Tag: Academic

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/ 

Intellectual Property is the Possession of a Curious Mind – Celebrating the World Intellectual Property Day 2024 at IIT Kharagpur

On the occasion of the World Intellectual Property Day, the Intellectual Property (IP) Cell of the Office of Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC), IIT Kharagpur organized a programme on Intellectual Property in Ben Gupta Auditorium of the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law (RGSOIPL) on 26th April, 2024. The programme accentuates the importance of IP in modern science and transformational technological pursuits and was inaugurated by Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur, in attendance by a large number of students, research scholars faculty and staff members.

The theme of The World IP Day 2024 was to align the inventions towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). IIT Kharagpur has already taken a leap towards aligning with SDGs and has published the Sustainability Policy of the Institute in the Website. The Institute has also taken initiatives towards directing the innovations towards attainment of the SDGs for shaping our future together with the Intellectual Property.

In the opening address, Prof. Santanu Dhara, Associate Dean R&D and Professor In-Charge of Intellectual Property Rights (PIC-IPR), talked about the genesis and history of the IPR and introduced its basic aspects. He also touched upon the various IPR and patent filing activities of IIT Kharagpur and urged the faculty, students and scholars to secure their IPR by filing patents.

Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Dean R&D, IIT Kharagpur

Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Dean R&D, presented the record of annual patent filing at IIT Kharagpur which showed a positive trend over the last few years. Prof. Banerjee also compared the details of patents filed and granted from IIT Kharagpur with those from the other top academic institutions in India and the world. Overall, Prof. Banerjee emphasized on the importance of filing patents for institutional and national development and called the IIT Kharagpur community to come forward and make the endeavour of ‘100 patents in 100 hours’ successful. Prof. Banerjee also shared some of the administrative and academic measures the institute is going to implement for promoting the IP drive.

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur

In the Chairman’s speech, Prof. V K Tewari delivered a fascinating and encouraging lecture covering the journey of patent filing at IIT Kharagpur. It is wonderful to hear that back in 1982 Prof. Tewari visited the patent office in Kolkata every day for around two weeks to learn the rules and regulations of patent filing following the advice of his M.Tech supervisor, which resulted in the filing of the first patent from this institute. Prof. Tewari continued his drive and owned as many as twenty patents throughout his academic journey. Prof. Tewari particularly focused on the importance of securing IP and translating that to successful start-ups to foster the country’s economy and generate employment.

There were two successive lectures first by Prof. Padmavati Machikanti from RGSOIPL on the overview of different forms of IP and subsequently by Prof. Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay, Professor of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, on the patenting aspects in Indian context. Prof. Banerjee also touched upon how technological research can benefit the rural economy through IPR.

Mr. Sumit Chatterjee, Legal Associate, SRIC, briefly mentioned the IP-related activities of SRIC

In the end, Prof. Banerjee and Prof. Dhara thanked the tremendous support extended by the IIT Kharagpur faculty members in performing a timely review of the proposals submitted for patent filing. The programme ended with a long Q&A session where Prof. Goutam Saha, former PIC of IPR, and Prof. Soumitra Paul, Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, shared some of their opinion and suggestions to make the patent drive at IIT Kharagpur a more effective one.  [Read : IIT Kharagpur calls for 100 Patents in 100 days]

Finally, in the vote of thanks Prof. Niharika Sahoo Bhattacharya acknowledged the Director, Dean R&D, Associate Dean R&D, the speakers and attendees for making the event successful. Special thanks was imparted to the Deans and all the faculty and staff members of the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law for extending all support in organizing the event at their venue.

About WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO was created to promote and protect Intellectual Property (IP) across the world by cooperating with countries as well as international organizations. It began operations on 26 April 1970 when the convention entered into force. The current Director General is Singaporean Daren Tang, former head of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, who began his term on 1st October 2020.

WIPO’s activities include hosting forums to discuss and shape international IP rules and policies, providing global services that register and protect IP in different countries, resolving transboundary IP disputes, helping connect IP systems through uniform standards and infrastructure, and serving as a general reference database on all IP matters; this includes providing reports and statistics on the state of IP protection or innovation both globally and in specific countries. WIPO also works with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and individuals to utilize IP for socio-economic development.

