Rotary Club Hosts Einstein Science Challenge for Students in Rivers

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt 

The Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA has splashed the sum of N1 million and 10 tablets to finalists of the Einstein Science Challenge Season 14 for secondary schools in Rivers State 

While the first, second and third position winners in the challenge received N500,000:00, N300,000: 00 and N200,000:00 respectively, all the 10 finalists went home with brand new tablets.

Speaking at the event, Secretary of Rotary District 9142, Kelechi Eze, commended the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA for sustaining the challenge for the past 14 years.

“We commend Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA for successful hosting of the challenge. It is not always easy to start something and sustain it. So, we thank you for sustaining this,” Eze said.

Also speaking at the event, the district governor-elect, Dr. Anthony Olikagu, expressed happiness with the number of female students that participated in the competition, saying that science and technology are no longer exclusive preserve for men.

“Science and technology is no longer exclusive preserve for men. I am happy that the female students who are participating are doing well too. I know it wasn’t an easy task and for you to get to this level, you must have done well. For you to get to this stage, you must consider yourselves to be winners. 

“Einstein Science Challenge Season 14  actually speaks for itself. It means that this club has maintained this tradition for the last 14 years. It is a good project that you have done here in Rivers State. You know what the club is doing, it is moulding future leaders, the club is moulding inventors,” Olikagu said.

He added, “This is Rotary Club of Port Harcourt initiative that’s run for 30 years. And they are doing this to improve the community. And of course, for us to scale it, we need the presence of other partners and the government too.”

Earlier in his welcome remarks, President of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA, Dr. Patterson Ogon, said the club initiated the challenge to encourage young minds in their natural state to begin to look at options that are available, which people may have not thought about.

Ogon said, “A thing we thought was necessary was to look at the young minds that we have. People think in different ways. How do we encourage those minds in their natural state to begin to look at options that are available and we have probably not thought about. 

“So, today, we have 10 finalists in the Season 14 of the competition. We started with 252 until we got to this level. Through series of tests, we cut it down to 121. After another series of tests and engagements, the number came down to 50 and later came down to 10.

“So, basically, it’s trying to look at how young scientists, people with innovative minds, can look at the multiple problems that we have in society, from waste disposal to electricity to water and all of that, and then come up with options, valuable options that are sustainable, that are eco-friendly, that can, to a great extent, minimise the extent of damage that we have within the environment,” Ogon added.