ACADEMY ACTIVITIES
Academy News (Covering period from October 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022)
Reports received in this period pertaining to events in previous months
5th INAE-NAEK Workshop on Advanced Materials for Sustainable Development
Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), the only engineering Academy in the country represents India at the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS). CAETS is an independent non-political, non-governmental, international organization of engineering and technological sciences academies, one-member Academy per country. INAE conducts various joint Workshops with Member Academies of CAETS. One such collaborative workshop between INAE and NAEK has been undergoing since 2017. This year 5th INAE-NAEK Workshop on “Advanced Materials for Sustainable Development” was held on August 25-26, 2022 at Hotel Hyatt Regency, Kolkata in hybrid mode. The two themes of the workshop were “Materials for Quantum Computing” and “Machine Learning for development of Advanced Materials”. The Indian and the Korean groups of scientists assembled in two local cities such as Kolkata in India and Seoul in Korea. To adjust the time zones between the two cities, there was a need to restrict the technical discussions within limited hours and as such within a limited number of technical sessions.
Over the course of two days, updates on R&D activities relating to advanced materials, especially those activities associated with Quantum Computing and Machine Learning were highlighted. This workshop provided a platform for future collaboration between researchers from both countries and also served as an important venue for vigorous exchanges and collaborations between Korean and Indian engineers. 16 experts representing Korea and India in the field of Materials for Quantum Computing and Machine Learning for Development of Advanced Materials sessions delivered the technical Presentations.
On 25 August 2022, the event started with the Inauguration session. Prof Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Director, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata and Prof Debatosh Guha, FNAE & Professor, Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, University of Calcutta delivered the Introductory Remarks. Subsequently, Prof Indranil Manna, President, INAE delivered the Welcome Address. During his Address, he gave a brief about INAE activities. He highlighted that India is pursuing the path of development and in words of Our Hon’ble Prime Minister, a goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat or Self-reliant India. In this path of development engineering and technology plays a vital role. We need a peer body like INAE to steer this initiative. Subsequently, Prof Jung-Hee Song, Vice-President, NAEK delivered her Welcome Address. In her Address, she highlighted the possibility of convergence between materials science and ICT under the theme of “Advanced Materials for Sustainable Development”. The aim of this workshop is to provide and establish science and technology policy guidelines by examining major issues and technological development in the ICT and materials industries.
The theme of discussions on Day 1 was ‘Materials for Quantum Computing’ which was designed through two technical sessions. Those sessions were chaired by Samit Kumar Ray, Professor, Department of Physics, IIT Kharagpur, India and Seung-Cheol Lee, Director of Indo-Korea Science & Technology Center, KIST, South Korea. Session I contained four keynote talks:
How to make a Quantum computer?
Amlan Mukherjee, QpiAI India Pvt. Ltd, Bengaluru, India
Recent advances in semiconductor quantum dot-based quantum computing
Dohun Kim, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, Seoul National University
Engineering Spin-Orbit Interaction for Qubit Technologies
Bhaskaran Muralidharan, Dept. of Electrical Engg., IIT Bombay, India
Quantum computing applications: Quantum algorithm optimization
Doyeol (David) Ahn, Dept. of ECE, University of Seoul, Korea & Co-founder and CTO, First Quantum Inc.
Lectures by various eminent experts during the technical sessions
Two technical sessions pertaining to the theme “Materials for Quantum Computing” chaired by Prof Samit Kumar Ray, Professor, Department of Physics, IIT Kharagpur, India and Dr Seung-Cheol Lee, Director of Indo-Korea Science & Technology Center, KIST, South Korea were held. On 26 August 2022, two technical sessions pertaining to the theme “Machine Learning for development of Advanced Materials” which were chaired by Prof Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Director, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India and Prof Tae-yeon Seong, Professor, Korea University were held.
Welcome Address by Prof Indranil Manna, President, INAE
Prof Jung-Hee Song, Vice-President, NAEK, Korea delivering Welcome Address
The majority of the presentations were made in physical mode except only a very few special cases where the speakers were on overseas travel. Session II comprised four more keynote talks:
Silicon Quantum Information Technology
Samaresh Das, Centre for Applied Research in Electronics, IIT Delhi, India
L0D, 1D, 2D and 3D materials prepared in KIST for the quantum information technology
Jindong Song, Center for Opto-Electronic Convergence Systems, KIST
Light-matter interactions in 2D materials for Quantum Photonic Devices
Samit Kumar Ray, Department of Physics, IIT Kharagpur, India
A Chemistry Application of Quantum Krylov Subspace Diagonalization aided by Quantum Power Method
Joonsuk Huh, Institute of Quantum Biophysics, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
Each talk culminated with very lively question answer session. The participants from both countries took part in that discussion indicating common interests and possibility of developing collaborative research programs.
