CSIR Program on Youth for Leadership in Science 2009 (CPYLS 2009) was conducted during 22-23 December 2009. More than 100 students from schools/colleges across the state of Orissa were invited to participate in this event. The aim of the program has been to expose young minds to the exciting world of Science and encourage them to take up basic sciences as their career. The inaugural function was held on 22nd December 2009. Programme started with welcome address by Dr. R.K. Paramguru, Scientist ‘G’ and Co-chairman, CPYLS 2009 followed by address by Prof. B.K. Mishra, Director, IMMT and Chairman of CPYLS 2009 who gave an overview of the CPYLS-2009 programme and also introduced the Chief Guest, Dr. B. Ravindran, Director, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar.

On the plenary session Dr. Ravindran gave a thought provoking lecture on ‘Improved scenario of life sciences that has taken place in the 21st Centaury’. Then, the students were taken around to visit different laboratories of the institute and were given live demonstration of various sophisticated equipments and the R & D activities being carried out. The afternoon session started with lecture by Prof. Rajesh Prasad, IIT, Delhi who gave lecture on ‘Material Science’. On the second day i.e., on 23rd December 2009 the program started with the lecture on ‘SCIENTOON’ by Dr. Pradeep K. Srivastava, Scientist ‘E-II’, CDRI, Lucknow followed by lecture on ‘Computations’ by Prof. B.K. Mishra. Students were also taken to visit laboratories during the break. In the afternoon session, Dr. B. Bag, Scientist, IMMT, Bhubaneswar gave a lecture on ‘Molecular Engineering: Futuristic Domain in Chemistry’. The two days programme ended with valedictory function. During the valedictory session Prof. Mishra, Prof. Rajesh and Dr. Paramguru gave some tips on career to the students. Students and parents were very much exited and expressed their views about the programme. Finally, all the students were given certificates for their participation. During the program an audio-visual show on activities of IMMT Bhubaneswar and CSIR were also shown to the students to have glimpse of various R & D activities under CSIR.