Gandhinagar (the Hawk): Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar’s Curiosity Lab is hosting an online camp for school students of classes 8 to 12 besides teachers, parents, and scholars of education to inspire, encourage exploration and build curiosity.
The sessions aim to introduce students to the stories of people who have taken up new and exciting professions and succeeded. The idea is to enable students to learn that inspiration can strike from anywhere, be it a book, a person or a movement and that such inspiring stories could be found all around. However, one rarely hears from the person who had lived through that story. The people who inspire someone today was also once inspired by others.
They came across stories that they resonated with and found the motivation to grow into a leader, influencer, change-maker to create an impact that inspires the next generation. Through Camp Inspire, IIT Gandhinagar brings together some incredible individuals who took unique paths and chose to follow their passions despite many obstacles. Curiosity Lab conducts scientific research to understand how to improve curiosity among students while learning. The Curiosity Camps are a Curiosity lab outreach initiative to increase interest and make learning fun.
Highlighting the unique aspects of Camp Inspire, Prof. Jaison A Manjaly, Principal Investigator, Curiosity Lab, IIT Gandhinagar, said, “Curiosity Camps offer an opportunity for students, teachers, and parents to witness stories of inspiring individuals that may encourage them to follow their passions and make a positive change in society.” The Curiosity Camps aim to introduce novel perspectives in learning while building awareness of the multiple career paths that exist and are supported by institutions such as the IITs.”
Most students, parents and teachers are unaware of the possibilities that lie ahead today for students in Arts and Humanities, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine) fields and entrepreneurship. The Curiosity Lab introduces these possibilities to parents, teachers and students. Camp Inspire will be held from 3rd to 5th June 2022. Interested candidates can register using the following link – https://www.-curiositylab.-iitgn.ac.in/camp
The Important outcomes envisaged from this camp include:
Learning about unique passions, careers, entrepreneurship and their intersections with other domains
Improving awareness on career possibilities
Generating curiosity among school children about sports, gender, music research, entrepreneurship, STEM and economics
Creating opportunities for school children to interact with faculty from institutions of higher education
Encouraging skills such as filmmaking through competitions
IIT Gandhinagar offers a unique undergraduate and graduate education experience in India with unmatched innovations in curriculum. The Institute takes pride in its student-centric philosophy which provides a safe, nurturing, and empowering environment for students.
Film Making Contest
The camp will conclude with a filmmaking workshop and competition. The workshop titled "Stories through visuals: The art of filmmaking" by Keerthi Raj B S will go over storytelling fundamentals and how to use available resources to tell engaging audio-visual stories. Following the workshop, participants will submit their film to Camp Inspire 2022 for a chance to win exciting prizes. Three films from school students are eligible to receive cash awards worth Rs. 10,000.
The institute promotes critical thinking and an appreciation of the interdisciplinary character of knowledge, with an emphasis on the liberal arts, project-oriented learning, compulsory courses in design and the life sciences, diversity, and globalization.
Top academics from India and abroad will be addressing the workshop. They include:
Ms Priyanka Srivastava, Space Systems Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, ‘Launching spacecrafts for Earth, Mars and Beyond - My Journey so far’
Mr Arun Krishnamurthy, Founder, Environmentalist Foundation of India (E.F.I) will speak on ‘Involvement and Importance of Youth in Conserving the Nation's Environment.’
Mr Keerthi Raj B S, Experience Project Fellow, IIT Gandhinagar, will conduct a filmmaking workshop titled ‘Stories through visuals: the art of filmmaking’
Dr Chandrima Shaha, President, Indian National Science Academy, will speak on ‘A life in science: what it is like’
Dr Michel Danino, Visiting Professor, IIT Gandhinagar will speak on ‘My journey through ancient India’s archaeology and history’
Dr Neeldhara Misra, Smt. Amba and Sri. V S Sastry Chair Associate Professor, IIT Gandhinagar, will speak on ‘From Puzzles to Problems - Fun with STEM’
Dr Aqsa Shaikh, Associate Professor, Community Medicine at Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, will speak on ‘Exploring Gender and Identity in India: The path I carved as a trans woman’
Dr Neaketa Chawla, Post-doctoral Research Associate, IIM Ahmedabad, will speak on ‘Balancing passions - My journey through academia and sports’
Dr Chelva Kumar, Visiting Professor, IIT Gandhinagar, will speak on ‘A story to success and some paths to take’
Ms Nashra Ahmed, Sabarmati Bridge Fellow, IIT Gandhinagar, will speak on ‘A musician in research: From music production to music perception’