“Science Should be Fun”

“Can a balloon float without using hydrogen and helium?”

“Let’s cleanse the polluted Oncheon River.”

Students generated ideas in the auditorium, classrooms, and laboratories of the Korea Science Academy in Danggam-3-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan on November 7.

Attended by 428 students, the school’s “Science Academy Festival” was different from the festivals of other schools.

Air balloons made by the students drifted in the air, while polluted water became clean.

A fake monkey falling vertically was also shot at with a bullet moving horizontally at the same height.

Participated by 64 students, with four to a team, the math contest in the auditorium was utter chaos.

Students ran amok in various positions and forms such as squatting, lying face down, and lying face up, typing diligently on a computer or wearing slippers.

But their attitudes seemed focused as they set out on their task of finding the principle behind the “Othello” game without interruption. The festival was conducted with six topics – physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, information science, and math – in which teams (four or five per team) researched a given task. The chemistry team made a water filter, the earth science team created an air balloon, and the physics team shot at a fake monkey. Students prepared and produced the activities and combined both play and study in the festival. After the three-day science and math contest and liberal arts academic presentations, the play-oriented festival conducted by a variety of hobby clubs will be held from November 9 to 11.

Students play or watch computer games, perform samulnori, magic shows, a cappella music, hip-hop performances, and play robot soccer to relieve the stress accumulated from dorm life and studies.

People living in the apartments in the area and kids their age are also invited to the festival.

Principal Jung Chun-su said, “The teachers and faculty can advise, but everything is done by the students themselves,” and added, “The purpose of the school is to cultivate students who will continue to study what they want and leave a mark in the world without requiring them to go to college.”

silent@donga.com