SHILLONG, Aug 18: Young innovators took the centre stage at the STEM Fusion: Workshop and Student Exhibition held at the State Convention Centre on Monday. The exhibition which was organised by the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with Smart Village Movement (SVM) and IISER Pune saw the participation of more than 400 students and 80 teachers from different schools of the state. The open-format exhibition allowed the students to unleash their creativity, tackle real-world problems, and dive into topics that ignite their curiosity. A total of 95 innovative projects were presented.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, who attended the exhibition as Chief Guest, lauded the young participants.
He said, “This initiative is a commendable effort to foster innovation and a healthy spirit of competition among students. We must create more opportunities for our students to explore and excel in science and technology. I would like to see mandatory visits to the NECTAR Lab so that every student gets exposure to innovation at an early age. Along with this, we must work towards setting up more STEM labs like NECTAR across the state.”
Speaking about competitions, the chief minister said, “Competitions play a vital role in inspiring students. We should host science and mathematics competitions, debates, and innovation challenges with meaningful prizes that encourage healthy competition. At the same time, a Science Innovation Programme at the district level can help identify and nurture young talent.”
He added, “It is important for different stakeholders to come together, connect the dots, and engage through programmes like this. I hope our young children take inspiration from these interactions, get excited about the future, and begin to see the possibilities that lie ahead. I sincerely thank NECTAR for organising this programme, as well as the Education Department and the Smart Village Movement for their support. I look forward to seeing more such initiatives in the future so that more students can access STEM labs and explore the wide range of activities that are there.”
He stated, “To reach rural students, I envision a ‘Lab on Wheels’ initiative that will take science experiments and STEM learning directly to schools in remote areas. Importantly, we should also ensure that the best student prototypes are developed into real-world applications with mentoring and support.”
He further stated, “Looking at the projects of the students, I am confident about the future of the state.
The chief minister urged the Education Department to prepare a yearly calendar of events that include not just exhibitions but also inter-district exchanges, debates, and environmental competitions. These platforms will give the students exposure, build confidence, and prepare them for future opportunities.” The Government will be happy to support and fund such initiatives”, he said.
Highlighting the importance of STEM education, Dr. Arun Kumar Sarma, Director General, NECTAR, said, “We encourage students to visit the STEM Lab and actively engage with the wide range of STEM DIY activities, giving them hands-on opportunities to experiment, learn, and innovate.”
Sampath Kumar, Principal Secretary & Development Commissioner, Meghalaya said, “Meghalaya has a large youth population, and I believe the state can benefit by leveraging this human capital for its development. I would also like to highlight the Smart Village Movement’s Triple Helix Model, initiated in 2019 and how it can be a platform where innovations can be brought and utilised to solve the local problems of the state.”
Project Lead, Education of Smart Village Movement, added, “The projects showcased today were truly innovative, and the students have outdone themselves. Each project carried its own unique strength, addressing real-life challenges such as waste management, artificial intelligence, and smart farming, among others. Their creativity and problem-solving approach are very encouraging for the future of our state.”
The exhibition featured projects across three categories—Grades 3–9, Grades 10–12, and Undergraduate/Postgraduate. Exciting prizes were given to winners from each category whereby the chief minister also announced cash prizes of Rs 2 lakh to the winners, Rs 1 lakh to second prize, Rs 50,000 to third prize winners. Rs 10,000 was also announced to be given to participants of the different projects showcased.
The winners under Grades 3-9 are: First Prize- Lady Keane Higher Secondary School, Second Prize: Sharon Memorial School, and third prize to Army Public School 101 Area. While five consolation prizes were given to Kamala Nehru School, Sunny Dale School and three to Army Public School.
Under Grades 10-12 category, B K Bajoria bagged the first, second and third prize. While the consolation prizes went to Seven Set Higher Secondary School, two to students from STEM Lab, NECTAR, Good Shepherd Higher Secondary School and BK Bajoria.
The winners of undergraduate/Postgraduate category are : First Prize to St Mary’s College, second prize and third prize to Synod College.
The one-day exhibition was packed with expert sessions by IISER Pune on STEM Science activities/Math and Logic Fun/ Engineering and Technology. A hands-on experience with machine learning game was also conducted by Dr S. Muthukumaran, Head, Dept. of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, NIT, Tiruchirappalli. A session on drone awareness was also conducted. Founder of Curiosity Gym, Girish Nair also spoke on the activities conducted at the STEM lab at NECTAR.
The exhibition was also attended by a wide range of distinguished guests which includes Banteilang Kharshandi Director, Directorate of School Education and Literacy, Shillong, Meghalaya, officials from State Council of Science Technology & Environment (SCSTE), Meghalaya, Vice-Chairman, Smart Village Movement, Vivek Shah, officials from PRIME, IT&C Department, NortheastAid, IISER Pune, founder of Curiosity Gym, Girish Nair. Officials from NECTAR include Dr Pampee Das, Senior Analyst, Dr Collin Z Renthlei, Advisor Technical, NECTAR, Engineer Simanta Das, Chief Radio Technologist, NECTAR among others.
