internship – The KGP Chronicle

Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) offers Overseas Research Internships for Summer Scholarship 2023

In collaboration with IIT Kharagpur Foundation, USA (IITKGPF), the Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) Scholarship was awarded to 11 students of IIT Kharagpur this year. This is the 2nd year that the GKF Scholarship will support the IIT KGP students to carry out their research internship in foreign universities. 10 students were selected by the IIT KGP selection committee for a total scholarship award of $45,000. Each conferred scholarship depends upon the funding received by the student from their host institutions. The GKF scholars are pursuing their summer research internship at premier universities in the USA, UK, Belgium, Canada, and Germany.

Dr. Mukund Padmanabhan
Founder of Guru
Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur

Mukund Padmanabhan received a BS in Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1997, and a MS (1989) and PhD (1992) in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. After UCLA, he worked in the area of speech recognition at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Lab where he managed the Advanced Telephony Speech Algorithms group.

Dr. Mukund Padmanabhan, Founder of Guru Krupa Foundation & Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, the man behind this noble initiative who stated that, “These summer programs definitely add value to IIT KGP academia and it is my pleasure, as an Alumnus, to be able to provide these internships to the current students that will further contribute to their holistic development.” The funds are donated by the KGPian through his Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) www.gurukrupa.org

Mr. Manav Nitin Kapadnis
Department of Electrical Engineering
IIT Kharagpur

Manav Nitin Kapadnis, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur and one of the recipient of this prestigious scholarship remarked, “Receiving the scholarship from GKF was truly a life-changing moment for me. As a student pursuing my passion for advancing the field of artificial intelligence and natural language processing, I was granted the remarkable opportunity to work on improving ChatGPT during my internship at Inria Paris. This invaluable experience has not only broadened my academic horizons but has also provided me with practical knowledge and exposure to cutting-edge research in my field. The financial support provided by GKF has been instrumental in making this transformative journey a reality. The scholarship enabled me to cover the expenses associated with my visit to Paris, including travel, accommodation, and living costs. During my internship at Inria Paris, I had the privilege of collaborating with esteemed researchers and professionals in the field. The opportunity to work alongside experts in the area of natural language processing has been both humbling and inspiring. The guidance and mentorship I received have contributed significantly to my growth as a researcher and have fuelled my passion for advancing the boundaries of AI technologies. I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the Guru Krupa Foundation for their unwavering commitment to promoting educational and research opportunities for students like me. Your vision and dedication to empowering deserving individuals have had a profound impact on my academic and professional journey. The scholarship has opened doors to new possibilities and has played an instrumental role in shaping my future career trajectory. I am committed to utilizing the knowledge and experiences gained during this internship to make meaningful contributions to the field of artificial intelligence and drive positive change in society.”

After IBM, he pivoted to Wall Street and is currently a partner and researcher at hedge fund Renaissance Technologies in New York. He is the founder and president of the US-based private charitable foundation, the Guru Krupa Foundation that supports the scholarships for research internships for IIT Kharagpur students. Dr. Padmanabhan is the recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering in the year 2019 and the Distinguished Alumnus Award 2021 from IIT Kharagpur.

Shrey Gogia
Department of Physics
IIT Kharagpur

Shrey Gogia, Department of Physics, IIT Kharagpur and another recipient of this prestigious scholarship said, “I am truly grateful to be a recipient of the IIT Kharagpur Foundation Scholarship 2023, conferred by the IITKGP Foundation USA. This scholarship has enabled me to pursue a research internship at one of the leading scientific organisations in Europe: l’Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, France. My experience here would be essential for my development towards becoming a well rounded physicist by providing exposure to frontier research. I thank the selection committee for this honor. I am also grateful for the generosity of our alumni for establishing this scholarship.”

Apart from the above scholarship, 15 students from departments of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Biotechnology, Aerospace Engineering and Electrical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur have also been awarded the IIT Kharagpur Foundation Scholarship 2023 funded by IITKGP Foundation USA.

