I have participated in the DST-JBNSTS Science Camp entitled Learning Science in July 2015.

It was a five day summer camp where we had the opportunity to listen to lectures by
eminent professors and perform hands-on experiment.

I like Physics the most. This subject to me is very intriguing and fascinating and brings out
the best in me. It has that thought provoking element in it and has also aroused my
curiosity. Two books For the Love of Physics and Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland that I
recently started reading has added my love for this subject.

I have a fundamental desire in my soul to understand how nature works so that I can
understand its beauty, creativity and value. That has perhaps motivated me to pursue a
career in science.
Classical Mechanics. This branch has given enormous joy for the last eight months. The
motion of simple bodies, complex systems and even planets and stars and the cause behind
them is truly amazing and that is why it has interested me so much.

As a part of the Summer Camp, I performed an experiment to test for presence of bacteria in
water sample to judge water quality using plate count method. I counted the number of
colonies of bacteria formed on nutrient medium and thus determined water quality.
During the national level competition of Prize of the Apprentice Scientist, we were required
to do a variety of experiments with a simple pendulum like calculating its time period,
observing whether it was dependent on mass of bob or its shape, length of string and so on.
Our school team came third in the contest.

Walter Lewin. He is a professor in Physics and an astronomer in MIT. I came to know about
him from his video lectures posted on OCW. His way of teaching has helped me to see the
marvels of Physics. He was also one of the many reasons I fell in love with this subject.
These videos have been extremely beneficial to me and have inspired me to pursue science.