My Science School

                                                                                                                                                                                               

I am student of standard IX. I want to join NASA and unveil all the secrets of the universe. What should I do from now on to get to selected to NASA. I also read Sky’s The Limit in which Saatvik Agarwal says that he participated in an essay competition through which he was selected for a NASA project. I want detailed information about the various types of competitions or tests conducted at the international level through which I could get such an opportunity.

While NASA would be the dream destination of every student interested in space science and astronomy, a graduation in aeronautical engineering or any other related subject does not naturally mean that each and every student will get a place at NASA. It’s a long way to the portals of NASA.

As a science student, you can start your space odyssey by reading literature related to space – magazines, books and websites. Try to take part in every competition and event possibly related to space. Visit the planetarium in your city or nearest to your city. Make your interest in space evident to the authorities and ask them for a calendar of events, so that you get a chance to interact with an authority in this field who might be visiting that planetarium.

By making your interest obvious, your teachers will remember you when the right opportunity strikes. For example, in case of Kalpana Chawla’s alma mater in Karnal, bright students are asked to write an essay on a space-related topic and selections are made for a month-long visit to NASA on the basis of that essay.

In the case of Satvik Agarwal, he spotted an advertisement for the Mars mission in a newspaper, and followed it up on the website. So you see, you have to keep your eyes open and look out for information on all forums.

Why just NASA, at this stage you should be open to any learning programme that a planetarium, science society, university, European space research organisation or our own ISRO, might be inviting you to.

After graduation you could go for a post-graduate course to the US and get into the US mode. Join a university/institute of good standing and take up research work. That is one way of your name becoming familiar in NASA circles. Or else, do your post-graduation, and then, if possible, a PhD in India, and join an organisation of repute ( if possible, ISRO). NASA usually invites scientists on deputation or on full-time basis.

But you should have it clear in mind that being part of NASA does not necessarily mean being part of a space crew. Also keep in mind that being a space scientist does not necessarily mean that you will land in NASA. Other prestigious space organisations are also doing ambitious work. Would you say that ISRO, or the European Space Agency, that recently sent Beagle 2  to Mars, are not prestigious places to work?

You seem to be confused about BTech and IIT. The undergraduate programme in engineering offered by Indian Institute of Technology is called Bachelor of Technology (BTech). Aeronautical engineering is one of the courses offered at the BTech level. So, do not think that if you are doing BTech you cannot join an IIT or do aeronautical engineering. Also, BTech in aeronautical engineering can be done at other prestigious engineering colleges too. And no, there is nothing like an annual written exam for NASA, like IIT-JEE for IIT.

 

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GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pant Nagar, is the first agricultural university of the country. This college offers a dynamic and innovative education programmes to meet the demand for scientific manpower, research and effective extension services in agriculture. Following are the departments:

• Agricultural communication.


• Agricultural economics.


• Agronomy.


• Agro-meteorology.


• Animal science.


• Entomology.


• Food science and technology.


• Genetics and plant breeding.


• Horticulture.


• Plant pathology.


• Soil science.


• Vegetable science.

As regards job options, after a degree from Pant Nagar University, the Central and state departments of agriculture employ specialists for developmental work with regard to crops, seeds, farm implements and extension work with farmers at the block development level. Recruitment to these posts is through the State Public Service Commission (at the State level), and the educational requirements are a degree in agriculture or allied fields.

After post-graduate, job openings exist in organisations such as the National Seeds Corporation, Food Corporation, the Warehousing Corporation, Fertiliser Corporation of India, etc. Corporations and boards such as the National Dairy Development Board also employ specialists.

With increasing commercialisation of agriculture, corporate houses also require post-graduates in agriculture and allied fields like rural management. These are essentially industries handling food processing and marketing of agricultural products, banks, insurance companies and companies handling storage, packaging and warehousing of agricultural products.

Nationalised banks and rural banks such as NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) also hire professionals from this field.

