16th September 2022
Mumbai

The Golden Jubilee Year of St. Teresa’s Institute of Education witnessed a novel dimension being added to the array of activities conducted by the F.Y.B.Ed. Science students. ‘World Ozone Day’ which is celebrated on September 16, was set aside to launch ‘Eureka Dhamaka’- The Science Festival conceptualized by Prof. Dr. Giselle D’souza and organized by the Science Club of the college. The main objective of introducing this activity was to propagate a love for Science and a thirst for knowledge relating to scientific concepts and inventions in the student-teachers and faculty. The event sowed seeds of curiosity, innovativeness and inquiry in all who participated in it. This Science festival was the outcome of weeks of brainstorming, ideation and effort by each student under the able guidance and leadership of Dr. Giselle D’souza.

A value-laden assembly seeking the blessings of the Almighty and highlighting the evolution of scientific inventions from ancient to medieval to modern times provided a head start for what was to follow. The assembly was conducted by Snehamol Shajan and Lourdes Sheejo, students of the Science group of S.T.I.E. The ‘Creation Hymn’ alerted everyone to the beauty of nature and life on the planet created by God which must be protected and preserved. The video on the importance of preserving the ozone layer created awareness about our responsibility in preventing ozone depletion. The climax of the assembly was a video launching the Science Day Celebrations which set the tempo putting everyone into celebration mode. The event lasted from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and was a fun-filled, interactive and rewarding experience. Not even the dark stormy clouds on that rainy day could dampen the spirits of students and faculty who were potentially charged to see Science come alive. Students were divided into 4 groups named after satellites launched by the prestigious Indian Space Research Organisation, namely, Mangalyan, Chandrayan, Aryabhatta and Rohini.

The introductory event was called "Guess the Scientist" wherein all the students of the science club were dressed up as various scientists and the different teams had to guess the scientist along with the invention. This event was compered by Dianne Jagtap and Iram Siddiqui.

The next event on the list - ‘Mind Your Heart and Watch Your Brain’ was hosted by Rachel D’Souza and Dianne Jagtap. This comprised of demonstrating the effects of coffee (caffeine) consumption on elevating the pulse rate. The participants were also introduced to the famous ‘Stroop Test’ which revealed a lot about how the brain processes information and the human tendency to experience difficulty naming a physical color when it is used to spell the name of a different color.

The third event on the itinerary was ‘Molecule Mania’, conducted by Mrunal Mirajkar and Sanida Nunes. This was the popular game of ‘Bombing the Cities’ with a scientific twist. Students earned points for forming compounds with the highest atomic weights. The Science Club of S.T.I.E., maintained the momentum of excitement right through the event by keeping everyone engaged and entertained with interesting and intriguing fun facts and trivia related to Science as fillers between events.

‘Nuclear QuizCon’ as the name suggests, was a science quiz which had 3 rounds of quiz questions with an ascending level of difficulty aimed at stimulating the gray cells. All the students were whole-heartedly involved in coming up with instantaneous answers. The winner of this competition was Team Chandrayan. This event was hosted by Snehamol Shajan and Lourdes Sheejo and enjoyed to the core by all.

‘Jack of All Hacks’ earned the astonishment of the audience with the cool and innovative hacks that fascinated us all. The hacks demonstrated were - Balloon Blow Up, Sprinkle of Joy, Magic Potion and Enchanted Graphite. This event was hosted by Natasha Fernandes and Iram Siddiqui and won a huge round of applause.

‘Crowning Concepts’ was the grand finale to an action-packed Science Day. This event was conducted by Clarissa Kittykal and Vanisha Fernandes. It comprised of simple games aimed at driving home scientific concepts of pressure and surface tension. This duo also organized spot prizes as fillers adding excitement and thrill to the celebration.

What better way to conclude a memorable morning than to hear the encouraging feedback of our Principal, Dr. Sr. Tanuja Waghmare and each of our Professors. Finally, our very own Science Method Master and Mentor Prof. Dr. Giselle D'souza addressed the gathering and commended us for the weeks of preparation, gilded with sincerity and passion which had made the Science Day Celebration a roaring success. Indeed, “All’s well that ends well!” We received certificates of merit for organizing the event successfully and making it a truly laudable memory. The two winning teams were also declared and awarded with certificates and rounds of applause.

We had finally come to the close of a remarkably well executed day of fun mingled with learning. The event turned out to be true to its name ‘Eureka Dhamaka’- a morning of discovery blended with excitement. Kudos to one of the best team efforts put forth by the Science Club of S.T.I.E.