Category: Academia

IIT Kharagpur conducts a special interaction session for the parents of 1900+ freshers for the Y2024 Batch

Behind you, all your memories
Before you, all your dreams
Around you, all who love you

Within you, all you need!

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ~ Marie Curie.

The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur hosted an Induction Meet for the students to welcome its new batch of undergraduate students with a dynamic and engaging four-day orientation programme, setting the stage for a memorable start to their academic journey. Held at the Netaji Auditorium, the event offered freshers an immersive introduction to the institute’s vibrant community, rich traditions, and cutting-edge resources. The orientation aimed to seamlessly integrate the new students into the vibrant campus environment and familiarize them with the academic and administrative structures of the institute.

During this long induction programme, freshers came to know about the plethora of student-run societies, clubs & cells of the college and also the various advanced research facilities including CoEAI & CoEAMT which are designed specifically for research purposes and higher studies. The programme consisted of several cultural shows conducted by the cultural clubs of our college entertaining the audience and picking the interests of the freshers.

 

Highlights of the Orientation Programme:

  1. Heartfelt Welcome for Parents: The orientation kicked off with a special session for parents, aimed at easing their minds and introducing them to IIT-KGP’s robust academic and administrative framework. Parents were reassured of the institute’s dedication to delivering world-class education and comprehensive support for their children’s success.
  2.  Meet the Leadership: The programme featured appearances by key figures including Director Prof. Virendra Tewari, Deputy Director Prof. Rintu Banerjee, and Registrar Capt. Amit Jain (Retd.) who gave their insightful addresses and profound backgrounder of the institute, its moto, its vision and its mission for the freshers, providing valuable guidance and set a tone of excellence and support.
  3. Exploration of Campus: Freshers enjoyed guided bus tours of the sprawling IIT-KGP campus, exploring landmarks like the Ramanujam Complex, various academic departments, and the impressive Nalanda Classroom Complex. The tours included captivating narratives about the campus’s history and state-of-the-art facilities.
  4. Interactive Buddy Sessions: To foster connections and ease the transition, new students were grouped into teams of 20 and paired with 2-3 seniors. These interactive sessions featured fun games and informative discussions, helping freshers navigate campus life and build lasting friendships.
  5. Cultural Extravaganza: The orientation showcased the vibrant cultural life at IIT KGP through a series of performances by the student clubs. These lively displays not only entertained but also highlighted the rich array of cultural activities awaiting the freshers.
  6. Personalized Mentoring: In an innovative support initiative, small groups consisting of four freshers and a senior student from the 3rd or 4th year were formed. This mentoring approach aims to provide personalized guidance on academic and residential matters, ensuring a smooth transition into college life.
  7. Residence Allocation: Freshers have been assigned to their new homes with boys residing in the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hall of Residence (LBS), the largest hall on campus, while girls will stay in the Sister Nivedita Hall of Residence (SNVH). These accommodations are designed to offer comfort and foster community.
  8. Exciting Curriculum Updates: The academic curriculum has been updated with department-specific classes, the abolition of branch change, and the introduction of a Dual Degree programme that students can opt for at the end of their 1st and 2nd years, adding flexibility and opportunities for advanced study.

“Our induction programme for the Class of 2024 marks the beginning of an exciting chapter at IIT Kharagpur. This meticulously designed orientation is not only about acquainting students with our academic framework but also about welcoming them into a community where curiosity and collaboration thrive. We are dedicated to providing a holistic introduction that balances essential academic information with opportunities for personal growth and cultural enrichment. By fostering early connections and offering robust support, we aim to empower our new students to navigate their journey with confidence and enthusiasm. We are eager to see them contribute to and benefit from the experiences that make IIT Kharagpur truly exceptional,” said Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Deputy Director, IIT Kharagpur.

While speaking in the Induction Programme 2024, Prof. Virendra Tewari, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur remarked, “As we welcome the Class of 2024 to IIT Kharagpur, we are excited to introduce them to our unique blend of academic rigor and vibrant campus life. This year’s induction was more special as it gave the parents an opportunity to interact with me, the Deputy Director, the Academic Deans and the respective professors about what strengthens of character are needed for their children to pursue a holistic development and fulfill individual aspirations. This year’s induction programme is crafted to not only familiarize our new students with the essentials of college life but to also immerse them in the rich traditions and dynamic culture that define our institute. Our goal is to ensure every student feels embraced, empowered, and ready to excel. Through engaging interactions, insightful guidance, and cultural immersion, we are committed to making their transition as smooth and inspiring as possible. We look forward to witness their growth and achievements as they embark on this transformative journey with us.”

The institute also  rolled out the red carpet for its newest PhD and MS students, ushering them into the vibrant KGP family. The festivities kicked off with a dynamic and inspiring welcome address from Prof. V K Tewari, Director IIT Kharagpur who warmly embraced the incoming scholars and highlighted the prestigious legacy of the “Mother of All IITs,” in the presence of Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Deputy Director; Prof. P K Dutta, Dean, Faculty of Inter Disciplinary and Biotechnology & Biosciences and Captain Amit Jain (Retd.), Registrar of the Institute.

