My Experience at YTS Summer Programme - June 2022

Plaksha University's Young Tech Scholar programme is one of India's most prestigious summer programmes for high schoolers. It offers an opportunity to learn from global academicians like Dr Ravi Jasuja ( Harvard Medical School), Dr Hanumant Singh ( North Eastern University), Dr Shashank Tamaskar (Purdue University) and founding members of Plaksha University. I applied for it on the very last day as I was not sure if I would be able to spare time for summer school. The application was comprehensive, with essays and questions based on logical thinking. Much to my joy my application was accepted.

I was extremely excited but also nervous about going. I was going to travel alone for the first time. Thankfully, I could make some friends online beforehand through the college portal, which made me really look forward to the programme. The day finally arrived. My parents dropped me at the Ahmedabad airport. I was super excited, and my excitement grew as I reached Delhi and boarded the YTS bus.

Contrary to my expectation, our day's schedule was hectic with lectures and workshops. Still, we had loads of fun because of the exciting topics and informal atmosphere. We learnt about robotics, origami, biotechnology, coding, astronomy and electronics. We were encouraged to think out of the box and put our ideas forward. It was fun and easy to connect with like-minded people.

We were exposed to real-world engineering and problem-solving through hands-on projects. Five different projects were available - building an ECG machine, Marvin robot, a robotic hand using electromyography, game designing and biogas generation. I chose a Robotic hand. Me and my partners had to construct a robotic hand which could read our hand impulses and make motor movements. We learnt how to create an origami hand, make an electric circuit and how to code the program for it. We had fun creating the project and learned a lot.

The summer programme was a learning experience in many other ways too. We had some inspiring interactions with top CEOs, astronomers and scientists. Unfortunately, despite many safety measures, a few students got infected with the coronavirus. There was a frenzy of testing and screening. We were isolated in our respective rooms, and classes were conducted online for two days - until everything was under control. The supplies were provided in our rooms so we could also do practicals and continue our learning. This gave us some free time and a chance to interact more with our roommates. Everyone was from different backgrounds and had other aspirations. I gathered a lot of information and some insight into how to prepare for my future goals.

The summer school was soon over, and I was back home missing my new friends terribly. However, I was also feeling more confident after being able to manage everything on my own in the last two weeks. The most important thing was my renewed enthusiasm and eagerness to learn more.