On Thursday, February 24th instant, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) in collaboration with the Scientific Research Council (SRC) and the Association of Science Teachers of Jamaica (ASTJ) hosted the JPS Science and Technology Exposition 2011 at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville, Central Jamaica.
This exposition was purposed to create public awareness of how natural degradable materials can be effectively recycled to produce fertilizers; how some simple and popular plants can be used to make valuable products and how the soil can be an effective conductor or agent to generate electricity. It also emphasized the importance of solar power or energy and how all of these can be utilized in the advancement of technology at reduced costs.
Educational institutions from primary to tertiary levels and representatives of other organizations and companies were also in attendance.
The theme, “From Natural Resource to Creative Enterprise” was very strongly highlighted by the projects presented by the various groups.
Each group had a sub-theme from which it focused, in the preparation and presentation of its projection. For example, the title, “from the kitchen to the garden” projected natural fertilizers made from bio-degradable materials from the kitchen and would ordinarily be disposed of in the garbage. Another title, “Calaboo Irrigator” showed how the calabash and the bamboo were used to make a gadget which is used as an irrigator for flowers and other small plants. Some other titles of significant interest were: Wave Technology, Solar Power,’ Pedocell’ and Fish Secrets; all of which were brilliantly illustrated verbally and by diagrams and/or written work.
It was of much interest to listen to students, even from the primary level, explaining how they went about the activity to how they arrived at the finished product. This brought to the fore the fact that “children can and should learn”. It also revealed the truth that some educators are indeed performing at a very high level.
Works presented at this exposition were adjudicated to allow the top performers to proceed to the national finals which will be hosted at the National Arena in Kingston during the month of April 2011. The exposition was well planned and well articulated via illustrations as well as displays and demonstrations, in some cases and it is hoped that there will be other expositions of this type in the future to encourage students in particular, who displayed such great talents, keen interest and high level of performance.
