Mining Engineering – The KGP Chronicle

IIT Kharagpur ranked 1st in Agriculture & Civil Engineering in India in the 13th QS World University Ranking by Subject 2023

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT KGP) ranked 1^st in Agriculture Forestry and Civil & Structural Engineering in India, according to the latest edition of the world’s highest QS World University Ranking by Subject for the year 2023. The Institution’s strongest field Engineering & Technology ranked at 82^nd with an overall score of 76.7 among all the universities globally and 4^th in India, as per the 13^th QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2023 announced on 23^rd March 2023.

In India, IIT KGP ranked 1^st in Agriculture & Forestry along with Civil & Structural Engineering. Domestically, the Institute overall ranked 2^nd in Architecture & Built Environment, Material Science, Environmental Sciences, Accounting & Finance, Economics & Ergonomics. Core areas of the premier institute including Computer Science & Information Systems, Mineral & Mining Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical & Electronics, Earth & Marine Science and Statistical & Operational Research held 3^rd position in all over India.

Globally, the institute ranked 74^th in 2023 compared to 80^th rank in 2022 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering; 94^th in 2023 compared to 109^th in 2022 in Computer Science & Information Systems & 106^thrank in 2023, improving its rank from 118^th in 2022 in Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering.

Speaking on the QS Rankings by Subject 2023, Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur remarked, “IIT Kharagpur stands out from other IITs with its multi-modal curriculum nurturing creativity, capacity building, affordable healthcare and rapid technological amalgamation. As an Institute of Eminence, we have to acquire the opportunity in digital economy space fostering skill development and encouraging entrepreneurship. The Institute is gearing up to establish bridges with ISRO and futuristic technologies with DRDO in unmanned & robotic technologies, cognitive technologies and secure systems, directed energy technologies, sensor systems and software, life support engineering and baseline technologies in materials. We are also planning to steer ahead in areas like precision agriculture, energy storage systems, hardware security, hydrogen storage, quantum communication, additive manufacturing, 3D printing & composite manufacturing.”

The institute also ranked #1 in Architecture & Regional Planning (ARP) in Indian Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF) 2022.

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Bartaman (Hindi) Dainik Jagran Anandabazar Patrika

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
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The Mighty Miner

May tender memories soften your grief,
May fond recollection bring you relief,
And may you find comfort and peace in the thought
Of the joy that knowing your loved one brought…
For time and space can never divide
Or keep your loved one from your side.
When memory paints in colors true,
the happy hours that belonged to you.

Bidding adieu to Prof. Madisetti Anant Ramlu, who served as the founder and first Head of the Department of Mining Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur from 1958 until 1987 and retired as the Deputy Director & Acting Director of IIT Kharagpur. He was a subject matter expert in the area of mine safety, machinery, and open-cast mining and received his BS in Mining & Metallurgy from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and his PhD in Mining Engineering from Bergakadamie Clausthal, Germany.

Mr. Arjun Malhotra, Distinguished Alumnus, IIT Kharagpur shared his grief by quoting, “Deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing earlier this morning of our beloved and revered Professor Madisetti Anant Ramlu. A stalwart and a giant among the IIT KGP Community and the Mining World. He is survived by his wife Mrs Sarojadevi and sons Vijaykrishna and Avanindra. He had a wonderful life and he enriched everyone who was connected to him.”

A pioneer specialist in mining industry, Prof. Ramlu conveyed that IIT Kharagpur is the only IIT that offers a degree in Mining Engineering in India thus contributing to the modern curriculum of mining education by introducing laboratory experiments in collaborations with the industry. For 20 years, he has served in this institute in different roles including the Head of the Mining Department and everything we see today in mining engineering department was his brain child. Even today, people fondly remember Prof. Ramlu’s contributions, affections and support that he has extended to his students, researchers and fellow colleagues.

“I first met Prof. M A Ramlu as a freshman, when I took admission in IIT Kharagpur. I was under his tutelage from 1971 to 1984, first as a student, then as a researcher and finally as a colleague. He was one of the people that influenced me the most, especially during my formative years. He was a rightfully proud man. He personified Simple Living and High thinking and was such a prominent personality in IIT and in the Mining world. Honesty and forthrightness were his hallmarks. It was my honour to be under his supervision and find him as a mentor. During his later years, he became first the Dean of Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy and subsequently the Deputy Director and Acting Director at IIT Kharagpur. It was disheartening to hear the passing of such a great man who played crucial role in my life. He retired from IIT Kharagpur in 1987 but until his dying day he remained a living proof that you can take a man out of IIT but you can’t take IIT out of a man..!,” said Sunil Murlidhar Shastri, a dear student of the deceased who paid homage by sharing a eulogy.”

