30-07-2025
CSIR-NCL's event sparks scientific spirit in students
Pune: CSIR-NCL's event sparks scientific spirit in students
The CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) concluded its weeklong flagship outreach program 'One Day as A Scientist' (ODAS) on July 25. Organised under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) initiative, the program welcomed over 400 students from Classes 8 to 10 across Pune, Mumbai, and other regions of Maharashtra for an immersive scientific experience.
Designed to ignite curiosity and inspire future innovators, ODAS offered students a unique opportunity to step into the shoes of real scientists, engaging with cutting-edge research, state-of-the-art laboratories, and pioneering scientists at CSIR-NCL.
Throughout the five-day event, students participated in a diverse mix of activities, including expert-led science sessions, hands-on experiments, DIY workshops, and guided lab tours, all aimed at making science accessible and engaging. Topics ranged from biotechnology and artificial intelligence to green chemistry and waste recycling.
Dr Ashish Lele, director of CSIR-NCL, inaugurated the program, highlighting the lab's contributions to sustainable technologies and industrial innovation.
'At CSIR-NCL, science is about creating solutions. Our goal is to transform research into technologies that impact lives,' said Lele, urging students to pursue careers in science to help build a Viksit Bharat (Developed India).
The program featured lectures by CSIR-NCL scientists, including Samir Chikkali on plastic waste depolymerisation, Aakash Sharma on scientific thinking, Shubhangi Umbarkar on green technology, and Manohar V. Badiger on super-absorbent polymers. Other topics covered included DNA and biotechnology by Narendra Kadoo, AI in chemical industries by M. Karthikeyan, and plastic recycling by Harshawardhan Pol. Rakesh Joshi, Manish Kumar Mishra, Magesh Nandagopal, and Saket Kumar also spoke on entomology, crystal science, commercialisation of ideas, and rheology, respectively.
