My Science School

What does Seekh do?

Seekh is a student-led non-profit organization that connects less privileged students from any part of India with teachers for free tuition. Students register on the Seekh app with details such as their age, languages they know, now, subjects they want to learn, etc. Teachers and students can see details and connect with each other. They connect with the help of a phone number, and set up calls through video-calling platforms. Due to the pandemic, a lot of less privileged students have lost out on education. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who want to teach for free. I wanted to connect these two ends, and that is essentially what seekh does. With 100+ downloads, 90+ students and 50+ teachers covering more than 15 regions in India, the app is becoming popular. And all these couldn't have been done without the effort of the team.

The word 'technology has become a household term. What is your opinion about that?

Technology has its pros and cons. One of the things that technology has enabled is democratising knowledge. For example, if I have to gather information about absolutely anything today, I can do that with just the click of a button. Technology has helped us connect in a way where we can actually communicate and take things forward. For example, during the Spanish flu, without advanced technology small businesses died. In contrast, despite the current pandemic, we are able to communicate with each other, institutions have started functioning online, and our economy is improving. All of these wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the technological advancements in today's world. But on the other hand, due to technology, the personal connection with friends and family is going down. Technology has also enabled dangers such as cyber threats. Internet scams, etc.

Do you believe internships will help you in the future?

I think internships are very helpful because they give us a real-world exposure. But we shouldn't become an intern just to get a certificate or because it will look fancy on a resume. We should do it to learn something.

Do you think machine learning can and will bring in more changes in the future?

I got introduced sometime ago to the concept of machine learning, wherein an Al system can learn from data and predict outputs from them. I feel machine learning is making a difference in today's world. It has started transforming so many fields such as healthcare and transportation. I feel there are going to be many more applications of machine learning in the future.

Should schools introduce coding and programming as extra-curricular learning?

Steve Jobs once said. "Learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think." What programming does is it helps you develop a strong foundation in logic so that you can apply it anywhere.

What are your hobbies and interests?

I like music. I hang out with friends, play games and the list goes on. I play cricket with my brother.

Who do you look up to the most?

My biggest inspirations are my parents. They've instilled the right values in me and a sense of what I should be focussing on and not focussing on. And obviously, my teachers. If I had any questions, I would approach them, and they were so kind and responded to that. Even my friends for their honest criticism when something was not right. Apart from that, I feel Elon Musk is an inspiration for me today. How he can manage his time with all his businesses is something I am trying to learn. He has a vision to help humanity as a whole. If there is even the smallest way in which I contribute to humanity through Seekh, this initiative will be a success.

What are your future plans?

Machine learning is something that excites me. Using my machine learning algorithms to help humanity in some way - this is a one-sentence summary of what I would love to do. One of the things I want to build is Artificial General Intelligence. An Artificial Intelligence system is only as smart as the data it gets. A self-driving car does not treat or diagnose cancer, right? So we don't have a general-purpose Al. But humans on the other hand do so many activities that involve different types of intelligence. So if we can build an Al that can do any basic task. I think that would be the next step forward in machine learning and how we can take humanity forward.

Picture Credit : Google

Tell us about your journey of becoming an author and poet.

It all started when I found it difficult to write a poem for an assignment. Slowly, I got comfortable and even started to love writing poems. I have now written over 400 poems, I have published three books till now: ‘The Blooming of Flowers’, ‘Rainbow in the Sky’, and ‘Life of Lovely Lucida’.

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest book ‘Life of Lovely Lucida' is my take on how life must be led. It revolves around Lucida's childhood and how she turns into an eminent personality. The book is a fusion of poetry and prose. I am also working on my fourth book, which is based on saving nature for a better future. Through my environmental poetry, I aim to make the world a better place to live in.

How was the experience of publishing?

Publishing books require two, main aspects: consistency and motivation. Additional skills such as creativity and thinking out-of-the-box are also essential. The poems are written for creating awareness and bringing mindset change among people.

How do you manage your time among writing, school work, and your childhood?

Passion may drive a person to get any work done. I spend my nights pondering about my poems. After practice and writing numerous poems, it comes easily to me now.

What aspects do you think create a difference in the world?

I believe nature is our parent and we should treat it respectfully. Through my podcast The Extraordinary World on Earth I aim to spread environmental awareness. I have also written several articles on saving the Earth, and they have been published in various newspapers, magazines and on websites. My mission is to create a better world.

Of all the awards you have received, which are your favourites?

I was a winner at Cam Google 2020, where I got a chance to interact with the captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli The second great honour I received was when I was invited as a guest speaker at the Global Children's Literature Association 2021 conference, where I got an opportunity to share my poems with others. I also won the Maharashtra State-level Poetry Competition

What do you blog about?

In my blog I express my thoughts on diverse subjects such as fun, happiness, nature, etc.

What are your hobbies and interests?

Apart from writing, I also love dancing and coding. My most recent coding project was a personal diary.

What would you like to convey to other budding authors? What are your plans for the future?

Writing is a hobby that adds colour to my imagination and gives me the liberty to express my thoughts to this world. It instills confidence in me and enhances creativity. I envision myself as a scientific researcher and a renowned author too.

