IIT Bombay has launched the second edition of its Invention Factory Program.
The Invention Factory Program was conducted for the first time in India at IIT Gandhinagar in 2018 and 2019 and expanded to IIT Bombay in 2022, with support from the Maker Bhavan Foundation.
The 6-week-long ideate-to-prototype-to-pitch program has brought together students from the IITs and the NITs pan India and is empowering them to invent products of their choice. The end goal is for these prototypes to successfully meet critical societal and consumer needs.
This year, a total of 60 students have been shortlisted (as opposed to 40 last year) and they will be working in teams of 3 over a period of 6 weeks.
IIT Bombay commemorated the 9th International Yoga Day on June 21, 2023. Around 200 people participated and many took on the yogathon challenge of performing 108 rounds of Suryanamaskar.
NCC cadets from the Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Powai, also celebrated International Yoga Day 2023. Trained yoga instructors from Ambika Yog Kutir guided the cadets. Under their supervision, the cadets performed different aasanas and pranayama. The instructors made the cadets aware of the importance of physical and mental fitness and the role of yoga asanas, meditation, and pranayama.
IIT Bombay celebrated World Bicycle Day on June 3, 2023, with an exciting bicycle rally that began at 7 am on campus. Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla flagged off the rally. Organized by NSS IIT Bombay, the event saw over 200 cyclists participate in the 5 km rally that started from the New SAC. Men and women of wide-ranging age groups as well as outsiders gathered for an exciting bike ride that also highlighted the importance of fitness.
IIT Bombay hosted the First Mining Start-Up Summit on campus in what was a perfect platform for the industry-startup/academia Interface. The summit showcased innovative ideas in exploration, virtual reality, automation, drone technology, and consultancy.
The Honourable Union Minister of State of Mines, Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve, chaired a panel discussion with renowned academicians from across the country in a quest to flesh out new ideas for research and innovation in the mining sector. The summit also hosted a brainstorming session with industry and startups.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Department of Science and Technology organized the International Climate Research Conclave (ICRC) 2023 at IIT Bombay to discuss India’s recent progress in climate research and its vision for 2030. The event was held at the DST’s Centre of Excellence in Climate Studies and paved the way forward for coordinating national efforts toward understanding and addressing climate change.
The Honourable Secretary to the MoES, Dr. M Ravichandran; Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar, the Honourable Secretary to the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India (DST); and Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Secretary of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), inaugurated the ICRC 2023.
The key objective of the conclave was to launch “India’s Climate Research Agenda: 2030 and Beyond” and discuss the nine themes of the report including:
- Monsoon
- Climate Modelling
- Aerosols
- Hydrology and Cryosphere
- Ocean Science
- Urban Climate
- Carbon Cycle
- Extreme Events
- Climate Services
Over 250 participants from different parts of the country attended the conclave.
In his address, Dr. Chandrasekhar said that the damage caused by climate change has already taken its toll, and our response has been delayed. He also emphasised that addressing climate change is not the responsibility of climate scientists alone. “By acknowledging the collective responsibility and adopting sustainable practices across various sectors, we can make meaningful progress in mitigating climate change and preserving a healthy planet for future generations. It is a call to action for everyone to play their part in creating a more sustainable and resilient world,” he added.
The first annual Summit of Academia Networking with Government, Allied Health Workers, and Medical Professionals (SANGAM) Conference in 2023 took place in June 2023 at the IIT Bombay campus. The event was organized in partnership with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) and the Government of Maharashtra.
Around 70 speakers and 220 registrants from all over the country as well as from international institutions participated in SANGAM. The event offered a unique opportunity and platform to key stakeholders from the healthcare sector who were able to network, exchange knowledge, focus on innovation, and work towards establishing solutions for an effective healthcare system.
IIT Bombay signed an MoU with Kaspersky to jointly promote and foster the development of educational and research projects in the field of cybersecurity. This includes the exchange of knowledge and expertise, the development of educational materials, the organisation of events aimed at raising cybersecurity awareness, as well as sponsorship of awards to encourage students to pursue careers in cybersecurity.
The MoU signing was attended by Prof. Milind Atrey, Dean (R&D), IIT Bombay, and Adrian Hia, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Kaspersky, along with Mr. Jaydeep Singh, Mr. Jesmond Chang, Ms. Trishia Octaviano, Mr. Saurabh Sharma and Ms. Shu En Liew from Kaspersky.
IIT Bombay launched a new program – WiSE (Women in Science Engineering from Rural Parts of India) under the leadership of Prof. Rajesh Zele, Department of Electrical Engineering, as part of its outreach activity.
The goal of WiSE is to reach out to girl students studying in the ninth grade who hail from the rural parts of India and get them excited about STEM. The program is committed to mentoring young girls long term and helps them make wise decisions about their future and career choices. Accompanied by their science and math teachers, around 160 girls from 40 schools in the rural parts of Maharashtra, Bihar, and Odisha arrived at IIT Bombay in May 2023. They were hosted by Hostel 15 where they stayed for a week and got a feel of campus life.
The young girls had a jam-packed and intensive schedule during the week which included activities from 9 am to 7 pm every day. Each day started with an interactive discussion with Winspirers (women inspirers) from diverse backgrounds and professions who motivated the girls by highlighting their unique stories.
Each afternoon, the girls had hands-on sessions in STEM. They started with simple light bulb circuits, making FM radios, and intelligent systems using microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators. Then they moved on to building a remote-controlled Rover robot from scratch. On the final day, the girls made a small drone that they were able to fly.
A group of over 70 student volunteers ensured that the entire program was executed flawlessly.
The WiSE program will be conducted annually with different schools from rural parts to fulfil the National Education Policy’s (NEP) ambition to curtail the dropout rates of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs). This year’s WiSE program was sponsored by the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, Maire Tecnimont Foundation – Evolve, Tecnimont Pvt. Ltd., Eastman, and IIT Bombay Institute of Eminence (IOE) Outreach Initiative.
IIT Bombay staff members Mr. Virendra Mam (Cash Section) and Mr. Sanjay Bhingarde (Guest House) successfully climbed Mt. Friendship Peak (17352 ft) which is located in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Mr. Mam and Mr. Bhingarde trekked to the Everest Base Camp early this year.
Hearty congratulations to Mr. Mam and Mr. Bhingarde! The Institute hopes they will trek and complete more summits in the future.