He also served as the Dean of Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC), Deputy Director, and Acting Director of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, between 1980 and 1987. After retirement in 1987, he settled in Hyderabad, India, and frequently served as a consultant to the peer industries and government. He received the Prof. S K Bose Memorial Teaching Award in 2009, the Thacker Coal Mining Gold Medal from the Mines, Metals & Geological Institute of India (MMGI), and the Lifetime Achievement Medal from Mining Engineers’ Association of India (MEAI) in 2013. Dr. Ramlu is a renowned author of several books in the area of Mining Engineering and Safety (Mine Disasters and Mine Rescue; Mine Hoisting) which addresses the relevant elucidations in the mining industry in the contemporary times as well and made a whole difference to the community for decades.

Mr. Mukul Mittra, Friend of Prof. M A Ramlu also shared his grief on his demise – “He was the warden of Patel Hall during our years. A very considerate person. May his soul rest in peace.”

The entire IIT Kharagpur fraternity mourns with deepest regret the sudden demise of Prof. M A Ramlu on 6th March, 2023. The news of his sudden passing away was received by all with great shock. He left an ineffable impact on the vision of mining engineering education in India by introducing modern mining technology. The mining community will be eternally grateful for his well-known research in the spontaneous combustion of coal.

Prof. V K Tewari, Director IIT Kharagpur, “I personally went to confer the Lifetime Achievement Award to Prof. M A Ramlu this year, necessitated due to his poor health. Many of his associates and students came in to felicitate the man of prominence, Prof. M A Ramlu who served as the founder and first Head of Department of Mining Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur from 1958 until 1987 and retired as the Deputy Director & Acting Director of IIT KGP. In my brief interactions with him he shared his profound visions that he had when he started off as a novice in the professional field. His prodigious gratitude towards IIT Kharagpur for his longest stint here is full of modest acknowledgements for everyone he has worked with. The institute will bear his legacy as the legendary miner.”

An Institute Chair Professorship Award under the name of Prof. M A Ramlu and Mrs. Saroja Ramlu Institute Chair Professorship Award was instituted by Prof. Vijay Madisetti, son of Prof. Ramlu and an Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. The award was established initially for six years, covering two 3-year terms for two incumbents and modified in scope by mutually agreed amendments to the MoU signed between IIT Kharagpur and Prof. Vijay Madisetti on 15th September 2016 under the able leadership of Prof. Partha Pratim Chakrabarti, Former Director and Professor of Computer Science & Engineering, IIT Kharagpur.

Prof. Damodar Acharya, Former Director, IIT Kharagpur, “Deeply saddened to know the demise of Professor M A Ramulu. He was an excellent teacher, and loved by one and all. He was known for his simplicity and sense of humour. He was the brain behind saving lives of hundreds of lives of the miners who were trapped in Chasnala Mining Disaster. He will be remembered by one and all in the mining field and KGPIAN of his time. I had the privilege of meeting him three times after his retirement. My sincere condolences to his bereaved family members and pray for the Moksha of his noble soul.”

In remembrance of the “The Mighty Miner”, his Alma Mater mourns in sadness after hearing the news of his demise. Our sincere condolences to his bereaved family. May almighty give enough strength to his family to bear this irreplaceable loss. We pray for eternal peace of his departed soul. He will always be remembered in our thoughts, prayers and action.

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/

Turning Steel Slug Dump to Greenery Hub, IIT Kharagpur’s Transformative Work at Odisha

IIT Kharagpur Researchers Transform Steel Plant Slag Dumps in Odisha into Greenbelt Using Traditional Indian Organic Components and Japanese Afforestation Techniques

A drive through Angul, near the Dhenkanal region of Odisha will give you vast stretches of green canopy and vegetation on what was once industrial dumpsites. The transformation to a green belt is not a natural reclamation but the Midas touch of the Post Mining Mine Site Restoration group of the Department of Mining Engineering of IIT Kharagpur through a project supported by Tata Steel BSL. The researchers afforested over 32000 square feet in the region following a rapid forest regeneration technique by a unique mix of the traditional resource of Panchagavya with the Miyawaki plantation technique of ecologist Prof. Akira Miyawaki from Japan.