 

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Subject choice after X does not matter when it comes to taking up cricket commentary. What matters is your level of comfort with cricket as a subject. Do you, for example, remember who scored how many runs in the finals of the 1999 world cup? You should read books and magazines pertaining to cricket like a Bible. You should have the knack of interviewing cricketers, comparing their previous performances to the present one. And if you think that subject choice has anything to do with cricket commentary, did you know that commentator Harsha Bhogle did engineering at Osmania University and business management, Ahmedabad, and took up advertising as a career before taking the plunge into cricket.

 

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I am a student of class XII. I want to be a good English newsreader. For this purpose I want to know which exam do I have to pass. I have been reading English news on the stage everyday in school. I have also won a number of prizes for being the best newsreader. I hope that you will help me fulfil my ambition.

You have made the right beginning by reading English news on a regular basis in your school. But you don’t have to appear for any exam to be a reader. News channels have a diction test, wherein they test your fluency, speed, diction and presentability. So hone all these aspects.

Besides diction, speed and fluency, certain other skills also matter: how good are you at interviewing people (for as you would have seen on news channels, news readers are also supposed to interview guests in the studio during the news hour); how good is your knowledge of happenings around the world and whether you keep abreast of happenings; and also how well do you handle difficult situations, like having to report the meagre facts again and again for two hours before more footage arrives, say in the Akshardham attack last year, or Indian Airlines hijack episode in 1999.

 

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I am a B.Com final year student pursuing my degree from Maharshi Dayanand University, Ajmer. I am interested in getting an MBA degree after graduation. But I have a few questions. What exams do I need to take to join an MBA programme? What is the procedure regarding entrance forms, exams? Where do I get application forms from? Is coaching required? What are the affiliated colleges? Can I get direct admission to an affiliated college without taking an entrance exam, such as in Symbiosis Institute, Pune? Do graduation marks count in the admission process? Please clear my doubts.

Your questions has come at a very appropriate time. To begin with there will be just one admission test for management programmes from the forthcoming year. The exact nature of the test, the time-schedule and other modalities are being worked out. The new test could be an amalgam of CAT and other entrance tests that take into account your general awareness too. So, until the structure is decided you should be ready for any kind of questions that are asked in all the entrance exams. As regards direct admission to Symbiosis, well, even SCMHRD and SIBM have entrance exams before admission. To the best of our knowledge, no Indian B-school admits students without an entrance test. And as regards marks, you have to get the qualifying marks in college. Marks in college might be an issue when you are being interviewed but it is up to you to convince the interview panel as to why you did not get, say 60 per cent.

 

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I am a class XII student of a reputed public school of Delhi. I have opted for commerce without maths, with informative practices as an elective subject. I am interested in doing MBA. I have a few queries, like what type of course would suit me after class XII? Will I be able to get admission to a good college if I don’t have maths? Will I be able to do an honours course from DU? Please suggest the right course since I do not want to do a pass course. Also, I am not interested in doing B.Com Pass/B.Com Hons. Will English (Hons.) be good enough for graduation?

As it is, you have limited your options by not taking up maths. Then, you rule out B.Com (Hons.) and pass course. Admission to a good honours course is not a cakewalk and you should not eliminate any option. Non-maths students have one per cent deducted in the admission procedure. Yes, English is a good option if you are open to doing a liberal arts course. Also, it will not be a handicap in your preparation for MBA entrance exam. Even as a non-maths, liberal arts students, you can prepare for that exam as the level of difficulty to date has been of class IX-X syllabus.

 

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No, not any longer. There has been a change in the trend. Commerce student can take up anything now. In fact many of my students have gone for mass communication. Even in civil services, you will find good number of commerce students.

In fact, in lighter vein, when parents come to me for advice, as to what their children should study, I ask them in return, what they want their child to be: do they want him to be a film actor, or a politician, a journalist, a professor, a businessman or chairperson of a company. And I add, whatever career choice the child makes, he should equip himself to get admission to SRCC. Because I can name the best actors, best politicians, best police officers who have graduated from here. So name a field, and we have churned out the best in that field.

