Iyngkarran Kumaraguruparan has been awarded a STARS scholarship for his Microgravity Printed Circuit Board, one of only 3 winning entries (and the only one produced by a single individual) in this year's prestigious international competition.
'If you could access a platform flying free from the shackles of gravity, what breakthrough idea could you bring to life?'
On March 1, 2021, Axiom Space asked this question when announcing its inaugural STARS – Science Technology Art and Research in Space – Scholarship competition. Fifty-nine applications representing 105 individuals from 11 countries flooded in, positing new and potentially revolutionary ways to leverage the microgravity environment’s unique conditions to further human progress on Earth and in space.
Only three entries won, and one of those was from 2nd year Physics and Maths undergraduate student Iyngkarran Kumaraguruparan with his Microgravity Printed Circuit Board.
The printed circuit board (PCB) is the foundation of electronic devices; Iyngkarran's project reimagines PCB manufacturing aided by the removal of gravitational forces, allowing for a broader range of production techniques that are not possible on Earth. This could, in turn, result in higher-performing and highly compact PCBs and thus breakthrough impacts on future electronic device development.
Congratulations to Iyngkarran on receiving his STARS scholarship!
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