The dumping of blast furnace slag by steel plants has been a perennial challenge in India and even in some of the developed countries in the world. These steel slag dumps contribute to the generation of airborne particles causing air pollution and also to groundwater and surface-water contamination through different pathways. The slag-covered land is unsuitable for vegetation growth and associated problems lead to the ruination of vegetation and health hazards for both humans and animals. Researchers at IIT Kharagpur have devised a bioremediation method to reduce the concentration of these polluting slags to an innocuous state.

A research team led by Prof. Khanindra Pathak from the Dept. of Mining Engineering at IIT Kharagpur, has turned this slag suitable for plant growth by mixing it with topsoil, cow dung and other organic enhancers. Plants carefully chosen for the Miyawaki technique and 22 native species were grown on the mix with a 30cm layer of topsoil over it administering them with Panchagavya.

“Periodic administration of Panchagavya checked the problem of nutrient scarcity while mulching helped retention of water and nutrients. In a span of one year, we witnessed the growth of a self-sustaining mini-forest, dominated by plants belonging to the family Fabaceae and Sesbania grandiflora. The plants with long root systems could utilize the steel slag with their roots penetrating up to a depth of 2 m from the ground surface, thus reducing the effects of groundwater contamination and surface runoff of water in the monsoons,” remarked Prof. Pathak.

“Vetiver grass was used as a boundary for the plantation to check migration of nutrients. This grass if grown over the slopes of the slag dumps will further check the fugitive emissions and thereby reducing air pollution and erosion of slag onto adjacent habitations,” he added.

The process led an unsupportive steel slag dump to a self-sustaining primary succession over it.

The success of the present project has helped the industry to not only comply with the mandate of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India, but will protect the neighboring villages from airborne dust to a certain degree in addition to the usefulness of the vegetation developed to the villagers. Prof. Pathak earlier demonstrated stabilization of dump slope and prevention of erosion at the Joda Mines in the Barbil region, which witnessed regeneration of thick vegetation cover. In another demonstration, a horticulture field was developed at Sonepur Bazari waste dump under a CSR project.

The approach established if implemented across such sites in the country would benefit millions of people leaving around the mining region. The damage caused to nature by anthropogenic activities can be repaired permanently following nature’s own way to heal. Restoration of the post-mining mine site is now mandatory, the approaches demonstrated contributions to the rural economy as well as to the regeneration of natural resources for the benefit of a large number of people of present and future generations.

The demonstrated methodology also has the possibility to eliminate the need for expensive geotextiles developed in the country using imported technology, opined Prof. Pathak. He further added about the replication of the process for municipality waste dumps.

“Development of a vetiver grass field could be beneficial for urban wastewater management as well as municipality solid waste dump sites. We had also demonstrated hydroponic vetiver for the containment of oil in refinery wastewater through an IIT Kharagpur and IOCL collaborative project at the Bongaigaon refinery,” he remarked.

Contact:

Project: Prof. Khanindra Pathak, E: khanindra@mining.iitkgp.ac.in; Sourav Mandal, E: souravm.iitkgp@gmail.com

Media: Shreyoshi Ghosh, E: shreyoshi@adm.iitkgp.ac.in

Connect on social media: Facebook: @IITKgp Twitter: @IITKgp Instagram: @iit.kgp; Or write to media@iitkgp.ac.in

More information: Dept. of Mining Engineering: http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/department/MI

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Digging Deeper: Parama’s Story

Parama Mukhopadhyay tries to answer why women lagging behind in the mining sector in India

“What is your department?”

“Mining Engineering”

“Mining? Are girls even allowed in Mining Engineering? Will you get any job in mining after you finish your study? Why mining? Is it suitable for girls?”

These questions – that come with raised eyebrows – are common for us while discussing our subject area with others. Us – the WOMEN in Mining in India! The above-mentioned questions are well-justified if we consider the number of women and job opportunities for them in the mining sector, not only in India, but worldwide.

Let’s focus on the Indian scenario. Our country has different types of mineral reserves, and the mining industry contributes a sizeable amount to the country’s economy and generates a good number of employment opportunities every year. Unfortunately, since historical times, this sector is highly male-dominated and even hostile towards women. Though mineral production and overall employment generated by the sector have gone up exponentially, involvement of women has fallen further. In FY18, the country produced minerals worth Rs 1.13 lakh crore, registering an increase of 13 per cent over the previous fiscal. Compare this with the other figure. Women are said to account for only 4.4% (24,294 females) of the total mining workforce, which is considerably less compared to women labor force participation rate (22.5%) in India.Not only the numbers, but the job quality and salary amount is significantly poor for women compared to their male co-workers. Women labourers are paid less than males and this is because jobs that require technical skills are never offered to women with an assumption that they are not suitable for this.