Anirban Chatterjee, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur and another recipient of this prestigious scholarship remarked, “I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to receive the esteemed Guru Krupa Scholarship, which has played a pivotal role in supporting my foreign internship. This scholarship provided me with the financial assistance I needed to pursue an international internship in my field of study. As an engineering student, I have always been passionate about gaining hands-on experience in a global setting, and the Guru Krupa Scholarship made this dream a reality. Thanks to the generous support provided by the scholarship, I was able to secure an internship with WMG, University of Warwick in the UK. This opportunity allowed me to immerse myself in a diverse and dynamic work environment, where I was able to learn from industry professionals and gain valuable insights into global research practices. Knowing that an esteemed organization such as yours believed in my potential enough to invest in my future strengthened my resolve to make the most out of this internship opportunity. By providing me with the means to pursue an international internship, you have not only helped me expand my skill set and knowledge but have also empowered me to become a global citizen. The experiences and lessons learned during my internship will undoubtedly impact my future academic and career pursuits in immeasurable ways. Thank you for your continued support of aspiring students like myself. I hope that my success story serves as an inspiration for future scholarship recipients, encouraging them to pursue their dreams fearlessly and embrace the transformative power of education.

IITKGP USA Foundation connects KGP Alumni with their alma mater in the US and Canada with the purpose to facilitate and enhance connection and devotion to their alma mater. Their participation takes place by aiding in the development and improvement of IITKGP by the endowment of funds and extending support towards institutional development, student welfare and community development around the KGP campus.

Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur congratulated the recipients saying, “The scholarship has opened doors to new possibilities and played an instrumental role in shaping the future trajectory of meritorious students. This kind of scholarship inspires the students to pursue their passion and gives them a practical notion about research development and implementation of ideas in terms of global industry expertise. I am thankful to Dr. Mukund Padmanabhan and IIT KGP Foundation USA for their such a thoughtful action of generosity that transcended into such inclusive student welfare activity. All the best for all future endeavours.”

Media Coverage:

PTI	Economic Times	Indian Express
News 18	Dainik Jagran	Careers 360
Telegraph	Ananda Bazar Patrika

Dainik Jagran

Inputs from : IIT KGP Foundation and Office of International Relations, IIT Kharagpur
Email : meenakshi@iitkgpfoundation.org and shruti@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

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MoU with NCDC to Promote Developments in Cooperatives, Agriculture and Allied Sectors

Highlights:

This MoU will promote greater collaboration towards sustainable development in cooperatives, agriculture and allied sectors

It will involve advancement of training, action research, studies, policy analysis, policy advice, consultancy, monitoring, evaluation, system development and technology development.

It will provide support towards Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisation

It shall have opportunities for trainee/student exchange program including providing internships

IIT Kharagpur and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) have signed an MoU towards greater collaboration in issues and areas related to the development of cooperatives, agriculture and allied sectors and to the holistic approach towards sustainable development.

The scope of the MoU will involve the advancement of training, action research, studies, policy analysis, policy advice, consultancy, monitoring, evaluation, system development and technology development. Both organizations will collaborate and supplement the utilization of resources and facilities on matters pertaining to ‘Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisation‘, with a focus on sustainable business, capacity building, training and skill development of stakeholders.

Furthermore, skilling of youth through trainee/student exchange program including providing internship opportunities to students or alumni will be pursued under the SAHAKAR MITRA -NCDC Scheme on Internship Program (SIP).

A Joint Working Group will also be set up to monitor various activities under the MoU and suggest necessary measures for its development.

“IIT Kharagpur has been working in various skill development and sustainable development projects through various programs and outreach initiatives at the Dept. of Agricultural and Food Engineering and Center for Rural Development and Innovative Sustainable Technology. Strengthening the rural workforce and building sustainable solutions for them, would require more exposure of the students and researchers as well as the target groups and end-users. We believe this collaboration with NCDC will augment a holistic growth towards Atmanirbhar Bharat,” said Director Prof. V K Tewari.