The celebration continued with Prof. Bhargab Maitra, Dean of Student Affairs, alongside Associate Deans—Prof. Santanu Chattopadhyay, Prof. Koel Chaudhury, and Prof. Tapas Laha—taking the center stage. They captivated the audience with personal stories and valuable insights, blending humor and wisdom as they shared their own transformational timeline of journey from students to mentors. The energy was palpable as they recounted the highs and lows of their academic paths, offering both motivational and practical guidance to the newbies.

Mr. Dhritiman Sarkar, IPS, Superintendent of Police for Paschim Medinipur District, West Bengal, added a valuable dimension to the event with his presence. His insightful address highlighted crucial aspects of campus safety, reassuring students about the comprehensive safety measures and security protocols in the institute. Mr. Sarkar provided practical information on how to access these resources, emphasizing the commitment to create a secure and supportive environment for all. His participation underscored the importance of safety and well-being, further enlightening the new students.

The event is a powerful reminder of the supportive and spirited community that defines IIT Kharagpur, setting a high-energy tone for the new students’ academic adventures ahead. As you step into this new chapter, we want you to know that you’re not just joining an institution, but a vibrant community of curious minds and passionate hearts. Here at IIT Kharagpur we believe in nurturing not just brilliant researchers, but also kindred spirits who support and uplift one another.

This year for the first time IIT Kharagpur opened its gates for the JEE Qualified Candidates 2024. The Institute held Open House Campus Tour where 15 JEE Qualified Candidates of 2024 visited IIT Kharagpur along with their parents and explored the ambience of the largest and the first IIT of the nation. The team of JEE Candidates were joined by the IIT students in the fun and exciting campus tour of the institution including visits to various departments, labs, centres of excellence, student activity centres, Technology Students’ Gymkhana and some of the major attractions of the KGP community. They interacted with the existing students of the institute to know about the course curriculum and how IIT KGP turned out to be their desirable destination for steering ahead their aspirational career goals and the custodian of their dreams.

Media Coverage:

Indian Express

By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

Follow us on: Facebook – IIT Kharagpur; Twitter – @IITKgp;  Instagram – @iit.kgp; LinkedIn – Indian Institute of Technology
For news visit: https://kgpchronicle.iitkgp.ac.in/ 

Prof. Amit Patra is appointed the new Director of IIT BHU (Varanasi) by Ministry of Education

If your  actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. A successful leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that the impact lasts in your absence by unlocking people’s potential to become better. A greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the great things, he is the one that gets the people to do the great things.  Today, IIT Kharagpur celebrates one such leader that the institute is proud of. Prof. Amit Patra, Deputy Director of IIT Kharagpur has recently been appointed as the Director, IIT BHU (Varanasi) by the Ministry of Education. An Electrical Engineer with an academic career spanning over 35 years, his soulful voice echoes at every joyous and momentous occasions in the institute as an ardent music lover.

Prof. Amit Patra  received his B.Tech, M. Tech. and PhD degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 1984, 1986 and 1990 respectively. During 1992-93 and in 2000, he visited the Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany as a Post-Doctoral Fellow of the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation. He joined the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur in 1987 as a faculty member. During 2018-19 he visited the University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a Senior Visiting Research Scientist and has been serving as an Honorary Adjunct Professor. He also served many administrative positions as the Dean of Alumni Affairs and International Relations between 2007 and 2013 and was the Professor-In-Charge, Advanced VLSI Design Lab at IIT Kharagpur during 2004-07.

His current research interests include power management circuits, mixed-signal VLSI design, battery management systems, diagnostics and prognostics in industrial and biomedical systems. As the Professor-In-Charge of the Advanced VLSI Design Laboratory he was instrumental in expanding the chip design activity of the laboratory and also setting up an advanced test facility. During his tenure, the laboratory received a funding of about USD 1 Million from major multinational corporations like National Semiconductor, Intel, Synopsys etc. He took a major initiative to create a consortium of leading VLSI companies to support the chip design and CAD activity of the laboratory. More than a dozen companies including National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, Agilent Technologies, Sun Microsystems, Cadence Design Systems, Synopsys Inc., Infineon Technologies, etc. joined this consortium. He has filed about a dozen patents and has a granted patent in his name and has carried out more than 45 sponsored projects mostly in the areas of VLSI and power management circuits and control systems. He has collaborated with National Semiconductor Corporation, Infineon Technologies, Freescale Semiconductor, Maxim Corporation, NXP Semiconductor and a few start-up companies in the Power Management area. In the area of control systems he has worked with ISRO, DRDO, ADE, ADA, General Motors and Tata Motors.

Prof. Patra received the Young Engineer Award of the Indian National Academy of Engineering in 1996 and the Young Teachers Career Award from the All India Council for Technical Education in 1995 along with the Samsung Innovation Award. A Young Associate of the Indian Academy of Sciences during 1992-97, he is a member of IEEE (USA), Institution of Engineers (India) and a life member of the Systems Society of India. Prof. Patra has recently been listed as one the top contributors of engineering publications in the country by a DST-conducted survey spanning the period 2002-2014.