WIPO administers 26 international treaties that concern a wide variety of intellectual property issues, ranging from the protection of audiovisual works to establishing international patent classification. It is governed by the General Assembly and the Coordination Committee, which together set policy and serve as the main decision making bodies. The General Assembly also elects WIPO’s chief administrator, the Director General, currently Daren Tang of Singapore, who took office on 1st October 2020. WIPO is administered by a Secretariat that helps carry out its day-to-day activities.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WIPO has external offices around the world, including in Algiers (Algeria); Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Beijing (China), Tokyo (Japan); Abuja (Nigeria); Moscow (Russia); and Singapore (Singapore). Unlike most UN organizations, WIPO does not rely heavily on assessed or voluntary contributions from member states; 95 percent of its budget comes from fees related to its global services.

WIPO currently has 193 member states, including 190 UN member states and the Cook Islands, Holy See and Niue; Palestine has permanent observer status. The only non-members, among the countries recognized by the UN are the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and South Sudan.

WIPO was formally created by the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, which entered into force on 26 April 1970. That date is commemorated annually as World Intellectual Property Day, which raises awareness of the importance of IP. Under Article 3 of this convention, WIPO seeks to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world. WIPO became a specialized agency of the UN in 1974. The Agreement between the United Nations and the World Intellectual Property Organization notes in Article 1 that WIPO is responsible:

“For promoting creative intellectual activity and for facilitating the transfer of technology related to industrial property to the developing countries in order to accelerate economic, social and cultural development, subject to the competence and responsibilities of the United Nations and its organs, particularly the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, as well as of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and of other agencies within the United Nations system.”

WIPO Development Agenda

In October 2004, WIPO agreed to adopt a proposal offered by Argentina and Brazil, the Proposal for the Establishment of a Development Agenda for WIPO —from the Geneva Declaration on the Future of the World Intellectual Property Organization. This proposal was well supported by developing countries. The agreed “WIPO Development Agenda” was the culmination of a long process of transformation for the organization from one that had historically been primarily aimed at protecting the interests of rightholders, to one that has increasingly incorporated the interests of other stakeholders in the international intellectual property system as well as integrating into the broader corpus of international law on human rights, environment and economic cooperation. In 2009, WIPO started drafting future treaties on intellectual property and genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore in relation with indigenous peoples and local communities.

In December 2011, WIPO published its first World Intellectual Property Report on the Changing Face of Innovation, the first such report of the new Office of the Chief Economist. WIPO is also a co-publisher of the Global Innovation Index.

Recent Events

WIPO, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WTO launched on 11 April 2022 their new Trilateral COVID-19 Technical Assistance Platform. This new tool aims to help members and WTO accession candidates address their capacity building needs to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Platform provides members and accession candidates with a single contact form which they can use to reach out to the trilateral organizations.

World Intellectual Property Day 

World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually on 26 April. The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization  (WIPO) in 2000 to raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life and to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of economies and societies across the globe.World Intellectual Property Day is WIPO’s largest Intellectual Property (IP) public outreach campaign, instituted with the aim of establishing a set up framework for broader mobilization and awareness, to open up access to the promotional aspect of innovation and to recognize the achievements of promoters of intellectual property throughout the world.

Inputs by:Prof. Debalay Chakrabarti, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, IIT Kharagpur
Email: debalay@metal.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
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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
For news visit: https://kgpchronicle.iitkgp.ac.in/ 

IIT Kharagpur and University of Melbourne forms strategic partnership over MIPA

On the eve of National Doctor’s Day, IIT Kharagpur inks a MoU with AIIMS Kalyani on medical amenities and research collaboration

On the propitious occasion of National Doctor’s Day, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Kalyani, a beacon of medical excellence under the aegis of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, created by an Act of Parliament under the initiative of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY). The MoU was signed in the august presence of Dr. Ramji Singh, Executive Director, AIIMS Kalyani and Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur along with Dr. Kalyan Goswami, Head, Department of Biochemistry and Dean, Academics, AIIMS Kalyani; Col. (Dr.) Ajay Mallick, Head, Dept. of ENT & Medical Superintendent, AIIMS Kalyani; Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti, Dean, Faculty of Bio-Technology and Bio-Sciences; Prof. Soumen Das, Dean, Dr. B. C. Roy Multi-Speciality Medical Research Centre and Prof. Debashish Chakravarty, Associate Dean, Alumni Affairs, International Relations & Branding.

