti School | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 7. | Let’s Innovate | SS Mota Singh School KIIT World School Mount Abu School | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 8. | 3-D Collage | DPS Noida Bal Bharti Public School Somerville School, Noida | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 9. | Food Adulteration Test Demo | DPS Gurgaon Bal Bharti Public School DPS Noida | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 10. | Waste wise Creativity Challenge | DPS Greater Faridabad Somerville School, Noida DPS Noida | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 11. | Paint an E- Poetry | DPS Noida DPS Greater Faridabad Somerville School Noida | 1st 2nd 3rd |
Off-Site Events
| Serial No. | Event Name | School Name | Position |
| 1. | Chem Cartoon | KIIT World School DPS Faridabad St Xavier | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 2. | Collage Making (Physics) | DPS Faridabad, Sector 19 DPS Greater Faridabad DAV Public School, sector 14, Gurugram | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 3. | E- Jingle | DPS Greater Faridabad DPS Noida DPS Rohini | 1st 2nd 3rd |
| 4. | Acronym | SS Mota Singh Public School DPS Faridabad St Xavier Sr. Secondary School and DPS Greater Faridabad | 1st 2nd 3rd |
The overall winners:
1st- DPS Noida
2nd- DPS Greater Faridabad
3rd- KIIT World School
