Awards & Recognition

Overcoming their opponents from all over the world, a three-member team of NPS International School, Guwahati clinched the Championship Medal in a Robotic Workshop-cum-Competition, organized by the NASA at Kennedy Space Center, Florida on Sunday, October 24, 2015.

During the three-day workshop at the world famous Kennedy Space Center, Florida, US, students were given lessons on to make Lunar Rover by the Astronauts at the NASA. Over 100 selected students from across the globe, including the host country, US, took part in the competition. After completion of the workshop, students took part in the completion and prepared an artificial lunar surface by moving the rover wireless with the help of a camera on board. The model prepared by the students of the Guwahati-based school was appreciated by the Astronauts of NASA. At the end of the scrutiny, the NPS model of robots was declared as the best model of the competition. For winning the competition, the students were awarded with a medal and a certificate during a programme organised at the NASA.

It may be recalled here that a team of students of NPS International School, Guwahati is already in the US to visit places like NASA and other front-ranking educational institutions of the country. The three-member team of NPS students, which won the coveted medal and certificates, include Imtiren Imchen (Class VII), Sumit Boro (Class IX) and Harsh Narayan (Class IX).

Lauding the effort of the students, director of NPS International School, Guwahati Jitendra Nath Das said that the performance of NPS students at a place like NASA will be a lifetime achievement for them. “The way the NASA Astronauts appreciated the model of robots prepared by the students of NPS is really encourasing. Students from some of the front-ranking and technically advanced countries took part in the competition,” he said.

Commenting on their achievement, Harsh Narayan of NPS International School, Guwahati appreciated the role of his school in making the robots. “We have experience in making robots as the school authorities in NPS are very serious in such endeavour. It’s a lifetime achievement for all of us.”

During the workshop, the students experienced the sights, sounds and sanctions of a vertical launch in humankind’s most complex vehicle - the Space Shuttle. They began the Journey just like an astronaut which was indeed a very thrilling experience.

Students were also taken to US Astronaut Hall of Fame where they got a taste of firsthand experience of astronauts for real missions. Students feel the pull of 4gs in the G - Force Simulator, sat in a mission control console, touched a Mars rock and landed the space shuttle. All these provided a true experience of Space Flight to the students of NPS International School. NASA Scientist also explained to the students about NASA vision for space exploration.

Last year also, the school sent its students to NASA’s John F Kennedy Space Center, world’s gateway to exploring, discovering and understanding our universe. NPS International School is the first school from Northeast region to visit NASA as well as receive astronomy training there.

“Altogether 19 NPS students also went for a three-day astronaut training experience (ATX) in NASA whose mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research,” JN Das added.

NASA astronauts educated the students with the fact that President John F Kennedy focused NASA and the nation on sending astronauts to the moon by the end of the 1960s.