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| Every Child a Scientist Programme |
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| This programme was started in Chennai
in August 2002 and targeted children belonging to the
economically under-privileged sections of society, in
the age group of 13-15 years. The Centre has a number
of computers and multimedia learning material to make
learning an enjoyable experience. With encouragement
from the Deputy Commissioner of Education, Chennai,
it has established good rapport with Corporation school
headmasters, teachers, orphanage schools and government-aided
schools in the Zone X area. The Programme is also in
operation at Wayanad |
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| At Chennai, monthly, theme-based
training modules of 10-day duration were conducted,
to reach more schools and students in a year and ensure
optimum utilization of the resources at the Centre.
They were on topics like Ecotechnology, Biodiversity,
Information and Communication Technology, Health and
Hygiene, Environmental issues and Biotechnology. About
300 students benefited from this programme during the
year. In March, a series of lectures, followed by practical
training in batches spread over the month was also carried
out on an experimental basis, to cover more schools
and students. In addition to the fourteen schools that
have already undergone training, two new schools have
been identified and have sent their students during
the year. |
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| At the end of each theme-based programme,
the students submit projects on different topics and
depict their ideas through charts. These charts act
as a source of information to subsequent batches of
students. |
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| A Science Exhibition was held in
November 2004, and students from various schools prepared
models on environmental issues including pollution,
forestation, deforestation, rain water harvesting, acid
rain, the five types of land, and uses of medicinal
plants. There were also a few working models. Nearly
200 students visited the exhibition. The children explained
their messages enthusiastically through dance and song
to the visitors. On Children’s day, a lecture on “Children
in love with Nature” by Dr Kundavai Devi, Madras Crocodile
Bank Trust, was organized. Teachers and students from
many schools attended this lecture. Dr Kundavai Devi
brought many reptiles like snakes, tortoises, and chameleons
and explained their habitat, morphology and feeding
habits. |
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| The Centre has developed resource
material on various topics in the local language as
multimedia CDs. This programme has stimulated curiosity
among the students, while giving them an opportunity
to learn the concepts of Biology and environmental issues.(More
About Every Child a Scientist Programme) |
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| Touch and Smell Garden |
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| This garden was developed to allow
the visually challenged to experience the biodiversity
in plants and learn through the senses of touch and
smell. This year a seed album was developed for children
to learn about the different types and shapes of plant
seeds and their characteristic features. The idea was
to expose the children to the plant kingdom, via seeds.
The seed album at present has a number of species like
Allium cepa, Piper cubeba, Piper niger, Abrus precatorius,
Pongamia glabra, Sapindus emarginatus and Plantago ispagula. |
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| In February 2005, a workshop was
held for Heads/Principals of schools for the blind in
the state. A total of 40 Principals and Government officials
participated in the workshop and valuable suggestions
emerged. A number of them showed interest in replicating
this garden in their premises. The names of plants,
the rationale for selecting the species and the layout
of the garden were explained at this meeting. A group
30 NSS volunteers and students also participated in
the workshop, which achieved the twin objectives of
creating an awareness about the need for such gardens
and orienting the participants towards developing such
gardens within their campuses. (More
About Touch and Smell Garden) |
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| Genetic Literacy and Genome Clubs |
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| This programme is in its third year,
with the focus on two major target groups, namely, school
children and Panchayat members at the grassroot level.
A number of camps/workshops were held throughout the
year as shown in Table 6.6. At the workshops for school/college
students, participants were introduced to topics such
as Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Implications of Biotechnology
for Rural Development, Biodiversity Act and Role of
Institutions dealing with Biodiversity Material, Biodiversity
and Conservation through Genome Clubs, Implication of
Biological Diversity on Research and Commercialization
related to the Indian System of Medicine, Ethno medicine
of tribal communities of South India and the fundamental
need for conservation of Biodiversity. |
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| For the Panchayat leaders, the workshop
included themes like the basic biology of genes and
genetic diversity of rice in the Jeypore tract, genetic
literacy, genome clubs and biotechnology, and the importance
of genetic awareness for rural development. A workshop
for school teachers was also conducted, at which the
role of teachers in rural development and biodiversity
conservation through the Genetic Awareness Programme
was emphasised. |
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| A Genome Club member won prizes
at the Science Exhibition held at the district level.
Members of the Genome Club and other students carried
out village sanitation programmes, especially on 15
August and 2 October. The club members contribute articles
and poems for “Genome Shikhha”(Genomic Flame), the bimonthly
magazine in Oriya that is being printed and distributed
in Jeypore. Some of the students have started a genetic
awareness campaign on their own in their villages and
schools. The participants have been able to develop
village level Bioresource Registers. Genome Club members
have also organized various competitions in their school |
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| Vacation Training Programme for
school children on Bioresources and Biotechnology |
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| This year MSSRF conducted two programmes,
one in Orissa (11 May – 31 May 2005) and one in Chennai
(25 April – 11 May 2005). The objective of these programmes
was to create awareness on Biodiversity Conservation
and its implications. The programmes offered a unique
opportunity to interact with experts in the field and
be inspired by them. As part of the course, the students
visited Biodiversityrich areas like Kolli Hills and
Chidambaram in TN and Bhitarkanika Mangrove Forest,
Nandankaanan Zoological Park, Chilika Lake and other
areas of pristine biodiversity, including the Jeypore
rice tract, in Orissa. The Table 6.6: Genetic awareness
workshops students also conducted experiments in the
laboratory and got a first hand experience of working
in frontier areas of Biology. They had the opportunity
of visiting the Raasi Seed Company, Athur, where they
learnt about crops, the strategies employed for selecting,
and screening for desirable traits. Some of the students
also participated in the hybridization experiments in
their farm. In addition, the participants visited leading
national laboratories and gained exposure to various
technical and scientific advances in the areas of Bioresources
and Biotechnology. Twenty-two students in Chennai and
twenty-seven students in Jeypore who had appeared for
standard X examination in March 2005, took part in these
programmes. |
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