Shreyansh Vikas Mishra was drawn towards science and technology since childhood. The 13-year-old not only takes avid interest in knowing about the latest scientific and technological inventions and discoveries but also actively participates in science exhibitions at the district, state and national level. Shreyansh, who has also been felicitated by Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik, for his achievement in national level science exhibitions, is equally good at academics. He has also won gold medal at Assessment of Scholastic Skills through Educational Testing (ASSET), Asia’s largest skill-based diagnostic and benchmarking test, scoring 97 per cent in Mathematics. Besides he has been consistently winning gold medals at National Science Olympiad, International Mathematics Olympiad, International English Olympiad and National Cyber Olympiad since Class V. Shreyansh, who is now in Class VIII, shares his future plans with Orissa POST.
Shreyansh was born in a family of doctors. His parents Rashmi Acharya and Bikash Kumar Mishra say that Shreyansh started exhibiting innovative scientific designs in the form of science projects since he was in Class V. And most of his exhibits would go on to win awards for the innovative idea that went behind creating them.
“When he was in Class VI, he was selected for the 45th Jawaharlal Nehru National Science, Mathematics and Environment Exhibition (JNNSME) held in New Delhi. He was also among the 34 participants at the State-Level Science, Mathematics and Environment Exhibition (SLSMEE) 2017-18 held at Puri where he showcased his project ‘Healthy Green Odisha’. The idea behind the project was to come up with a concept on making agriculture products sustainable and assessable to everyone in the future with the help of modern technology,” says Rashmi.
Shreyansh, who is also a state-level badminton champion, won the Sayan Memorial Prize for the Best Juvenile Project at the Eastern India Science Fair 2018 held at Kolkata. Ask him how did he develop an interest in science and technology, and Shreyansh says, “My sister used to attend science workshops held at Science Park every year during her summer vacation. When I was Class IV, I pestered her to take me along with her. I used to spend hours at the Science Park laboratory and flood the lab instructor with questions. Gradually, I realised that I too could come up with innovative ideas and started designing projects.”
“He also participated in the CBSE Science Exhibition 2019 held at Noida. At the Eastern India Science Fair, he presented a project titled ‘Bio Village’, which was themed on ‘Scientific Solutions for Challenges in Life’. At the National Science Fair, he exhibited an automatic rice vending device for public distribution system using Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID). The device can be implemented in rural areas with the use of Aadhar Cards to prevent frauds and smooth distribution of rice to public. He was awarded a certificate for his innovative project at the expo,” says Rashmi.
The young talent considers his father his role model. However, he also draws inspiration from Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Sundar Pichai. “My mother and sister have been a constant support. Besides, I am also grateful to my school’s chairman Bijoy Kumar Sahoo and all my teachers for giving me the opportunity to express my ideas and creativity through my science projects,” says Shreyansh, who dreams of making it big in the field of science and technology someday.
Meeting the Chief Minister was certainly the most precious moment in Shreyansh’s life. “Meeting the Chief Minister at his office and being congratulated for my creations has been one of highpoints of my life. I will never forget that day,” says Shreyansh adding, “I also won’t forget another incident when Tarun Kumar, a senior scientist at Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, draped the Indian flag around me and said that I am the future innovator of our country.”
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP