LAHORE: A two-day science festival for school children kicked off on Thursday at University of Agriculture’s expo centre to ignite a spark for science and discovery among students in the region and also to promote better quality of learning available in government schools. The festival was organised by the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industries, District Education Authority, Roshan Kinara and Pakistan Alliance for Mathematics & Science. The festival was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner Salman Ghani, Mayor Abdul Razzaq, District Chairman Zahid Nazir, and District Education Authority Chief Eexcutive Officer Rana Shabir. The festival attracted a massive attendance of over 6,000 students from nearly 200 government and private schools. Teachers, entrepreneurs, science specialists and government officials attended the festival where students exhibited more than 255 science models displaying their passion for science and technology and introduced innovative concepts to the visitors. The festival witnessed an exceptionally large participation of girls’ schools which was a source of optimism for the organisers in growth of STEM fields by women. Interactive displays and live experiments, some of which involved robotics, sensors for disabled children, smart lighting control systems, fabric defect detectors, nutrient detectors, security doors and soap bubble generators were conducted by the students. A group of students from a private school created a mini-drone that could carry medicines and aid packages to a person in need over a range of a few kilometres. Their wish was for hospitals and care providers to adopt the technology in medical emergencies in Pakistan. Students from National Textile University, Faisalabad displayed their fashion and lifestyle products that they had created from recycled waste and encouraged visitors to adopt a greener lifestyle. Eight science organisations from across Pakistan including Sabaq, AZ Corp, Science Fuse, Pakistan Science Foundation, Khwarizmi Science Society, Stem Visions, Learn-O-Bots and Lahore Astronomy Society also participated in the festival. While speaking on the occasion, Faisalabad Mayor Abdul Razzaq said that nations have used maths and science to empower their citizens with higher incomes and to help grow their economies. The science fair is open to public, free of charge and will conclude today (Friday). Published in Daily Times, May 4th 2018.