Picture Credit : Google

Greta Thunberg

With just a placard in hand, on August 20, 2018, a 15-year-old Swede skipped school to protest outside her country's Parliament demanding proactive measures to tackle climate crisis. In a matter of days, the number of protesters swelled, as students, teachers, and parents joined her. Presently, she marked Fridays for climate protest, and suggested students everywhere take up the "Fridays for Future" campaign by staging walkouts at their own schools. And that is how environmental activist Greta Thunberg made the entire world hear her out. An 18-year-old today, she has ensured that "Fridays For Future" has not just continued where it began but been embraced elsewhere too. In the last three years, she has been the global voice seeking climate change action, and inspired children and adults alike to speak up for the environmental issue. While urging individuals to do what's kind to the planet she has never shied away from pulling up global leaders for not doing enough for tackling climate change. Clearly, she leads by example. In 2019, to attend the U.N. Climate Summit in the U.S., she sailed for two weeks to reach her destination rather than take the easier option of flying, notorious for its excessive carbon impact. The youngest TIME person of the year (2019), with three consecutive nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize, Greta's Twitter profile says she has Aspergers, a neurological disorder.

As an environmental activist, concerns on the perils of climate change is not the only thing she's had to contend with. She's faced a lot of criticism and hate for questioning global leaders and their lack of will in tackling the environmental issue. The leaders include Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, and former U.S. President and climate change-denier Donald Trump. But gritty Greta is not the one to give up. Armed with awareness, intelligence, statistics, and wit, she has given back as good as she has got without losing her focus on what she has set out to do. With that, she is showing us again and again that she's more than just a concerned teenager asking irresponsible adults "How Dare You?"

Marley Dias

In an interview in 2017, Marley Dias said, "Frustration is fuel that can lead to the development of an innovative and useful idea". And that line sums up her initiative. As a 10-year-old in 2015, the avid reader discovered something strange. At home, she was used to seeing black girls and others of diverse origins featured in the books she read. However, at school, the children in the books were white, and invariably boys. A black girl herself residing in the U.S., this lack of diversity bothered her, and she decided it won't do. And, #1000BlackGirlBooks was born. She decided to gather (largely through donations) 1,000 books featuring black female protagonists, and send them to different places such as libraries and schools around the world. Word got around soon after all, we live in the age of social media and books started 3 reaching her, and how! Over the last six years, she has collected more than 13,000 books and has sent them to several people and places all over the world. According to her website, "Marley was recognized by TIME, as one of the 25 most influential teens in 2018". She has also been a speaker at several prestigious places and events, including the White House and at the United Nation's Girl Up programme.

Sixteen years old now, she has published her own book too. With "Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!", the teenager hopes to inspire readers through her story. As she said in the same interview, "Kids know that changing the world should not be something that feels imaginary, but something that you have the power to do today and always." Well, she certainly is inspiring, isn't she?

Abigail Lupi

Seven-year-old Abigail Lupi was thrilled that she was going to see her great-grandmother for her 100th birthday. The New Jersey-based child learned a few song-and-dance routines and performed them at the assisted-living centre where her great-grandmother lived. As delighted as she was that she could perform that day, the child also did not fail to notice something - several other elderly people living at the home did not have many visitors themselves but were highly enthusiastic and appreciative of the performance they had just watched. It was clear that people at such homes were happier with visitors, company, and some moments of fun and entertainment. This made the Abigail think. She soon founded CareGirlz, a volunteer group comprising girls aged six to 13. They would perform song-and-dance routines at nursing homes, assisted-living centres, and even children's hospitals in the U.S. State. The children have performed "over 20 shows with a repertoire of 90 different pop and broadway songs", according to their website. Abigail has been part of 23 of those shows. For CareGirlz and for her talent in singing and dance, she has won several awards.

While it is not clear if CareGirlz and Abigail continue to perform today, what is certain is they have touched many lives with their compassion and sensitivity. "We have been able to bring smiles to over 1000 people!" says CareGirlz website. Just out of teens, Abigail today uses the pronouns they/them for describing self. As a person who has touched so many lives, the use of this pronoun is certain to inspire several others to be inclusive and also embrace their own identity.

Dara McAnulty

His first book "Diary of a Young Naturalist' was published last year, and with that Dara McAnulty, who was 15 years old then, became the youngest ever winner of the RSPB Medal (awarded annually by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). He received the Wainwright Prize for UK nature writing in 2020 after being the youngest author to be shortlisted for the award. He is also the youngest author to be long-listed for the 2020 Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction.

The 16-year-old naturalist from Northern Ireland was diagnosed as having autism when he was five. In his website he writes that as a person with autism, he struggled with noise and socialising, among others. When they moved from a noisy place to another that offered plenty of spaces "alive with wildlife", his life changed. The transition neither happened overnight nor was it easy, but it did happen. He found himself relaxing more. After creating his own blog, joining Twitter and interacting with many like-minded people there, he did not feel "so isolated".

The book tells his story from his 14th birthday to 15th, about how it was a difficult time because that's when the move happened. But it also narrates how he managed to do it. In essence, the book is not just an inspiration to young lovers of nature and wildlife, but is also a spark of hope and encouragement for those with autism that they "can achieve things". His next book "Wild Child" is out. And, is unlikely to be his last, since he said in an interview, "I foresee many books, whether published or not, in the future. At least I hope so!" And that's what we hope too.

Picture Credit : Google