He's a Jamshedpur schoolboy who's beaten IITians and postgraduate students hollow at a science contest in IIT-Guwahati and come back home richer by Rs 1 lakh.
Prashaant Ranganathan, a Class XI student from Carmel Junior College, Sonari in Jamshedpur, outdid 61 competitors, including those from the likes of IIT-BHU in Varanasi, IIT-Madras (Chennai), IIT-Delhi, Fergusson College, Pune, to win TechExpo organised by IIT-Guwahati as a part of its annual all-India science and cultural fest, Techniche.
Prashaant, among the top 20 innovators in the Google Science Fair last year for demonstrating how iron oxide enhances chlorophyll and speeds up photosynthesis in plants, won top slot at the IIT-Guwahati fest held between September 1 and 4 for his project.
TechExpo has been initiated by the IIT to showcase technological advancements and innovations made by Indian youth on a larger platform. And Prashaant, though only 17, fits the bill perfectly.
The young scientist, who conducted his iron oxide experiments on wheat and barley at his Sakchi-based Pipeline Flats home under the watchful eyes of his mother Vijaylaxmi to prove that germination rate, shoot growth and plant mass were enhanced by 50 per cent in wheat and up to 100 per cent in barley, received an invitation to present his paper on his findings.
"My aim is to develop high-yielding plants," Prashaant, among a handful of school students at the IIT fest, said.
How did it feel presenting and winning among IITians and PG science students?
"I haven't really thought about that but the fact that my idea was liked feels wonderful," he said. "There's plenty of iron in soil. But, plants can't absorb the metal much because of its low solubility. Feeding plants iron oxide nano particles can enhance the rate of absorption," said Prashaant, who father S. Ranganathan is a scientist with CSIR-NML.
Sudarshan Kamath, a student organiser of TechExpo, IIT-Guwahati, explained why Prashaant's project topped. "There were many criteria, including how far it is useful, if it can be commercialised, how innovative and original it is and how much work the participant has put in it," he said.
Prashaant may use his prize money on research, he says. Then, he lets on a secret. He also writes lyrics, he smiles.
