Students performed various experiments in the camp such as turning glue into slime and into bouncy ball, setting up Landolt clock…….
The Salters’ Chemistry Camp at RGU, a 3-day residential camp for students of 9th standard from government, underprivileged and aided schools organised by the Department of Chemistry in association with Royal Society of Chemistry, London and The Salters’ Institute, London concluded here on the campus on Thursday last. 70 students from 13 different government schools of Papum Pare district participated in the event.
Students performed various experiments in the camp such as turning glue into slime and into bouncy ball, setting up Landolt clock and discovering fascinating chemical reactions, growing crystals from table salt, sugar, epsom salts, alum and potassium nitrate, investigated how water interacts with hydrogels and observe the interaction, produced six different coloured solutions red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet from combination of universal indicator and chemicals.
In addition to these laboratory based hands-on experiments, Prof. Pannalal Goswami, retired professor of Cotton University, Guwahati (formerly Cotton College, Guwahati) enthralled the students with a Chemistry Magic Show. Dr. Rajesh Chakrabarty, HoD, Department of Chemistry delivered a popular talk on the wonderful world of chemistry to germinate the quest for knowledge and encourage the students to take up carrier in science.
In a session conducted by the Department of Mass Communication, students were shown documentaries on hornbill conservation and another on the impact of social media on students by Dr. Ashes Kumar Naik to sensitize the young minds of these pressing issues in Arunachalee society. PhD Scholars of the Department of Chemistry conducted Science Quiz for the participants.
On the last day of the Salters’ Chemistry Camp at RGU, students were taken for an educational tour of the RGU’s Botanical Garden and Rajiv Gandhi Museum of Fishes, Fishery and Aquatic Ecology Lab of the Zoology Department. Retd. Professor of North Bengal University and visiting Professor A. P. Das (Plant Taxonomist) and PhD Scholars of Department of Botany guided the students within the garden and made them familiar by giving them general idea about plant groups and diversity of resources.
Plants like Gnetum ula (Gymnosperm), Cinnamomumtamala, Phlogacanthus thyrsiformis, Piper mullesua, Dendrobium moschatum, Mesua ferrea and Magnolia hodgsonii were made familiar to the students. Museum team member Lakpa Tamang explained to the students in detail about the 50 species of fishes found in Arunachal Pradesh.
The 3-day camp concluded with a valedictory program where each participating student was asked to give a short feedback on the entire programme. Dr. Harunar Rashid, Local Coordinator of the Camp thanked the schools and the parents of the students for sending their children to this programme.
Tadar Yanya, a student from Naharlagun Govt. Higher Secondary School, expressed her gratefulness by thanking the entire unit of Salters and RSC as well as the MSc students and PhD scholars for organizing such an engaging program. Students of MSc 4th Semester of the Chemistry department also projected the timeline photographs of 3 days Chemistry Camp.