Earlier in March this year, Mr. Sundeep Kumar Nayak, IAS – Managing Director of the NCDC, visited the Agricultural and Food Engineering (AgFE) Department and interacted with the faculty members. It was decided to take the discussion to next level of formal engagement between the Department and the NCDC. The Managing Director and Prof. R. Banerjee (Head of AgFE Department) agreed to join forces so that the relevant innovations could potentially be appropriated and eventually disseminated to empower rural India through cooperatives and FPOs.

Agricultural and Food Engineering Department of IIT Kharagpur, is the only department of its kind in the country’s IIT System. Since its inception in 1952, the AgFE Department has been serving the nation through high-standard research and development, teaching, and outreach. The Department is adequately experienced in the creation and dissemination of appropriate rural technologies through its recent flagship initiatives. Rural Technology Action Group, Design and Innovation Centre (DIC), NABARD-Agri Business Incubation Centre, and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana-Agri Business Incubator are such existing platforms at the AgFE that have successfully translated research ideas into meaningful prototypes that address agricultural and rural issues. For more information visit http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/department/AG.

Media Contact: Professor R. Banerjee, Head, Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, rb@agfe.iitkgp.ernet.in

For more queries write to media@iitkgp.ac.in

About IIT Kharagpur: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur is a higher educational institute known globally for its graduate output and affordable technology innovations. Set up in 1951 in a detention camp as an Institute of National Importance, the Institute is ranked among the top five in India and has been awarded Institute of Eminence by the Govt. of India in 2019. The key areas of research of IIT Kharagpur are Affordable Healthcare Technologies, Advanced Manufacturing, Advanced Transportation, Precision Agriculture and Food Technology, Cyberphysical Systems, Ecology & Environment, Mining, Water Resources and Architecture. The Institute is engaged in several international and national mission projects and ranks significantly in research output including 50-100 IPR filed annually and about 2000 research publications in top journals and conferences. At present, the Institute has about 750 full-time equivalent faculty members, more than 14000 students and over 70000 Alumni. For more information visit: www.iitkgp.ac.in

Summer Internship Records All-time High

News18

Internship offers for Summer 2020 have crossed the 500-mark at IIT Kharagpur. The internship process which started in August 2019 has been soaring high compared to last year’s figure which was comparatively lower with the closing figure at 461.

IIT Kharagpur’s Career Development Centre has further witnessed an increasing trend in the internship season. More than seventy-five companies have already visited the campus. The most encouraging fact is that the campus has witnessed the participation and presence of all the sectors like IT/Software, Analytics/ Consulting, e-Commerce, Banking and Healthcare though IT/ software.

Career Development Centre (CDC) is optimistic that in the second phase of the Internship process which starts from the second week of January 2020, the Institute can register the highest number of Internships of recent times. Now, the Institute is gearing up for placements which starts from 1st December 2019 onwards.

Also, the pre-placement offers received till now for the placement session of 2019-20 is already close to last year’s final PPO figure of 261.

Talking about the current market scenario and its potential impact on the recruitment, Prof. G P Rajasekhar, Chairman at IIT Kharagpur’s Career Development Centre remarked, “The internship season outperformed the digits that we achieved during the last few years. Also, the PPOs rate is very encouraging. We took proactive measures to attract companies by reviewing our Company Relation Index (CRI) and then upgraded a few companies.”

A supposed challenge of 2.30 hours distance from Kolkata airport is also being addressed.

“We are stretching our wings to accommodate more companies on a given day so that companies do have enough pool of students each day,” he added.

