The Summer Camp Programme 2026, an initiative by IISER Kolkata in collaboration with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Science City Kolkata – National Council of Science Museums, was conceptualised and designed to encourage students to explore interdisciplinary learning, research exposure, innovation, and collaborative academic engagement and delve deep into the spirit of enquiry and a commitment to evidence, creativity, and discovery. The objective of this summer camp was to nurture scientific curiosity, provide hands-on exposure to emerging fields, and inspire students to pursue academic excellence and research.
The week-long camp was inaugurated on 15 July 2026 by the Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Education and Minister of State for the Development of the North Eastern Region, Dr Sukanta Majumdar, as the Chief Guest in the presence of other distinguished dignitaries – Secretary, Ramkrishna Mission, Kalyani, Swami Durganathananda Ji Maharaj; Assistant Commissioner, KV Regional Office, Kolkata, Mr Dibakar Bhoi; Director, Prof. Sunil Kumar Khare; Deputy Director, Prof. Rahul Banerjee; Dean of International Relations, Prof. Debasis Koley; and Associate Dean of International Relations, Prof. Anirban Banerjee.
The programme offered a robust curriculum that blended interactive learning with engaging extracurricular activities as well. Dr Kripabandhu Ghosh, HoD, Computational & Data Sciences, presented a very interesting session on the opening day on “Introduction to AI Tools”, followed by an interactive talk on “Introduction to AI: A School Kid’s Perspective” by Prof. A. Mukhopadhyay of Kalyani University. The 2nd day of the camp had a very engaging session featuring a talk by Prof. A. K. Nanda, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, titled “Magic Square”, followed by demonstrations and exhibits, and another talk by Prof. S. Basu on “Geometry & Measurement”.
The 3rd Day witnessed experiments & demonstrations by the Department of Biological Sciences, followed by a visit to research labs and common facilities to get an overview of how research is carried out. An excursion to Science City Kolkata on the 4th day had the students enjoying the various shows and scientific installations and exhibits on display. The 5th day of the programme was marked by a movie screening in the evening, “Project Hail Mary”, which was enjoyed by all.
Day 6 of the programme was introduced by the HoD, Department of Physical Sciences, followed by science lectures by Prof. R.K. Nayak titled “Whispers from Black Holes” and Prof. A. Dasgupta titled “Holmes meets Schrödinger’s cat – how the quantum can keep our secrets”. The 7th day programme opened with an introduction by the HoD, Department of Chemical Sciences, followed by a visit to selective labs and instrumentation facilities, a Chem Quiz and two popular chemistry lectures. Day 8 marked the last and final day of the camp on 22 July 2026. A brief introduction by the HoD, Department of Earth Sciences; a talk by Dr D. Roy titled “Environmental Pollution and its Impacts”; and short lab experiments by the Aerosol and Air Quality Research Lab, exhibits and demonstrations coordinated by Dr S. Mondal marked the end of the week-long summer camp. It is indeed a moment of pride and happiness to note the positive feedback from most of the participating Kendriya Vidyalayas from the Silchar, Guwahati and Tinsukia regions. All of them appreciated the hands-on experience during lab visits and demonstrations and enjoyed their stay to the fullest on the vibrant, diverse, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and lush green campus of IISER Kolkata.
A grand closing ceremony was hosted for all the students and teachers from 53 Kendriya Vidyalayas on 22 July 2026 amidst the august presence of our Hon’ble Director, Prof. Sunil Kumar Khare; Deputy Director, Prof. Rahul Banerjee; Dean of International Relations, Prof. Debasis Koley; Associate Dean of International Relations, Prof. Anirban Banerjee; and dignitaries from the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. It was indeed a spectacular and emotional sight to bid farewell to all the students representing the seven northeastern (“Seven Sisters”) states of India after a week-long fulfilling stay with us at IISER Kolkata.
Pushkal Sharma (PMSHRI KV Masimpur, Silchar Region): “Summer Camp at IISER Kolkata was a wonderful and enthusiastic experience for us. It was not just about lecture demonstrations but also about hands-on activities. Experiments done here ignited the spirit of curiosity, innovation, and research among us. I want to thank IISER Kolkata and KVS for organising this programme.”
Aniket Sah (KV EAC, Upper Shillong): “Mr Miew’s speech left me speechless (literally). Everyone was very, very nice. I loved the campus so much. I had a lot to talk about, but it won’t fit here. I loved the dogs too.”
Azharul Ejaj (PM Shri KV Karimganj) “It was an amazing experience here at IISER Kolkata. We have genuinely enjoyed a hell lot. Every person I met here was very friendly and had a fun character. The professors at IISER have explained every concept clearly. One source of improvement is food. It was kind of good, but it could have been even better.”
Prasenjit Das (PM SHRI KV kxj, Assam, Silchar Region) “The visit here at IISER Kolkata was indeed a very nice experience. There’s availability of all the facilities a human needs. The food served here is 9/10, which is really good, though a little bit of control over the masalas would be nice. The research lab & the lectures given by the professors are the main attractions here. It was so nice to visit such an advanced lab that it’s really hard to put it into words. The medical unit and the doctor there are so nice that any person in need will definitely be helped and cured. This 7-day workshop really made us feel more and more curious towards science. In a nutshell, the overall experience was 10/10.”
Anand Ranjan Jha (PM SHRI KV AFS BORJHAR, Guwahati Region) “We had a lot of fun in these 7 days; it was indeed very exciting to do hands-on experiments that we used to read about in textbooks. The environment of the campus, the professors, different departments, volunteers, and the non-academic activities were very fascinating and involving. The food and stay were also nice. The overall experience was very nice; I enjoyed it a lot here.”
Jeet Kashyap (PM SHRI K.V. Khanapara, GUWAHATI REGION) “I would like to thank KVS, IISER and all volunteers, professors and teachers who made this summer camp possible. It was a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious experience visiting IISER Kolkata, experiencing hostel life, various lab facilities, lectures, and mind-freshening extracurricular activities. I really enjoyed being with people of similar temperament, always ready to be more curious. Of course, there is always room to be better for all of us. I think the time constraints for lab visits could have been eased up a bit. With that, I would like to say thanks.”
