A team of students from Jayshree Periwal International School, Jaipur was recently named global winner of the Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition.
The competition involved small teams, each supported by a teacher, spending 20 to 25 hours on a science project involving practical or investigative work outside of normal curriculum time.
The aim was to give learners the chance to develop their passion for science and to promote attributes of a Cambridge learner through collaboration, communication, innovation and creativity. Jayashree Periwal International School was declared the global winner after winning the South Asia region. It was one of more than 60 schools from the region to take part in the competition, in which Cambridge students studying for Cambridge IGCSEs or O Levels investigated their own choice of scientific topics.
Their winning entry involved a project titled “Live or Dye? Negative impacts of synthetic dyes”. The project was an investigation into the effect of synthetic food colour dyes on the respiration and growth of yeast, a subject directly relevant to the everyday lives of the students.
Commenting on the achievement, Dr Jayshree Periwal, director-principal, Jayshree Periwal Groups of Schools said, “The world needs great researchers with inquisitive minds to accomplish new inventions and discoveries and to amend the existing anthropogenic legacy.
I congratulate all the young researchers for their stupendous efforts and foresightedness in bringing awareness regarding the harmful effects of food colour. I wish them all the best for their future endeavours.
Students are always excited about performing hands-on experiments rather than rote learning science. Our school always tries to provide such opportunities where students get to explore and unfold the secrets behind a scientific phenomenon and process. Winning the very first Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition has electrified the students and has invigorated them.”
Ravishankar Yadav, Divya Gupta, Chetan Jain, and Suvira Singh Katoudia, winners of the competition, said, “Winning the competition is truly a delight for us and all the hard work that we had put in, has finally paid off.
After a great deal of brainstorming, we decided upon a topic of food colour toxicity because of its topical and universal significance. The process of performing the experiments and coming to a conclusion was indeed challenging, however, it was far more intriguing and satisfying performing the experiments rather than just studying about them in books.
Not only did the competition provide us with a platform to showcase our innovation and imagination, it also gave us an opportunity to learn the importance of teamwork. Setting up trials and learning how to sample, organise, and present data has boosted our research and management skills.”
The school will receive a plaque of recognition from Cambridge International, in addition to team certificates, medals and a letter of recognition celebrating the success.
Tristian Stobie, director, education, Cambridge International, said, “This is a significant achievement that deserves to be celebrated, and reflects well on the successful students and the schools. The students’ enthusiasm and commitment and understanding of science was evident in their work and we hope they have found the competition to be a rewarding experience.”
The expert judging panel included Dr Helen Eccles, ex-director of Cambridge International and Science Competition Lead, Dr Rachel Garsed, senior engineer at CMR Surgical, Dr Elaine Wilson, senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Cambridge University and Dr Judith Roberts, Head of Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary, Development, Cambridge International.
The UK based Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) prepares school students for life, helping them develop an informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning. Learn more at www.cambridgeinternational.org.
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