Foundation holds 2-day activity in Marikina for young techno geeks

PNA Photo

MANILA — A two-day activity aimed at promoting students’ interest on space science and physics has been introduced by the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology (PFST) through a bottle rocket launching activity for elementary and high school students.

The educational event called “Assemble & Launch” had its first part of activities Friday at the Philippine Science Centrum, Riverbanks Center in Marikina City.

Several participants coming from different schools attended the educational activity. They are divided into teams composed of two members each.

Assemble & Launch is also a competition wherein participants are classified into two categories: Children aged 10 to 12; and teenagers aged 13 to 16. This year, 11 pairs from different schools joined the Children category while 22 pairs of students participated in the Teenagers category.

The activity challenges the participants to create, assemble and ‘fly’ their own PET or plastic bottles which they will launch and shoot Saturday morning at the RDC Amphitheater. The bottle rocket will be shot to a specific target 50 meters away from the launching area. The three rockets that will land nearest the designated target will win.

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placers in the Children category will receive Php4,000, Php3,000, and Php2,000, respectively. In the Teenagers category, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placers will receive Php5,000, Php3,000, and Php2,000, respectively.

A lecture-presentation on space exploration and advancements, water rocket workshop for the assembly of rockets, and test flights took place Friday afternoon to gear the students for Saturday’s highlight events.

In an interview, PFST Executive Director May Pagsinohin encouraged the youth and schools to participate in educational activities which do not only contribute to the stock knowledge of students but also provide a rare experience to both students and teachers.

“It’s really educational and it will add to their stock knowledge because what you get here from the workshop cannot just be acquired inside the classroom. Here is where the students can experience making and launching a (simulated) rocket. At first, we thought it can only happen in NASA, but then we realized it can also happen in activities like this. It’s really a one-of-a-kind experience for the student to be part of these type of activites,” Pagsinohin said.

The PFST was established in 1984 by a group of private individuals in response to the government’s call for private sector support in creating an environment of science conscious and literate populace, especially among the youth sector.