The two premier Institutes in their respective domains have, in principle, agreed for institutional collaboration in education, research outreach programmes and medical services. The primary objective of this collaboration is to promote collective and collative teaching and research collaboration involving faculty members and students at IIT KGP and at AIIMS Kalyani to ensure teaching and research of highest medical standard, carry out joint academic and research programmes, joint supervision of masters and doctoral students as well as collaborative research projects.

On the lines of the above collaboration, Dr. Ramji Singh, Executive Director, AIIMS Kalyani remarked, “AIIMS Kalyani was conceived with the noble objective of bridging regional disparities in tertiary healthcare and fostering excellence in medical education promoting ground-breaking research. AIIMS Kalyani stands as a testament to India’s commitment to healthcare and aims to develop collaborative programmes with premier institutions in India like IIT Kharagpur where the undergraduate and graduate medical students, researchers, doctors and faculty members will rise up to the occasion to lead the healthcare system of India.”

Both the institutes agreed to share professional expertise for infrastructure development and academic resources along with collaborative activities concerning Dr. B. C. Roy Multi-specialty Medical Research Centre (BCRMMRC) at IIT Kharagpur after detailed evaluation by both institutions and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Education, Govt of India. Micro-Specialization and Micro-Credit Courses may be designed for the undergraduate and postgraduate students of the two institutions on a collaborative basis with a vision of appraising them about recent developments in advanced topics relevant to their respective domains of study and internships at respective institutes.

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur remarked, “On this auspicious day of National Doctor’s Day, IIT Kharagpur joined hands with AIIMS Kalyani on the lines of establishing a research driven medical college, Dr. B. C. Roy Multi-Speciality Medical Research Centre (BCRMMRC) and a hospital, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Superspecialty Hospital (SPMSH) within its campus at Kharagpur. The upcoming medical college will be equipped with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities embedding world standard technologies and IT connectivity in providing a stimulating academic environment for faculty members willing to stretch their clinical boundaries. The primary objective of this endeavour is to run Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical programs and to nurture world class translational medical research in a multi-disciplinary environment in collaboration with allied academic partners like AIIMS Kalyani. The hospital in the first phase has started out-patient service, and the in-patient services with critical care and operation theatre to follow.”

Media Coverage:

Hindu Business Line Times Now
News 18 Outlook India
Kolkata News Latestly
Jantaserishta  Dainik Jagran
The Print Career 360
The Bengal Post  

               

Dainik Jagran                                                                                        Coalfield Mirror

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

Sustainable Alternatives in Energy, Environment & Healthcare for Science & Society

INDO-US, INDO-AUSTRALIA AND INDO-CANADA INTERDISCIPLINARY WORKSHOPS AT IIT KHARAGPUR

The Bioprocess & Bioproduct Development Laboratory of the Department of Biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur along with the collaborators from USA, Australia, and Canada organized three days workshop under the Government of India’s Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) from 24th to 26th February 2023. The workshops were inaugurated by Prof. Amit Patra, Deputy Director, IIT Kharagpur in the august presence of Dr. Prachi Kaul, Director, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute and Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti, Dean BTBS, IIT Kharagpur. The workshop saw a footfall of  more than 80 participants from both within and outside the horizons of IIT Kharagpur. Sustainable Alternatives in Energy, Environment, and Healthcare for the well-being of Science and Society was the theme of the three different workshops that spanned across the institute.

Pic : Inaugural session of the Indo-US SPARC Workshop (L-R) – Professor Warren D. Seider from the University of Pennsylvania was present online; Prof. Amit Patra, Deputy Director, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. N. R. Jana, HOD, Department of Biotechnology and Prof. Ramkrishna Sen, Department of Biotechnology (Convener) were present physically for the inauguration ceremony.

The three day long programme witnessed 20 speakers from 10 National and International universities and institutes accompanied by eminent industry leaders. On 24th February 2023, the first of the series INDO-US workshop was initiated on ‘Algaeneering for Global Energy and Climate Challenge’, jointly organized by the Bioprocess and Bioproduct Development Laboratory (BBDL) at IIT Kharagpur and the University of Pennsylvania, USA wherein academia researchers and industry experts across India and the US discussed the challenges, avenues, and technologies in research, development & innovations and techno-commercial assessment of renewable energy sectors.

