IIT Alumni
        iit Alumni Newsletter March 2015
 

 

In This Issue

Table of content

 

  
 

 

4. Guru Funda

 

5. Chapters News

 

6. Chapter Upcoming Events

     

7. Resources

 

 

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specialfeature   Announcement

 

 

 

Super Early Bird Pricing for first 1000 registrants   

http://iit-2015.org  

 

     

  

Introducing GLC 2015 & the Internet of People (IoP)

The IIT Alumni Global Leadership Conference (GLC 2015):

The GLC 2015 is the world's largest platform that promotes engagement between IIT alums and corporations, the entrepreneurial eco system, educational institutions, the giving back community, and the IITs.

 

Thursday 23rd, 'IIT Womens Day', a program designed by IIT women alumni exclusively for women. Women learn to be "Super Jugglers" from the "Super Women" who have been there, done just that.

Friday 24th and Saturday 25, experience great keynotes, animated panel discussions, intriguing fireside chats phenomenal networking and eye popping entertainment. Sunday 26th, IIT-IIT Alumni Engagement Day, brings you and your campus leadership team together to explore the exciting developments taking place at your campus and how to get involved. (More Details http://iit-2015.organd click on Program Tab)

 

Internet of People (IoP) - adapting to the Internet of Things (IoT)

This conference is about the Internet of People (IoP), one that brings together the best minds to deliberate on how we (7 Billion of us) adapt to a world, co populated with 'intelligent' devices (21 Billion and growing) connected by a suite of technologies, in the Internet of Things (IoT) era.

The Internet of People examines how connected people have to operate differently in the home, on the road, at work.

Will the Parent-Child bond weaken because, Google answers most of his/her questions, reducing face time with you? Or will it increase because now you can 'FaceTime' with your kids from work?

Will you get ticketed for Texting behind the wheel of a driverless car? or will this law become obsolete?

Will Big Data and Artificial Intelligence result in making Managers redundant or result in better and faster decision making?


Be part of GLC 2015, by registering at Super Early Bird rates at:
http://iit-2015.org 

 

  
alumninewsI IT Alumni News

 

IITian at 13, child prodigy, wants to create 'Facebook for the masses'Prashant Ranjan, 

Hindustan Times, Ara, Bihar

Updated: Jun 23, 2013 14:34 IST

 

 

Bihar's child prodigy Satyam Kumar, 13, became the youngest examinee to crack the JEE preliminary examination. (HT Photo)

Set to be the youngest-ever IITian at 13 years and 11 months, Bhojpur's boy wonder Satyam Kumar's big ambition in life is to create a social networking site "bigger than Facebook".

"A distinctive feature of my site will be its easy accessibility to those living in remote villages of India. It'll be a Facebook for the masses", said Satyam, who cites Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and late Steve Jobs of Apple as his idols.

A child prodigy, Satyam cracked the IIT-JEE mains for the second successive time this year, securing the 679th position, a significant improvement from his past year's rank of 8,137.

 

 

Read entire article at:  http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/iitian-at-13-child-prodigy-wants-to-create-facebook-for-the-masses/article1-1080998.aspx

 

 



IITians create affordable 'smart' cane for the blind

POSTED ON AUGUST 8, 2014

BY ADMIN IN ARCHIVE

 

Students and fellows at IIT-Delhi have developed a 'smart' cane that helps the blind navigate their way without having to touch or run into obstacles.

The cane only costs Rs 3,000 about 25 times less than the market price of a similar product. The experiment started nine years ago, in 2005, when four students from IIT-Delhi began work on creating a device to help the visually impaired walk, after visiting the National Association for the Blind.

People at the centre complained of having to collide with or touch every obstacle in their way in order to move around. Vowing to improve their mobility, students began the project. The group even filed their patents in 2007. The project was delayed, however, due to funding issues.

Deepak Jaiswal, a student of St Xavier's, has been using the cane for 6 months, and says that "The best part is that the vibrations allow us to know obstacles in our way three metres before we encounter them. This helps us navigate without touching objects."

 

Bollywood Analysis by IITians featured in MIT's Tech Review

 

POSTED ON OCTOBER 7, 2014 BY ADMIN IN ARCHIVE

Featured in MIT's tech review, an IIT Indore study has mined 9000 movies from the past 100 years of Indian films to showcase connections between the Indian film industry and Indian history.Using interconnections between actors, the authors of the study have been able to predict success of films and individuals.

 

Carried out by an IIT Indore prof Dr. Sarika Jalan, and three IITian students, this study has drawn some interesting conclusions.

 

1. Lead actors rise and fall, and the interconnections of Ashok Kumar eventually decline and give way to those of Rajesh Khanna, but Amitabh Bachchan is forever.

 2. Female actresses are far less connected than male actors, scientifically showcasing gender biases in culture.

3. The film industry became more random after partition (48-52) and the war with Pakistan (62-65). This flies against the general trend of consolidation and greater connectedness.

