Texas Instruments (TI) India today announced the winners of a state-level science and technology quiz for grades 6 and 7, aimed at cultivating interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects among government school students in Karnataka. Named Vaakovaakyam, this fourth edition of the quiz saw participation from more than 42,000 students from 700 schools. GHPS Bommanahalli, Bangalore rural district, won the competition, followed by GMPS BEO Yelahanka, Bangalore North district, and Adarsh Vidyalaya Shapura, Yadgiri district, in second and third positions, respectively, out of 14 schools that qualified for the finals.
“At TI, we recognize the value of access to education in building strong communities and equipping the workforce of tomorrow,” said Santhosh Kumar, managing director and president, Texas Instruments India. “Effective STEM programs such as Vaakovaakyam serve to supplement science classroom learning and allow students to explore the world of science and technology. In addition, STEM programs can help students develop their curiosity, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving skills,” he added.
Introducing basic STEM concepts at an early age fosters creativity, nurtures innovation, and equips students with the background knowledge to pursue higher education in these and other domains. TI India’s science and technology quiz, in association with Agastya International Foundation, aims to spark interest in STEM subjects and provide a fun and competitive avenue for learning in this field.
TI India has been spearheading STEM education initiatives across grade levels for over 15 years, regularly updating them to keep up with the changing needs of science education. These STEM initiatives include the TI Master of Science (MS) Analog Program with IIT Madras; TI STEM resources, which is a collection of free STEM and coding activities for teachers and students; the Women in Semiconductor Hardware (WiSH) internship; and other programs in partnership with engineering colleges across India. In addition to the company’s sponsorship, TI employees actively volunteer to help coordinate these programs and engage with participating students.
The winning students received educational scholarships of INR 27,000, INR 21,000, and INR 15,000 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively. The guiding teachers received ‘Make your own lab’ (MYOL) kits, and 5 days of training at Agastya Foundation’s campus in Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh to enable them to make low-cost and simple models that can help explain science concepts to their students. The winning schools also received science kits worth INR 50,000, INR 40,000, and INR 30,000 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place respectively, and smart televisions for STEM education training.