Prof. Warren D. Seider, a world-renowned Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania delivered a plenary lecture. The other speakers at the workshop were Prof. K. K. Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee; Prof. Pinaki Bhattacharyya Emeritus Professor, Head, R&D, Chemical Engineering, Heritage Institute of Technology, Kolkata; Dr. Anindita Moitra, Chief General Manager, Indian Oil Corporation Limited; Dr. Sangeeta Srivastava, Executive Director, Godavari Biorefineries Ltd., Karnataka and Dr. Harshad R. Velankar, Chief Manager, Bioprocess Group, Hindustan Petroleum Green R & D Center, Bengaluru.

Pic : Inaugural session of the Indo-AUS SPARC Workshop (L-R): Prof. Saswat Chakraborty, Dean BTBS, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. D. N. Singh, IIT Bombay; Prof. N. R. Jana, HOD, Department of Biotechnology and Prof. Ramkrishna Sen (Convener) in the inauguration ceremony.

Under the aegis of SPARC, the second day of the INDO-AUSTRALIA workshop scheduled on 25th February 2023 focused on ‘Bioinspired Solutions for Natural & Built Environment: Science, Society & Wellbeing.’ The Australian collaborators under the SPARC program from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Curtin University; Prof. Abhijit Mukherjee and Dr. Navdeep Dhami joined hands with the experts from India, Prof. Devendra Narain Singh, D. L. Shah Chair Professor for Innovation, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay; Prof. Brajadulal Chattopadhyay, Professor, Jadavpur University; Mr. Ramananda Adhikari, Deputy General Manager, Hindustan Copper Limited, Kolkata and Dr. Santanu Dasgupta, Senior Vice President, Reliance Technology Group, Reliance Industries Limited, Mumbai put forth a series of insightful talks.

Pic : Dr. Santanu Dasgupta, Senior Vice President, Reliance Technology Group, Reliance Industries Limited, Mumbai, India delivering his plenary talk online

A multidisciplinary concerted effort and partnership between educational institutions and industries was deemed to be instrumental in advancing research and development was highlighted in these workshops through the active participation of three PSUs including Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL) and two private industry market players Reliance and Godavari Biorefineries. These industry experts visited algal biomass production facility, a demo park created under the ambit of IMPRINT-IIA scheme (DST-SERB) between IIT Kharagpur and HPCL.

The INDO-CANADA workshop was held on 26th February 26, 2023 with the funding supports from Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI) and SPARC on the theme ‘Green/Bio-polymers as renewable and sustainable alternatives to Petro-plastics: Energy-Environment-Healthcare Nexus’ with the active involvement of Prof. Sudip Kumar Rakshit, Canada Research Chair Professor, Bioenergy & Biorefining Research Institute, Lakehead University, Canada and Prof. Satinder Kaur Brar, James & Joanne Love Chair in Environmental Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Canada. Enthralling talks were also delivered by Dr. Santanu Dasgupta, Senior Vice President, Reliance Technology Group, Reliance Industries Limited, Mumbai, India; Prof. Prashant Mishra, Former Head, Department of Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; Prof. Dipankar Chattopadhyay, Former Head, Department of Polymer Science & Technology, University of Calcutta, and Dr. Krishna Chattopadhyay, Jadavpur University and Anchor, DD Bangla, Doordarshan Kendra, Kolkata. Dr. Santanu Das Gupta gave virtual demonstration of their state-of-the-art biorefinery facility, highlighting the challenges and mentioning the need and scopes of Industrial-Academia collaborations.

Pic : Prof. Sen demonstrating the high-rate algal pond, one-of-its-kind facility to capture the industrial emissions and valorize towards biofuels and healthcare products.

Participants delivered oral presentations of their research work in the three day workshops where Prof. Sen’s doctoral students, Mr. Romit Mitra and Ms. Ankita Debnath presented their work on algal biorefinery and bio-cementation perspectives, respectively.

Pic : Group photo at the valedictory session on Day 3

Prof. Ramkrishna Sen, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur & Convener of the workshops remarked, “All the workshops were well organized by the members of the Bioprocess & Bioproduct Development Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur which acknowledges Mr. Satyanarayana Reddy Battula, Dr. Chinmay Hazra and Dr. Debasree Kundu for their tremendous efforts and ground level coordination. Financial supports accorded by SPARC, an initiative of the Ministry of Education, GoI as well as the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI) thus, paved the platform for developing an exciting research ecosystem through cohesive academic and research collaborations was well received by the overwhelming participants. “

Input By : Prof. Ramkrishna Sen, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur
Email: rksen@bt.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

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