bKash-BigganChinta science festival ends

The 2nd edition of a science festival jointly organised by the country’s largest mobile financial service provider bKash and science-based monthly magazine BigganChinta concluded in Dhaka on Thursday.

After the regional round held at seven divisional cities, the final round of the festival was organised recently at Shishu Academy in the capital, said a press release. Buzzed with young science enthusiasts, the day-long festival was eventful with project presentations, quizzes, magic shows and cultural programmes.

A robot named ‘NAO’ inaugurated the day-long science festival where over fifty projects were displayed by the young science enthusiasts at the final level of the competition.

They came up with innovative science projects like the ‘Human Helping Project’, ‘Train Accident Prevention’, ‘Smart City Management System’, ‘Mini Air Cooler’, ‘Gas Leakage and Fire Safety’, ‘Smart Kitchen’, etc. at the competition. Alongside project showcasing, winners from the regional round took part in the national round of the quiz competition. Over three hundred students took part in the special quiz, Rubik’s Cube and Sudoku contest.

A functional prototype of organic plastic made from fish scales which will decompose with time presented by Ankita Halder and Sumaiya Ahmed, students of Holy Cross Girls High School, was selected as the best of bests at the second “bKash-BigganChinta Science Festival”.

Azad from Rajshahi Education Board Govt Model School and College, Farhan Mushfiq from Rajshahi Collegiate School became the first-runner up while Nafis, Sajid and Fatin from Rangpur Cantonment Public School and College became the second-runner-up for their brilliant science projects.

Planning Minister M A Mannan handed over books, trophies, certificates, and laptops to the winners while Major General Sheikh Md Monirul Islam (retd.), Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer of bKash, Anjir Liton, Director General of Bangladesh Shishu Academy, Abdul Qayyum, editor of BigganChinta, microbiologist Dr Senjuti Saha and cartoonist Ahsan Habib were present, among others.

In the lower secondary quiz competition, Aritra Debnath, a student from Khulna Zilla School, became champion while Nazib Mahmud, another student from the same school was the champion in the secondary round. Iftekhar Ahmed Sajid, a student from Rajshahi Collegiate School, secured the first position in the special quiz round.