Technical sessions III and IV were planned for Day 2 focusing on ‘Machine Learning for development of Advanced Materials’. Both sessions were chaired by Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Director, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India and Tae-yeon Seong, Professor, Korea University. Each of the sessions comprised four keynote talks as follows:
Session III
Predictive Models of Materials based on Quantum Physics and Machine Learning
Umesh V. Waghmare, Theoretical Sciences Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR),Bengaluru, India
Machine-Enabled Chemical Structure-Property-Synthesizability Predictions
Yousung Jung, Dept. of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, KAIST
Machine Learning Approach of Design of New Materials with Targeted Properties
Tanusri Saha-Dasgupta, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata, India
Machine learning potentials enabling realistic material simulation and accelerated material discovery
Seungwu Han, Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Korea
Prof Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Director, Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata chairing technical session during the Workshop
Session IV
Application of machine learning and neural network to predict materials properties and design a new material
Seung-Cheol Lee, Indo-Korea Science & Technology Center, KIST
Machine Learning assisted hierarchical filtering to identify novel magnetic materials
Prasenjit Sen, Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Prayagraj, India
Data-driven design for high-performance SnSe-based thermoelectric material
Hyunju Chang, Chemical Platform Technology Division, KRICT
Machine learning assisted workflows for the discovery of low dimensional/quantum materials
Nawaf Alampara, QpiAI India Pvt. Ltd, Bengaluru, India
A nice blend of Industry, R&D Laboratories, and academia was successfully planned by both Academies. The concluding session indeed became vibrant and interactive. Several thoughts and suggestions were discussed indicating a fruitful outcome in terms of future planning, proposal, and strengthening collaborative research between these two countries.
Prof Debatosh Guha addressing the gathering
In conclusion, Prof. Indranil Manna expressed his happiness for having such a successful meeting and congratulated the team members of both Academies with a special mention to the dedicated services by Lt. Col Shobhit Rai, Deputy Executive Director, INAE, Ms. Pratigya Laur, Research Officer, INAE and Ms. Chanmi Lee, Officer, International Affairs, NAEK. The Vote of Thanks was proposed by Lt Col Shobhit Rai (Retd), Deputy Executive Director, INAE. The event ended with the Concluding Session during which discussion and finalization of statement for future scope of collaboration were held. The workshop was attended physically by 50 participants and online by various participants. This workshop was an outstanding success. The event was also streamed Live on YouTube. The links are as under.
25th August 2022- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxY13tYAqwQ&t=1239s
26th August 2022- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo9HbTa4KRM
Indian Participants at the workshop at Kolkata
Celebration of Engineer’s Day 2022 by INAE Kolkata Chapter
INAE Kolkata Chapter celebrated Engineer’s Day 2022 on 15th September and organized a special lecture delivered by noted Engineer and industry leader Mr. Rabi Chowdhury, Managing Director, CESC Limited Kolkata. The event was organized at the Seminar Hall of the Electrical Engineering Department, Jadavpur University. Prof. Sivaji Chakravorti, Vice President INAE presided over the lecture meeting. He explained the significance of the day and also the activities of INAE to the audience. Prof. Debatosh Guha, President INAE Kolkata Chapter welcomed the participants and introduced the speaker. The lecture was attended by INAE fellows and faculty members, research scholars and students of Jadavpur University.
In his lecture, Mr. Chowdhury elaborated the evolving technologies in power generation, transmission and distribution in the city of Kolkata particularly focusing on the challenges and solutions. He discussed the historical perspectives of power supply in the city and illustrated the present-day challenges regarding environmental regulations, dwindling coal quality and coal import and introduction of power from renewables to the grid. Through lucid explanations of technical theories, Mr. Chowdhury could attract the attention of the audience throughout the lecture who later interacted overwhelmingly with the speaker on various issues.
Prof. Amitava Datta, Secretary and Treasurer of INAE Kolkata Chapter proposed the vote of thanks at the end of the lecture.
