ISRO YUVIKA 2019: Students Request more Participants be taken for Young Scientist Programme

ISRO YUVIKA 2019 list of shortlisted students has been announced by the Indian Space Research Organisation. As ISRO had committed earlier, 3 students from each state and union territory have been selected for the Young Scientist Programme or ‘YUva VIgyani KAryakram’ (YUVIKA 2019) stated to be held in the second week of May this year.

Although, a total of 105 students have been selected provisionally, thousands of other eager and enthusiastic students who had applied for YUVIKA 2019 and unfortunately were not selected seem to be disappointed. Several students and parents wrote to DataQuest on how ISRO should consider taking more participants for the Young Scientist Programme.

Some students even suggested that ISRO must conduct an exam for all students who apply, and then decide on the intake. “You can conduct exams for students who applied and then select about 100 members from each state. Selecting 3 members from each state is wrong,” says Sanapala Santosh Kumar echoing the thoughts of several other students.

“I don’t like this plan all students can’t participate in. Jai hind, Jai bharat. All of the best Winners,” says Krish Sood.

“We have already sent our kid’s details to your program. He has much interest on this program. Please check his data once. Your consideration gives him a bright future really. Thanking you for your kind concern,” says a hopeful parent to ISRO.

Some school students also feel that more students from the CBSE board should have been selected. “I am seeing that all the results and almost all the students are from government schools and not CBSE this is very disappointing,” says Kunthavi.

ISRO Chairman K Sivan has, however, has acknowledged the fact that based on the applications received for YUVIKA 2019, the response for the agency’s student outreach program was ‘immense’ and that they were considering conducting this initiative every year, as per media reports. Selected students would be able to visit ISRO labs as part of the two weeks program. If the timing is right, students could actually get to witness the live rocket launch, says Mr Sivan.

The Young Scientist Programme will be conducted for a duration of two weeks across four centres of ISRO namely URSC in Bangalore, VSSC, and Space Application Centre in Ahmadabad during the second half of May 2019. The schedule will include invited talks, experience sharing by the eminent scientists, facility and lab visits, exclusive sessions for discussions with experts, practical and feedback sessions, says ISRO on its website.

The selected candidates will be lodged at ISRO hostels and guest houses and other expenditure, which includes II AC fare by train for student and guardian or parent from the nearest railway station to the reporting centre and back, course material, lodging and boarding, will be borne by ISRO.