"Studying about it was definitely very exciting and a career in science and astrophysics is something I am very keen on pursuing," Nisha told Khaleej Times. Her hand-made poster on the Mars Mission got the attention of the judges and she won first place among seniors in the science poster-making competition.
Nisha was one among the 95 students who presented science exhibits at the 'Emirates Mars Mission' annual Taaleem Science fair held in conjunction with the GCS on Monday. Schools managed by the Taaleem group - The American Academy in Mizhar; Dubai British School; Jumeirah Baccalaureate School; Uptown School; Raha International School; and Jumeirah Park - took part in the science fair. The students displayed 59 exhibits/models within various categories of sciences and engineering including a Science Working Model, Rube Goldberg Machine and Science Poster based on the theme of "Emirates Mars Mission 2021.
" The competition was open to senior and junior school students.
"Fifty nine per cent of the participants were in the senior school category and 41 per cent in the junior school category," said Andrew Wood, principal of GCS. He added: "We are here to teach students ingenuity and creativity through science." Nisha added: "I learnt a lot on my own through research from websites and books. I learned more, especially about the upcoming Mars Mission.
" For most students, the most exciting part of the competition was the 'A Rube Goldberg machine'. Winner in the senior category of the Rube Goldberg Machine Yasmin Abu Jaber said the competition and events of this kind give students like her the freedom to think independently and innovatively. She explained: "The Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption, invention, device or apparatus that is deliberately over-engineered to perform a simple task in a complicated fashion.
" Yasmin along with her classmate Mustafa Rehan completed their exhibit that won them the first prize. "You need to think innovatively and creatively to make these projects . and a Rube Goldberg Machine ' is complex and simple at the same time, making it very exciting," added Yasmin.
Another student Bailey Alexa Vrriveau GCS said: "I like how a lot of the effort was team work and we still managed to have a lot of fun. I am excited about the prospect of UAE going to Mars, as well.
" Bailey won first place among the juniors in the Scientific Posters category. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Source: Khalej Times, 2nd June 2016