NASA invites Amritsar teen to US after she bagged first position in ISO 2020

A 16-year-old girl from Amritsar recently received an invitation from NASA after she topped the International Space Olympiad (ISO) 2020. Hissaa, who is a class X student of DAV Public School, got invited to visit the John F Kennedy Space Centre in the US as she came first in the senior category of ISO. According to The Tribune, the Amritsar resident scored 78.75 marks collectively in the preliminary, intermediate and final test conducted by the International Space Olympiad.

Hissaa is the first student from India to secure a prestigious position in the senior category. While speaking to the media outlet, the 16-year-old said that the official confirmation was a ‘dream come true’. 

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The student from Amritsar, who aims to be an astrophysicist, reportedly said that she competed with students from Singapore and Switzerland, besides those who applied from the different places of India. Currently, Hissaa is waiting for the COVID-19 situation to get favourable so that she could visit her ‘dream destination’. 

Hissaa informed that she registered for ISO in September last year, however, due to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic the first round of the competition was pushed to January. The second round of the contest took place in June and the final round was held in August. 

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The 16-year-old credited her father Savrajinder Pal Singh, who is an engineer with the MC, and her mother Kamalpreet Kaur, who is an English teacher in a government school, for her success. While speaking about their contribution, Hissaa reportedly said that her father, with his engineering background, helped her with science lessons. Her mother, on the other hand, ensured that Hissaa had a thorough understanding of astronomy. 

About ISO 

International Space Olympiad is an international Quiz competition on space and technology and students from classes 5 to 12 can participate in the contest. ISO aims to attract and encourage talents in the fields of space science and technology and enhance the aptitude of children in space science. It was first conducted in the year 2015 and since it has honoured genuine talents with amazing prizes and laurels. 

(Image: AP) 

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