Mr. Rabi Chowdhury, MD CESC Ltd presenting the Engineer’s Day 2022
CAETS 2022 Annual Meeting and Convocation
CAETS 2022 Annual meetings and Conference was hosted by the National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF) in Versailles, near Paris, France. The International Conference on “Engineering a better world: Breakthrough Technologies for Healthcare” was held on September 27-28, 2022. INAE delegation led by Prof Indranil Manna, President, INAE comprising of Prof Sushmita Mitra, FNAE; Prof GK Ananthasuresh, FNAE; Dr Sharmila Mande, FNAE and Lt Col Shobhit Rai (Retd), Deputy Executive Director, INAE, participated in the subject event. The following two speakers from INAE delivered talks: Prof Sushmita Mitra, Professor at the Machine Intelligence Unit (MIU), Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata was a Speaker during Technical Session 2 – The Foundations of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for Biology and Health on September 27, 2022 on the topic “Intelligent Analysis of Biomedical Images”. Prof GK Ananthasuresh, Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Dean of Mechanical Sciences at Indian Institute of Science Bangalore was a Speaker during Technical Session 3 – Disruptive technologies and global R&D trends on September 28, 2022 on the topic “Micromachinery for Mechano-diagnostics”.
During the event, the winners of the CAETS Communication Prizes were also announced. The nominations for the prize were sought from all member academies during April 2022. INAE had circulated an email requesting for suitable nominations to INAE Fellowship, INAE-SERB Abdul Kalam Fellows, INAE Young Innovator and Entrepreneur Awardees from previous years and INAE Student Projects Awardees from previous years in various categories for (1) Engineering Success Stories (2) High Potential Innovations. Prof Jayanta Mukhopadhyay, FNAE, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Kharagpur was conferred with the CAETS Communication prizes 2022 in the Category “High Potential Innovations” with a title of entry “iMediXcare Telemedicine System”.
Several Meetings of President INAE and INAE Delegation were held on the side lines of CAETS with the representatives of other Academies including US NAE; acatech, Germany; Engineering Academy of Japan; Royal Academy of Engineering, UK; National Academy of Technologies of France (NATF); Croatian Academy of Engineering etc to explore possibility of joint programs and their method of obtaining funds. The Academies expressed working interest to collaborate with INAE on joint technical programmes/activities in virtual/physical mode such as exchange visits, joint programmes, joint call for proposals, outreach to respective Governments for research funding, student internship and mentoring of students etc. It was ascertained from all the foreign Academies with whom meetings were held, that they receive funds for conduct of their activities either directly or indirectly from their respective Governments. The next CAETS Annual Meeting would be held in Croatia to be hosted by the Croatian Academy of Engineering in the year 2023. Prof Indranil Manna was happy to inform that Council that INAE has been requested to Chair the CAETS Engineering Education Working Group for which kind consent has been given by the Academy.
EVENTS (held between October 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022)
Engineers Conclave 2022
The Ninth Engineers Conclave-2022 (EC-2022) of the Indian National Academy of Engineering was held jointly with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on October 13-15, 2022 at Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC-ISRO), Thiruvananthapuram. The two themes for Engineers Conclave-2022 (EC-2022) were: Theme I on “Space for National Development” coordinated by ISRO, and Theme II on “Transforming India into a Global Manufacturing Hub” coordinated by INAE. The Inaugural Session was graced by Shri S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO and Chairperson EC-2022; Prof Indranil Manna, President, INAE; Dr V Narayanan, Director, LPSC and Lt Col Shobhit Rai (Retd), Deputy Executive Director, INAE. The event commenced with the Invocation. In his Welcome Address Dr V Narayanan elucidated the importance of the two themes for this year’s conclave. He opined that it was envisaged that the plenary talks, lectures and deliberations shall result in identifying national requirements and shall emanate to actionable recommendations towards implementation of the two themes.
Prof Indranil Manna, President, INAE in his presidential address emphasized that INAE is a conglomeration of eminent engineers dedicated to contributing to national development through engineering innovations and gave an overview of opportunities for Indian manufacturing sector and its role in the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Hon’ble Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Skill Development, the Chief Guest of the Function delivered the Inaugural Address in video mode. He highlighted that it is expected that there will be a paradigm shift in the next decade when India will switch roles from being a consumer of technologies, to being an architect and designer in developing devises, products, platforms and solutions. Shri S Somanath, delivered the Keynote Address on “Future Perspective of Space Ecosystem” wherein he expressed that the space enterprise must be people centric and application driven. He emphasized that ISRO is currently in its expansion phase, looking forward to innovative missions, new services and global outreach. He also touched upon the major role that INAE is playing in such useful initiatives. Lighting of the lamp was carried out by the dignitaries. The Abstract Booklet of Engineers Conclave 2022 was released during the Inaugural Session which concluded with the Vote of Thanks proposed by Lt Col Shobhit Rai (Retd).
