Orientation-cum-selection camp for int'l astronomy Olympiad draws to close at IISER Mohali
Chandigarh: The orientation-cum-selection camp (OCSC) for the international astronomy Olympiad is drawing to a close at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Designed to hone the skills of India's brightest young minds in astronomy and astrophysics, this intensive camp is set to culminate with the selection of five students who will represent the nation at the International Olympiad for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2025, scheduled to be held in August in Mumbai.
A rigorous selection process began with a national-level test, the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad, which saw close to 500 participants.
From this pool, 54 students were initially chosen across two groups: Group A (Class 12) and Group B (Class 10 or 11). Of these, 37 students from various parts of India ultimately qualified and are currently participating in the OCSC at IISER Mohali.
The OCSC programme is a comprehensive training ground, featuring a blend of theoretical and practical sessions. Students have engaged in lectures, tutorials, hands-on telescope setup and handling sessions, and crucial sky observation sessions, all aimed at deepening their understanding of astronomical concepts and techniques.
While the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE-TIFR Mumbai) typically organises the Astronomy OCSC, this year's responsibility was entrusted to IISER Mohali. The camp will conclude with a valedictory function on June 11.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
How does a plant's first shoot rise safely through soil, into daylight?
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal, have found that a single protein helps plants time their first step from darkness into light. When a seed sprouts in darkness under the soil, its stem curves into a small hook shape that protects the delicate shoot tip as it pushes upward. The hook needs to stay 'closed' until the seedling breaks through the soil and meets light. In the study, the team wanted to know how two common signals — ethylene, a plant hormone that builds up underground, and light — work together to decide exactly when the hook opens. The team focused on what a gene called BBX32 really does in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. By comparing seedlings modified to lack BBX32, to churn out extra copies, to carry extra mutations, or to glow blue or green when the gene was activated or its protein moved around, the scientists could pinpoint how the protein made by the gene helps keep the hook closed. The team also grew seedlings indarkness, red, blue, far-red light, and normal light, in plates with or without a compound that raises ethylene levels, and in thin layers of sand to imitate soil pressure. They photographed three-day-old seedlings and used software to measure the hook angle as it opened over time. They also used genetic tools to track the performance of the BBX32 gene and counted how many seedlings breached a sand layer and turned green. The findings were published in New Phytologiston May 28. The team comprised Nevedha Ravindran, Kavuri Venkateswara Rao, and Sourav Datta of the Department of Biological Sciences at IISER Bhopal. They found that ethylene turns BBX32 on and that light protects BBX32 from being destroyed. The role of BBX32 itself is to keep the hook closed for longer. Without extra ethylene, BBX32 mutants behave like normal plants whereas with high ethylene or a sand cover, the hook opens too soon. BBX32 was found to work by raising the activity of the PIF3 protein, which switched on HLS1, which kept the hook closed. If PIF3 was missing, BBX32 couldn't prevent the hook from opening. In the sand test, only about a quarter of seedlings ever reached the surface compared to 40% of normal seedlings and 80% of over-expressors. Keeping the hook closed just a bit longer clearly helped a sprout survive its climb. The researchers also worked out why BBX32 accumulates only when it's most useful. In total darkness, an enzyme called COP1 latches onto BBX32 and sends it to be degraded, keeping the hook flexible. Ethylene partially shields BBX32, but once the emerging seedling first senses daylight, COP1 activity drops, allowing the protein to build up on the concave side of the hook and hold it shut a little longer. This finely tuned handshake offers a way to breed crops whose seedlings can breach denser soils — a trait that may be valuable as climate change brings heavier rains.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Orientation-cum-selection camp for int'l astronomy Olympiad draws to close at IISER Mohali
Chandigarh: The orientation-cum-selection camp (OCSC) for the international astronomy Olympiad is drawing to a close at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Designed to hone the skills of India's brightest young minds in astronomy and astrophysics, this intensive camp is set to culminate with the selection of five students who will represent the nation at the International Olympiad for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2025, scheduled to be held in August in Mumbai. A rigorous selection process began with a national-level test, the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad, which saw close to 500 participants. From this pool, 54 students were initially chosen across two groups: Group A (Class 12) and Group B (Class 10 or 11). Of these, 37 students from various parts of India ultimately qualified and are currently participating in the OCSC at IISER Mohali. The OCSC programme is a comprehensive training ground, featuring a blend of theoretical and practical sessions. Students have engaged in lectures, tutorials, hands-on telescope setup and handling sessions, and crucial sky observation sessions, all aimed at deepening their understanding of astronomical concepts and techniques. While the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE-TIFR Mumbai) typically organises the Astronomy OCSC, this year's responsibility was entrusted to IISER Mohali. The camp will conclude with a valedictory function on June 11.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Following last year's trend, JEE topper leaves IIT to join MIT, citing better opportunities overseas
Devesh Bhaiya, who secured All India Rank 8 in JEE Advanced 2025 , has chosen to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States instead of joining any of the Indian Institutes of Technology. Devesh is following a growing trend among India's top engineering talent opting for international universities, especially MIT , a TOI report stated. Not the first to make the shift Last year's JEE Advanced topper , Ved Lahoti, who scored 352 out of 360 — the highest in recent years — is also leaving IIT Bombay after one year to join MIT on a fully funded scholarship. In earlier years, students like Chirag Falor (JEE 2020) and Chitraang Murdia (JEE 2014) made similar decisions. Murdia spent a year at IIT Bombay before moving to MIT and later completed his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. "It seems like MIT trusts the rigour of JEE Advanced and the promise of our Olympiad stars," said Prof Vijay Singh, former professor at IIT Kanpur and retired faculty at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. Olympiad medals open global doors Devesh Bhaiya has an academic record beyond the JEE rank. He has won three gold medals — two at the International Junior Science Olympiad (2021, 2022) and one at the International Chemistry Olympiad in 2024. He also received the Bal Shakti Puraskar in 2020. At the age of 12, he authored a paper on light pollution. Though Devesh had already secured admission to MIT in March 2025, he still took the JEE Advanced exam as a backup option. Live Events You Might Also Like: JEE Advanced 2025 Results and Toppers List: Rajit Gupta from IIT Delhi zone tops the exam; Check names of toppers here A growing list of students transferring Ved Lahoti said, 'I'm fully satisfied with IIT Bombay. But it lags in research. Globally, it's not even in the top 100. So, I applied to MIT — and when it came through, I took it. A lot of students have taken transfer to MIT and when I asked them, they said the transfer was truly worth it.' Several other top rankers have taken the same route. Nishank Abhangi spent a year at IIT Bombay in 2019–2020 before moving to MIT. Mahit Gadhewala, who secured All India Rank 9 in 2022, also transferred after one year at IIT Bombay. According to Prof Singh, the first student to set this trend was Raghu Mahajan. He studied at IIT Delhi for a year, moved to MIT, completed his PhD at Stanford, and is currently spending a year at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences in Bengaluru. "He was very committed to coming back to India," said Prof Singh. Ved Lahoti expressed a similar sentiment: "I have no plans to settle in the USA." You Might Also Like: Kota's Rajit Gupta, first JEE topper from the IIT coaching hub, shares secret success mantra learned from his mom (The article was originally published in TOI)