4. The network grew rapidly and became far more interconnected after 1998, as Indian films became a global phenomenon.

 

Using this tool, producers may soon be able to predict the next big hit.

But, in an industry already suffering from formulaic characters and films, is that a good thing?


http://theiitian.com/iitians-analyze-indian-history-through-bollywood/

Why IITians are lapping up job offers from tech startups
 
ET Bureau|Feb 12, 2015, 01.39 PM IST

Startup salaries have increasingly become aligned with mainstream industry jobs and in most cases are not a compromise factor today.

Startup salaries have increasingly become aligned with mainstream industry jobs and in most cases are not a compromise factor today.

This IIT placement season saw more Rs 1 crore-plus salary offers being rolled out than ever before. The effects of the early stirrings of an economic revival and an upbeat job market were felt on campus, with several large companies stepping up both hiring numbers and salary packages. And yet, the Class of 2015 will be best remembered for one defining trend - the unprecedented number of students who opted to work for startups instead of established companies during campus placements.

 

 

 

 

 

IITians revisit forgotten narrative on Indian science

M T Saju,TNN | Mar 11, 2015, 03.20 AM IST


 

Youtube Video 'Bharat Ki Chhaap'

CHENNAI: If you have been watching the television since 1980s, you must have seen 'Bharat Ki Chhaap', a Doordarshan programme on the history of science and technology on Indian subcontinent. Directed by Chandita Mukherjee and funded by the department of science & technology, the show was the brainchild of veteran scientist Prof Yash Pal. Even after starting well, it was the only attempt made on Indian television to narrate the history of science for lay audience. 

While revisiting a forgotten narrative of Indian science at the IIT, Madras, Madhumita Mazumdar had to start from scratch. "Although 'Bharat ki Chhaap' did not manage to achieve the success it deserved as a TV serial but it needs to be reappraised for its contribution in the debates on science and the methods of history writing," said Mazhumdar, associate professor, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology, Gandhinagar. 

Despite being a promising serial, what triggered its untimely death was its own extraordinary approach. "The film sought to weave in sociological explanations within its narrative but failed to impress its audiences that were eager to see a more triumphal account of Indian science and the contributions it made to the development of western science. 'Bharat ki Chhaap' did not appeal to the nationalist sentiment that wanted to see a straight narrative instead of the somber of moods of social critique it indulge in," said Mazumdar. 

According to the film producers, the debate on the history of science was linked to the larger debates on India's identity. It was a story of people's thinking and doing, of the growth of ideas and artefacts. 

"The film took an unusually broad understanding of science and Yash Pal argued that 'science was a process of searching for answers to a series of interconnected questions'. The audience of 'Bharat ki Chhaap' may have missed out this larger message of the film and hence turned to B R Chopra's 'Mahabharata' instead," she said.

 

 Read entire article at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/IITians-revisit-forgotten-narrative-on-Indian-science/articleshow/46522975.cms

 

Watch Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ClkVo8X0s4

 

 

 

 

 

campusnews   Campuses News

IIT BHU built 'cheapest Metro' long ago

 

Feb 27, 2015, 01.41 AM IST


 

Varanasi: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, while presenting Railway Budget 2015-16 on Thursday, has proposed to set up 'Malaviya Chair' for Railway Technology at IIT (BHU), however the research on railway technologies have already been taken up at BHU in 1977.

The BHU had developed Linear Induction Motor (LIM) rail metro system, and claimed that it would be 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than the Delhi metro.

"The technology was ready for use in 1999 and had been displayed at several national and international exhibitions successfully, but the government agencies working on different metro projects in the country overlooked this cheapest metro technology, though the then minister of railway late Digvijay Singh also had a ride on prototype rail at BHU in 2001," said Prof. SN Mahendra of electrical engineering department of IT-BHU who led the project at the Malviya Center for Development of Low Cost Linear Metro System at BHU.


 

Read full story at  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/BHU-built-cheapest-Metro-long-ago/articleshow/46389356.cms

 

IIT-Kharagpur launches research project for urban areas

IANS | Mar 3, 2015, 06.19 PM IST

 

KOLKATA: Experts at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, have launched a Rs. 25 crore project aimed at transforming and enhancing living conditions in cities through inter-disciplinary research and new technologies.

Christened 'Future Of Cities', the mammoth project, supported by the ministry of human resource development, involves 59 key researchers and 32 research modules. 


 

Read full story at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/IIT-Kharagpur-launches-research-project-for-urban-areas/articleshow/46444599.cms


 

IIT-G talks sustainable design in tech conference

TNN | Dec 18, 2014, 06.00 AM IST


 

Guwahati: Over 400 delegates from academia and industry attended the 5th International and 26th All India Manufacturing, Technology, Design and Research (AIMTDR) conference here recently.

The conference was organized by the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G).

