Flames of ignited minds add spark to science exhibition

A water bottle made of clay, a prototype of a car made with cycle tyres, a wooden board and a battery, and a two-wheeler that can be unlocked only with the owner's driving licence are some of the things on display at the Mega Science Event being hosted by the Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) in the city.

The three-day event will see the participation of 1000 students from around 300 schools. Among the many stalls offering a glimpse into science, it is the one set up by CSIR- Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI) that attracted a good number of visitors. The CGCRI students have created a mud-coloured water bottle. "This water bottle is made of clay and looks like any one of the water bottles you get in the market. But, what sets this apart is that it is like having water in a matka (water pot). In fact, the structure being thinner than a matka, the water inside remains colder than what you get in a matka," said Hares Kundariya, the technical officer with CSIR-CGCRI.

Kundariya, in fact, had to say no to the many visitors who wished to buy the water bottle. "This is just for display and not for sale. What we do is train potters in making such bottles so that they can sell it. I believe it costs Rs 150 to Rs200," said Kundariya.

He said the bottle is made with the help of a cast and not a potter's wheel. "We have trained some 500 potter families across 32 districts of the state," said Kundariya. He, however, admitted that the mitti water bottle is not very widely available as of now.

Harsh Rathore and Harsh Sharma are part of a team of students from Best High School who made a prototype for a two-wheeler system which can only be unlocked by a driving licence. "The system is such that when developed every two-wheeler can be unlocked only by the registered driving licence. More than one licence can be registered for a vehicle. Every time one wishes to unlock the vehicle, they will have to insert their driving licence in a particular slot. This will prevent thefts as well as use by underage drivers," said Rathore. He said the system is such that everytime a driving licence is inserted into the slot, a message goes to the driver.

Rahul Dharanjiya's car is not ready for the road. However, there is something unique about the wooden board, cycle tyre and motor-operated car. "I made it on my own. My father helped me get the motor. I wanted to see if I could make a model on my own. It is not way ready to run on the road," admits the Class 7 student of Thaltej Primary School No 2 in the city. His car is on display at the exhibition.

The three-day event also offers science-based inter-school competitions, hands-on workshops, popular talks, shows, exhibitions and several other stimulating activities to nurture the curiosity of students.

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• The three-day event also offers science-based inter-school competitions,  hands-on workshops, popular talks, shows, exhibitions and several other stimulating activities to nurture the curiosity of students.