Manipal, Karnataka, India: Five students of Manipal Institute of Technology, MAHE, Shibashis Guru, Abhilash AL, Gokul Valsan, Yugandhar Nighojkar and Sahil Gholap, all in the final year MSc Geology, participated in the Geoscientific Studies of Exclusive Economic Zone in Bay of Bengal onboard National flagship ORV Sagar Kanya recently.

The students contributed in the mapping of the Bay bed off Puri using Multi Beam Echo Sounder along with scientists led by Dr Twinkle Damodharan from the National Centre for Antarctica and Ocean Research (NCAOR) and others.

These students received onboard training on various oceanographic, geophysical and geological instruments, their operations and the data acquisition and processing software. The students spent 31 days on-board the scientific vessel travelling from Chennai to the survey area and then across Sri Lanka, returning to Kochi.

It was an adventurous voyage for the budding scientists, where they got to experience the real life encounters of an oceanographic research cruise. The entire on-board expenses of the students were borne by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. They are the first batch of MSc students from MAHE going on-board a government-owned scientific research vessel.