Following the Inaugural function, an exhibition of engineering products was inaugurated by Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, VSSC/IIST and Dr Sam Dayala Dev D, Director IISU. A luncheon Meeting on “Making India Global Manufacturing Hub” was held with selected dignitaries as invitees. This was followed by two parallel sessions on Two Themes which continued on October 14, 2022 (Day 2 of the conclave). The deliberation on the two themes focused on cutting edge solutions to arrive at specific recommendations. It is envisaged that all such actionable recommendations emanating from the deliberations shall be progressed by the Academy with the concerned Government Departments/Agencies for consideration. The recording of the Inaugural Session of Engineers Conclave 2022 can be viewed by clicking on the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7wOlDJIbFc
Six enlightening Plenary Talks were delivered during the Engineers Conclave 2022, the first on “Making Manufacturing the next frontier for India’s global leadership- Auto Industry” by Mr Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors; the second on “Blue Economy Development” by Dr. Shailesh Nayak, Former Secretary, Ministry of Earth Science; the third on “Space for Earth Science” by Dr. Srinivasa Kumar, Director, INCOIS; the fourth Plenary on “Emerging Scientific Missions by Dr Anil Bharadwaj, Director, Physical Research Laboratory; the fifth on “India as an Emerging World Power-Challenges and Opportunities” by Shri G. Mohan Kumar, IAS (Retd), Former Defence Secretary, Govt of India and the sixth on Challenges in Human Space Mission by Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, VSSC .
On Day 3- October 15, 2022 two Parallel Sessions were held on the two themes viz Theme 1 on “Space for National Development” chaired by Theme 1 Coordinator- Dr Prakash Chauhan, Director, NRSC and Theme 2 on “Transforming India into a Global Manufacturing Hub” chaired by Theme 2 Coordinator- Shri. A.T. Ramchandani, FNAE, Executive Vice-President & Head-Defence IC, L&T during which the recommendations were finalized based on the panel discussion. Theme 1 focused on how India has the potential to be the space hub of the world and some of the recommendations include working on new technologies, expansion of space sector and reduction of production time. Also, opening of new private players and financial institutions in the space sector to transform knowledge and technologies into a business model. Theme 2 focused on Policy interventions for manufacturing including Simplification of processes; Production linked incentives and Enabling of Fiscal policies and MSME. Some key recommendations are advancement of education sector to cope up with the demands of the market and giving problem solving skills paramount importance in order to adhere to market demands.
The conclave concluded with the Valedictory Session in the afternoon of October 15, 2022 wherein the Introductory Remarks were delivered by Prof Indranil Manna, President, INAE followed by Summing up of Technical Sessions of two Themes by the respective Theme Coordinators. The highlights of the Session were the Address by Shri S Somanath, Chairman, EC-2022 and Valedictory Address by Dr Vijay Kumar Saraswat, FNAE, Member, NITI AAYOG & Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Dr VK Saraswat in his address brought out that the thrust of the nation was in creating an eco-system for S&T development by setting up world class institutions like CSIR Labs, DRDO, ISRO, IITs. Also, a push was given for progress of steel, energy, textiles, pharmaceuticals, defence and consumer goods industries in public and private sectors. All this has brought India into the league of developing nation with its GDP growing every year at 6-8%. He mentioned that the world is looking at us with hope to invest.
About 400 eminent experts and senior functionaries from National and State Centres/ Departments/ Units, Academia, R&D, Industry and INAE participated in the conclave and the event was an astounding success. Actionable recommendations emanating from the deliberations are being compiled which shall be forwarded to the concerned Government Departments/Agencies for consideration. The event was meaningful in achieving the laid down objectives. The Book of Abstracts released during the Engineers Conclave 2022 can be viewed by clicking here….
INAE’s Participation in India International Trade Fair 2022 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
INAE participated in the India International Trade Fair (IITF 2022) held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi during November 14-27, 2022 under the aegis of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. The Pavilion of DST at Hall 7D- Open area housed seven of its Autonomous Institutes namely Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) : Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, (AIRIES) Nainital; Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum ; Survey of India (SOI), Technology Development Board (TDB); North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) and National Innovation Foundation (NIF). The pavilion of DST had several new technologies at display and was a platform for the dissemination of information on various new initiatives. INAE representatives present during the period had an informative experience while interacting with general public explaining about the INAE its Mission, Vision, objectives and various initiatives undertaken by INAE. This participation also provided opportunity to various Autonomous Institutes under DST to know about each other’s working and mandate.