A Frenchman comes to town

Charlie Fevrier from Toulouse was in IIT Kharagpur recently on a short term internship

Mr Charlie Fevrier from the Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France was in IIT Kharagpur on a short term internship at the Electrical Engineering Department starting April, 2018. Foreign students doing their Masters Programs from any recognized institute/university, and interested in carrying out course work/research not leading to a degree may visit IIT Kharagpur for a short period not exceeding two consecutive semesters with the intervening summer/winter term. Such students are accepted as ‘visiting students’. Students also visit for joint programmes of short duration such as Practicum and Workshops which are organized by the partner universities. The interview with Mr Fevrier was taken during his stay at IIT Kharagpur.

Tell us about yourself.

I am Charlie Fevrier. I am from France, Toulouse. I finished my MSc in renewable energy. I came for a six month internship in April. I am scheduled to go back in September, but I have some travelling to do. I will go back by the first week of October.

What made you choose IIT Kharagpur?

For a long time now I have wanted to visit Asia, especially India. I wanted my first destination to be India. One of my teachers knows IIT Kharagpur. I sent my mail and my internship was accepted. I did not know anything about IIT Kharagpur. But it has been a nice surprise here.

What did you discover about IIT Kharagpur?

Everything was a discovery. I did not know that it was a small town like this. This was new for me. It is very different from France. Everything is within the campus. Everyone lives within the campus. You can do everything you want within the campus… go the Golebazar, eat what you like.

How were the facilities here?

My internship was under Prof. Karabi Biswas of the Electrical Engineering Department. My work was to make a prototype to measure voltage etc. I met all the lab personnel. It was very easy to introduce myself. Everyone was kind and helpful. I went to the library to read, and there was AC, which was an additional benefit. The Office of International Relations was very helpful. Every time I had problem, I went to them. In the lab, everybody helped me to find things. Everyone was. very helpful.

How does IIT Kharagpur compare with the laboratories and facilities in France?

In France, it is an open university, not closed like IIT Kharagpur, where everyone and everything is on one campus. There are no doors and walls like this. Most of the students cook their meals. There is not difference where the laboratories are compared. The only difference is that in France, there is too much security in the labs. However, I guess students here have to be careful also. In the Electrical Engineering lab, there is always a chance to get electrocuted.

What was your cultural experience?

I met a lot of people, visited temples. Principal difference was the food. I tried every dish in every canteen and everywhere in every restaurant. I met people and travelled with them. I visited the museum and also played sport. In the three months, I shared my passion with many friends in sports.

Will you encourage others to come here?

The good point is that IIT Kharagpur is very clean… the air is clean, there is little dust, and such a lot of trees. Compared to other cities, there is a lot of nature here. It is a pleasure to go around IIT Kharagpur. Yes, compared to IITs in the other cities, there might be less to do in the campus. But I would prefer to be in IIT Kharagpur than in IIT Delhi, where the air quality is very bad.

What is your feedback?

I am happy with my work. In five months, I have completed my prototype. I created a final prototype that is working. I have written a user manual, a calibration report. I am teaching others to use it correctly. My objective was to create something to help measure power efficiency. In the lab people are using sensors, but these are not energy efficient. I come from ‘renewable energy’ background. I wanted to make sensors autonomous by adding batteries, solar panel. My prototype is now measuring how much power has been consumed. So I made the prototype that measures power, voltage, AC/DC, frequency, fast drift so that I can measure the data.

What is your favourite place in IIT Kharagpur?

I like Vikramshila, where we were training, especially when there is nobody. I like the guest house. Up the staircase, there is a place from where you can view the sunrise and sunset. And Chedis’, where I have been many a time.

Following the conclusion of his internship at IIT Kharagpur, Mr Fevrier left for a month-long tour that started in North-eastern India. He began his journey from Shillong, and travelled to Darjeeling, Nepal, parts of Himachal Pradesh and finally Rajasthan. His only regret is that he did not have time to visit South India. His two-day stay at IIT Kharagpur following his trip was taken up with meeting and bidding goodbye to the friends he had made in the campus, and a few more visits to Chedis’. Mr Fevrier left for France on October 3, 2018.