Media Release
Mangaluru, Nov 14: What does an electric field actually look like? How does a drone stay in the air? How does a bacterium learn to survive an antibiotic? At Centre for Advanced Learning (CFAL), questions like these are where science begins, and the answers are rarely found in a textbook alone.
At CFAL, science is learned by doing. Students observe before they explain, build before they memorise and test an idea before they accept it. A concept in physics becomes clearer when it is held in the hand, and an experiment that goes wrong often teaches more than an answer copied from a page.
Behind this approach is a simple belief: curiosity is the most reliable teacher. When students are given room to wonder, tinker and ask "what if?” learning starts to feel like discovery. That excitement is what CFAL's teaching and learning philosophy aims to instill in every student.
Makers' Fete: The Same Curiosity, Open to Everyone
Makers' Fete, CFAL's annual festival of creativity and discovery, extends this way of learning to the wider student community and to every science and technology enthusiast, maker and tinkerer. The eighth edition will be held on November 15, at the CFAL Campus, Akashbhavan, Mangaluru, with exhibits made collaboratively by students alongside their teachers.
Science, Art and Enterprise, Led by Students
Throughout the year, CFAL students have worked with their teachers, and in some cases alongside their parents, to turn their ideas into working models, experiments and creative exhibits. At Makers’ Fete, they will showcase these projects, sharing not just what they have built, but also the questions, challenges and discoveries that shaped their work. Students have also taken the initiative to organise and conduct competitions for fellow participants, making the festival a celebration of learning, creativity and collaboration, led by the students themselves.
This year, the festival will also celebrate the artistic talents of students through musical and cultural performances, paintings, sculptures and other creative works. Students will set up their own stalls to showcase and sell items they have made at home, bringing a spirit of entrepreneurship to the festival. Together, these activities make Makers’ Fete a celebration of science, art, creativity and enterprise.
Science on Display, Curiosity in Action
Adding to the student-led programme, NITK Surathkal’s SOLVE and Azim Premji University will bring hands-on science from the university world to the fete.
• NITK Surathkal's SOLVE: Engineering Laboratories Without Walls
A dedicated classroom will introduce students to SOLVE, an interdisciplinary research and educational initiative hosted by the Centre for System Design at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal. Supported by the Ministry of Education's Virtual Labs initiative, SOLVE develops remotely operated experiments and interactive simulations that make engineering laboratories accessible beyond university campuses. Unlike conventional simulations, its remote-triggered laboratories let students operate actual physical equipment over the internet and observe results through live data.
Students will explore mechanical vibrations, electronics, sensors, control systems and engineering simulations, and encounter drones, electronic prototypes and student-built projects that show how physics, mathematics and computing are applied in real-world technologies.
• Azim Premji University: Making Complex Science Simple
The fete also highlights the hands-on science outreach of Azim Premji University, whose Science in Action programme previously brought nine faculty members to CFAL to engage more than 300 high school students and teachers. At Makers' Fete, the university will present demonstrations across four areas:
• Biology: DNA isolation and DNA electrophoresis, a look at how normal and abnormal nuclei appear under a microscope, and a chance to visualise one’s own skin microflora.
• Psychology: ‘Eyes, Mind, and Movement: Put Your Brain to the Test!’, a mirror-tracking game, the Eye-Dino game, a speed-accuracy trade-off experiment with EMG, a ‘Detect the Change’ challenge and visual illusions that show how the mind can trick one.
• Physics: Experiments on refractive index gradients and on the diffraction patterns formed in soap films.
• Teacher education: ‘Oota to Aushadi’, a sequence of experiments.
Robots, Drones and Aircraft: Engineering in Action
The Makerspace and Robotics Club at CFAL, an interdisciplinary student club that encourages hands-on learning in robotics and engineering, will showcase a range of projects designed and built by its students. Visitors can explore a hand-gesture-controlled robot, a line-following robot, a maze-solving robot, a two-degree-of-freedom (2 DOF) robotic arm, a mecanum-wheel robot capable of moving in multiple directions, and robots designed for mini soccer. The exhibition will also feature drones and aircraft models, offering a glimpse into the principles of flight and engineering. These projects reflect the students' journey from understanding scientific concepts to designing, building, programming and testing their own creations, learning as much from the challenges they encounter as from the machines they successfully build.
Contests and Activities for Every Maker
Around the exhibits, four core contests invite participants to build, innovate, explain and compete:
• Maker Challenge: Design, build and demonstrate an original project.
• Innovation Challenge: Propose a practical solution to a real-world problem; shortlisted teams showcase working innovations.
• Breakthrough Challenge: Make a complex science or mathematics idea simple and memorable.
• Bot Soccer: Build, control and compete with robots in an arena challenge.
There is much more besides, from Egg Drop, Rubik's Cube, Byte Wars and Battle of Bands to Origami, RC Car Racing, Light Painting, Galileo's Gallery, Chem Mystery, Astro Club Demos, food stalls and many more interesting activities.
Plan a Visit
• Date: November 15
• Time: 10 am onwards
• Venue: CFAL Campus, Akashbhavan, Kavoor, Mangaluru, Karnataka 575015
• Eligibility: Open to students, schools, colleges and young professionals
• Registration: Via the QR code on the official poster or through the Makers' Fete website (https://cfalindia.com/makers-fete/)
About CFAL
Centre for Advanced Learning (CFAL) builds strong foundations in mathematics and science and prepares students for premier national examinations, including JEE, NEET and Olympiads, as well as entrance exams for institutes such as ISI, CMI and IISER. The institution is built around a culture of curiosity, discipline and science learning.
For more information, contact:
CFAL India, Mangaluru
+91 99005 20233
office@cfalindia.com
www.cfalindia.com