The Da Vinci Mirror Project, a student's journey As soon as we learned about light and its properties in class, our teacher introduced us to the Da Vinci Mirror project. We were all super excited! The challenge was to create a device that allowed us to write on paper while looking at a mirror, just like Leonardo da Vinci, who wrote in reverse because he was left-handed. We started with just a shoebox and a mirror, and I thought it would be a simple task. Boy, was I wrong! When we got started, my friends and I dove right in, but we quickly ran into problems. First, we had to figure out how to position our mirrors so that our reflections would be clear enough for us to write legibly. It was really tricky to find the right angle! We spent a lot of time brainstorming and experimenting. At first, our designs didn’t work, and we had to rethink our approach several times. Even though we faced setbacks and had to redo parts of our projects, we didn’t give up. I realized that each time we tried again, we were learning something new. Our problem-solving skills grew stronger as we figured out what worked and what didn’t. We learned to embrace challenges, and it felt amazing when, after much effort, we finally crafted functional Da Vinci mirrors! From Mr. Stephen K Nebu, our teacher This project wasn’t just about understanding light; it taught the students a lot of valuable skills. Here are some of the key takeaways I noticed along the way: Scientific Understanding: We got to apply the concepts of light and reflection in a real-world context, which made learning so much more engaging. Creativity: Designing our mirrors encouraged us to think outside the box. We tried different angles and materials to see what would give us the best results. Resilience: Whenever we faced obstacles, we learned to keep going and view them as chances to improve rather than failures. It felt great to push through! Collaboration: Working together as a team helped us communicate better. We bounced ideas off each other and supported one another when things got tough. Ownership of Learning: Taking charge of our own projects made us more invested in what we were doing. I felt proud of what we accomplished and excited to tackle future challenges! Overall, the Da Vinci Mirror project was a huge success. It not only deepened our understanding of light but also helped us grow as creative thinkers and problem solvers. I can’t wait for our next scientific adventure!

Written on behalf of classmates and peers from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and Stanford University