Science fair for teachers, students holds in Yobe

two-day science fair for teachers and students of secondary schools in Yobe state.

An international non-governmental organisation, TrendAfrica, on Tuesday flagged off a two-day science fair for teachers and students of secondary schools in Yobe state.

The event, its second edition, held at the campus of the Yobe State University, Damaturu.

The fair has teachers and students from 25 different post-primary institutions participating.

Founder of Trend in Africa, Mahmoud Bukar Maina, a post-doctoral fellow at the Serpell Laboratory, University of Sussex, UK, said the fair was organised to achieve four aims, which, he said, are critical to the development of science and technology.

“The first objective of the science fair is to engender students’ enthusiasm about the science subjects; and secondly it was meant to allow the public understand what science is all about so that most of the cases of misconception about the products of science like medicine, vaccine etc can be appreciated.

“Another objective of the event is to attract the attention of the policy makers by creating an atmosphere of discussion between scientists and the public decision makers, in order to give development of science and technology some kind of policy backing.

“And the fourth mission is to promote collaboration between scientists and clinicians about medical science needs, research prospects and their implications to the society”, he said.

Mr. Mahmoud said this year’s event is being organised in collaboration with the University of Sussex, the University of Cambridge, through its Swift Relief Foundation, the Physiological Society and the Government of Yobe State.

High points of the Day-1 event at the Yobe State University comprised a laboratory training workshop session for science teachers from the 25 participating secondary schools in Yobe State; which was later followed up by a Science Quiz Competition, and exhibition by the students from the selected schools.

During the exciting science exhibition session, which showcased scientific inventions and appreciation of students, top professors of science and senior university dons who served as panellists inspected the students’ presentations.

The President, Anatomic Society of Nigeria, T.W Jacks, commended the conveners for giving back to the society. He also called on the young students to see themselves as the future scientists by beginning to carve their own niches in the area of sciences.

“Your performances in the quiz have demonstrated your inbuilt capacity to become great tomorrow”, he said.

“Don’t see what you are doing today as some kind of joke, but take it seriously because some day in the future you would come to appreciate the importance of today’s quiz competition as one of the things that may have inspired your greatness”, Mr. Jacks, a professor from the University of Maiduguri, said.

Another professor, Anthony Ebeigbe from the University of Benin implored the students to see science as a way of life and what will shape the future.

Other panellists including Isa Husseini Marte of the University of Maiduguri, Babagana Ahmad, the deputy vice chancellor and provost Yobe State University and Babagana Waru, Chief Medical Director, Yobe State University Teaching Hospital all commended the convener and participating students for their love and passion for sciences.