If the students are good, they can excel in any area. Now many doors are open, except that a commerce student cannot be a professor of physics or an engineer or a doctor. Barring that, you can be anything.

 

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I think it figures very prominently because it opens up many doors for those who want to make a good career. A lot of students give priority to commerce – this was not so earlier.

There are openings for commerce students in the traditional sense. They can go for CA, ICWA, for company secretaryship, or related areas in accounting and finance. If you want to do MBA, CA, CS or ICWA, you don’t necessarily have to be a B.Com. Even a BSc student can go for CA or MBA. The only difference is that commerce students or commerce pass-outs have an advantage over non-commerce students in case of courses like CA, CS or MBA, because some of the papers they have to study are taught at B.Com Hons level.

 

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My exams are three months away and I am already too bored of studies. I just don’t feel like picking up books now. At the rate I am going, I feel I will develop antipathy to anything that is related to academics.

Anything overdone brings this kind of reaction. Don’t study all the time take a break after two or three hours of continuous reading.

Go for a cup of tea or a glass of juice, an ice cream or whatever you like. Get back to your studies after a 20-30 minutes break, restart. You will feel good and not bored. After studying throughout the day go for jogging or brisk walk, talk to friends, joke around. Plan your studies systematically.

Clear your doubts the moment they arise and then proceed to the next, higher level. Do assignments and questions in an organised manner.

 

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My mother is too religious. Her religiosity is only increasing by the day. It’s fine as long as she does not impose it on others. But lately she has started imposing her faith on us, too. I don’t want to hurt her religious feelings but end up saying something against her finicky ways about pooja-paath. This makes her furious and she says that I will suffer for the bad words I say about religion. I do not know how to make her see reason. Can you?

Religiosity is something which is deeply set within a person, and in some cases it borders on fanaticism. One method, which usually works in such cases is not to attack the religiosity of your mother but to sway along with it to the extent possible without using any harsh words about religion.

Another way is not to do all those religious rituals if you don’t believe in them. You can be away from home so that you avoid saying anything bad. The third way to handle this problem is to frankly tell your feelings to your mother in an affectionate manner so that you are not against anything religious. But everything has to be done within a limit.

Find out objectively and factually what your mother expects. See if it can be managed without making you feel uncomfortable. Analyse why you don’t to do what she wants you to do. Is it because it is time-consuming or is there any other reason for it. Find out if you can put your views across to her without making her upset.

If you do things in a systematic manner, I am sure your mother will not impose anything on you. Have faith in yourself and in your mother and look at things factually, objectively and not emotionally.

 

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I have a good height and figure, and I have always wanted to be a model. But my parents are strictly against it. We have discussed this many times. They have said it clearly that I will have to leave them if I insist on this career choice. I love them, yet I cannot give up my passion. What do I do?

As you love your parents, you must also realise that your parents too love you. If you sit down and talk it over with them, you will know their fears and apprehensions. This way you will know if you can assure them about how you will ward off problems, which according to your parents, you might face. Once this is done, I am sure your parents will agree to your chosen profession. It is up to you to talk to them and to help them understand how you can take care of yourself, and in this way allay their fears.

 

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I think my parents are heading for a divorce. They don’t seem to be in love. They are always fighting, talking ill of each other to relatives and friends. I am facing immense emotional trauma and am unable to study or do anything. Most of the times I hate coming back home

Your emotional trauma is understandable. One way to tackle this is to talk it over with either of your parents, who is closer to you and with whom you fee comfortable. You can put across to either of them your fears and apprehensions and your inability to concentrate on your studies due to their quarrels. Since your parents would be concerned about your performance in examinations, if you request them to postpone arguing until you complete your examinations, they may agree to do so. This itself will give them time to contemplate about the issues on which they seem to have considerable conflict. And this may perhaps make them consider postponing separation.

