“We make faculty and students aware that protecting ideas is very important, whether you monetize it or not. Our goal is patents per day.”
How does IIT Madras top the national rankings year after year?
The secret is very simple. We have operated as a cohesive unit. There is a Tamil proverb that means “together we win”. Faculty, students, industry partners, alumni, Government of India Ministry of Education, Tamil Nadu Government have all contributed to this. there are five
parameters and 74 data points. Every data point gets a contribution from all of them. And we will continue to work together to maintain that record.
With AI wreaking havoc and massive corporate layoffs over the past year or so, how are tech universities preparing for the new challenges of this phase?
Let’s put our point of view here. A core engineering discipline needs to be cultivated. See how the infrastructure projects being done in India and the aerospace industry are growing. We need people who work in these core areas. That doesn’t happen, even for students pursuing an interesting core subject, as they continue their high-frequency training beyond the AI-ML barrier.
I am a professor of computer science in the field of computer architecture. Even my specialty, computer science, doesn’t attract students. People are blindly leaving their core areas of expertise in search of high-paying jobs and cool surroundings. Parents should discuss jobs of national importance with the ward. Such passions need to be instilled in young people.
Also, the layoffs are not AI’s fault. Job cuts are happening as companies reset the situation in response to the economic downturn.
So how can polytechnics enable their students to have meaningful careers, careers that empower them economically and make a positive impact on society?
Two things are very important today. One is interdisciplinary education. As a computer scientist, I need to understand many other areas. We have machinery, metallurgy, robotics and embedded systems. So experts in these fields worked together to find a solution to eliminate manual cleaning. These are the high-impact and socially relevant projects we work on.So the university
We will need to start thinking about interdisciplinary approaches that pave the way for innovation and entrepreneurship.
You also need motivation for innovation and entrepreneurship. We have seen a lot of success in the last 3-4 years. Examples include a 3D architecture startup, a modular housing startup, his AgniKul startup in the space sector, and a tutoring startup in Hyperloop. Innovation and entrepreneurship are also very important for India to become a superpower. That is the approach that engineering universities should follow.
What are some of the breakthrough changes in pedagogy, course structure and experience that students get at IIT Madras over the past five years? Do you plan to keep elements like
When we launched the Swayam platform, we didn’t expect it to become so important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, tens of thousands of people take this exam (8.40).
This experience motivated us to start an online program in online electronic systems and data science. An online degree program with multiple exit options is therefore important.
Another thing that emerged during this period was medical technology. Many research institutes such as IIT Kanpur IISc, IIT Guwahati and IIT Jodhpur recognize its importance. Introduced Bachelor of Science in Medical Engineering. We did some drug trials here with the doctors so this is really a Covid lesson for us. It’s been hard to push it forward and prove to the world that it works. But it worked. Health is so important that medical science and engineering are important areas of work.
What role do faculty members play in research activities, and what kind of results do faculty members achieve in patent applications?
We remind faculty and students that protecting their ideas, whether monetized or not, is extremely important. Last year we obtained about 240 patents. Patent application is very easy and the fee from the institution is Rs 1,800. Even if you want faster confirmation, it will still cost around 4,000 rupees. We are patenting very fast, with a goal of one patent per day. This means that 365 patents will be granted this year, and in 2024, which is a leap year, he will have 366 patents.
We are striving to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. As the president of a leading engineering university, what approach would you suggest for sustainability?
Delivering on the promises of the SDGs is important not only to prove to the world that we have achieved them, but also to our good. I talk about the SDGs wherever I go, at school and university events, and encourage teachers to do the same. We have established a school of sustainability that addresses some of the key environmental issues. The BS Data Science Program and the BS Electronics Systems Program also address the need to provide equitable and affordable education for all, which is SDG 4.
