IITB Distinguished Alumnus, Mr. Deepak Satwalekar [B.Tech. (Hons)., Mechanical Engineering, 1971)], generously contributed to the setting up of the ‘Deepak and Maya Satwalekar Design and Making Lab’ at the Institute.

The Lab was officially inaugurated on Dec 19, 2022, with a special ceremony held on campus.
This Lab forms an essential part of the Institute’s larger Makerspace program that envisions providing a comprehensive education to first-year students through exposure to hands-on learning that will complement and strengthen theoretical concepts. This first-of-its-kind initiative at the Institute will train students to combat and overcome challenges found in real-world industrial setups, through a multidisciplinary course.

This modern facility comprises advanced equipment, and over 250 workstations and will be accessible to nearly 1,400 first-year engineering students. It will train them in the latest design and manufacturing practices in engineering, similar to those found in real-world industrial setups. Essentially, the bright and curious young minds of IIT Bombay will get to learn the latest design and manufacturing practices at the very beginning of their academic journeys itself.

The Lab is one more step in the Institute taking the lead by introducing newer pedagogical styles.
During the inauguration, Mr. Satwalekar spoke passionately about the need to provide a well-rounded education to students. This was key to his generous donation towards the lab. He also explained the crucial role that hands-on learning plays in helping students create real-world applications for classroom concepts.

The Lab will also allow the Institute to get one step closer to becoming ‘Aatmanirbhar’ in science and technology through indigenous means.