(Photo: Prof Ravi P. Singh, IIT Delhi, Interacting with Students)

New Delhi: IIT Delhi reached out to students in the northeastern part of the country to excite them about science & engineering education. Multiple activities were organized through IIT-PAL (Professor Assisted Learning), a program run by IIT Delhi and the Ministry of Education, Government of India.

Under the Northeast outreach initiative, IIT Delhi’s Prof. Ravi P. Singh, National Coordinator for Chemistry-IIT PAL, visited different schools and colleges in Aizawl and other districts in Mizoram and conducted hands-on science workshops. The goal was to enthuse students in these remote areas about science & technology at an early age and make them familiar with the journey ahead for taking up science & engineering stream and prepare with the help of the IIT PAL initiative.

The events were organized with a primary objective of enhancing students’ understanding of scientific principles and encouraging them to take up S&T as a career option.

“These workshops aim to go beyond traditional classroom learning by providing students with opportunities to explore scientific concepts, develop critical thinking skills, and potentially inspire them to pursue STEM fields. A strong emphasis on STEM careers and its persuasion can empower them to apply their ideas for the betterment of society,” said Prof. Ravi P Singh, National Coordinator for Chemistry-IIT PAL and Chemistry Department, IIT Delhi.

The program covered several schools, including Navodaya Vidyalaya-Mamit, PM Shri Navodaya Vidyalaya-Thingsulthliah, PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya-Zemabawk, and the Mizoram University campus. The program featured informal and technical sessions on each day, followed by showcasing of exciting science experiments. These hands-on shows were then followed with discussion on these learnings and teaching of the concepts involved. These scientific sessions brought a lot of curiosity to the students and motivated them to share their aspirations.

During his interaction with the sudents, Prof. Singh encouraged them to think outside the box and develop their own ideas and approaches to scientific problems. The students were encouraged to ask questions, formulate hypotheses, and design experiments, fostering a deeper understanding of the scientific method. He emphasized that newer solutions to global problems are possible only through exploring newer dimensions of science. The initiative received very enthusiastic feedback from students, teachers, and the community.

IIT-PAL video lectures for Class XI and Class XII are prepared by IIT professors/subject experts, with the aim of helping students better understand the subjects and prepare for competitive exams. The program also offers online doubt-clearing, problem-solving sessions, and live interactions with professors.

IIT-PAL video lectures are telecasted on the Ministry of Education’s Swayam Prabha Channels. These videos can be accessed on Doordarshan DTH Channel 22.

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