Aurangabad, Aug 16:
Diksha Shinde, a 14-year city school girl, was selected as a panellist on MSI Fellowships Virtual Panel of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Talking to this newspaper, Diksha Shinde, who is in 10th class, said that she read many books of Stephen Hawking and submitted an essay ‘questioning existence of God’ in September 2020, however, it was rejected.
She submitted it again in October 20201. The essay was rejected for the second time.
“I sent a research article in December 2020 on ‘Black Hole’ which was liked and accepted at NASA. I won a research competition organised by International Astronomical Search Collaboration. I provisionally discovered the ‘Main Belt asteroid.’
I was selected for a paid three months course (from March to June 2021). I received a monthly stipend of Rs 50,000,” she said.
The International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research accepted her research paper on ‘We Live in Black Hole? in May 2021.
Shinde said that she was selected as a panellist for the 2021 MSI Fellowships Virtual Panel in June.
“I accepted the officer and started working. My job involves reviewing proposals submitted by researchers and describing a collaborative approach to conduct research with NASA and the connection between proposed research area and academic discipline pursuit of the students,” she said.
The young researcher said that she attends the research discussions every alternate day. She is paid for the job panellist. Her father, Krishna Shinde, is a headmaster in a non-aided school, while her mother Ranjana Shinde is a housewife.
“I just got an email from NASA about selection as a panellist on MSI Fellowship Panel. I was surprised to receive it. I do my job between 1 am to 4 am on an alternate day and also gets a monthly honorarium for it,” she said.
The local lass said that she would get training at NASA on attaining the age of 18. Shinde will attend a conference to be held in October 20201 and NASA will bear all her expenses.