Science Soars with Robot NAO: National Festival Begins at St. Joseph

The national round of the Science Festival commenced at St. Joseph Higher Secondary School in Dhaka with the hoisting of the national flag, rendition of the national anthem, and the release of colorful balloons. The opening ceremony on Friday morning was inaugurated by the humanoid robot NAO, which extended its greetings and best wishes for the festival.

Present at the inaugural ceremony were Brother Leo James Pereira, Principal of St. Joseph Higher Secondary School; Humayun Kabir, Executive Vice President and Head of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Department of bKash Limited; Professor Mohammad Kaykobad of BRAC University; novelist Anisul Hoque; and science enthusiast Abdul Qayyum.

More than 70 schools participated in the national round, with regional champions from classes six to ten competing in project exhibitions, quizzes, Rubik’s Cube contests, and Sudoku competitions. In the project exhibition, students from classes six to ten competed in a single category. The quiz segment was divided into two categories — the lower secondary category for students from classes six to eight, and the secondary category for students from classes nine to ten, including those appearing for the SSC examination in 2025.

Between the competitions and exhibitions, the festival also featured science talks. Before noon, Professor Arshad Momen, coach of the Bangladesh Physics Olympiad team and faculty member at the Department of Physical Sciences, Independent University, Bangladesh, discussed “Relativity and Einstein’s Universe” in simple terms as part of the “Science Unplugged” segment.

Following that, Professor Lafifa Jamal from the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Dhaka, delivered an engaging talk on “Will Robots Take Over the World?”