New Delhi: The second batch of the STEM Mentorship Program, which IIT Delhi launched in February 2023, saw 32 high school girls complete it successfully. The Office of Academic Outreach and New Initiatives at the Institute held a felicitation ceremony for the student participants on November 30, 2023, to recognize their dedication. On this occasion, Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi, also interacted with them.

The second batch of the program, launched to mark the 8th International Day for Women and Girls in Science, was held in two phases. In the first phase, held over the weekends in March and April, the selected students from schools in Delhi-NCR were given exposure to IIT Delhi facilities, where they visited different research facilities.

In the second phase, a STEM workshop that was held in May for a week, the participants were provided expert knowledge by IIT Delhi faculty members and research scholars from various academic units on different emerging areas. In this phase, the participants also got hands-on experience in various labs.

While speaking about the second batch of the STEM Mentorship Program, Prof. Subodh V. Sharma, Associate Dean, Academic Outreach and New Initiatives, IIT Delhi, said, “The STEM Mentorship Program for high school girls underscores our commitment to empowering young female minds in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The program has made substantial progress, with around 20 impressive lectures delivered between the years 2021 and 2023”.

Describing her mentorship program experience, one of the student participants, Ms. Serena, Modern School, said, “The STEM Mentorship Program helped me gain knowledge about diverse science subjects. I learned about the workings of the drones and their composition. As a science student, I was able to explore the world of science, which has certainly motivated me to think of core science as a career option”.

Ms. Nadia, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Schools of Specialised Excellence, said, “It was a great experience with the professors at IIT Delhi. I developed an interest in cryptography, network security, and information security. I saw how mock eggs are developed with the use of plant sources, which fascinated me more than any other workshop”.

Ms. Akanksha, Kendriya Vidyalaya, said, “During the mentorship program, I learned about how maths, physics, and chemistry can be more interesting than our imagination. I witnessed IIT Delhi students working to develop solutions to daily life problems. I wish more and more girls would join the science stream and contribute to the country's development”.

The inaugural STEM Mentorship Program was launched in December 2021, and the first batch of 10 school girls successfully completed it in June 2022.

The Office of Academic Outreach and New Initiatives is actively engaged in a multitude of educational outreach initiatives targeting school students, colleges, teachers, and the larger community. Along with the STEM Mentorship Program, there are a few other prominent initiatives, like the Sci-Tech Spins (STS) Lecture Series and the Change Makers Summer Boot Camp, catering exclusively to high school students.

The STS Lecture Series has witnessed the delivery of a total of 18 lectures on different topics from September 2021 through November 2023.

On November 30, the Institute also honoured the dedication and contributions of the faculty who were involved in various academic outreach activities launched by the Institute as coordinators and speakers during the year 2019 onwards.  

The faculty members included Prof. Pritha Chandra (former Associate Dean, Academic Outreach and New Initiatives), Prof. Soumik Siddhanta (Coordinator, STS Lecture Series), Prof. Divya Nayar (Coordinator, STEM Mentorship Program), and Prof. Jay Dhariwal (Coordinator, Change Makers Summer Boot Camp).

ENDS