OCTOBER 2022
KNOWLEDGE TREE - IMPACTFUL STORIES FROM IIT BOMBAY
Dear Alumnus,
Warm greetings from IIT Bombay.
Our former President and teacher-par-excellence A. P. J. Abdul Kalam once said that,
“Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, calibre, and future of an individual. If the people remember me as a good teacher that will be the biggest honour for me.”
For most of us, teaching is not what we do or just a career path we chose for ourselves. It is who we are. It is a calling. And as we celebrated the 64th Teachers’ Day on September 5, 2022, on campus, the Institute acknowledged the key roles that teachers play in shaping the lives of young students and honoured some of our colleagues who have excelled in this role.
Please join me in congratulating Prof. A.K. Suresh from the Department of Chemical Engineering for his exemplary service to IIT Bombay.
GIVING
IIT Bombay is growing rapidly, and for the Institute to become globally competitive, it needs to attract and retain exceptionally talented faculty members and researchers performing cutting-edge and disruptive research. Over the past decade, the Institute, with the generous support of our alumni, has successfully attracted some of the very best faculty members by instituting the Young Faculty Awards (YFA).
The YFA program offers outstanding young faculty from all over the world the opportunity to join IIT Bombay’s prestigious faculty body, provides an ecosystem for them to engage in trailblazing research, reduces the financial burden they face, and facilitates their smooth transition to IITB from industry and/or their stints at foreign universities, and more. Hiring these extraordinary young faculty enhances the learning experience of students at the Institute, which, in turn, results in the overall growth of IIT Bombay.
The YFA was initially a Legacy Project for the Class of ’82 and has been awarding incoming faculty members since 2010. Since then, it has been supported by every subsequent batch and has been entirely alumni-funded up to now. We request our alumni to donate generously to the YFA program and help us attract the crème-de-la-crème of faculty members to the Institute by clicking on the DONATE button below.
If you would like to donate to student scholarships at IIT Bombay, please click on the button below.
FACULTY INTERVIEW
Prof. Urjit Yajnik is an experienced professor of Physics with a demonstrated history of leadership in higher education. His Physics, Quantum Science, Computation, and R&D skills are beyond stellar. He is the Institute Chair Professor, Department of Physics, and Convener, Centre for Advanced Study.
He has also been a visiting professor with McGill University, Montreal, and the University of California, Irvine.
Q. Prof. Yajnik, can you quickly take us through your academic and career trajectory?
Prof. Yajnik: After Fellowship School and Jai Hind College in Mumbai, I joined IIT Bombay for the 5-year integrated M. Sc. Physics program in 1975.
DONOR INSTITUTED CHAIR PROFESSORSHIPS
Student Success Stories
Amal Matthew, a B. Tech student (Engineering Physics Department) from IIT Bombay has just got accepted for his Ph.D. at the very prestigious Stanford University. We are delighted at Amal’s amazing achievement and are eager to learn about how he pulled off this amazing accomplishment.
Q. Amal, congratulations on getting into Stanford University. It’s one of the toughest colleges to get into. Tell us how you felt when you received the acceptance letter from Stanford University.
NEWS FROM IIT BOMBAY
INSTITUTE HIGHLIGHTS
Upcoming Events
Alumination 2022
The Student Alumni Relations Cell is back with its flagship event, Alumination 2022. Alumination is a two-day extravaganza where students learn more about their areas of interest and interact with and get guidance from successful alumni in similar domains.
Some of the events of Alumination 2022 include:
1. Mentoring sessions such as Group mentoring, Speed Mentoring, and Break the Ice
2. Mock Interviews and Group Discussions for students preparing for job placements
3. Shadow Programme to help students gain first-hand industry experience as they go on field trips with alumni
4. Talks by various distinguished alumni during multiple sessions like Beyond the Horizon, CFC, CEO Connect, and Startup Talks
- Day & Date: October 15 & 16, 2022
- Time: TBA
- Venue: IIT Bombay Campus
Standup comedy GC
Standup Comedy GC is set to take place on October 12, 2022. It’s where students from various hostels of IIT Bombay bring their witty sense of humour, come up with catchy slogans, and present their standup comedy to the audience. Each team is allowed a maximum of 4 minutes to perform, and their performance is evaluated on the quality of humour and creativity, clarity of thought, presentation or delivery, and overall impact.
- Day & Date: October 12, Wednesday
- Time: 7:30 PM onwards
- Venue: LT-PCSA, IIT Bombay
Gyrations 2022
Gyrations is an Inter Hostel Group Dance General Championship that gives IITB students the chance to represent their hostels and showcase their dancing talent in a series of rounds and emerge victorious.
- Day & Date: October 19, 2022
- Time: 7:00 PM onwards
- Venue: Convocation Hall, IIT Bombay
Aavhan IITB Half Marathon
Conceptualised in 2017, Aavhan is IIT Bombay’s annual sports festival. Aavhan has grown in strength each year since it was first launched on campus. It’s a platform that allows students to revel in victory even as it teaches them to learn from failures. Over the years Aavhan has become a symbol of hope and perseverance to IITB students.
This year, Aavhan, in collaboration with Fitizen India, is organising the 4th edition of the Half Marathon race. Aavhan’s Half Marathon tests the participants’ endurance by having timed runs of 5 km, 10 km, and 21.1 km.
- Day & Date: October 30, 2022
- Time: TBA
- Venue: SAC, IIT Bombay
The Knowledge Tree – Dean ACR Newsletter August 2022
Chief Content Consultant and Editor (IITB DRF) – Roopa Swaminathan
Contributors:
SARC – Head: Media and PR
Rachit Merani – B.S. – 3rd Year (Economics)
Radhika Bakshi –B.Tech/M.Tech Dual Degree – 3rd Year (Metallurgical Engineering and Material Science)
SARC – Coordinators: Media and PR
Amogha Pote
Dev Parekh
Harshil Khatri
Priyanshi Garg
Shlok Zanwar
Ujjawal Pardeshi