Indian girl makes it to the global finals of the Google Science Fair 2013

Replies

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  Harshad Italiya

  She make India proud. I have just gone through the ideas they have submitted and they are amazing.
  
  Indian Engineering students looking for ready-made projects, you must have to learn something from these guys.
  
  All the best Shrishti Asthana 👍
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  Ashraf HZ

  Its a relief to know there are still smart kids out there contributing to science and engineering.
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  Kaustubh Katdare

  I remember when I was 15, I was basically dissembling my R/C cars. 😏 and trying to make an R/C plane. Could never make a progress with it.
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  [Prototype]

  I am sorry. No offense and not underestimating or something but it reminds me when I was in 2nd standard. We used to get projects like windmills, solar cooker made from Styrofoam, decorative pots etc and guess what? I never made those. Neither did anyone else. Everyone's moms were put to work because we were barely able to handle those stuffs. All we knew about a solar cooker was that it is used to cook food using sun light. How? Who the hell cared that time.
  
  I mean come on, the hell with "Solar Light Assisted nanoZnO Photo Catalytic Mineralization – The Green Technique for the Degradation of Detergents". I am not even able to understand what that exactly means after completing my Engineering in INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM. XIth class girl, same education system, I am not able to digest it... Looks like, someone tried to forcibly get India's name into the picture to show our presence. Good intention, incorrect way.
  
  I may be wrong on my perspective and I am sorry in advance if it offends someone. But that's just what I think.
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  Ashraf HZ

  [Prototype]

  I mean come on, the hell with "Solar Light Assisted nanoZnO Photo Catalytic Mineralization – The Green Technique for the Degradation of Detergents". I am not even able to understand what that exactly means after completing my Engineering in INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM. XIth class girl, same education system, I am not able to digest it... Looks like, someone tried to forcibly get India's name into the picture to show our presence. Good intention, incorrect way.

  Come on bro, where is your Crazy Engineers spirit!! 😛
  
  If she has the drive and inquisitiveness to solve an issue, it warrants an encouragement (as well as serving for an inspiration for other youths). Yes, perhaps the projects look sophisticated, but its actually a good thing that young people are aware of issues and actively seek a way to resolve it. Who knows, maybe in the future they can further develop their ideas? Brittany Wenger managed it with her neural network project.
  
  Why do you feel this is an incorrect way?
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  [Prototype]

  ash

  Come on bro, where is your Crazy Engineers spirit!! 😛
  
  If she has the drive and inquisitiveness to solve an issue, it warrants an encouragement (as well as serving for an inspiration for other youths). Yes, perhaps the projects look sophisticated, but its actually a good thing that young people are aware of issues and actively seek a way to resolve it. Who knows, maybe in the future they can further develop their ideas? Brittany Wenger managed it with her neural network project.
  
  Why do you feel this is an incorrect way?

  Not at all declining the fact and surely appreciate if she indeed came up with it.
  
  Inspiration sure helps, but just because I am inspired by Michael Paget, I cannot become master guitarist in 2 hours. It'll take time and eventually my knowledge & skills will increase. How can you become such skilled and knowledgeable to make it just like that when you never went into technicalities of anything?
  
  Things are different if they would claim that girl has suggested ( got idea) and later big guys managed to achieve it based on the idea. But the way its presented, it says that she did it. Suggesting and doing are two different things. Also check the acknowledgement page. Those references, are you sure an XIth std student have read and understood all those?
  
  By incorrect way, I meant to say, its probably done by some bigger guy and made this girl go out in front to represent India. Representing India is good, but that way its not. More of a cheating with other deserving who might have just managed to spin a motor, but on their own. I am just unable to digest the fact. That's all...😖
  
  However, I am not denying the fact that there's no chance she could've done it. If she did it on her own, I am very happy. Hope she stays in India and boon the country with innovations. We really lack in this part.
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  lovebox

  [Prototype]

  ...I mean come on, the hell with "Solar Light Assisted nanoZnO Photo Catalytic Mineralization – The Green Technique for the Degradation of Detergents". I am not even able to understand what that exactly means after completing my Engineering...

  
  
  #-Link-Snipped-# - Well, research project titles are always quite mundane to look at, aren't they pal?
  
  

  [Prototype]

  ...How can you become such skilled and knowledgeable to make it just like that when you never went into technicalities of anything?

  [Prototype]

  Things are different if they would claim that girl has suggested ( got idea) and later big guys managed to achieve it based on the idea. But the way its presented, it says that she did it...

  
  Prodigies exist everywhere in the world. Its good that some kids are at least trying to be innovative.
  
  

  [Prototype]

  ...I meant to say, its probably done by some bigger guy and made this girl go out in front to represent India...

  
  
  I mean, come on, suppose, if I was the 'bigger guy' (as you said), to have worked on such a technique, then it would have made more sense to get it patented in my name rather than giving away my technique to some class XI student for some entry in to a science fair, isn't it?
  And regarding the borrowing of ideas - all of us were born with no knowledge (at least I was..). We all have borrowed ideas from a great many people in our lives, experimented and improvised those ideas, and that is what makes us who we are today.
  
  
  

  [Prototype]

  ...Suggesting and doing are two different things. Also check the acknowledgement page. Those references, are you sure an XIth std student have read and understood all those?...

  
  
  Citing something on the acknowledgement page does not always mean that we have read all that matter in its entirety and have grasped all the aspects of it. It simply implies we have taken ideas from such material and improvised upon those ideas along with our own to come up with a solution to a given problem.
  On another note, just think: did we go through all our engineering textbooks end-to-end? No, we didn't (at least I didn't). We only went through and understood what was in the syllabus. But still, we do say that we have read this or that textbook during our engineering course.
  
  
  I can give you another example from my experience. I know a student in class XII, who has a very keen interest in mathematics. He worked out an entirely new method to solve certain types of equations. He brought it to me asking if it was indeed new or has someone already worked this out before him. In my opinion it was a new method, but to be sure I consulted two professors of mathematics for their views. They too agreed that this was a new method as far as they knew and suggested sending it to a national level journal of mathematics for peer-review and possible publication, if found suitable. The student contacted the journal and was disappointed to find that he was not eligible to send material for publication because of the following reasons: 1. He was not having a higher education degree in the subject; 2. He was not associated with any university/ institution of higher learning.
  
  In my opinion, these kinds of rules sometimes end up diluting the enthusiasm of students in science. Sad state of affairs, I must say. Rather than encouraging originality, we end up entangling talented students in the nitty-gritty of rules.
  
  
  
  Coming back to the main discussion, Google is doing a good job by providing a platform to students across the world to showcase their scientific skills. We need some more of such stuff around us. What say?
• 

  zaveri

  Kaustubh Katdare

  I remember when I was 15, I was basically dissembling my R/C cars. 😏 and trying to make an R/C plane. Could never make a progress with it.

  
  
  well you should have used a lighter plane body and a propeller with longer blades.