Where are we going wrong??

What could be the possible reasons of such tragic situation of women in mining sector? Discriminating laws, historical patriarchal myths, issues with clothing suitable for mine works, so-called masculine- not-suitable-for women-job, lack of proper safety and security, lack of basic facilities including toilets, lack of technical skills are the primary reasons prohibiting females to join this industry. Laws in our country had always prohibited girls to take up jobs in mining sector. According to Mines Act, 1952, women were restricted to be employed in opencast mines during night shifts (7 pm to 6 am) and totally barred from working in underground mines. Later females were permitted to work in mines only in day shifts (6 am to 7 pm).

In February 2019, the labour ministry of Central Government allowed female workers to work in open cast mines round the clock and also in underground mines even in night shifts. The implementation of this rule has to strictly follow few rules for underground mines that include safety and security of female workers. According to this new law, the deployment of female workers in night shift (7 pm to 6 am) can only be done for technical, supervisory and managerial work that does not need continuous presence. She should be in a group of not less than three. Owner of the mine should have a written consent from that woman and adequate occupational safety, security and health benefits has to be provided. Also this deployment will be subject to the framing and implantation of Standard Operating Procedures that will follow the guidelines issued by Chief Inspector of Mines at regular intervals.

Execution of this new rule will undoubtedly bring more gender equality and more job opportunities for females in mining sector. But, still women are restricted to choose their favourite job type in underground mines, as they can only participate in “technical, supervisory and managerial work”. We still have the Coal Mines Regulations, 1957 that states no adolescent or woman will descend or ascend a shaft in a cage or other means of conveyance unless accompanied by one or more adult males. It clearly implies that working in underground mines for women will depend on the availability of male workers. This surely make women less favourable as a candidate for underground mine jobs and they have to restrict themselves to choose option in office jobs above ground or be involved in opencast mines.

But, at least changes have begun!

Why are women lacking skills to work for mining industry? This is because, not many courses or workshops are being offered to girls/women that can help develop required skills to work in mine exploration areas. Currently, three IIT’s – IIT KGP, IIT BHU and IIT(ISM) Dhanbad are offering admissions to girl students in Mining Engineering in B.Tech. M.Tech. and PhD. [Lucky to be part of IIT Kharagpur!]. Also, in 2015, Anna University allowed the same. But, even after offering courses, due to the lack of awareness among girls about job prospects for mining and about recent changes in laws in favour of women, mining is still not on the preferred list of courses for girls.

What to do now? Changes in laws that create more jobs, assurance on safety and security, suitable courses to develop skills and spreading awareness among girls to encourage them to consider mining as a prospective industry for career. Changing process will take time, but surely will succeed.

I would like to end my article by narrating the inspiring story of Dr. Chandrani Prasad Verma, India’s first female mining engineer and currently holding the position of Principal Scientist at the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel research at Nagpur. Dr. Chandrani Verma qualified her B.Tech. as a mining engineer at 1999. Her qualifying year clearly indicates that she started her journey at this field years before the amendment of laws were implemented and institutes started opening their doors for female students in mining courses.

Being passionate about pursuing a career in this field, she had to fight a case in court for one year just to be enrolled in a college to study Bachelor’s degree in Mining. In 1996, she was admitted in Mining Engineering as ‘special case’ in Ramdeobaba Engineering College in Nagpur and in 1999, she graduated and became India’s first female mining engineer. Even after graduating successfully, doors for jobs in mines did not open for her, but her determination helped her to continue her work in this field. Besides working as a lecturer in college, she completed her M.Tech. in 2006 and completed Ph.D. on Web Pillar design in Highwall Mining from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur in 2015. She was the only woman candidate during her interview at CSIR – Central Institute of Mining & Fuel Research. Her interviews were hesitating to select her, as her job will require regular visit to underground mines, but her passion for mining impressed them and she was selected as a scientist. We are proud of her. She opened the doors for many other girls to choose the dream of pursuing a career in mining.

Finally, we, the women in mining, are hopeful that the administrations, lawmakers, educationists, professors and our society will come forward together to end the long-prevailing gender discrimination in this particular field and support us to become more and more successful in this field.

