The Scientific Aptitude Assessment Exercise under CSIR’s JIGYASA programme was conducted online on 20 December 2024. The students gathered in each of the 37 constituents’ laboratories of CSIR and took part in the big scientific demonstration and experiment. The event was unique because it was the first time these many students under the CSIR JIGYASA programme performed an experiment simultaneously.
The event was inaugurated by Dr Souvik Maiti, Director of the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), New Delhi. During his inaugural address, he welcomed all the online participants and thanked them for their presence. “Education is not only attained by reading textbooks or giving exams; going beyond textbooks and regular curriculum is also important”, Dr Maiti said. He praised the importance of such events in imparting practical skills to the students.
Dr Beena Pillai, Chief Scientist, IGIB, introduced participants to the theme of the event. Citing the example of Dr Mitali Mukerji, a former Chief Scientist at the CSIR-IGIB with notable achievements in the field of human genomics and personalised medicine, Dr Pillai talked about the importance of DNA, Genomics and Molecular Biology in agriculture, healthcare and other sectors.
Students who gathered to perform DNA isolation experiments were given isolation kits and were briefed about the protocol by Dr Arya Sidharthan. Later, she performed a practical demonstration of DNA isolation, after which around 550 students isolated DNA from their saliva.
Dr Geeta Vani Rayasam, Outstanding Scientist & Head, CSIR-Human Resource Development Group (HRDG) thanked Dr Souvik Maiti and the IGIB team for convening this event. In her address, she said that CSIR plays an important role not only in the development of scientific technologies but also in human resource development in the country, which aims to inculcate scientific temper. She also added that CSIR is also playing an important role in effective science communication with the common people. Dr Rayasam also asked students to think critically, go beyond textbooks and be involved in extracurricular activities, which would also help policymakers to think about various engaging activities for students.
Dr Suman Ray, Principal Scientist, CSIR-NIScPR; Shri CB Singh, Chief Scientist CSIR-NIScPR; and Ms Pratibha convened the event in CSIR-NIScPR wherein the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Gole Market, accompanied by their teachers gathered in SV Marg campus of the CSIR-NIScPR. Ms Pratibha provided the background knowledge and cleared the doubts of students regarding DNA isolation.
Almost all the students successfully isolated DNA from their saliva, and the happiness on their faces was a testimony to how excited and satisfied they were after performing this experiment. After the experiment, a questionnaire was also given to students to select the winner of the Scientific Aptitude Assessment Exercise.
Shri CB Singh and Dr Suman Ray distributed participation certificates to the participants. Shri CB Singh, in closing remarks, thanked all the participants of the event and praised the efforts of CSIR-IGIB, CSIR JIGYASA team and other volunteers for active participation.
