To commemorate the establishment day of Nepal’s first Science Campus, Amrit Science Campus, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) declared 1st Ashoj as National Science Day. To mark this day, different educational organizations related to science have been organizing various informational programs and events every year and Kathmandu University is not an exception to this. Kathmandu University, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, organized two intriguing virtual events, a National Level Webinar and an Art Competition to commemorate the National Science Day 2077 B.S. The aforementioned virtual events were organized as an alternative to live interaction events that have unfortunately been deemed unsafe due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
Art Competition
Kathmandu University Biotechnology Creatives (KUBiC) organized an online, open art competition with the theme ‘Bioscience: Through Your Eyes’ on the occasion of National Science Day 2077 B.S. from Bhadra 12 to Asoj 1.
The competition, which was an overwhelming success, proved itself as the perfect platform for artists in the various fields (in the field of science or many others) to showcase their creativity and talents and exhibit their perception of Bioscience and its various aspects. We received over 50 outstanding arts from students (Undergraduates, Graduates as well as high schoolers) with varying educational backgrounds all around the country as well as from India.
Bioscience: Through Your Eyes
The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has, without a doubt, made people more aware of biological sciences and its significance for a healthy and prosperous life. We decided on the theme, Bioscience: Through Your Eyes, to let people transform this awareness into expressive arts and additionally to exhibit how they perceive bioscience in the form of art. The theme incorporated a personal perspective on bioscience and its various aspects such as medicine, environment, biotechnology, flora and fauna, and recent breakthroughs in science and technologies. Effects, advantages, disadvantages, challenges, and changes bound to bioscience could also be incorporated into one’s art.
Judges
Mr. Sujan Chitrakar
- Associate Professor, Department of Arts and Design, KUSOA
- Fulbright fellow 2013-14/ MFA College of Arts, India
- Founding member of Sutra
- Organized Kathmandu International Art Festival and many more
Dr. Hitesh Kumar Bhattarai
- Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Kathmandu University
- Undergraduate Degree: Biochemistry and Economics, Swarthmore College, USA
- Ph.D.: Molecular Biology, Cornell University
Mr. Sahayak Karmacharya
- Professional Artist
- Undergraduate Degree: Lalitkala Campus
- 20+ years of experience in the field of arts
- Judged in several art competitions organized by Kavre Jaycees, Kavre Byapi, Kavre PABSON, Patanjali Yog Samiti, and others.
Judging criteria
Since the competition was online-based, the judging criteria were based on the online presence of the art (i.e. likes and shares) and votes from the judges. The former criteria of judgement contributed 25% while the latter contributed 75% for determining the winner of the competition.
- Likes and Shares = 25% [ Likes-1 mark and Share-3 marks]
- Vote from Judge = 75%