INAE Annual Convention 2022
INAE Annual Convention 2022 was held on December 14-16, 2022 at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai in physical mode. The Inaugural Session was held on December 14, 2022. The Welcome Address was delivered by Dr AK Mohanty, FNAE, Director, BARC. Prof Indranil Manna, President, INAE delivered the Presidential Address. Two Compendiums on “Women Engineers in India Vol. I” and “Landmark Achievements in Engineering and Technology in Independent India” prepared by INAE under the aegis of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations were released. INAE Study Report on “Housing in India – Challenges & Way Forward” was also released by the dignitaries on the dais during the Inaugural Session. The Session featured an enlightening Address by the Distinguished Guest – Dr. R Chidambaram, FNAE, Chairman (Honorary), School for Advanced Studies in Nuclear Science & Technology, BARC and Former PSA to Govt. of India. The Inaugural Lecture was delivered by the Chief Guest – Mr Nadir B Godrej, FNAE, Managing Director-Godrej Industries Ltd. and Chairman, Godrej Agrovet Ltd., Mumbai, who also delivered the Keynote Address. The INAE Governing Council Meeting was held in the evening of December 14, 2022.
Release of Compendium on “Landmark Achievements in Engineering and Technology in Independent India”
Highlights of the Inaugural Session on December 14, 2022
Keynote Address by Mr Nadir B Godrej, FNAE, MD-Godrej Industries Ltd. & Chairman, Godrej Agrovet Ltd., Mumbai
The recording of inaugural Session of the INAE Annual Convention 2022 can be viewed by clicking the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q2gUKFUHQM&t=7186s
A special presentation on DAE-BARC Technology for Society was organized in the morning of December 15, 2022 wherein the achievements of BARC and applications of Nuclear technology in the societal domain were showcased. Two Special Sessions on Compendiums by INAE, viz., “Women Engineers in India Vol. I” and “Landmark Achievements in Engineering and Technology in Independent India” were held on December 15, 2022, which were presided by Prof Indranil Manna, President, INAE, wherein the Committee Members participated and shared their experiences on the journey of preparing the documents.
There were four Plenary Talks during the Convention viz. on “Atmanirbharta in Defence” by Mr. JD Patil, Member of Executive committee of Management Larsen & Toubro, and Advisor Defence & Smart Technologies to CEO & MD Larsen & Toubro; on “Energy Security and Sustainability: International Cooperation to Solve a Global Problem” by Prof John L Anderson, President, US National Academy of Engineering, (Pre-recorded); on “Role of Nuclear Energy in Climate Change” by Mr BC Pathak, CMD, NPCIL and on “Building Greater Futures with Innovation and Collective Knowledge” by Mr. K Ananth Krishnan, EVP & CTO, TCS, Chennai. These talks by eminent engineering luminaries held the distinguished audience spellbound.
The Technical Presentations by newly elected Fellows and Young Associates were conducted in three Parallel Sessions on December 15, 2022 which were appreciated by the august audience. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Fellows and Induction Ceremony of newly elected Fellows & Young Associates were held on December 16, 2022. The Convention concluded with the BARC Facility Visit / Electron Beam Centre & BRIT tour on December 16, 2022. About 180 INAE Fellows and Young Associates participated in the Convention which was well appreciated by all the INAE Fellows and Delegates.
Joint Activities with SERB
I. SERB-INAE Collaborative Initiative in Engineering
INAE jointly with SERB had taken a new initiative last year to conduct various events under SERB-INAE Collaborative Initiative in Engineering. As an outcome, the following four initiatives under the umbrella of ‘Collaborative Initiative in Engineering’ were organized during this year.
