The Young Scientist Programme, also called Yuva Vigyani Karyakram (YUVIKA), has benefitted a complete of 1,320 college students to date, reflecting the rising enthusiasm amongst younger learners for space-related disciplines, Union Minister Jitendra Singh mentioned in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
What is YUVIKA?
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is organising the ‘Young Scientist Programme’ or ‘YUva VIgyani KAryakram’ (YUVIKA) to impart fundamental data on house expertise, house science and house purposes to Class 9 college students.
• The programme, first introduced in 2019, contains particular provisions to make sure wider entry.
• YUVIKA is carried out as a one-month residential programme throughout summer season holidays, the place chosen college students bear hands-on coaching at premier ISRO centres, work together with scientists, and acquire publicity to cutting-edge house applied sciences.
• Currently, the programme is carried out at seven main centres, together with Satish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota), Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (Thiruvananthapuram), and Space Applications Centre (Ahmedabad), amongst others.
• Two further centres at Mahendra Giri (Tamil Nadu) and Jodhpur (Rajasthan) are being added to additional develop capability.
• The programme is aimed toward creating consciousness concerning the rising traits in science and expertise amongst the kids
• The programme is additionally anticipated to encourage extra college students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based mostly analysis/profession.
• It has been structured to make sure democratic and equitable participation, with 10 college students chosen from every state and eight from every Union Territory yearly, thereby sustaining balanced regional illustration.
• The choice standards incorporate particular weightage for rural college students, together with 15 per cent desire for college students from panchayat-level colleges.
• The choice course of is complete, contemplating quiz efficiency, participation in science gala’s, Olympiads, and extracurricular actions equivalent to NSS and Scouts, guaranteeing a holistic analysis of scholars.
• As many as 1,320 college students have benefited from the programme to date, throughout 5 editions.
• The closing choice is carried out after due verification of credentials, guaranteeing a good and merit-based course of.
• Initiatives like YUVIKA are aligned with the broader imaginative and prescient of constructing a scientifically empowered India and strengthening the nation’s capabilities within the house sector via early expertise identification and nurturing.