Bhubaneswar : Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik today flagged off the exposure visit for winners of the 12th Edition of Tata Steel’s Young Astronomer Talent Search (YATS) Programme in a function organized at Naveen Niwas, Bhubaneswar. The winning group of 20 students will now go on an exposure visit to one of the premier facilities of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad, to get a first-hand experience of space science in action.Shri Patnaik also launched the 13th edition of YATS (2019-20) on this occasion. With overwhelming participation of students in 2018, the next edition was launched with an aim to make YATS much more enriching for participating students. The theme for YATS 2019 is “Unravelling the wonders of the universe” and will include the following competitions:• An open-quiz (for students of classes 6th to 10th)• An essay competition (for students of classes 9th and 10th)The top two essay entries will be selected from each district and winners will be invited to the grand finale to be held in Bhubaneswar on December 12-13, 2019, the birth anniversary of Pathani Samanta. The top 20 winners will also be felicitated on the occasion, and later taken on an exposure visit.Shri Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of State for Science & Technology, Public Enterprises, Social Security & Empowerment of persons with Disability (Independent Charge), Government of Odisha, Shri Kailash Chandra Sahoo, Additional Secretary, Science & Technology Department, Government of Odisha & Director, Pathani Samanta Planetarium, Shri Kulvin Suri, Chief, Corporate Communications, Tata Steel, India & South-East Asia (SEA), Shri Debashis Jena, Chief Resident Executive (CRE), Tata Steel, Bhubaneswar were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.On the occasion, Shri Kulvin Suri said, “YATS is a unique programme based on space science and constantly motivates young minds to think beyond just academics and push their imagination to the optimum. We would like to thank Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Naveen Patnaik and the Government of Odisha for extending their support in making this venture successful, year-on-year. We are committed to enrich the programme for students and teachers alike. This initiative is a manifestation of our commitment to enabling a better tomorrow, as reiterated in our corporate campaign #WeAlsoMakeTomorrow.”Tata Steel is organizing this flagship event, YATS, in collaboration with Pathani Samanta Planetarium since 2007 to acknowledge the exemplary contribution of Pathani Samanta, legendary astronomer of Odisha, and encourage youngsters to showcase innovative concepts on various themes of space science and astronomy. In last 12 years 1,38,000 students have participated in YATS and 160 winning students have had the opportunity to visit various facilities of ISRO in India.With increased involvement of students and teachers from rural and remote areas of the State, YATS 2018-19 achieved a new record in its 12-years journey with 63,000 students participating from 300 schools spanning all 30 districts in Odisha.
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