IIT Kharagpur – Page 10 – The KGP Chronicle

Nov

11

2019

2 Comments

The day of many victories

EnvironmentAI, Arduino, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavans School, Brahm Prakash D.A.V School, Delhi Public School, Greta Thunberg, Hyderabad, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kharagpur's Young Innovators Program 2019, KiiT International School, Ruby Park, Sakhi, YIP 2019

Times of India, NDTV, Business Standard, The Week, Preptube.in, Hans India, Devdiscourse, College Dekho Greta Thunberg can take heart. The theme of ‘Energy and Environment’ received top billing at IIT Kharagpur’s Young Innovators Program 2019, with a majority of the participating school students electing to find their own ways to combat pollution and promote conservation. In its third edition, the contest drew students from Classes VIII-X from schools all over India and abroad to brainstorm on the themes of Health and Cleanliness, Hardware Modelling, Product Designing, Disaster Management, Financial Inclusion, as also Energy and Environment. The grand finale of YIP was held at the IIT Kharagpur…

Nov

08

2019

2 Comments

By Chirosree Basu

The show begins

Eventsbiodegradable, bioplastics, competition, Energy and Environment, environment, IIT Kharagpur, pledge, school children, Young Innovators Program

The IIT Kharagpur campus came alive today with the arrival of 32 teams of school children from all over India, as well as east and west Asia for the Young Innovators Program. For many of the children and their teachers and parents, it had been a long journey from home, but the excitement of reaching their destination and being part of the milling crowd of participants and guests refreshed them in no time. The children especially got down to the business of knowing each other almost immediately. As the day wore off, it was difficult to believe that some of…

Nov

08

2019

0 Comments

By Chirosree Basu

What’s in my water?

In-DepthAustralia, Dual Doctoral Degree Program, eGovernments Foundation, IIT Kharagpur, Integrated Urban Water Management, MIPA, Orange City Water, Piramal Sarvajal, School of Water Resources, Tata Water Mission, University of Melbourne

Tomatoes grown with the contaminated water of the Varthur Lake of Bengaluru reach the nearby markets of the city every morning and are bought by unsuspecting city dwellers. Almost a decade of civic activism in Bengaluru has not changed anything for either the farmers or urbanites there. Thousands of miles away, Platypuses, a mammal species commonly found in Australia, happily swim near the coast off Melbourne, unaware that beta-blockers are entering their bodies every day from the ‘safe’ treated water discharged from the city. These were some of the many facts brought to light by the Indo-Australia joint workshop on…

Nov

05

2019

2 Comments

By Chirosree Basu

Dream Catcher

StoriesDistinguished Alumnus, Georgia Tech, IIT Kharagpur, Professor Farrokh Mistree, University of Oklahoma

“Farrokh’s passion is to have fun in providing an opportunity for highly motivated and talented people to learn how to define and achieve their dreams.” That is how University of Oklahoma’s Gallogly College of Engineering, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, introduces the incumbent of its L.A. Comp Chair - Professor Farrokh Mistree. When I ask him about this rather unusual passion during his recent visit to IIT Kharagpur, Professor Mistree (1967/BTech/NA/AZ) tells me his life story. That is, his journey from being a student of naval architecture at IIT Kharagpur to holding the prestigious L.A. Comp Chair at the University of…

Oct

30

2019

0 Comments

By Chirosree Basu

Lighting up lives

In-Depthelectricity, electrification, IIT Kharagpur, Micro Solar Dome, MSD, NBIRT, rural poor, SC, ST communities

Economic Times (Rise), Economic Times (Energy World), Business Standard, Republic World, Yahoo News, KGP Chronicle, Odisha Post Although the government of India announced 100% electrification in December 2018, it admitted at the same time that it would continue to identify households left out of the scheme. According to an estimate, around 25 per cent of Indian rural households, that is, more than 45 million people, lack access to electricity. In fact, in some states like Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Jharkhand and Bihar, access to electricity is believed to be even lower. The problem is not merely the fact that marginal people – many of them living…

Oct

29

2019

3 Comments

By Sreeparna

Taare Zameen Par

PeopleADSIP, Bhutan, Exchange Diaries, France, ICCR, IIT KGP, IIT KGP students, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kharagpur campus, International Relations, international students, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria

Diwali was just round the corner when a galaxy of stars descended on the Structural Reliability and Research Facility (SRRF) Lab last Tuesday evening over mouth-watering snacks and a tête-à-tête with the International Relations Office of IIT Kharagpur. These students, enrolled for various postgraduate courses and programs at IIT Kharagpur, and hailing from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Nigeria, Russia, Syria and France, participated in an engaging session that continued for over a couple of hours. “What is this Illu thing we are hearing in our halls? Is it something big here?” asked one student. He was visiting the…

Oct

24

2019

1 Comment

By Chirosree Basu

A composite approach

Uncategorizedaircraft industry, composite materials, flights, Greta Thunberg, IIT Kharagpur, polymer

Had she known it, Greta Thunberg - the teenage Swedish environmental activist who has given up airline travel to cut down on her carbon footprint – would have been doubly upset. The airline industry is far more polluting than she can imagine. The commercial aircraft industry relies on composite materials to produce lighter and more durable aircraft. But a large amount of waste is generated in the production process. Composite materials, or composites as they are commonly known, are a class of materials in which polymers are reinforced with stiff fibres (usually glass or carbon). Carbon fibres can have extreme…

Oct

18

2019

3 Comments

By Poulami Mondal

Evolution of Office Automation – A Personal Experience

Peoplecomputer, Director IIT Kharagpur, fax, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kharagpur campus, office, office automation, photocopier, printer, typewriter

“I was a naïve, confused 21-year old when I joined IIT Kharagpur in 1982 through an open advertisement. Having appeared for a three-step test which included written, typing and interview, my first posting was at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. By 25, I graduated to the secretarial post from clerical cadre by clearing set of internal examinations. It was the time when predecessors of computers ruled office work. What am I talking of? Typewriters. Typewriters manufactured by companies like Remington, Godrej, Halda and Facit , were mostly used in this Institute for preparing a typed document. Carbon papers…

Oct

18

2019

0 Comments

By Chirosree Basu

Driving force

EngagementA S Davis, Chair Professor, Chair Professorship, IIT Kharagpur, research, Vinod Gupta, WMG

Recruiting, encouraging and retaining talent becomes imperative for the success of an educational institution of the stature of IIT Kharagpur, recognized already as an Institution of Eminence. Chair Professorships are critical to this exercise. Institute Chairs, Faculty Excellence awards and alumni-funded Chairs all contribute to creating an ecosystem that nurtures creativity, rewards excellence and provides an incentive for hard work. It is a privilege for IIT Kharagpur that its alumni understand this connection. Over the years, several Chairs have been created by the alumni to encourage excellence. Alumni-endowed Chairs are, in fact, increasingly driving research in critical and challenging areas…

Oct

10

2019

1 Comment

By Chirosree Basu

Taking charge

EventsAPSRT, biodegradable, bioplastic, Guru Nanak Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur, non-renewable, plastic, polymer science

The International Conference on Advances in Polymer Science and Rubber Technology (APSRT) at IIT Kharagpur, organized by the Rubber Technology Centre from September 24-27, discussed what should be the future agenda for the world threatened by Climate Change. Plastics naturally figured prominently in the conference that mulled over how polymer science and the rubber industry had to focus intensively on driving innovation within the broad sustainability framework through waste prevention, re-use, repair, remanufacture and recycling. Prof. Thomas Kurian of the Cochin University of Science and Technology, for example, explained chemical recycling of PET bottles by a route based in aminolysis.…