Chitkara University hosts AWIM National Olympics-2018 as Industry brings ‘A World in Motion’ to school children
For a first for any University in India, Chitkara University has been honoured with the privilege to host the SAEINDIA 11th AWIM National Olympics 2018, ‘A World in Motion’, for School Children, on December 22-23, 2018, at its Punjab Campus. A total of 37Schools which were selected through regional competitions in different cities under AWIM 2018, participated in the National Olympics this year.
Organised by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAEINDIA) – Northern India Section and Western Section, in association with Chitkara University, Mahindra & Mahindra, ARAI, Trim India, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, John Deere, Eaton and other industry partners, the event aimed to stimulate technical, creative and analytical instincts among School Children from 9 to 14 years of age, and is designed to develop their scientific temper by activity, as opposed to mere bookish knowledge.
‘A World in Motion’ is a teacher-administered, industry volunteer-assisted program that joins together teachers, students, and industry volunteers in an exploration of physical science while addressing essential Mathematics and Scientific concepts & skills. Industry volunteers play an essential role in motivating the next generation to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics by bringing their everyday experiences to ‘life’ for School Children. The event ‘A World in Motion’ encourages various skills related to design &organisation for children, and allows them to experience the thrill of pitting their fleet of “Skimmers” and “Jet-Toys” against each other in the spirit of competition.
Speaking about the event, Hon’ble Dr Madhu Chitkara, Vice-Chancellor, Chitkara University, said, “SAEINDIA’s ‘A World in Motion’ literacy-based program is helping school students build a solid foundation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) literate workforce, at the pre-professional education level. Chitkara University is honoured to be a part of this endeavour and contribute to the growth of the future generation.”
The event kicked off with a grand Inaugural Function accompanied by a Cultural Program on December 22, at the Chitkara University, Punjab Campus. Dr SK Das, Director, IIT Ropar, was the Chief Guest at the occasion.
On December 23, the day started with the National Olympics Briefing, followed by the distribution of ‘Jet Toy’ and ‘Skimmer’ kits to students. The chief guest for the day was Dr. Bala Bhardwaj, Managing Director, R & D, Boeing India. In all, around 320 students and teachers from 37 regions from India, actively participated in the track events (37 Jet Toy Teams and 28 Skimmer Teams) and made innovative ‘toys’ using their creative thinking skills, with special AWIM kits. The participating students worked as teams, applying scientific design concepts and exploring the principles of Physics such as Force, Momentum, Friction, Jet Propulsion, etc. to create moving vehicles like “Skimmer” and “Balloon-powered Jet-Toy Cars”. The ‘toys’ were judged on the basis of their performance in different tracks.
A glittering Valedictory Ceremony complemented with beautiful cultural performances brought the event to a close, on a high note. The National Winners for the event were Modern Education Society English Medium School, Nashik, in the ‘Jet Toy’ category; and Swami SwarupanandVidyamandir School, Ratnagiri, in the ‘Skimmer’ category.
AWIM is a contest where fun & challenge are the two main ingredients. This innovative, hands-on, physical science curriculum was designed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), USA. After USA, India is the second country to conduct the competition at the National Level for students. Many corporations across the industry have committed their resources to support AWIM. Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Mahindra & Mahindra, ARAI, Trim India, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, John Deere, Eaton, etc., in India, have backed the event in different cities of India and provided engineers who voluntarily mentored students and teachers. So far, across India, 1,00,000+ students and 1000+ teachers in 500+ schools have been trained including some of the Zila Parishad and Municipal schools as well as Orphan-based schools.