Parama Mukhopadhyay (16MI91R05)

Research Scholar, Mining Engineering Department,

IIT, Kharagpur

Digging Deep

Changes like that occurring at the Mining Engineering Department of IIT Kharagpur could lead to momentous changes for women in mining in India

Could the historically male-dominated mining industry be inching towards greater gender parity? The answer from IIT Kharagpur’s Department of Mining Engineering is yes. The department has seen a sharp rise in the number of female students in the undergraduate studies – from a trickle of one or two in a year to 18 in the year 2019.

All the centrally funded technical institutes in India are mandated to increase the number of women graduating from these institutes. The number of female students admitted at IIT Kharagpur stood at 15% (with supernumerary seats created to make up the shortfall through JEE) in the year 2018, and 20% presently, even including the Mining Engineering departments. In a matter of three years, these female students will be knocking on the doors of the mining companies for opportunities to work and to contribute to the safety, profitability and productivity of the industries.

In India, women were not permitted to work underground and even in surface mines, they were not allowed to work at night. Interestingly, coinciding with the change of decision in the female participation in undergraduate studies in mining engineering, the Ministry of Labour and Directorate General of Mines Safety which is a constituent body of the Ministry opened up through Gazette notification in 2019, hitherto unimaginable opportunities for underground employment for women. These opportunities cut across not only supervisory work but all types of activities of the mining profession.

According to the Directorate General of Mines Safety, the average daily employment of women in mines in 2011-12 accounted for 4.4% (24,294 females) of the total mining workforce which is considerably less compared to women labour force participation rate (22.5%) in India. The key occupations of engagement in the mining sector for women were reported as miners (mainly in the extraction of Iron, Gypsum, Magnesite and limestone), loaders and clerical and supervisory (Deloitte study on Human Resource & Skill Requirement Study for Indian Mining Sector, 2016).

Given that mining relies heavily on engineering talent, and women have proved that they can be capable engineers, the industry could gain a lot from greater diversity in its workforce and by having women in leadership roles. But the perception that mining is a ‘man’s job’, given the demanding nature of mining activity, has been a major contributing factor to the poor gender ratio.

In modern day mining, where automation is the key, physical capabilities should not be a determining factor. Besides, there can be little doubts about the correlation between business growth and diversity. Companies with more women, specifically with women on their boards, have shown overall better performance: more efficiency, greater sustainability and higher profit margins.

Quite obviously, perceptions need to change, and at every level. At IIT Kharagpur, things changed in 2002-03, when the Department of Mining Engineering opened its doors to women at the undergraduate level.

Prof. Ashis Bhattacharjee, Professor at the Department of Mining Engineering, who was then Vice-Chairman of JEE, recalls the move. “We convinced the Joint Implementation Committee, the Senate approved the move and IIT Kharagpur, together with IIT BHU, began to offer Mining Engineering program to women.”

Things did not change overnight. The inflow of students at the undergraduate level remained a trickle.

“There were some exceptionally committed students though. One, B. Niharika of the 2012 batch worked in a top Australian mining company, before relocating to Hyderabad,” says Prof. Bhattacharjee.

Perceptions also needed to change at a more fundamental level. And that seems to be happening now with more girls taking up mining.

“Before taking up Mining Engineering, I hardly knew what it was. But now I feel quite interested. There are so many facets to it,” says Samiksha Sharma, a 2nd year BTech Mining Engineering student, who has taken up Oil and Gas belt Testing and Enhanced Oil Recovery as her additional subjects. “Dual degree students can also specialize in Petroleum Engineering,” she reminds.

Like Samiksha, Niveditha Adari, a fourth year student, is also interested in the many opportunities that the Mining Engineering course at IIT Kharagpur leads to. She is interested in finance and management and as a Dual Degree student, she has ‘Financial Engineering’ as her specialization.

“I could go into operations research, which is an important part of mine planning. Or be part of finance planning for mining companies, where I could use my mining engineering knowledge.”

Given the focus of the Mining Engineering Department of IIT Kharagpur, which is into interdisciplinary fields such as environment, health and safety, and so on, and the advantage of the varied specializations (Safety Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Financial Engineering) women graduating from the Department will be open to varied roles both within the Mining sector and elsewhere. But what has also changed substantially for them is the government opening up to what is believed to be the “new realities” of society. Taking these realities into account, the Union government in 2019 lifted the restrictions of the Mines Act of 1952 and allowed women to work in underground mines and also in opencast or above ground workings of the mine during night hours.

“Somehow we need to prove ourselves,” says Samiksha, “About 20-30 years ago, when women were not common in Mechanical Engineering, if some of the women had not proved themselves, then others would not have followed in their path.”

