‘For developing curiosity and interest in science’

July 13, 2022 65 Views No Comment

PhD scholar sets up ‘science museum and laboratory’ at distant Nangtan village

Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 13

Museums and science centres are considered a powerful learning resource given their recreational and educational potential. Students not only gain access tools and environments that are not available at school but also develop a sense of curiosity towards the topic at hand.

With this in mind, Zenwang Konyak, a PhD scholar at Kohima Science College, Jotsoma has set up a ‘Science museum and laboratory’ at Nangtan village in coordination with the Nangtan Students’ Union (NSU).

Nangtan village is located about 5 kilometres (kms) away from Tizit subdivision headquarter and 39 kms away from Mon town.

Elaborating on the project, Zenwang noted that the Tizit subdivision have been lagging behind especially in science education. “Growing up, I did not know what a microscope looked like and I saw a computer for the first time only after I reached class 10,” he told The Morung Express on Tuesday.

He maintained that the situation is still the same even after so many years; and while there are about six or seven private schools along with several government schools and one Government Higher Secondary School in the subdivision, there are no academic facilities.

Zenwang explained that the idea for the project came about last year when he noticed a lot of equipment like microscopes, test tubes and other laboratory paraphernalia being kept in storage or at the Kohima Science College, Jotsoma (KSCJ) where he is currently studying.

“It pained my heart to see so many equipments going to waste and being thrown out while on the other hand, we did not have any facilities in my village,” he recalled, adding that it was at this moment that inspiration struck him.

The main motive behind taking the equipment and setting up a lab or a museum in the village was to give schools students or even the public, access to things they’ve never seen before, and help them learn about their usage etc., and in a way develop a sense of curiosity and interest in science, Zenwang underlined.

When he approached the Head of Departments of Zoology and Botany at KSCJ— Dzesevituo Angami and Vesa Hiese respectively, they responded positively to the idea and donated the items like microscopes, test tubes, flow charts, science models, and scientific specimens, among others, he said.

We have also incorporated mini-library with books on diverse fields including science, technology, engineering etc., he added.

Accordingly, since July 8, Zenwang and his collaborators, the NSU led by its President Yeangpong Nyeimlim, have been busy setting up the facility which will be formally inaugurated by the end of the week. The entire facility will then be maintained by the NSU.

“Initially, we did not even have site for the museum and lab but when we spoke to the Sub Divisional Agricultural Officer, Tizit and the District Agricultural Officer, Mon, they gave us a temporary space for four months, free of cost,” Nyeimlim said, adding that the project had also received a lot of help from the research scholars of the department of Botany and Zoology at KSCJ.

In the meantime, in addition to looking for a permanent site, the NSU is planning to organise some science events by the end of the year. “We want to bring in innovators and scientists who can help us spark public and youth interest in science,” Nyeimlim said.

In conclusion, Zenwang observed that the general interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is still very low in Nagaland, as only about 10 percent of students take up the subject for further studies.

He also opined that career and course counselling to encourage students to take up science should also be given at high school level so that by the time they reach higher secondary level, the student can make informed decisions.

“The assumption is that a student who has opted for science at the higher secondary level already has interest in the subject and in most cases, is aware of what they want to study. But if we want more students to take up science, we should target high school students,” he maintained.

Source: https://morungexpress.com/for-developing-curiosity-and-interest-in-science