ABOUT NDSC

The institutional culture of nurturing scientific temperament outside the traditional classroom at Notre Dame College dates back to 1953, under the visionary guidance of Rev. Fr. Richard William Timm, C.S.C. He actively orchestrated co-curricular scientific initiatives for enthusiastic students in the newly constructed science laboratories of the Motijheel campus. These activities officially materialized on September 18, 1955, with the formal inauguration of “The Science Club” — breaking ground as the first non-institutional, student-centric club movement for science propagation in the region. Guided by Fr. Timm as founding director, 19 pioneering students embarked on a historic journey to demystify science, making it accessible, experimental, and deeply engaging.

By the turn of the 1960s, NDSC redefined science education in East Pakistan by introducing the concept of the Annual Science Fair at the college level — a first for the entire region. These exhibitions served as vital interactive platforms where students presented indigenous innovations, models, and research projects. As the decade progressed, these fairs expanded from internal displays to multi-institutional festivals, profoundly impacting the youth of Dhaka. Despite escalating socio-political unrest, the club's publications and seminars continuously bridged the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical engineering, cementing NDSC's reputation as a vanguard of public science.

The 1970s brought immense challenges — the devastating cyclone of November 1970 and the bloody Liberation War of 1971. Under the leadership of College Principal Fr. Richard Timm and later Fr. Julian Bat, the club shifted its focus toward critical humanitarian relief operations, providing essential medical aids and rehabilitation materials to war-ravaged communities. In the wake of an independent Bangladesh, the club underwent structural modernization. In June 1972, under the stewardship of the 6th Director, Mr. Tamal Kanti Dutt, the club's constitution was radically amended to formally allow female students from the college's science department to participate actively. In 1973, NDSC proudly secured top accolades at the historic 1st National Science Fair of independent Bangladesh. By 1978, the club's celebrated annual journal, Cosmos, launched television interviews and public science broadcasts, bringing science directly into living rooms across the nation through Bangladesh Television (BTV).

The 1980s heralded a decade of unprecedented competitive dominance and technical innovation. Under the guidance of Directors like Mr. Amar Chand Das Talukdar and Mr. Amulya Krishna Banik, NDSC members developed pioneering tech projects. In January 1984, the club engineered an indigenous electronic scoreboard, winning 1st prize at the National Science Exhibition. In 1987, the club developed an exceptionally low-cost offset printing technique, clinching top honors at the 10th National Science and Technology Week. NDSC also secured 5th place globally for inventing a low-cost steam-powered water pump optimized for rural irrigation. The decade concluded with Club President Imran Zulkarnain being nominated by the Government of Japan for an elite research internship following his exceptional invention of a cost-effective Geiger-Müller Survey Meter model.

In the 1990s, the club scaled up its organizational capabilities. On December 20, 1990, the club organized the historic first-ever Inter-College General Knowledge and Science Competition in Dhaka. Celebrating its 36th anniversary in 1992, the club organized a grand reunion graced by the Planning Minister and former NDSC member, Dr. Moyeen Khan. This period saw the introduction of the massive wall-magazine Mohona and high-caliber national educational tours spanning Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Kaptai, and Teknaf. NDSC's projects were chosen as primary exhibits representing college-level innovation at the National UNESCO Week (1994). In 1997, the club swept the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 17th National Science Weeks as absolute champion. A monumental physical milestone was achieved in 1998, when a permanent, state-of-the-art modern office suite was inaugurated on the 5th floor of the newly constructed six-story college building.

With the dawn of the new millennium, NDSC dynamically transitioned into the digital age. In 2003, the club launched its official website (www.ndscbd.org) and premiered the country's first digital student science magazine, Ablaze. The Golden Jubilee (50th Anniversary) was celebrated with monumental scale in 2005, including the 3rd National ICT Fair drawing participation from over 19 institutions chaired by Dr. Mohammad Kaykobad. International glory followed in 2006 when a 10-member NDSC delegation competed against teams from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, and Sri Lanka at the International Science Festival in Lucknow, India, securing an illustrious 2nd place overall. In 2007, NDSC placed 8th globally out of 128 competing international teams at the ISSF.

Entering the 2010s, NDSC consistently dominated national science olympiads. At the 20th National GK Festival, NDSC swept championships across Astronomy, General Knowledge, Biology, and Math Olympiads. In 2012, the club continued its dominance at the BCSIR Science Fair, winning 1st & 3rd prizes in Physical Sciences and 1st prize in Information Technology. The 60th Anniversary (Diamond Jubilee) in 2015 was marked by the publication of a definitive historical legacy magazine. Through the mid-2010s to the historic benchmark of 2025/2026, Notre Dame Science Club reached its monumental 70th Anniversary — the Platinum Jubilee. Today, it stands not just as a college club, but as an institution that has systematically defined the landscape of scientific education, secular thought, and technological innovation in Bangladesh for seven glorious decades.