Deputy Minister for Communication, Science and Technology, Mr January Makamba, is expected to grace the opening of the second Young Scientists Tanzania (YST) exhibition to be held at the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.
YST Director, Dr Gozibert Kamugisha, told a press conference in the city that about 120 secondary school students from different regions would take part in the two-day exhibition, saying sixty projects would be displayed during the show.
“The overall winners will be awarded an
all-expenses paid trip to Ireland to represent Tanzania at the 50th
anniversary of the Young Scientists and Technology Exhibition in January
2014,” said the YST director.
Dr Kamugisha said fourteen other special
awards would be presented at the exhibition including the Best Young
Science Communicator, which is sponsored by the Tanzania Science
Journalists Association (TASJA).
“There would be projects ranking from
control of waterweeds in Lake Victoria to how to attract bees into a
beehive. Other projects examine the management of bad odour in sewage
systems and some students research the use of lemons as a disinfectant,”
he said.
Dr Kamugisha pointed out that Songas had
an award for the best project that shows “passion for science” and that
international energy company, ESBI, would present a prize for the best
project on energy. “This year four students will also be the lucky
winners of the Karimjee Jivanjee Foundation Scholarships.
The foundation will offer two higher
education scholarships to the overall winners and another scholarship to
two special award students,” he said.
The YST director noted that science and
technology were vital for the socio-economic development of the country
and that the exhibition played an important role in encouraging young
Tanzanian students to engage in basic scientific research in order to
use scientific methods in solving problems.
“Participating secondary school students
generate the ideas for their projects based on the realities in their
communities and in the process acquire key learning skills and
scientific practices,” he said.
Dr Kamugisha further said that students
would exhibit research projects in the fields of Biology, Ecology,
Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Technology, Social and Behavioural
Sciences.
He mentioned regions which would take
part in the exhibition as Dar es Salaam, Kagera, Lindi, Mwanza, Mtwara
and Morogoro. Others are Mara, Zanzibar Urban West, South Pemba,
Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Mbeya, Dodoma, Singida, Shinyanga, Tanga, Arusha and
Coast.
By LUDOVICK KAZOKA, Tanzania Daily News