Speaking at the inaugural function, held in IIT-G's Bhupen Hazarika auditorium, Amitabha Ghosh, former director of IIT Kharagpur, stressed on the need for interdisciplinary research and modification of manufacturing curricula in academic institutions.


 

Read full story at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/IIT-G-talks-sustainable-design-in-tech-conference/articleshow/45554062.cms


 

 

 

Noted cancer specialist to enter into collaborative research with IIT-K

Abhinav Malhotra,TNN | Feb 25, 2015, 01.27 PM IST

 

KANPUR: Celebrated tumour biologist, Prof Rakesh Jain of Harvard Medicine School, USA, during his visit to IIT-Kanpur on Monday said that he had held deliberations with department of science and technology (DST) and department of biotechnology (DBT) in Delhi on Saturday last to initiate research work on cancer in India, especially with IIT-Kanpur, which is also his alma mater. Prof Jain during the convocation ceremony of the premier institute on Monday was awarded the honorary degree 'honoris causa'. He had come with his spouse and two daughters to receive the degree. 

Director of IIT-K Prof Indranil Manna said, "Prof Jain spoke to me on collaborative cancer research and if DST or DBT proposes some research work on cancer, then it could be taken up". Prof Jain had told TOI that he would like to enter into collaborative research with IIT-Kanpur. 

 

Read full story at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Noted-cancer-specialist-to-enter-into-collaborative-research-with-IIT-K/articleshow/46367131.cms


 

HAL Chair at IIT-M in 3 months

Rozelle Laha, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Updated: Feb 25, 2015 17:08 IST 

An exclusive chair for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL),  to be set up within three months in IIT Madras, will be responsible for carrying out research in various areas related to aerospace technologies, providing technical consultancy, facilitating training programmes and addressing any other mutually agreed activities relevant to HAL. 

"Through the chair, MTech and PhD programmes may be organised through external registration and all subjects taught through online method. HAL officers deputed for these courses are required to come to IIT Madras only for laboratory classes. Final examinations may also be conducted at HAL under the supervision of an authorised officer of HAL," says Professor R Nagarajan, dean (international and alumni relations), IIT Madras. Similarly, specialised short-term courses may also be conducted for HAL officers through the chair, he added.

HAL and IITM signed a MoU last week to create a HAL chair at IIT campus with the aim of setting a ground for academic and research-based interactions.  HAL will make a onetime payment of Rs. 1.5 crore for funding the chair to the corpus of the institute. Other expenses will be covered from the interest earned on this endowment. 
HAL has identical tie-ups with IITs Roorkee, Kanpur, Mumbai and Kharagpur. "We expect the difference to be in the intensity of execution," adds Prof Nagarajan.

 

Richa Verma becomes first woman to head NCC unit in Madhya Pradesh

Rageshri Ganguly,TNN | Mar 8, 2015, 07.35 PM IST


 

BHOPAL: From building warships, Lt Commander Richa Verma has now donned a new avatar - training naval cadets. It is probably the first time the state NCC unit has a woman commanding officer in a contingent. Lt Cmdr Verma, who is a week old in her new role, is more than ready to take her responsibilities head on.

A post-graduate diploma holder in naval architecture (DIIT-NC) from IIT Delhi, Verma is one of the few technical officers who made it to the rank of commanding officer (CO). "Now I feel more like a naval officer," says Verma, CO of 1 MP naval unit.

Having served in Naval HQ, Delhi, Naval Dockyard, Mumbai and Western Naval Command, Mumbai, Verma has also been part of the team that built INS Vikrant - India's first indigenous aircraft carrier.


 

Read full story at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/Richa-Verma-becomes-first-woman-to-head-NCC-unit-in-Madhya-Pradesh/articleshow/46494483.cms


 

From reducing 'killer' platform gap to stench-free toilets, some IIT-B solutions

Yogita Rao,TNN | Feb 21, 2015, 12.59 AM IST


 

MUMBAI: IIT-Bombay students have teamed up to find solutions to everyday problems. The team of students along with their professors has come up with designs under the banner of 'Mumbai Transformation Project'. The project, which began six months ago, promises to solve Mumbaikars' infrastructure, transportation and sanitation woes.

Students have designed various solutions from reducing the gap between trains and platforms to better bus stops and Teflon-coated commodes for stink-free toilets on railway stations. The team, which is working on this ministry of human resource development (MHRD)-supported project, is also collaborating with government agencies to turn their ideas into reality. 

Professor B K Chakravarthy, who is heading the Industrial Design Centre and spearheading the project, said, "Most of the ideas are at the design stage. Some of them have already being implemented. Most designs are workable solutions and can be easily implemented. But the major challenge for our centre is to get government agencies or industries to take these forward and implement them." 

Read full story at  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/From-reducing-killer-platform-gap-to-stench-free-toilets-some-IIT-B-solutions/articleshow/46318020.cms

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