Solar energy, recycling technology among highlights at science fair


Stabroek News
May 15, 2000


Solar energy and recycling technology, herbal medicine, agriculture mechanics, hydroelectricity production and aerial topographic mapping were among the highlights of the annual schools fair featuring Maths, Science and Technology.

In addition, the fair also showed the potential for income generation.

Chief Education Officer, Ed Caesar made this observation on Wednesday while delivering the feature address to open this year's event which was held at the West Demerara Secondary School.

In listing a number of advantages which the fair offers, he pinpointed the production of wine and cake from the uncultivated "fat pork" fruit by students from Linden at a previous fair.

The senior education official said that the annual event has been doing much to develop the creative talents of young people who have been displaying many innovative ideas which in some instances are being adopted by their adult folks.

The event, as usual, brought together students from schools countrywide to showcase their talents in a number of science and technology disciplines.

Caesar, addressing education and regional officials and participants, commended the students on their efforts and urged teachers and administrators to adopt methods designed to nurture their ideas.

Among the large number of exhibits was a biological piece on the Noni fruit by a group of students from the Bishops High School. Their work covered the assessment of the fruit's medicinal and other components in seeking to develop a useable product for human consumption.

The group from Queen's College explored the idea of doing aerial photography utilising rocket technology. This concept involved the use of a rocket equipped with a photographic device to capture the topography of a land mass as a cheaper option to using an aircraft.

The Saint Stanislaus College team featured technology that produced energy from water as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Cove and John Secondary School students promoted the uses of solar energy with their innovative solar water heater tailored for domestic use.

And the McKenzie High School depicted an environmentally-friendly community that practised recycling technology to reduce pollution.

An eye-catching novelty was the development of a bean planting machine by students of the Assakata Primary School in Moruca. The manually-operated equipment was designed to perform multiple tasks, including digging, seed dropping and covering.

Caesar said that other positive aspects of the event include the fostering of religious, racial and inter-community harmony among various participants.

He noted that the event assisted many students to focus on their school-based assessments as "it forces young people to think, look and reason."

The senior education official further suggested that the area of language had a good chance of being included in next year's fair, although he underscored the critical need for the disciplines already being depicted at the fair.

The event is also an ideal opportunity for developing private and public partnerships which are needed to aid in the development of the education system and some of these were already manifesting themselves in the sector, Caesar said.

He emphasised that the fair was here to stay and appealed to teachers to do more follow-up work in order that other students may benefit from the pioneering work of their colleagues.

The official ceremony which was chaired by Assistant Chief Education Officer (Secondary) Donna Chapman, also included a presentation by Regional Chairman, Parag Sukhai.

The ceremony also featured talent pieces in the performing arts, including musical renditions, by children from schools in the region and Georgetown. (Oscar P. Clarke)