Balangir student wins national science seminar

Soumyashree Thanapati, a Class 10 student at Jharmunda Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya in Balangir district, won first prize at a national science seminar in Delhi. The seminar focused on India’s energy prospects and challenges in 2047. It was organised by the Ministry of Culture with the Indian Science Museum. A total of 34 participants from 26 states took part. Thanapati presented a project called Hydro Optic 2047. It proposed using sunlight and heat to warm water and generate electricity for household use. She had qualified through block, district and state-level competitions and was the only student selected from Odisha.

Notable Points

• Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan: The Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangathan was established on 19 September 2015 as a society under Odisha’s Society Registration Act by the Department of School and Mass Education.
• Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya model: The model planned one CBSE-affiliated school at each of Odisha’s 314 block headquarters. It provided for free education, admission through an annual entrance examination, Classes VI to XII and 80 students in each class.