News

Jairam Ramesh to speak on campus on Mar 13

IIT Bombay alumnus Jairam Ramesh ('75), India's Minister of Environment and Forests will be speaking on campus in the Convocation Hall at 11:30 am on March 13. Mr. Ramesh is a Member of Parliament representing Andhra Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha since June 2004. Before taking charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in May 2009, he was the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry as well as the Minister of State for Power.

Distinguished Alumni Awards 2010 Announced

IIT Bombay will celebrate its 51st Foundation Day on March 10th with TIFR Director Barma as Chief Guest. The 2010 Distinguished Alumni Awardees are Dr. Nitish Thakor, Mr. R. Chandrashekhar, Mr. Adil Zainulbhai, Mr. Madhusudan Sivasankar (Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa), and Mr. Colin H. Gonsalves. The S. C. Bhattacharya Award of Excellence in Research in Pure Sciences 2009 and the H. H. Mathur Award for Excellence in Research in Applied Sciences, 2009 will be presented to Professor Dulal Panda, Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering and to Professor M. C. Deo, Department of Civil Engineering, respectively.

Alumni in the News - Feb 28

Amit Adarkar ('91) has joined Nielsen BASES as VP for Nielsen BASES India and South Africa | Ashish Chauhan ('89), Deputy CEO of BSE | Anil Gidwani ('82) files PIL against systemic delays in cases involving traffic violations in Mumbai

Dr Shevgaonkar to be new Pune VC

MUMBAI: Technocrat-academician Dr Raghunath Kashinath Shevgaonkar was on Friday appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of University of Pune by Governor K Shankaranarayanan in his capacity as Chancellor of Universities of Maharashtra.

IIT-B's 'masti' curriculum to learn computers

Mumbai: Learning how to use computers is going to be a lot of fun for school students, thanks to an innovative curriculum developed at IIT-Bombay. An extensive 4-year research by IIT professor Sridhar Iyer and his team from the department of Computer Science & Engineering has revealed that the best way to teach computers is through fun-filled activities.

IIT's MTech-PhD dual degree has four takers

As many as four MTech students have decided to pursue PhD after IIT Bombay introduced MTech-PhD dual degree for engineering programmes in 2009. This is a part of the comprehensive review of the PhD programme initiated by IIT Bombay. “We are known for our undergraduate education but we also want to be known as an excellent research institute,” said RK Shevgaonkar, deputy director, IIT Bombay.

IITB professor builds device to reduce risk of radiation

How to shield your building from the harmful affects of radiation? Ask Girish Kumar, the IIT Bombay professor, who has invented a shield that can be installed in concrete structures to block radiation. A developer has asked Kumar to install his radiation shield in a 300-m building near the TV tower in Worli. Several concerns in the UK and the US have also shown interest in the product. “When I first launched this technology, there was a lot of resistance from industry. But now, people have started understanding the implications of exposure to radiation,” he said.

IIT JEE likely to be abolished by 2013

The joint entrance examination (JEE) for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is likely to become history from 2013 as the central government decided to work on a common entrance test for all government engineering colleges. Explaining the situation, HRD ministry joint secretary S.C. Khuntia said: "We will work for a common entrance test for every stream. One examination for all engineering institutions, which means IITs will also follow it."

Drone of '3 Idiots' could serve Army

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that grabbed eyeballs in the Aamir Khan-starrer 3 Idiots could soon be used by the Indian Army. The machine is the same as the one built by IdeaForge, a company founded by three IIT Bombay alumni.

Alumni in the News - Feb 16

Bhalchander Vishwanath ('92) has founded UnitedProsperity.org which helps individuals to contribute interest-free amounts as microloan guarantee to small entrepreneurs | Akshat Khare ('05) at Techkriti focussed on eco-friendly methods to device solar-based LED systems | Swapnil Pawar ('02), Head - HNI Solutions at Karvy Private Wealth talks about financial planning, wealth management, markets and interest rates across globe | Dr. George Easaw ('05) Takes Charge as New Principal at T. John Group of Institutions | 4 IITB alumni have been chosen for Foundation for Youth Social Entrepreneurship (FYSE) Paragon100 fellowship for young entrepreneurs and social changemakers.

MMRDA 'pays back' IIT-Bombay by bridging its campus

Mumbai: It could be termed as a payback gesture by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) towards the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B). The authority will construct a motorable bridge connecting the southern and northern sides of the IIT-B campus. The bridge, which will be 35 meter long and 12 meter wide, will also extend the IIT-B area by another hundred acres.

