Shillong: Young innovators took centre stage at the STEM Fusion: Workshop and Student Exhibition held at the State Convention Centre on Monday.
The exhibition, organised by the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR)—an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology—in collaboration with the Smart Village Movement (SVM) and IISER Pune, saw the participation of more than 400 students and 80 teachers from schools across Meghalaya.
The open-format exhibition encouraged students to unleash their creativity, tackle real-world challenges, and explore topics of curiosity. A total of 95 innovative projects were showcased.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, who attended as the Chief Guest, lauded the participants. “This initiative is a commendable effort to foster innovation and a healthy spirit of competition among students. We must create more opportunities for our students to explore and excel in science and technology. I would like to see mandatory visits to the NECTAR Lab so that every student gets exposure to innovation at an early age. Along with this, we must work towards setting up more STEM labs like NECTAR across the state,” he said.
Speaking about competitions, Sangma added, “Competitions play a vital role in inspiring students. We should host science and mathematics competitions, debates, and innovation challenges with meaningful prizes that encourage healthy competition. At the same time, a Science Innovation Programme at the district level can help identify and nurture young talent.”
The chief minister emphasised the need for collaboration among different stakeholders. “It is important to come together, connect the dots, and engage through programmes like this. I hope our young children take inspiration from these interactions, get excited about the future, and begin to see the possibilities that lie ahead. I sincerely thank NECTAR, the Education Department, and the Smart Village Movement for their support. I look forward to more such initiatives so that more students can access STEM labs and explore a wide range of activities,” he said.
Sangma also proposed a “Lab on Wheels” initiative to reach rural students, bringing science experiments and STEM learning directly to remote schools. He urged the Education Department to prepare a yearly calendar of events, including exhibitions, inter-district exchanges, debates, and environmental competitions.
“These platforms will give students exposure, build confidence, and prepare them for future opportunities. The government will be happy to support and fund such initiatives,” he assured.
Highlighting the importance of STEM education, Dr. Arun Kumar Sarma, Director General of NECTAR, said, “We encourage students to visit the STEM Lab and actively engage with STEM DIY activities, giving them hands-on opportunities to experiment, learn, and innovate.”
Sampath Kumar, IAS, Principal Secretary & Development Commissioner, Government of Meghalaya, noted, “Meghalaya has a large youth population, and the state can greatly benefit by leveraging this human capital for development. I would also like to highlight the Smart Village Movement’s Triple Helix Model, initiated in 2019, as a platform where innovations can be applied to solve local problems.”
The Project Lead (Education) of Smart Village Movement added, “The projects showcased today were truly innovative. Students have outdone themselves with projects addressing real-life challenges such as waste management, artificial intelligence, and smart farming. Their creativity and problem-solving approach are very encouraging for the future of our state.”
The exhibition featured projects across three categories—Grades 3–9, Grades 10–12, and Undergraduate/Postgraduate.
Exciting prizes were awarded, with Sangma announcing cash awards of ₹2 lakh for first prize winners, ₹1 lakh for second, and ₹50,000 for third place. Additionally, ₹10,000 was announced for participants of various projects.
In the Grades 3–9 category, Lady Keane Higher Secondary School won the first prize, Sharon Memorial School came second, and Army Public School (101 Area) bagged the third. Consolation prizes went to Kamala Nehru School, Sunny Dale School, and three teams from Army Public School.
In the Grades 10–12 category, BK Bajoria Higher Secondary School bagged the first, second, and third prizes. Consolation awards went to Seven Set Higher Secondary School, two students from NECTAR’s STEM Lab, Good Shepherd Higher Secondary School, and another team from BK Bajoria.
In the Undergraduate/Postgraduate category, St. Mary’s College took the first prize, while Synod College secured both second and third positions.
The one-day exhibition also included expert sessions by IISER Pune on STEM science activities, mathematics and logic games, and engineering and technology. Dr. S. Muthukumaran, Head of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at NIT Tiruchirappalli, conducted a hands-on session on a machine learning game. A drone awareness session was also held, while Shri Girish Nair, Founder of Curiosity Gym, shared insights on activities at NECTAR’s STEM Lab.
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