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Awakened minds ignite their creativity, curious hearts awaken the creative minds in STAI-2021

SALALAH –Science, Technology, And Innovation (STAI), the flagship STEM event under the aegis of the Board of Directors to Indian schools in Oman, kicked off its 2021 edition on Saturday, 18 September 2021, at the host school Indian School Salalah. Amidst the silence of the school premises and a mystical blue twilight, the lush green lawns of the Indian School Salalah celebrated the prodigious talents of the future scientists and the engineers who left an indelible impression in the minds of one and all who witnessed the STAI events on 25^th & 26^Th September 2021 virtually.

STAI 2021, a celebration of engineering and scientific insight, began with various science and technology events from 18 to 26 September 2021. The inauguration ceremony was held on 25 September 2021, with much grandeur. The programme concluded on 26 September 2021, in the presence of a galaxy of dignitaries in Oman.

Few of the event finals were broadcasted live on YouTube on 25 September 2021. Day two of the STAI events began with the Puppet Show, followed by the much-awaited Science and Maths Quiz, hosted by quizmaster Mr. Latheesh, whose enrapturing style added to the thrill of quizzing, where the top teams from various schools fought it out for the trophy. Indian School Salalah stood victorious in the battle of brains.

The afternoon session on 26 September began with the Comic Strip event, where recorded events were broadcast live. Students were expected to display their creativity in the form of comic strips, with a storyline expected to follow the theme. This event was followed by the Artificial Intelligence event, one of the most innovative competitions at the school level, where students were tasked with building an Artificial-Intelligence powered chatbot based on open-source chatbot designs.

The Valedictory function commenced at 6:15 pm with the National Anthems of Oman and India. Next up was a prayer song, seeking the blessings of the Almighty. Mr. Sanjeev Singh, the Vice President of the School Management Committee, Indian School Salalah, extended a warm welcome to the virtual gathering. He emphasized the need for a more sustainable attitude towards earth’s resources, highlighting how previous generations tended to hoard belongings, an unsustainable habit. A highlight reel showing the best of STAI 2021 followed next.

Mr. Syed Salman, Vice Chairman, Board of Directors to Indian Schools in Oman, was next to address the audience. “Success is not an accident, but an outcome of perseverance, hard work, and learning.” Mr. Salman was pleased to see the excitement for the event among students, and he appreciated the exposure GenX had received through STAI 2021.

The Chief Guest for the event, Eng. Ali Salim Omar Fadhil, while addressing expressed his joy at being given the opportunity to address the Indian community and be with the best school in Dhofar, i.e., Indian School Salalah. He congratulated the students for participating actively in STAI events.

The programme further continued with yet another virtual tour - The glimpses of Science Photography. The main aim of the photography was to encourage youngsters, explore science from the sunrays to the rainbow, from a bubble to the raindrops, from smoke to light, from flora to fauna.

The keynote speaker for the Valedictory Ceremony was Mr. Ravi Shankar, a distinguished engineer who has worked with the Department of Atomic Energy for over 35 years congratulated Indian School Salalah on completing 40 years of excellence and spoke about experimentation and curiosity. A member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mr. Shankar spoke about Nuclear Science, attempting to remove its stigma. He explained the functioning of Nuclear Fission, congratulated Oman on its foray into using Solar Power, and then highlighted some of the critical applications of Nuclear Technology that improve daily life from healthcare and agriculture to sewage treatment and food preservation. He went on to highlight the importance of a teacher, saying, “The teacher is the one who can mould a student.”

Mr. Deepak Patankar, Principal, Indian School Salalah, who led the school team from the front in the successful completion of the mega event delivered the Vote of Thanks. The STAI 2021 Coordinator Mr. Unnikrishnan, HOD Social Science Indian School Salalah, expressed his gratitude to all the members of the STAI team and the ISS family who worked for the successful culmination of STAI 2021.

In the prize distribution ceremony, the winners of the three live events were announced.

Spell Bee 

• Winner - Mast. Amritaatman Swarupam, Indian School Al-Wadi Al-Kabir
• Runner up – Mast. Aditya Verma Indian School Salalah

Science Debate

• Winners – Mast. Suprit Amadi and Mast. Harichandan Indian School Darsait

Science & Maths Quiz - 

• Winner -  Mast. Antariksh Singh, Indian School Salalah,
• First runner up– Mast. Lael Alva, Indian School Al-Wadi Al-Kabir
• Second runner up – Mast. Rohan Suchitran,  Indian School Sohar

All the other participants of all the events have been awarded Merit Certificates of Grades and participation certificates as per the mean score given in the rule book.

With the prize distribution ceremony, valedictory ceremony of STAI-2021 came to an end. Science knows no boundaries as knowledge belongs to humanity, the torch that illuminates the world. The spectacular evening concluded with a deep sense of satisfaction that the harbingers of the future shall lead the world from darkness to light with curious hearts and creative minds in unison.