Bhaktapur – A two-day workshop titled “How Numeracy Solving Skills in Physics Help Us Innovate Solutions for Real-World Problems”, aimed at providing school-level students with fundamental knowledge of physics, concluded in Bhaktapur on Sunday.
The workshop was jointly organized by Kathmandu World School (KWS) in partnership with the Institute of Physics (IOP), Nepal Physical Society (NPS), Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences (KIAS), PABSON Surya Binayak, and Dynamic Education Gaththaghar.
Seventy students from grades 9 and 10 under Surya Binayak Municipality took part in the Dec. 13–14 sessions, which covered practical topics including pH meter use, air pollution measurement, microplastics, earthquake preparedness, traffic counting, road safety, sound-wave technology and landslide prevention. Following the training, participants presented their work in groups.
Experts highlighted that physics facilitates prediction, engineering, technology, and solutions to everyday problems such as traffic analysis, mobile GPS use, and food preparation. They stressed the importance of practical and research-oriented education.
At the closing ceremony, Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhungel, head of the Technology Faculty at the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), said the workshop had broadened students’ knowledge by helping them understand the principles of physics behind everyday tools. “A group of ninth graders demonstrated a model for earthquake risk reduction, setting an excellent example,” he noted.
Dhungel, citing figures including Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison and Elon Musk, urged students to sustain a lifelong interest in science. “We may be poor and our nation may lag behind others, but we must not fall behind in scientific thinking. With a physics-based perspective, life will not leave us behind,” he said.
Nepal Physical Society president Prof. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Bhattarai noted that physics has developed alongside astronomical observations since ancient times. “Today, physics has produced many new discoveries and useful tools for humanity,” he said.
He added that students excelling in the Physics Olympiad often pursue higher studies abroad, underscoring physics as a practical science.
Mr. Gaurav Sharma, head of Institution at Kathmandu World School, said science has been central to human life since its origin. “Even this speech is science—the microphone amplifying my voice is itself a product of physics,” he noted.
Workshop coordinator Rijendra Thapa said students were taught how numeracy problem solving skills in physics can be applied to real-world problems. He noted such programs are uncommon in Nepal and credited collaboration among several institutions for making the two-day event possible. Thapa added the workshop would reshape how students think about and understand physics.
The closing program was attended by PABSON Bagmati Province vice-president Sanuraja Karki, PABSON Bhaktapur president Rajan Kaspal, Khwopa Engineering College vice-principal Dr. Subek Bijukchhe, and Dynamic Education director Rama Karki, among others.
