Students from Kozhikode to represent India in global science fair
Being part of team India in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is an achievement most students could only dream of. But for two students from a government school in rural Kozhikode to be part of it is nothing short of a lifetime achievement.
Neeraj N. and Adithyan U.S., plus one students of N.N. Kakkad Memorial Government Higher Secondary School, Avitanallur, Kozhikode, are packing their bags for ISEF 2024 that will be held from May
Adithyan U.S. and Neeraj N. at the IRIS Fair in Delhi. control and mosquito control in Avitanallur village’.
It started with Neeraj’s hobby of collecting and rearing fishes at home. “I had the feeling that fishes are somehow related to paddy. It was Sreeraj C.R., a scientist associated with the Zoological Survey of India who encouraged us to study their behavioural patterns,” Neeraj told The Hindu.
They first presented their project at the districtlevel Children’s Science Congress and then at the Statelevel event. Their project was shortlisted as one of the 16 best projects in India at the National Children’s Science Congress held in Ahmedabad last year.
International Science and Engineering Fair to be held in Los Angeles, US, from May 11 to 17
Delhi national fair
But it was taken to the next level at the IRIS (Initiative for Research and Innovation in STEM) National Fair held in Delhi in January 2024, where the best five projects from the National Science Congress got a parallel entry. At the IRIS Fair, their project was shortlisted among the 20 best projects, earning them a slot in team India at ISEF.
The team was guided by Sheena T.C., Neeraj’s mother and Chemistry teacher at the same school. The students first collected and identified indigenous fishes as well as common pests such as rice case worms (Parapoynx stagnalis) and stem borer larvae (Scirpophaga incertulas), besides mosquito larvae from paddy fields in the locality. By observing their behaviour, the team understood that a fish species named ‘Karinkana’ (Pseudosphromenus cupanus) was the most effective in destroying pests.
In the project, the students have also highlighted the importance of organic farming in paddy. “We could not find any fish in the paddy field near our home where chemical pesticides were used. On the other hand, there were plenty of them in another field where organic farming was practised,” Neeraj said.
They have also developed an automated waterlevel management system for maintaining proper waterlevel in paddy fields to ensure the presence of fishes in them even during summer.