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Science of success
 Harshini is in class-IX and has already won a place in a national science talent competition and is headed for the US to take part in an international competition.
Harshini, a student of B S Mootha Girls Higher Secondary School (known to the public as Jain School) in West Mambalam, has done things which people can only dream of doing when they work for their Ph.D. thesis. She has had access to the one of the finest labs of the country and has interacted with some of the best brains in the field of science.
Intel had organised a national competition in original projects from schoolkids from class-IX to class-XII. The competition was held at the Indian Institute of Information Technology in
Hyderabad.
Inspired by an ad she saw on TV, Harshini set to work on her model. Of the 1,800 who sent in their synopsis, 117 were selected and Harshini, in the individual category.
The synopsis went through a scientific review committee in August 2003 and by October 2003 she was given the go-ahead to complete the project.
 All the participants were allotted separate stalls at the Intel Science Discovery Fair in
Hyderabad.
Harshini's work was in the environmental science category. The judges inspected the stalls without the students and then grilled them separately for about half-an-hour.
Harshini's project was self-explanatory, but she scored majorly in the way she was able to explain the principle at the interview. The judges mentioned in particular her confidence and clarity.
"She is used to putting forth her ideas clearly. She has been active in extra-curricular activities in school. In fact, she was the compere for sports day this academic year," explains her mother
Shagambari.
The prize included a medal, a
sash and a certificate.
Shagambari used to spend several idle hours for one-and-a half months outside the central Leather Research Institute lab in Chennai while her daughter conducted various experiments to complete her project before the competition.
 "The project has been conducted for four years and this is the first time a student from Chennai has been selected," added her father Ramachandran, who works for the
BPCL.
In fact, there was an additional honour for Tamil Nadu as a boy from Coimbatore was also selected for the international competition.
There will be 40 countries competing for the international prizes with 1,280
competitors. The competition, aimed at promoting interest in pure sciences also, will be held in Portland, Oregon, sometime in May this year.
Harshini has already been to Mumbai for special training to improve her already excellent presentation skills. There is no doubting the confidence of the young and chirpy girl while interacting with her.
Hobbies? She has been learning Carnatic music for about eight years now while her younger brother, Veda Vyas, who studies in class-II in National Public School, is mastering the violin.
Harshini has so far been doing all her project and correspondence with Intel from browsing centres. Since she top-scored at the Hyderabad competition she is now entitled to a Wipro computer.
Asked about the project, all that she is allowed to say is that it involves 'dates'.
Here's wishing Harshini many more laurels and hoping that such
competitions will revive an interest in pure sciences.
S Chitra
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