In our life there are many things that happen which we don’t want. But when it does happen, it is important to face it with courage and to try see how one can achieve one’s goals without being affected by events and happenings. In your case you fear that the conflict between your parents may end in divorce. It may not necessarily end so, because many people do have conflicts and arguments but stay on as they do not want to break the family and like to stay together for the sake of their children.

 

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I am an 18-years-old college student. My problem is that my friends go out for parties and spend a lot of money in eating out in restaurants etc, whereas my parents do not give me enough pocket money for freaking out. I am frustrated because I am unable to do what my friends do. I know that we are not rich and I cannot spend like my friends, but I feel bad that the good years of my life are being wasted because of constraints. Please help me.

I can understand your feelings. I also find that you are very perceptive and understanding of your dilemma. Having secured admission in a good college for higher education, you should feel proud of your achievements. I am sure you are also aware how crucial the next few years will be in building your future.

Try to look at the positive things of life. Never allow yourself to feel inferior to your friends just because you are unable to spend like them. Imagine if you do well and become a successful manager, an IT professional, an IAS officer or any dream designation that you aspire for, how much your friends would admire your achievements. Once you set a goal for yourself you will also be able to divert your mind from the artificial pleasures of your friends.

Hence, to get over these disappointments, the best thing you can do is to think positively, set a goal for yourself, work towards the goal systematically and find happiness in spending time with your parents, sister or brother and others and those who think high and have a clear goal for themselves.

 

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I am a PCM student of class XII. I want to join the merchant navy. Apart from the two merchant navy colleges in which admission is done through IIT screening, please tell me about the other colleges. Please provide information on the admission procedures and fee structures of these colleges.

Well, MERI and TS Chanakya are the best places to be if you want to join the merchant navy. But if you want to avoid the IIT-JEE, there are a few other options. The academy of Maritime Education and Training, Kanathur, Tamil Nadu, offers a number of courses. Among them in BSc Nautical Science, approved by the Director General of Shipping, Ministry of Shipping, Government of India. It is offered in collaboration with Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi. You should have done 10+2 with PCM. Entry is on the basis of a written test and interview, sometime in June. The fee structure is high – Rs 75,000 per semester for a six semester (three-year course). The same institute also offers a four-year BE programme in marine engineering. For this, you should have cleared class XII with, at least, 60 percent marks in PCM group. The fee structure for this course too is similar. Address: AMET Campus, 135, East Coast Road, Kanathur – 603112, India Email: amet@vsnl.com

Then, there is Chidambaram Institute of Maritime Academy, that offers two courses: graduate marine engineering (GME) and diploma marine engineering (DME). The former will require you to be a BE (mechanical) or BE (naval architecture); BTech. (mechanical or naval architecture) or BSc mechanical. No other stream of engineering will be considered.

The DME course will require you to be a diploma-holder in mechanical/marine/ship building/naval architecture or electrical engineering from an institute approved by AICTE. The address is: CMET, 46, Moore Street, Chennai-600 001; cmet2@vsnl.com

The Sea Horse Academy, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh also provides deck cadet officer pre-sea training. However, admission is done directly by the academy for sponsored candidate. The address is: Sea Horse Academy of Merchant Navy, Sambamurthy Street, Ramaraopet, Kakinada – 533 004, Andhra Pradesh.

 

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I am a student of class XI studying physics, chemistry, maths and biology. I really enjoy reading about health and diet issues. To become a nutrition expert, is it necessary to be a doctor? I am not sure if i could get admission to a medical college. Please guide me.

No, it is not necessary to be a doctor to be a nutrition expert. In fact, dietetics and nutrition as modules are offered at B.Sc. level and specialisation programmes at M.Sc. level in many universities, including some agriculture universities. Avinashlingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore, is one of the most reputed places to study home science. In Delhi, Lady Irwin College offers BSc and MSc courses in home science. You will be eligible for admission to BSc home science programme after class XII, since you are a science student. The universities ask for science in 10+2.

 

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