UK, India partner on excitonic solar cell research

To meet their future energy needs, the UK and Indian governments said today they are launching two new photovoltaic research projects aimed at bringing down the cost of solar energy systems, while making them more stable and efficient. The research is expected to come from UK and India universities as well as companies from both countries, including lead institutions UK’s Loughborough University, India’s National Physical Laboratory and IIT Bombay.

IIT-B & docs use nanotech to treat cancer

MUMBAI/HYDERABAD: If it does pass the muster, it could be India’s second ‘nano’ success story. Only this nano creation is being unveiled in thefield of healthcare thanks to collaboration between oncologists and scientists of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay.In a step that has the potential to revolutionise treatment of retinoblastoma—a rare cancer of the retina that mainly affects children under two years of age—the IIT-B and doctors from Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel and Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad have developed a nano-particle that could conquer the child killer.

IIT-B leads the way to eco-friendly campus

One of Mumbai’s greenest campuses is about to get greener. Students of IIT Bombay, which is in a lush 220-hectare sprawl in Powai, have initiated the Green IIT-B project aimed to make it more eco-friendly. Green campuses was the focus of discussion on the second day of Nivritti, a three-day symposium on sustainability issues, hosted by the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute as part of their Technovanza festival.Panelist Rutika Muchhala (22), an electrical engineering student of IIT-B, spoke of the campus sustainability programme that is being conceptualised and executed by five students and funded by the institution. “Graduate students have to be prepared for a green economy and green jobs,” she said.

IIT Bombay falls in line, starts faculty quota

Mumbai: After the initial resistance to quotas for its teaching faculty, India’s premier institutes are beginning to cave in. The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), has decided to introduce a reservation policy for its faculty at the level of assistant professors. “We will soon release advertisements for this. We are looking at various ways to attract PhDs from the reserved categories for these faculty positions,” said Devang Khakhar, director of IIT-B. “If the reserved seats remain unfilled despite all efforts, they can be de-reserved after a year,” he added.

International Exhibitions @ IIT Bombay Techfest 2010

If the internal IITB exhibitions rocked this year the international exhibitions were no less and pretty much upto the mark compared to the previous versions. There were many innovative and advanced technologies at display (read James Bond style technology if that helps your imagination). Ranging from nanobots to underwater robots (fishes and lobsters), from 3-D simulations of earthquakes to amazing solar powered racing cars, this year had it all.

IIT Bombay E-cell selects Nurture Talent Academy as Training Partner for E-summit

Bombay E-cell selected Nurture Talent as their Training Partner for the Eureka and Vulture's Nest events of the entrepreneurship summit. The pre-event workshop on how to make a business plan and pitch to investors was well attended, by around 25 entrepreneurs. Amit Grover, Founder, conducted the workshop, covering all aspects related to making and presenting a business plan, and VCs and investors perspectives on investments.Inspired by the experience, Nurture Talent Academy (www.nurturetalent.com) is planning to launch a series of workshops for entrepreneurs.

IITs moot creeping hike in student fees

The IITs are proposing an eight-fold increase in student fees from Rs 50,000 to Rs 4 lakh a year under sweeping proposals the institutes will present to the government.The institutes will propose to human resource development minister Kapil Sibal that the fee hike be spread over 10 years with a Rs 35,000 mark-up every year. The plan is aimed at helping the IITs become self-financing institutions. IIT Bombay, asked to suggest reforms to improve the research output of the IITs, has suggested that the government create a separate funding category for research.

Dunu's Unfinished Business

The slightly frayed jeans and long silver hair tied into a ponytail give him the appearance of an ageing beatnik, but unlike other ageing beatniks, there’s still a spring in his step and a edgy excitement in his voice. Dunu (Anubrotto) Roy, 65, got a BTech and an MTech from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, in the late 1960s, but spent the better part of the next two decades repairing bicycles, water pumps and tractors in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district. It’d be easy to label him a slightly off-kilter “genius”, but even today, Roy would prefer being called a student revolutionary.

Start-ups in fund trouble

As downturn-hit investors turn more fussy and miserly, the country’s most prominent incubators are raising early-stage funds so their fledgling firms have the money they need to grow. VC firms, for reasons ranging from poor mentoring to a lack of quality entrepreneurs emerging from the system, seem to have lost faith in incubated companies. It’s a slow process, says Sushanto Mitra, chief executive, Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE) at IIT Bombay. “VCs are not charitable organizations ... it takes two to tango.”