Aurangabad: Days after media reports emerged claiming that 14-year-old Maharashtra girl Diksha Shinde has been selected as a panelist on NASA’s Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Fellowships Virtual Panel, the space agency clarified that her selection was based on false information.
The agency has said the organisation's Inspector General will investigate the matter.
Shinde had claimed that International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research accepted her research paper on ‘We Live in Black Hole?’ in May 2021 and that she was selected as a panellist for the 2021 MSI Fellowships Virtual Panel in June.
"I accepted the offer and will start working soon. My job involves reviewing proposals submitted by researchers and describing a collaborative approach to conduct research with NASA and understanding the connection between the proposed research area and academic discipline pursuit of the students," she said, according to news agency ANI.
The young researcher said that she attends the research discussions every alternate day. She is paid for the job of panellist.
On August 26, NASA’s Katherine Brown confirmed that Shinde was indeed selected as a panellist to review NASA Fellowships with Minority-Serving Institutions, but her selection was on the basis of false information, ANI reported.
Ms Brown went further ahead to state that, "NASA has not accepted a scientific paper from Shinde or presented her with any other accolades."
In a response to ANI, Ms Brown replied: “In May 2021, NASA`s Office of STEM Engagement sought applications through a third-party service for expert panelists to review a series of proposals and applications for NASA Fellowships with Minority-Serving Institutions. Diksha Shinde was selected as a panelist based on false information regarding her background and credentials. NASA is currently reviewing the process of verifying potential panelists` backgrounds. The matter has also been referred to the agency`s Office of Inspector General. Shinde is not employed by NASA nor has the agency awarded her a fellowship, which are only opportunities available to U.S. citizens. Furthermore, NASA has not accepted a scientific paper from Shinde or presented her with any other accolades. Any claims that NASA is funding a trip to the U.S. for her are also false.”
