International Year of Light 2015-16

Students from Four More Schools Join the Workshops on Science of light

More workshops are being held across Delhi in different schools to bring a vivid experience of the science of light to the young students.

MARS Trustee-Director, Pradeep Bhattacharya, introducing the workshop

As many as 67 enthusiastic girl students participated in the workshop at the Rajkiya Sarvodaya Kanya Vidhayala at Laxmi Nagar on January 22, 2016.

The Science of Light exhibition put up at the school also drew curious students in large numbers. 

Another 40 boy students joined joined the workshop in the afternoon the same day at the Government Sarvodaya Boys School, Laxmi Nagar.

The next day, on January 23, 2016, another workshop was held at Rajkiya Sarvodaya Kanya Vidhayala at Ashok Nagar, which borders on NOIDA.

Antriksh Director Atish Aman conducting the workshop

More than 70 girl students participated in the workshop.

In the afternoon workshop at Government Boys Senior Secondary School at Ashok Nagar, well over 40 students sat through the three-hour session, and chipped in with many questions on the subject.

The Workshops on Science of Light has already created a buzz among students and teachers of the capital. MARS is being invited by different Government and Private schools of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to hold the workshop.

Internationl Year of Light 2015

Students Participate in Workshops on Science of light

Workshops on Science of Light at schools in Delhi have given an impetus to the International Year of Light (IYL) celebrations in India. The activities are a part of UNESO campaign as 2015 has been declared as the Year of Light by the UN to highlight to the citizens of the world the importance of light and optical technologies in their lives, and as a cross-cutting scientific discipline that can advance sustainable development.

Workshop on Science of Light for students is an initiative of MARS (Media, Art, Research & Studies), Antriksh Education and YAATRA. It is being received with great enthusiasm by both the students and the teaching faculty of the schools in Delhi. Bajaj Electricals CSR Wing is the main sponsor. Around 100 workshops will be held in and around Delhi.

The first such workshop was held at S.R. DAV School, Dayanand Vihar, New Delhi, on October 6. The second workshop, exclusively for girl students, was organised at the Janki Devi Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Mayur Vihar, New Delhi, on October 14.

The students really seem to enjoy the activity-filled two-and-half hour session as the classrooms are sealed off to make it dark for the various light related experiments. 

The sessions are interactive with MARS-Antiksh educators taking questions and explaining concepts using various hands-on activities. 

The activities relate to understanding colour, refraction, properties of light, wavelength and frequency, spectroscopy, and applications like telescopes, origin of photography and artificial light sources. 

Expert from Bajaj Electricals give presentations on various light sources, explaining the science behind the efficiency of LED lighting.

Ms. Anita Singh, Principal of Janki Devi Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, is appreciative of the initiative to conduct the workshop at government schools. She says it is a great learning experience for the students and wants more such hands-on learning activities at the school.

Ms. Renu Laroiya, Principal of S.R. DAV School, says that while the teachers teach from the books, hands-on learning is a never-forgettable experience. She say it would be enlightening if a special workshop session for teachers could be organised in sometime in future.

Y.S. Gill                                                                         October 15, 2015