THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ISRO’s nursery for space scientists, the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) at Valiyamala in the district, is on a roll. 117 of the first batch of 125 students who graduated from IIST last month have been absorbed into various ISRO units.IIST officials are thrilled that all the students except the eight who didn’t make it decided to work with the space agency.“The fact that all 117 students decided to stay on with ISRO indicates their interest. and that our selection process was proper,’’ IIST director K S Dasgupta said. The students, he said, were absorbed into various ISRO units including Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thumba; ISAC-Bangalore; Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centres at Valiyamala and Mahendragiri. Four years ago, the first batch of students signed a bond offering their services to ISRO for five years after their studies. Or, they could opt out by paying `10 lakh. A dream project and the only one of its kind in Asia, IIST was ISRO’s answer to the acute manpower crunch it faced and was about to face in the years ahead. IIST, started in 2007, which boasts of former President A P J Abdul Kalam as its chancellor, offers BTechs in Aerospace Engineering, Physical Sciences and Avionics. In 2011, 83,000 candidates appeared for ISAT, the IIST entrance exam. Of this, 144 made it. IIST is awaiting clearance from the Centre for a collaboration with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the US, Under which, exchange programmes for students and faculty are planned. “We already have a programme with the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), US. This year also,we are planning to sendstudents,’’ Dasgupta said.
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