New Delhi: The 18-year-old Sataparna Mukherjee of a village around 30 kms away from Kolkata has been selected for National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) prestigious Goddard Internship Programme.

She is among five students from across the world who will get an opportunity to stay and study in US. Every year, NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) selects five exceptionally talented students for the programme, where it funds the entire education of the students after school.



Sataparna, who will appear for her class 12th exams this year, will pursue her graduation, post-graduation and Ph.D (aerospace engineering) at its London Astrobiology Centre.

While talking to the Times of India about how she was selected for the scholarship, Sataparna told that, "It all started in May last year when I was a member of a group on a social networking site where there were many members, including some scientists. One day I shared some of my thoughts on 'Black Hole Theory', and one of the members of this group gave me NASA's official website and told me to post my findings, which I did."

Her paper on Black Hole Theory was appreciated by the institute, which extended the scholarship offer in return.

Under the programme, Sataparna will work as an employee and researcher and she will be a part of earth science and technology development programme.

Sataparna's father Pradip Mukheree, a headmaster of a primary school, is a proud man since he came to know about her daughter's selection for the prestigious programme.

"She has made me and the entire country very proud," said Pradip Mukheree.