Chennai, 5th June 2019: Indian Institute of Technology Madras today (5th June 2019) hosted the Valedictory Function for the Decennial Year Summer Program of the Research Science Initiative – Chennai (RSIC), an initiative aimed at identifying, encouraging and nurturing scientific temper in Indian school children.
Modelled along the lines of Research Science Institute in McLean, U.S., this is a unique programme that has enabled more than 325 bright young children to interact with faculty in IIT Madras and partner institutions (SASTRA, CMI and IMSc) for six weeks as residents of IIT Madras and gain exposure to Science, Research and Development through lectures and research projects.
The RSIC Summer Programme is held jointly IIT Madras with Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Group of Schools, Chennai, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, and other educational institutes in Chennai. Many participants of this program have gone on to pursue research in science and engineering in India and abroad.
Addressing the valedictory of RSIC Decennial Year Summer Program, Prof Sandeep Sancheti, Vice-Chancellor, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, said, “I Congratulate the RSIC Scholars and the organizers for their excellent effort. Students should continue to nurture your their scientific temper that has been kindled during this 6-week camp.”
Prof Sandeep Sancheti also added that adolescence the students of Class 11 are at their right stage of life when their learning curve is at its zenith. He advised the students to ask curious questions as they are the source of new knowledge.
The Summer Programme is aimed at students who have completed Class XI in the summer of each year. They are provided free boarding and lodging in IIT Campus as well as a stipend. The aim is to channelize the interest, energy and enthusiasm of bright children in an appropriate direction with the help and guidance of experts.
Addressing the event, the Guest of Honour Ms. Sydney Skov, Vice Consul, US Consulate General, Chennai, said that She was happy and honoured to share the dias along with luminaries of science. She is a Fulbright Scholar and said that it was dance that brought her to India. She asked the students to be proud of themselves. She expressed her willingness to receive queries from students who are interested in pursuing higher education in us.
The RSIC is not only aimed at providing some of the best opportunities to nurture the talents of youngsters in scientific research but is also aimed at parents of the children for a better understanding of the practices of the best scientists and the prospects that good quality science and engineering research can offer to young minds.
Speaking about the importance of such initiatives, Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, who presided over the function, said that IIT Madras was delighted to be part of this unique program. He shared the details of one such unique program in Israel where retired professors mentored students during weekends and holidays to enhance the understanding of scientific knowledge.
Addressing the event, Mrs. Sheela Rajendra, Member, Governing Council, RSIC & Deputy Dean and Director, Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Group of Schools, Chennai, said, “RSIC is one small opportunity but yet highly impacting on the best of young minds of Chennai school students. It is a platform given to the bright and extremely creative minds to explore, learn and enjoy the beauty of interconnection among the subjects. We, at PSBB, believe in knowledge sharing and this camp provides adolescents the space and time to learn from their peers while working on research projects.”
The Guest of Honour Prof M.S. Ananth, Former Director, IIT Madras, said used the house of education as a metaphoric reference to unfold the significance of knowledge acquisition. He also highlighted that humility is a prerequisite for knowledge acquisition.
Dr. Mangala Sunder Krishnan, Head, Department of Chemistry, IIT Madras, and Chairman, RSIC, said, “The entire program is designed to provide an opportunity to each and every student selected, with the best training in research methods and to inculcate in him / her the spirit of scientific inquiry.”
IIT Madras is the Mentor Institution and encourages coordination between multiple higher education institutions (SASTRA, CMI, IMSc, Anna University as examples) to create a program that would challenge the young minds without the fear of examinations and assessments, but by inquiry.
The focus of Summer programme is primarily on the basic sciences, namely, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, as well as other interface and interdisciplinary areas based on, or bridging, these subjects and on occasion, spilling over into technology. The programme was meant to impress on young minds the essential unity of the sciences and the close links and inter-relationships between its different parts, it comprises
- lectures by faculty members and other distinguished scientists;
- a project by each student as a significant component;
- visits to laboratories and institutions of special interest;
- a series of extra-murals on a wide variety of fields and activities;
Each student is assigned a mentor for his or her project work. A project report written by the student is submitted at the end of the programme, and each student must make a short presentation based on his or her work
