Guwahati: More than 600 astronomers, researchers, students and science communicators from across the country and abroad gathered at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G), on Saturday to attend a five-day conference.IIT-G on Saturday inaugurated the 44th Astronomical Society of India (ASI) annual meeting. The event is expected to boost astronomy research and scientific collaboration in the northeast and encourage students and the wider public to take greater interest in astronomy and space science.It is also a significant occasion for IIT-G and the region’s scientific community, as the ASI annual meeting has returned to the northeast after three decades. The last time the conference was held in the region was at Gauhati University in 1996.The inaugural ceremony was attended by Prof. Devendra Ojha, president of the Astronomical Society of India, and Prof. Devendra Jalihal, director of IIT-G.The opening event featured ASI awards honouring outstanding contributions to astronomy and astrophysics. The ASI Zubin Kembhavi Award this year went to the team behind the GROWTH-India telescope in Hanle, Ladakh. Girish Kulkarni of TIFR received the Laxminarayana and Nagalaxmi Modali Award, while Prateek Mayank was presented the Justice Oak Award for Outstanding Thesis in astronomy.Jalihal said such gatherings play an important role in inspiring young minds, especially in the northeast, to connect with the wonders of STEM and innovation.Ojha said, “Through this conference, we aim to create new avenues for young researchers to engage in meaningful scientific discoveries and foster collaborative research efforts.”The five-day conference will include more than 140 scientific talks and 355 poster presentations across a wide range of themes.