Some, like Parama Mukhopadhyay, a PhD scholar at the Department of Mining Engineering, believe that the regulation is not enough and there are still enough restrictions in place to stall women’s full participation in hands-on mining (Read her story here).

“It is not about where women have greater scope. The idea should be that they can work everywhere,” says Prof. Sunita Mishra, who joined the Department in February 2020 and is the first lady to join the Mining Engineering faculty at IIT Kharagpur and probably in the country as well. A Mechanical Engineer, Prof. Mishra did her Masters in Tunnel Engineering from Mining Engineering from ISM Dhanbad and PhD in the area of Rock Dynamics from the Department of Civil Engineering at the IIT Delhi. Prof. Mishra, who is teaching Rock dynamics and mining machinery in the lab, is already a role model for students in the Department.

As she exemplifies, and the girls of the Department are beginning to understand, proven skill and expertise will take them places. Samiksha’s worry is that if the industry will come around and change itself as fast as the changes are taking place with women and mining. “Rest assured,” say her professors, “This is just a transition, and things will fall in place.”

IEI Young Engineering Award for Kgpian

Alumnus Sneha Gautam has been conferred the IEI Young Engineering Award 2019 – 20 by the Institution of Engineers (India), in recognition of his contribution to the field of Environmental Engineering. Dr. Gautam completed his PhD in 2015 from IIT Kharagpur’s Dept. of Mining Engineering in the area of Environmental Engineering. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

Dr. Gautam is engaged in fundamental and application-oriented cross-disciplinary research. He focuses on the interfaces of clean air engineering/science, human health and smart/sustainable living in cities/megacities. His current research touch on broad multidisciplinary areas of air pollution monitoring/modeling, low-cost sensing, nature-based solutions, climate change mitigation and developing innovative technological and passive (e.g. green infrastructure) solutions for air pollution exposure control for both developing and developed world.

Dr. Gautam’s research builds an understanding of the formation and emission of particles, both from vehicle exhausts and non-vehicular sources. He investigates their contribution to pollution, especially in megacity contexts. He is developing approaches to low-cost sensing and contributing to the development of exposure control technology and guidelines for policymakers to curtail pollution exposure in cities, with associated health benefits.

IEI Young Engineers Award recognizes outstanding achievements/contributions made by young engineers (<35 years) in engineering research, excellence in engineering technology development, technology transfer, etc. The IEI Young Engineers Award is presented to awardees for all the 15 Engineering Divisions of the Institution of Engineers (India) during the respective National Conventions.

The award was presented at the 35th National Convention of Environmental Engineers concurrently with the National Conference on “Green Technology for Clean and Green India” hosted by the Karnataka State Centre of the Institution of Engineers (India) on August 17 – 18, 2019 in Bengaluru under the aegis of Environmental Engineering Division Board of the Institution.

Great Step for Tomorrow’s Mining Engineers

Are minerals the new gold standard? What are the environmental aspects and safety concerns in mining? What are bot functionalities in mining? And many more – IIT KGP’s GREAT STEP, the premier technical fest organized by the Department of Mining Engineering is here to answer many of these questions. With the theme “Ore is Gold” the fest is scheduled on 2nd to 4th of November 2018.

The event will address critical areas in mining through case studies, design problems, guest lectures, workshops and various competitions. These would include the Petro Case Study, Mineo Case Study, Enviro Case Study, Geobotics, National Mining Innovation Challenge, Industrial Design Problem, Mineac, Safety Data Analytics and Safety Hunt, Image Processing and Skills Facilitation Workshop and Geotechnical Instrumentation Workshop. Industry experts from TATA Steel, BCCL, Coal India will share the industry perspective.

About 300 students from 15 different colleges will be participating in the event.

Speaking about the fest, Professor Aditya Kumar Patra, President Technology Mining Engineering Society, said, “With a perfect mosaic of online and offline student events and addresses of eminent personalities from industries during the meet, it is the unique annual technical festival of the country that gives the students the exposure to peers and understands that the future challenge lies ahead after their academics.”

Professor Srikant Annavarapu, Former President Technology Mining Engineering Society, said, “The organizers are working hard to create yet another unique festival with a slew of new online and offline events. In addition to the standard program, we plan to have an Image Consultant to give tips for making a better presence at on campus and off campus interviews.”

The corporate partners for the event include Golcha Associated, MCL, Balasore Alloys Ltd., Sandvik, Tata Hitachi Construction, DMT Consulting, Geotech, Campus France.