Jharkhand student to take part in ISRO programme for young scientists

RAMGARH: A class 10 student hailing from a rural area in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district will be a part of a team of 150 junior scientists selected from across the country for a two-week-long programme organised by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Under the Yuva Vigyanik Karyakram (Young Scientists' Programme 2022), the students will be imparted basic knowledge about space science, technology and applications during the programme from May 16-28 to make them aware of emerging trends in science and technology. They would visit laboratories, attend talks by eminent scientists, and witness experimental demonstrations at various ISRO centres, including Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

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Rishika Agarwal (15), a student of CBSE-affiliated O P Jindal School in Patratu and among the 150 young scientists selected for the programme through a national test, said, "This would be my best summer vacation ever. It would help me realise my dream of becoming a space scientist." Her school principal Sweta Malani said it was a proud moment for the institution.

ISRO's "YUva VIgyani KAryakram" (YUVIKA) or "Young Scientist Programme" is aimed at creating awareness about the emerging trends in science and technology amongst the youngsters, who are the "future building blocks of our nation", according to the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency. "The programme aims to select 150 students across the country, who are studying in Class IX as on March 1, 2022 in a school located within the territory of India," the ISRO said in the announcement.

ISRO's YUVIKA programme

ISRO said it has chalked out the programme to "catch them young". The programme is also expected to encourage more students to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) based careers and research work, it said.

The YUVIKA-2022 residential programme will run for two weeks from May 16 to May 28. The schedule will include talks, experience-sharing by eminent scientists, experimental demonstration, facility and lab visits, exclusive sessions for discussions with experts, practical and feedback sessions.

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The selection of participants has been done on the basis of a few parameters, including marks obtained in Class 8 examination, and participation in science fairs (school/district/state and above level) organised by the school/district/ state/Central government authority in the last three years.

The programme is planned to be held at five ISRO centres -- Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram; U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru; Space Application Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad; National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad and North-East Space Application Centre (NE-SAC), Shillong.