The APOGEE English Press interviewed Yammanuru Narasimha Shasank, the Coordinator of the Physics Association, to gain insight into the association’s initiatives and plans for APOGEE this year.
He began by explaining that the Physics Association is focused on fostering a stronger culture among physics enthusiasts on campus. He said that the association regularly organises talks and produces written content such as newsletters and research articles. He added that they also planned to conduct more informal activities like movie screenings in the future.
Speaking about APOGEE 2026, he introduced the association’s sole event, ‘Room of Wonders’, describing it as a collection of interactive ‘experiments’ designed and built by all members. These included a Tesla coil, an interferometer, a cloud chamber, an oscilloscope, and three BattleBots, robots whose designs are motivated by the television series ‘BattleBots’. He mentioned that attendees could witness live demonstrations with these tools. He added that ideas for these projects were crowdsourced from the ’24 and ’25 batch, based on their interests in building specific models and demonstrations.
When asked about how preparations were going, he stated that the materials necessary had already been ordered. Once all deliveries were made, the club would begin the assembly and testing phases. He also shared that three BattleBots were being built: a spinner bot, a wedge bot, and a flipper. Since they were intending to participate in future robot-battling events, these bots were built as prototypes for their future projects.
Talking about challenges faced during preparation, he recounted the difficulty of sourcing a high-voltage transformer required for building a Tesla coil. After an extensive search across local scrap dealers in Pilani proved unsuccessful, the team decided to order a brand-new component despite budget constraints.
Discussing team coordination, he explained that work allocation is largely interest-driven, with members volunteering for tasks through polls. He added that more critical responsibilities were assigned to the most active members to ensure steady progress and tangible results.
When asked about outreach, Shasank expressed hope that APOGEE would help restore the association’s earlier prominence. He remarked that between 2016 and 2019, the Physics Society had been one of the largest and most active groups on campus, with over 170 members in total, but activity declined after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he observed a noticeable increase in engagement this year and hoped that this APOGEE would contribute further to the same. Addressing financial aspects, he revealed that the association had been allotted a budget of ₹14,000 by the CRC, which, according to him, was somewhat restrictive but fairly manageable nonetheless. He also added that the support of the faculty, particularly the Faculty-in-Charge, Prof. Bhavesh Chauhan, had been instrumental in reducing costs.
Reflecting on his experience as a coordinator, he described it as both challenging and rewarding. He noted that managing formalities was initially demanding, but he had gradually adapted to the pace.
Concluding the interview, he expressed optimism about APOGEE and the future of the Physics Association, and advised the general BITSian to participate in the event and enjoy the beauty of Physics.