Pramoda N.V. and Bhargava C.S. from Shree Ramakrishna High School, Puttur, Karnataka will join 7 other students at ISEF, the world’s largest pre-college science fair, and the only global science competition for students in grades 9-12. Their project titled “Eco-friendly ink from Terminalia Chebula” was among six projects that were selected from over 1300 submissions. Bringing together more than 1600 young students from more than 60 countries, ISEF 2011 is an opportunity for the best young minds in the world to come together to share ideas, showcase cutting-edge projects, and compete for more than US $4 million in awards and scholarships. The Intel ISEF winners are selected based on their creative ability and scientific thought, as well as the thoroughness, skill, and clarity shown in their projects.
At the national level, IRIS encourages investigative research-based science projects and calls for submission that is evaluated by the Scientific Resource Committee (SRC) for selection. These projects then compete at the National Fair of IRIS which is held in November-December, 2010. Among the winners of this event, a group of students was chosen to represent India at ISEF. Over 1300 IRIS project entries were received from across the country under 10 categories that included a range of solutions in the field of physical & life sciences, mathematics, engineering and social sciences. Out of these, 88 projects were showcased at IRIS 2010 held at the Nehru Science Centre in Mumbai, Maharashtra and six projects by 9 students were shortlisted to represent India at ISEF.
These 9 students, including three in the individual category and two teams of three each in the team category, with their winning science and engineering projects will now travel to the U.S. During the week-long ISEF event, students will have the opportunity to meet leading scientists and exchange ideas on various topics in science, research and technology.
“These projects are an illustration of the scientific accomplishments and innovation that exists in this country, which highlight the incredible things that can happen when inspired ideas and the will to make them happen come together,” said Ashutosh Chadha, Director - Corporate Affairs Group, Intel South Asia. “ISEF encourages students to tackle challenging scientific questions through authentic research practices to solve the problems of tomorrow. We believe that today's youth are the country’s future innovators and a key to solving global challenges. .”
ISEF winners are chosen in several categories including behavioral and social sciences, biochemistry, computer science, and engineering: materials & bioengineering, environmental sciences, medicine and health sciences, microbiology and many others. Projects are evaluated by more than 1200 judges from nearly every scientific discipline, each with a Ph.D. or equivalent (six years of related professional experience) in one of the scientific disciplines, and include Nobel laureates and Intel fellows.