By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

Follow us: Facebook – IIT Kharagpur; Twitter – @IITKgp;  Instagram – @iit.kgp; LinkedIn – Indian Institute of Technology
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IIT Kharagpur and University of Melbourne forms strategic partnership over MIPA

IIT Kharagpur introduces major curriculum reforms for UG students for the academic year 2024-25

In line with the spirit of National Educational Policy (NEP 2020), IIT Kharagpur introduced several path-breaking reforms in its UG programmes starting from the academic year 2024-25.

1. From the academic year 2024-25, admission to all UG programmes will be for 4-year, B.Tech and B.S levels only. The students will get an opportunity to opt for the 5-year dual degree programmes after 2nd or 3rd year of their study. Depending upon their suitability and interest, the students can choose a 5-year dual degree programme in his/her parent department or he/she can also choose the Interdisciplinary Dual Degree Programmes (IDDP) offered by several schools and centres of the Institute. This will also create interesting possibilities such as a B.S (Hons.) in Economics with M.Tech in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning or a B.Tech (Hons.) in Civil Engineering with M.Tech in Financial Engineering etc. These changes will facilitate the students to make informed choice after spending few semesters at IIT Kharagpur for Dual Degree, instead of making the choice before they join the institute.

2. The branch change option at the end of the first year for UG students admitted through JEE (Advanced) is abolished. This is done to reduce the level of stress some students undergo to secure higher grades for branch change and availability of the option. Less than 10% of the students manage to change their branch every year, leaving the remaining 90% students dejected who undergo depression, sometime resulting in serious mental health issues and poor performance in subsequent semesters. The announcement of this new measure has been overwhelmingly welcomed by the existing students as well.

3. The UG students taking admission in 2024 will have the option of earning simultaneously a “Double Major” along with the B.Tech (Hons.) or B.S (Hons.) degree in the departments in which they take admission. The “Double Major” programme will be offered by several departments. Depending upon their interest and aptitude, the students can register for “Double Major” in any discipline after 1st For example, a student pursuing B.Tech (Hons.) in Mechanical Engineering can opt for a “Double Major” in “Economics” or a student pursuing B.S (Hons.) in Physics can opt for a “Double Major” in “Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering” or “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning”.

4. IIT Kharagpur will also be introducing the Semester Away Program (SAP) for the undergraduate students from the academic year 2024-25. Under SAP, a UG student can spend one semester either in another reputed national or international institute or industry or research laboratories and earn full credits equivalent to the semester credits. If required, the UG students can also combine their mandatory summer internship of 8-weeks along with the semester long SAP program, thus getting an opportunity to spend almost 8 months in another reputed organization/industries anywhere in the world

5. In addition, the institute also offers the students the possibility of earning a “Minor” or a “Micro-Specialization” in many of the disciplines of their interest. Taking into account the rapid developments in “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)” and its huge potential for the nation, studying at least one AI/ML elective will be made mandatory for all the students along with several other electives being offered in areas such as Linguistics, Happiness and Well-Being, Indian Knowledge Systems, Performing Arts etc. The institute also encourages the UG students to attend national and international conferences of repute and make presentations of the research work that they do at IIT Kharagpur by supporting them financially and promoting the creativity of the students through establishment of several Innovation Labs, Do-It-Yourself centres, Tinkering Labs, Tech Clubs etc.

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur remarked, “The Double Major programme is expected to attract a large number of brilliant students to pursue studies in an area of their interest apart from the basic programme in which they take admission. It is hoped that they can do this without much mental stress as they can complete their B.Tech (Hons.)/B.S (Hons.) programme along with Double Major in 4 to 5 years depending upon their course completion plan. Once the branch change is abolished, the first year curriculum need not be common across all branches, and the departments have the opportunity to introduce relevant, department-specific subjects from 1st year onwards. The students can also get exposure to top organizations in the world through SAP, while the organizations can utilize the talent of the exceptionally brilliant IIT students to solve the challenging problems of the organization/industries. Depending upon the nature of the host organization, the students also have an opportunity of getting Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs) from the organizations along with offers for master’s or doctoral research in national and international universities/institutes.

Media Coverage:

Times of India Telegraph Times Now
Indian Express India Today The Hindu
Career 360 Digital Learning  Free Press Journal

Times of India

Inputs by: Prof. Maddali Ramgopal, Dean, FoEA & Prof. Arindam Basu, Vice-Chairman, JEE (Advanced), 2024
Email: deanfoea@iitkgp.ac.in; vcjee1@adm.iitkgp.ac.in

Edited By: Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

Follow us: Facebook – IIT Kharagpur; Twitter – @IITKgp;  Instagram – @iit.kgp; LinkedIn – Indian Institute of Technology
For news visit: https://kgpchronicle.iitkgp.ac.in/