Thirty-two students from different parts of the country attended sessions at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) here as part of the YUva VIgyani KAryakram (YUVIKA) envisioned by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for Class IX students.
The VSSC was one of the five centres under the Department of Space selected for the sessions, which were attended by a total of 150 students selected from nearly one lakh applicants from across the country.
ISRO chairman S. Somanath inaugurated YUVIKA 2022 on May 16.
At the VSSC, the participants, who hailed from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa, Puducherry, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep, attended lectures on science and engineering with focus on space technology.
Residential event
Senior scientists of the VSSC, the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) led the sessions. During the programme, which was completely residential, the children interacted with former ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair and Chief Secretary V.P. Joy, a former ISRO hand.
The participants, 14 girls and 18 boys, also got an opportunity to tour the VSSC, IISU and the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST).
YUVIKA is aimed at instilling in the participants a thirst for pursuing careers in science and technology and giving them a glimpse of the Indian space programme, a VSSC spokesperson said.
YUVIKA 2022 will conclude on Saturday.