a) SERB-INAE Conclaves on Atmanirbhar Technologies – Engineering Secured Future
b) SERB-INAE Woman Engineers Program
c) SERB-INAE Outreach Programs for NE, J&K and Ladakh
d) SERB-INAE Innovation Hackathon
INAE has received a tremendous response and the initiative has progressed well with the conduct the above listed events efficiently under all the four verticals. In this regard, the events/programs had been organized during the Quarter October to December 2022 under the umbrella of ‘Collaborative Initiative in Engineering” as given below:
(a) SERB-INAE Conclaves on Atmanirbhar Technologies – Engineering Secured Future
(i) SERB-INAE Conclave: The event was held during November 5-6, 2022 at IIT Kanpur under the aegis of SERB-INAE Conclaves on Atmanirbhar Technologies – Engineering Secured Future initiative. The event covered Plenary talks by eminent engineers, Panel Discussion, Student competition, etc. The conclave primarily focused on the following three themes: Clean Energy and Carbon Capture; Medical technology, implantable devices, and non-invasive imaging and Semiconductor technology and the future of electronics. Former Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST) Prof Ashutosh Sharma, while speaking to the participants as the Chief Guest, emphasised on the importance of science and engineering to address the future needs effectively, while Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur, talked about the conclave. A large number of participants from all over India, including students, faculty members, and start-ups, took part in the conclave organised at IIT Kanpur in hybrid mode.
Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur delivering Address
Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Former Secretary, DST, and Chief Guest of the event addressing the participants
Address by Prof Indranil Manna, President, INAE during Valedictory Session
b) SERB-INAE Woman Engineers Program
(i) Workshop on Writing R&D Grant Proposal for Women Engineers
Workshop on Writing R&D Grant Proposal for Women Engineers held on November 10-11, 2022 at IIT Tirupati.
Prof Sivaji Chakravorti, Vice-President, INAE delivering the Inaugural Address
The Workshop started on with welcome address by Prof KN Satyanarayana, Director, IITT. Prof Sivaji Chakravorti, Vice-President, INAE & Professor, Electrical Engineering Department, Jadavpur University, Kolkata was the Chief Guest of the event. During his inaugural address he mentioned that today teaching and research goes hand in hand and to bridge the heterogeneous gender gap, it is essential to encourage women engineers to undertake research for which seeking funding is a prime factor. A book on “Research Insights” authored by Dr Rajiv K Tayal, Formerly Scientist-G, DST, who was also the Resource person for the Workshop, was released during the Inaugural Session.
L to R: Prof Sivaji Chakrvorti, Prof KN Satyanarayana, Dr Rajiv K Tayal and Dr DR Prasada Raju during the book release on “Research Insights”
Around 35 Women faculty/researchers in Engineering disciplines from less endowed Engineering/Technological Institutions/Universities from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana participated during the event. The workshop the aspects such as Research insights, Funding of research, evaluation of research grants, Role of funding agencies, Type of research grants, Evaluation of research grants, writing research grants, contents of proposal, formulation of proposal, defend a research grant, implementation of research grants and group activities by participants. A special lecture on Project based learning and specific funding opportunities was also delivered by Prof Sivaji Chakravorti and Dr DR Prasada Raju, Former Scientist, DST. Besides, technical sessions, various group activities to inculcate confidence in women engineers on writing an effective R&D grant proposal to seek funding from the government agencies, were also conducted over the span of one and half day Workshop.
Group photograph of all the participants
A Certificate of participation to the candidates was presented by Prof G Ranga Janardhana, Vice Chancellor Jawaharlal Nehru National Technological University (JNTU), Anantpur who was the Chief Guest for Valedictory Session held on November 11, 2022.
Photographs google drive link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1REket8oaHVpzgi9iyqD45w6xG5PJ9IBv?usp=share_link
c) SERB-INAE Outreach Programs for NE, J&K and Ladakh
(i) Innovation Contest and Showcasing 2022 The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) jointly organized Innovation Contest and Showcasing 2022 in association with NIT Arunachal Pradesh from November 4-5, 2022, to benefit the participants from all the North Eastern Engineering Institutions, Universities and NITs to implement their knowledge to set up their start-up or develop a business model based on either product innovation or service innovation to make it scalable, replicable and self-reliant in NE region. The event was inaugurated by Prof P Mahanta, Director, NIT Arunachal Pradesh. The objectives of the event was (a) to create a common interface for collaboration and showcase the best innovation and Start-up activities through exhibition from all Engineering Institutes, Universities and NITs across the North-East India, (b) to create an environment conductive to the development of local indigenous technologies and innovations, creating the scope and laying the foundation for the promotion of Translational Research and entrepreneurship and (c) to help the country achieve the goals of Start-up platform for academia and to showcase their expertise, products and technology innovations on mission mode. 120 participants from all-over North-East region took part in the contest organised at NIT Arunachal Pradesh in offline mode. The host institute invited talks on Indian Innovation, start-up policy/challenges and opportunities, IPR by eminent dignitaries. In addition, Student competitions such as design thinking, poster presentations, brain storming sessions, debate sessions, essay competitions and quiz were held, and the winners were given prizes. A brief Report on the event can be viewed by clicking here …..
