A special program titled 'Science in Silence: Curiosity-Oriented Program for Hearing-Impaired Students' was organized on 10 December 2025 by the CSIR–Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR–IMMT), Bhubaneswar as part of the Scientific Curiosity Initiative named as JIGYASA. In this program, 110 hearing-impaired students from BBC Govt. Vocational Higher Secondary School for the Hearing Impaired, Unit–III, Bhubaneswar participated. Under the CSIR JIGYASA Scheme, Virtual Lab educational materials based on Indian Sign Language (ISL) have been developed to make science accessible to everyone. Through this program, these materials, exhibitions, interactive sessions, and laboratory demonstrations were provided to the students physically.

Dr. Ramanuj Narayan, Director of CSIR–IMMT, stated in his address that specially-abled students are more intelligent, and their intellect is essential for building a Vikshit Bharat (Developed India).

Scientists, Dr. Umakant Subuddhi and Dr. Manas Dalai gave special scientific and informative presentations. Both mentioned that observation is the most important aspect of science, and since hearing-impaired students have heightened observational abilities, they can play a special role in invention and innovation. The students were divided into 8 groups and visited the following important research facilities. They explored laboratories for advanced material characterization, mineral processing technology, solar reactors, wetlands, and plasma processing, among others. In the auditorium, students were shown Indian Sign Language videos, engaged with quizzes, and demonstrated school-level science experiments.

Mr. Dilip Kumar Sahoo, an electronics hobbyist of Cuttack, taught a group of teachers and students the technique of making innovative electronic displays using LED strips.

Dr. Sachidananda Sahu, Dr. Simantini Nayak, Dr. Ashish Yadav, Dr. Priyanka Rajput, Dr. Satyajit Rath, Dr. Manish Kumar, Mr. Ajit Dash, Mr. Debadatta Sahoo, Ms. Swagatika Mohanty and Mr. Jogeshwara Sahu, Dr. Ashutosh Rath, and Dr. Sahid Anwar organized this laboratory visit and auditorium activities.

The smooth coordination of this program was ensured by Dr. Debi Prasad Das, the coordinator of Jigyasa at IMMT. The successful execution of the program saw remarkable support from the former Section Officer (F&A) of IMMT and Mr. Abdul Rahim Khan, an alumnus of BBC High School. Additionally, many other scientists, research scholars, technical and administrative staff of CSIR–IMMT played an important role in actively coordinating and successfully managing this program.

Jigyasa, it is a national level initiative by CSIR that connects school students with scientific research labs, encouraging curiosity, creativity, and experiential learning. For students with hearing impairments, the Indian Sign Language (ISL)-based digital science material is a noteworthy step within the Jigyasa program towards inclusive scientific education.