In an impressive ceremony at Odisha, 30 young stellar astronomers bag Tata Steel Young Astronomer Talent Scholarship (YATS) Awards 2024.

The Young Astronomer Talent Search 2024 finale was held at the Pathani Samanta Planetarium, where Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi felicitated the winners. The event focused on space tourism and drew over 71,000 students from 30 districts. The winners, including 30 aspiring astronomers, will get to visit the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) facility and interact with leading scientists. The program has reached a milestone of engaging 400,000 students in 18 years, with over 200 winners visiting ISRO facilities. The initiative is also strengthening industry-academia connections and fostering scientific talent. Key speakers at the event included Science Minister Krushna Chandra Patra, Tata Steel Kalinganagar VP Rajiv Kumar, former ISRO Program Director Dr. Geetha Varadan, and GalaxEye VP Kishan Thakkar. The development commissioner and principal secretary also attended the ceremony, emphasizing the importance of science education and the program’s impact on the next generation of scientists and innovators.