नमो वः!

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Welcome to My Website

I love science and astronomy and enjoy sharing my knowledge. I also do amateur radio with the call sign VU3PXE. In my free time, I watch birds, take photos of mushrooms and flowers, collect interesting things, read about history, and listen to podcasts on history, language, Money (Debt) and politics. Check out my work and achievements in science.

I have created this page from scratch. However, I have used snippets from various sources. main source would be w3schools.com. You can use this page as a source if you are interested in creating your page. The page is hosted on the GitHub server, and I am using free hosting.

About me (VU3PXE)

I am a science educator and communicator with 3+ years of experience designing, delivering, and evaluating inquiry-based science and mathematics education programmes for teachers and students. Experienced in public engagement, curriculum development, teacher professional development, and science outreach within large-scale national initiatives. Strong background in physics and astronomy, with proven ability to translate complex scientific concepts into accessible learning experiences, including multilingual educational resources. Seeking roles in science communication, STEM education, public engagement, or research-based education programmes within universities, research institutes, museums, or NGOs.

Education

  • M.Sc. Physics, Fergusson College, Pune
  • B.Sc. Physics, Abasaheb Garware College, Pune

Interests

  • Amateur Astronomy
  • Reading (History, Astronomy and Technology)
  • Playing online or offline chess
  • Traveling and Hiking
  • Birding
  • clicking pictures with mobile camera
About Me

Work Experience

Project Scientific Assistant - Vigyan Pratibha Project, HBCSE

10 Jan 2023 - Current

Working on the Vigyan Pratibha Project, a national initiative creating inclusive teaching- learning spaces for science and mathematics within government school systems.

Key Contributations and Achivements:

Roles and Responsibilities:

  • Translated and localised science learning materials from English to Marathi, improving accessibility for Marathi-medium students
  • Enhanced curriculum materials through literature review, classroom observation, and feedback analysis, strengthening reasoning, hypothesis formation, and scientific argumentation
  • Organised, facilitated, and observed teacher professional development workshops, engaging 250+ teachers across Maharashtra, Goa, and Gujarat
  • Implemented experiment-based learning modules in 20+ government schools across urban and rural regions; conducted observations, prepared analytical reports, and delivered structured feedback
  • Coordinated student camps, teacher workshops, and online seminars with subject experts
  • Managed and maintained the Vigyan Pratibha WordPress website, including targeted plugin-level code modifications
  • Maintained centralised records for six regional centres and contributed to improving standard operating procedures (SOPs) for data management
  • Assisted in editorial workflows for curriculum publication and dissemination

Instruction Specialist - Pi Jam Foundation

22 Dec 2021 - 30 Jun 2022
  • I worked as an Instructor Specialist at Pi Jam Foundation, a non-profit organisation committed to advancing computer science education in government schools.
  • Guided students in creating a website for their school from scratch. Here is the sample of the website.
  • I also created a short video showing steps to change the keyboard language on Raspberry Pi

Roles and Responsibilities:

  • Delivered and managed computer lab sessions in three Zilla Parishad schools
  • Ensured consistent execution of Pi Jam Foundation's curriculum and lesson plans
  • Collected and entered impact data for the Monitoring & Evaluation team
  • Supported stakeholder coordination and school-level relationship management

Intern - MVS, IUCAA

24 Apr 2018 - 18 MAy 2018
23 Apr 2017 - 30 Jun 2017

My Role as an Intern:

  • Assisted students in the summer school program by guiding them through experiments.
  • Taught science and math concepts to participants.
  • Helped collect and analyse data during the summer camp.
  • Edited videos for the IUCAA SciPop channel.

Projects

Astrophysics Fellow (Summer Research Fellowship Program) at SARSTEM

17 Jul 2021 – 25 Sept 2021

Project Title: Constraints on the Variable Chaplygin Gas Model from Gravitational Wave Merger Events

Description:

Scientific observations often challenge and refine existing theories. One such groundbreaking observation was of Type Ia supernovae. While numerous cosmological models attempt to explain the universe's expansion, the Variable Chaplygin Gas model stands out. This model transitions from a dust-dominated era to a quintessence-dominated era and aligns well with current Type Ia Supernovae data. In this project, we constrained the parameters of the Variable Chaplygin Gas model by analysing supernova events and gravitational wave events across different redshifts.

Project Student at GMRT (Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope)

01 Nov 2019 – 30 Apr 2020 (Certificate not available)

Project Title: Analysis of Matched Frequency Data from Legacy and Upgraded GMRT

Description:

Collaborating with Prof. Ishwar Chandra from NCRA, this project involved creating and analysing images from 100 datasets selected from GMRT archival data. Using the Common Astronomy Software Application (CASA), I worked on these datasets to produce images, modifying the provided pipeline to optimise processing time. During the analysis, I detected an unusual Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) in one of the backend datasets, which did not appear in the other. This peculiar RFI, observed to shift its position within the frequency domain, was reported and investigated by GMRT engineers, with my involvement to understand its origin.

Construction of a Radio JOVE Receiver (MSc Second Year Project)

Description:

During my second year of MSc, I built a Radio JOVE receiver using a design by Jim Rowe, which is an improved and cost-effective version of NASA’s original design. NASA's version contained many obsolete and expensive components, making Rowe’s design more practical. I successfully assembled the receiver from scratch and fine-tuned it using a signal generator at 20 MHz.

Sci-Pop Activities:

Meetups, Schools, Workshops, and Conferences Attended:

Special Experience:

Contact Me

Feel free to reach out to me through this contact form

HAM call sign: VU3PXE

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nilkantha-gholap