By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 28 Feb: ‘Renaissance 2.0’ the ‘2nd National Space Convention’ of UPES concluded successfully at its Bidholi campus. The 2-day inter-university technical symposium was organised by ‘Infinity Space Club’ – the Astronautical Society of UPES Students under the aegis of ‘Department of Aerospace Engineering (ASE)’, UPES, in collaboration with the ‘Uttarakhand Science Education & Research Centre (USERC)’, ‘Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) of the United Nations (UN) and SPACE INDIA, New Delhi. Dr Tessy Thomas, Scientist & Director General at Aeronautical Systems (DRDO) inaugurated the Convention as the ‘Chief Guest’along with the ‘Guests of Honour’, VM Chamola, former Director (HR), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and Dr Durgesh Pant, Director, USERC. According to Arun Dhand, Senior Director, UPES, the objective of the convention was to harness the knowledge of Astronautics & Space Science for the youth. Welcoming the guests, dignitaries, participating teams and the audience, Dr Sudhir Joshi, HOD Aerospace Engineering, UPES, shared the achievements of the his department over the past years. The Faculty Mentors, ASE, Zozimus Labana and Vipin Kumar also applauded the ‘Infinity Space Club’. Addressing the gathering, Dr Tessy Thomas shared her experiences as the ‘Project Director’ for ‘Agni-4’. “Being the first woman in the country to lead a missile project in India has been a matter of great pride for me all along. I look forward to contributing to the development of state-of-the-art UAVs, Aero Gas Turbine Engine Technology, Airborne Surveillance Systems, etc., in my present role,” she shared. Her presentation on ‘Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles – an introduction to the ongoing ISRO projects and development of Missiles’, along with her insights into the progress of ‘India’s Aerospace Industry’ on a global level were very valuable for the students and faculty alike. An ‘Interactive Session’ held later helped the young minds update themselves on the ‘Indian Defence & Missile Systems’. In his talk, VM Chamola enlightened the students on Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s contribution to the nation, its ongoing projects and the work ethics there. Dr Durgesh Pant’s speech centered on the Indian Space community and its scope in the near future. Over 150 participating students from Uttaranchal University – Dehradun; Chandigarh University; Ryan International – Delhi; Summerfield School – Dehradun and Sacred Heart School – Ludhiana were present at the Renaissance 2.0’ Opening Ceremony. Prominent among those present were Kusum Lata Sharma, Director, Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. The ‘Solar Observation’ activity by Tarun Sharma from ‘Space India, New Delhi’ was one of the most exciting events. He demonstrated the significance of observing the Sun via a telescope using solar filters. The ‘Observation Night’presenting the students with an opportunity to observe the celestial bodies closely excited the students immensely. Among the flagship and non-flagship events, Endeavour (Treasure Hunt), Destinesia (Space Quiz), Astrometrica – a Workshop and Webinar Session with the renowned ‘NASA fame’ Scientist Marcos Pena – the man behind the Artemis mission and Spacecraft Element Operations Manager (EOM) at NASA were among the other highs of the event. Zozimus Labana proposed the vote of thanks.