(ii) Workshop on Skill development for an idea to Prototype at NIT Nagaland under SERB-INAE Outreach Programs for NE, J&K and Ladakh was held on November 26-30, 2022. The event comprised of five days rigorous sessions and training by eminent experts on Skill development for an idea to Prototype. The workshop focused on the students at the level of UG, PG and PhD from all NITs in North Eastern Region of lndia, and Institutes/Colleges/Universities. The primary objective of the event was to develop various skills such as to covert idea into a prototype, for market survey, for manufacturing and for marketing. 95 participants registered for the workshop from NIT Nagaland; NIT Manipur; St. Joseph University, Nagaland; University of Nagaland and some other Universities from North East region of India.
The workshop was inaugurated by Prof. Indranil Manna, President INAE, Chief Guest; Mr. Suparno Moitra, Guest of Honour, Founder & CEO, Indian Public Policy Foundation & Immediate, Former Chairman of the Board of Governors, NIT Nagaland and Mr. Taliwati Longchar, Guest of Honour, Director MSME. Prof. Manna addressed the gathering and gave a brief on activities of Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE). He encouraged young minds for entrepreneurship and start-ups which will further lead the country into the biggest economy. The event continued for five days wherein fourteen experts from industry and academia delivered their expertise on entrepreneurship and start-ups and inspire the participants. Prof. D. Viswanathan, Former Vice Chancellor, Anna University and Prof. Sivaji Chakravorti, Vice-President, INAE were present during the valedictory ceremony as the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour respectively. Prof. Sivaji Chakravorti addressed the gathering and inspired the students to be the part of design and manufacturing, such that our country could lead in both. He inspired the participants to go for frugal innovation. Prof. D. Viswanathan addressed the gathering by providing inspiration on entrepreneurship and start-ups. He also requested INAE to sponsor such programs in other institutes to inspire young minds. A brief report on the Workshop can be viewed by clicking here ….
Group photograph of Participants with eminent speakers
II. SERB-INAE Digital Gaming Research Initiative
The SERB-INAE Online and Digital Gaming Research Initiative was launched to leverage Digital Gaming Research and Industry in India and to achieve self-reliance in advanced Augmented Reality (AR)/ Virtual Reality (VR) technologies to create indigenous gaming platforms for a number of applications ranging from education to leisure with the backdrop of Indian Ethos, for desktop and hand-held devices. A Letter of Intent was signed by INAE with SERB during March 2022.A Call for well-defined proposals on the following thematic areas concerning online and digital games were invited through INAE Website and was also published in Indian Express (pg 27on October 13, 2022) and Hindustan Times (pg 8 on October 13,2022), besides forwarding to INAE Fellows, Young Associates, Directors of IITs, NITs and CFTIs and AICTE for further distribution. The call for proposals was open from October 10, 2022 till December 15, 2022.
- Category (I): R&D in Learning, Educational, and Leisure Online Gaming Platforms
- Category (II): Immersive Game Prototypes, with a focus on Indian Culture & Values
- Category (III): Collaborative Technical Design Process: Creation of SERB Game Labs
Proposals were particularly invited from:
- Scientists in regular service from educational and research institutes / laboratories/ universities, start-ups and industries. More than one academic partner was allowed.
- Ideally from a consortium and should be an industry-academy (including start-ups) collaboration with IP creation as a priority.
- Investigators already having a SERB project.
- Multidisciplinary teams involving technologists, designers, historians and experts in other areas of humanities and social sciences were encouraged for the project.
Forty-three proposals have been received which would be selection for execution shortly based on the merit of the proposal and guidelines thereof. The number of proposals received under each category are as given below:
- Category (I): R&D in Learning, Educational, and Leisure Online Gaming Platforms –17 proposals
- Category (II): Immersive Game Prototypes, with a focus on Indian Culture & Values—15 proposals
- Category (III): Collaborative Technical Design Process: Creation of SERB Game Labs—11 proposals
The proposals shall be selected by the concerned experts from SERB and INAE shortly.
