Archive · 23 Sep 2026
NASA Scientist Urges Students to Save Energy, Embrace Solar Power
NASA scientist Goutam Chattopadhyay spoke with students in Calcutta.
He said people can help the climate by turning off lights when they leave rooms.
He also said people should avoid using electricity unnecessarily.
Chattopadhyay encouraged India to install more solar panels because it gets plenty of sunlight.
Students asked about reports warning that rising seas could threaten cities such as Calcutta and Mumbai.
He also described his work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
He said talking with people from different backgrounds can help create new ideas.
Finally, he said life may exist on other planets, but reaching them would take a very long time.
Goutam Chattopadhyay urged students to turn off unused lights and avoid unnecessary phone charging.
He recommended expanding solar-power use, saying India receives abundant sunlight but lacks enough solar panels.
His advice followed questions about United Nations warnings on sea-level rise threatening Calcutta and Mumbai.
Chattopadhyay described NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an environment where collaboration drives innovation.
He said life beyond Earth is possible, though potentially habitable planets may be tens of thousands of years away.
- Who
- Goutam Chattopadhyay, a senior scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology, addressed students and teachers.
- What
- He discussed everyday climate actions, solar energy, life at NASA, and the possibility of life beyond Earth.
- When
- The session took place on Tuesday; the United Nations report discussed was published earlier this month.
- Where
- The session was held in Calcutta and hosted by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- Why
- He was responding to student questions about climate risks, sea-level rise, scientific work, and life beyond Earth.
- Speaker
- Goutam Chattopadhyay
- Affiliations
- NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology
- Climate advice
- Turn off lights when leaving a room and avoid unnecessary phone charging
- Energy recommendation
- Expand solar-panel use in India
- Cities identified as at risk
- Calcutta and Mumbai
- Event host
- Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Space-travel estimate
- Reaching potentially suitable planetary bodies could take tens of thousands of years using humanity’s fastest active spacecraft