Bio ink fetches Puttur boys fame, fortune

Bio ink fetches Puttur boys fame, fortune

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 19: Pramoda N.V. and Bhargava C.S. of Shree Ramakrishna High School, Puttur, who worked on natural ink, have won an international recognition.

 

They have bagged the third place in the field of environmental management at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held in Los Angeles from May 8 to 13. The award got them $ 1,000 (Rs. 45,000) each. The project they presented at the competition was a method they say they have found to develop a natural, non-toxic ink from the fruits of Terminalia Chebula, a tree that grows in the Western Ghats.

Pramoda said: “It was an amazing experience. We never thought that we will get the prize. That was a thrilling moment.”

He said: “When the judges asked us questions, we would ask them to repeat the question and think them over before replying. They were easy to answer.”

Pramoda said that Shridhar Rai, his school principal, helped them a lot by sharing ideas and being concerned when they were away at the U.S. for the meet.

Back with ideas

He noted from his trip to Los Angeles that crossing the road in the U.S. was organised and pedestrian-friendly as they could stop vehicles to cross the road.

“There are no plastic bags or garbage in public places. I liked the visit to Hollywood and the scare rides there,” he said.

Bhargava said they had 5 to 10 minutes to explain to the judges about their project.

Over seven days, they had under one hour to see the other projects. He said that their project impressed the judges as the ink they had developed was eco-friendly.

He said after the visit he got to know that there were many other subjects in which they could do projects such as in engineering and computer science.

Both of them would be joining first year of Pre-University Course in Vivekananda College, Puttur, from June 6.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair finalists were evaluated onsite by hundreds of judges from nearly every scientific discipline. The Society for Science and the Public, a non-profit organisation dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, owns and has administered the International Science and Engineering Fair since its inception in 1950, it is said.