National
Astronomy Challenge-2018
Felicitation ceremony at Dubai
STEM
& Space, an Indian science education company, conducted NAC-2018 exam (National
Astronomy Challenge) , a nationwide Astronomy Olympiad competition, which was held
in the month of November. Top 10 students from all over India were selected as
winners, based on highest scores.Swastik
Sharma of class VI was amongst
one of them.
The
felicitation ceremony was held in Dubai on 25th March2019 . Mr. Al Hasan Hariri, CEO of Dubai Astronomical Society was the Chief guest.He
shared his passion about Astronomy and encouraged them to pursue in the field
of astronomy.Other special guests at the event included Mr. Mikolaj Zielinski, Mars 20astronaut, selected by Mars team to
go to Mars in 2020. He interacted
with the students at length about his experiences. Mr. Thomas R Addy, representing Boeing Corporation,talked about the aerospace industry. Mr. Prabhakaran, Educator at Meliha
Science Center shared his techniques about Astrophotography. Dr. Mila
Mitra, co founder and Chief Scientific Officer at STEM & space, and ex NASA Space scientist ,presided over the
event.
The
students had the privilege to meet Mr. Pankaj Bodhke, education Consulate at
Indian consulate, Dubai ,who congratulated all of them on their achievement.
The visit to Al Thuraya observatory ,was a great
experience for the winners.They learnt about the working of various
kinds of telescopes and observed different celestial objects using them. They got
a chance to see observatory dome where they could see the live status of satellites
around the world.The students got the
complete experience of an observatory.
They
also enjoyed the vibrant sightseeing like Burj Khalifa,Zabeel park,Frame of Dubai,Jumeriah
Beach,Palm Island and Old Dubai.
All
together it was a remarkable experience for students in Dubai with the chance
to interact with eminent science personalities and visiting the
observatory.