Shillong: Class 5 student from Dehradun Jewellery Mitra and Japanese scientist Taisei Nomura are amongst the many for whom the five-day 96th Indian Science Congress has been a great learning exercise with the conclave igniting new thoughts and scientific ideas.

Mitra, the youngest child scientist, drew thunderous applause as she confidently walked up to the rostrum late on Wednesday at the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in Meghalaya's capital Shillong to receive the prestigious Infosys Science Award, while Nomura watched the bubbly little girl accepting the citation with sheer pride.

"The Science Congress was an eye opener and I am simply overwhelmed by the spirit of the event. Since I am doing research on finding a cure for cancer, I strongly feel scientists need to be supported more to carry out further research," said Nomura, a scientist at the National Institute of Biomedical Innovation in Japan.

About 4,000 delegates from around the world gathered at the conclave with 25 scientific papers presented during various seminars and group discussions.

"The Indian Science Congress Association at the end of the event made 11 recommendations, including setting up of scientific advisory councils in the northeastern states, reviewing the science education systems at various levels, and increasing career opportunities for students in the science and technology sector," association president T. Ramasami told sources.

Participants and organisers of the event were excited at the successful completion of the conclave, although they admitted that a number of foreign scientists and noble laureates could not make it due to travel advisories by their respective countries following the recent incidents of terror attacks in India.

"The five-day event was indeed a great success and this Shillong conclave was one of the most well attended in recent years in terms of participation by senior scientists," Vice Chancellor of NEHU Pramod Tandon said.

"The Congress has provided young scientists with great opportunities to know about the latest in science and technology."

From environment to biotechnology, from alternative medicines to cancer cure, animal husbandry to computer technology, scientists and researchers got to share views on a wide array of subjects over the five days.

Some of India's top space scientists gave presentations on the recent moon mission Chandrayaan I and spoke about the future manned mission to space.

"We could experience the uniqueness of different cultures and scientific views and we will use the knowledge we gathered in Shillong for our future studies," Ramona, a Canadian student participant, said.

The Congress was able to create a roadmap for India's scientific advancement, particularly in planning ways and means to attract young people to take up science and technology as a career, besides efforts at promoting research.

"The 11 recommendations if executed properly would change the face of India in terms of scientific development and research activities," Tandon said. IANS