The Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, in collaboration with Arsha Space School, Mysuru, organized a three-day residential IIST@Schools programme at the V-LEAD campus to commemorate a landmark birth anniversary of Aryabhatta. The programme, attended by 110 students from Classes VII to IX, aimed to foster scientific curiosity and promote STEM education through expert lectures, hands-on demonstrations, model rocketry, astronomy, optics, virtual reality, Chandrayaan, Vedic Mathematics, and interactive engineering sessions led by IIST faculty, students, alumni, and research scholars.

The programme was inaugurated by Dr. B. N. Suresh, Chancellor, IIST, and presided over by Prof. Dipankar Banerjee, Vice Chancellor, IIST, while Prof. Kuruvilla Joseph, Pro Vice Chancellor, delivered the opening remarks. A special virtual interaction with Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, astronaut-designate for the Gaganyaan Programme, inspired students with insights into India's human spaceflight mission. The programme concluded on a high note with student feedback and a valedictory session, reaffirming IIST's commitment to inspiring young minds and nurturing the next generation of scientists and engineers.