The Curiosity Key…
The basis of understanding Science is the innate curiosity. For instance, understanding the basic four elements like Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen and Carbon gives you a lot of knowledge about the science. However, the problem lies with the curiosity of the students. Curiosity leads towards understanding the basic concepts in Science. Mugging up various equations in the textbook never increase curiosity or understanding about the science.
Bookish Approach
From Primary level, right from the first standard whenever you learn about our planet earth. you are taught that 70% of the planet is covered by water in the oceans and only 30% is available on land. Similarly in the atmosphere around us the major part of element is nitrogen followed by oxygen. When you go beyond the atmosphere around the earth major element is different. On the land or in the ocean plants in various forms grow and they content mostly carbon in organic form. All plants absorb carbon in the form of gas and give out oxygen.
What you are reading in this article till this moment Is very much taught and recited by each science student till he completes his 12th Science . But students never correlate this with new applied developments. To change science in application one needs curiosity…
Understand the Concepts
Few days back there was a news about producing hydrogen from the sea water. The process is called production of green hydrogen. De-salination methods are known to students but they cannot explain them. Some students have even visited Middle East countries with their parents or school arranged trips. Where they can see the technologies.
When Israeli President visited India he gifted our PM movable, mobile van mounted de-salination plant. It was in the news along with the details of the machine. Last month there was a news about capturing the atmospheric oxygen and compressing it in cylinders for industrial use.
Make it Applied
We are the agrarian country so India needs very big quantities of Urea as fertilizer for the agriculture or crops. Ammonia contains nitrogen and hydrogen. But producing these two elements artificially is very costly process. Learning how ammonia is produced in the laboratory or reading it in the textbook is a norm. But thinking laterally about the production methods from freely available elements in the atmosphere needs curiosity.
Some students are very curious about the space research. China recently sent three astronauts to a Space Station. I asked a very simple question to a student who was topper in the class in the 12th standard and was preparing for a NEET exam. I asked him simple question that How many litres of water the astronauts might have carried with them for their space journey? He started calculating the days ,the number of astronauts, as well as daily requirement of water of one person. When I told him about the recycling method of the daily consumed water he was looking at me with the great surprise.
Popularize Science
One of my friend went to Japan for his business trip. When he entered a classic hotel and asked bellboy for the drinking water, to his surprise the answer given by the bellboy was you can drink water from any of the taps not only in your room but anywhere in the hotel. My friend was accustomed to drink water only from Aquaguard in India. Basic principle for supply of water for domestic use is potable water for drinking.
Another experiment of producing water from the atmosphere was very popular via a video recently. Though the quantity was not sufficient to utilise for the daily use it was ample for a family for their need of drinking water. Curious science student can easily replicate such things in the areas where water scarcity is maximum, but it is never heard or practiced even by scientific researchers. In Maharashtra there are so many small towns where tap water is provided once a week that too hardly for 2 hours.
The basic which is needed in science is curiosity. With curious minds not merely bookish will solve the problem of applying science for the benefit of society. Inculcating the spirit of inquiry and curiosity will be possible when science Is made popular, practicable & also affordable.
–Dr Shreeram Geet
Sr Career Counsellor