Joint INAE-SERB Scheme to Promote Translational Research in Engineering
INAE -SERB Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship
Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) and Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST) had launched the INAE-SERB, DST Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship in the year 2017 to recognize, encourage and support translational research by Individuals working in various capacities of engineering profession, in public funded institutions in the country. Ten Fellows were selected in this Financial Year. At present, 45 fellows are functional under the scheme and the work done by these fellows have reached the stage of technology transfer to start-ups and strategic areas to include several patents being filing/granted so far. As per the guidelines of the fellowship, the duration of the Fellowship will be initially for three years, extendable by up to two more years depending on the performance. The fellowship can be held for a maximum of 5 years. All fellowships are reviewed on completion of three years, and if the progress is found to be in line with the proposal, an extension of additional two years is granted to the fellow. The performance of seven fellowships completing their tenure of three years on January 31, 2023 were reviewed by the Search Cum Selection Expert Committee (SSEC) during its meeting held on December 2, 2022 in hybrid mode, 7 existing Fellows were recommended for extension of tenure of Fellowship by another two years.
Local Chapter Activities
Reports received in this period pertaining to Local Chapter Activities held earlier
- INAE Chennai Chapter Webinar featuring Lecture by Prof (Dr) Chitra Rajagopal, Director, Centre of Excellence in Process Safety and Risk Management for a Hydrogen Economy, IIT Delhi on “Process Safety and Risk Management with focus on Hydrogen Safety” was held on 16th September 2022. In this talk, Dr. Chitra Rajagopal talked about the various issues and safety hazards associated with Hydrogen storage and transport. She also outlined a complete plan for safe hydrogen economy. The talk included illustrative case studies for use of advanced tools in hydrogen safety assessment as well as training of industry and emergency response personnel. About 40 people joined the webinar on-line. Prof. S. Narayanan, President INAE Chennai Chapter introduced the speaker. The vote of thanks was proposed by Prof. Nandita DasGupta, Secretary, INAE Chennai Chapter.
Local Chapter Activities held in the Quarter October 2022 to December 2022
A number of webinars/activities/meetings/Technical Lectures were organized by INAE Local Chapters and INAE Headquarters during the quarter October 2022 to December 2022 under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Initiative as given below:
- 19th Lecture of the Distinguished Lecture Series was organised by INAE Bhubaneswar Chapter, jointly with SOA University and IMMT Bhubaneswar on 19th October 2022 on “CPS, IoT and AI” by Prof. U B Desai, Former Director IIT Hyderabad. The talk provided a high-level view of CPS (Cyber Physical Systems), IoT (Internet of Things), and AI (Artificial Intelligence). All these three areas are playing a major role in today’s technology and also near-term future technologies. All the three domains are very vibrant with AI and CPS leading the way. There is a lot of overlap among CPS, IoT and AI. The talk focused on various applications of IoT, CPS and AI. The applications will be in the broad areas of precision agriculture, autonomous navigation, vehicle detection, and Intelligent transportation. 44 people participated in the talk.
- 20th Lecture of the Distinguished Lecture Series was organised by INAE Bhubaneswar Chapter, jointly with SOA University and IMMT Bhubaneswar on 3rd November 2022 on “Konarka Temple and Its Iron Beams: An Epitome of Aesthetics & An Engineering Feat” by Prof. Omkar Nath Mohanty, Director, Technology & Academic Initiative, RSB Metaltech., RSB Group, Pune.
Key Points: Konarka, the magnificent temple with exquisite sculpture described by Tagore as a ’Poem in Stone’ for worshipping the Sun God and declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site in 1984, is situated about 32 kms. North of Puri, on the shore of the Bay of Bengal. The temple is associated with the legend of Samba, the son of Lord Krishna, getting cured of his curse of leprosy through penance before the Sun God on the banks of Chandrabhaga, the holy river that was flowing nearby (now, dried up, only subterranean). The Konarka temple is known to have been completed in the mid-13th century with the main temple rising to over 230 feet from the ground. In one of the earliest eye-witness accounts of the standing temple in its full glory, Abul Fazl, the famous historian in the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1556-1605 A.D.), pays glowing tributes to the great edifice in his Ain-i-Akbari. It was probably the tallest temple in the world then. Sadly, the main temple housing the presiding deity collapsed, presumably in the 17thcentury. Although the causes of collapse have not been unequivocally established yet, the principal reason for the ‘fall’ appears to be the structural instability due to land subsidence caused by the proximity to the sea-shore and the resultant inadequate strength of foundation. There are many popular ‘theories’ about the construction and collapse of the main temple, which are by and large apocryphal. The only portion of the temple that is still standing in its near-entirety is the Jaga Mohana, or the Audience Hall (commonly referred to as ‘Black Pagoda’ by the European navigators). This came to light in its ruinous state during the early phase of the British rule (beginning in 1803) of Odisha.
Apart from extensive excavations (over 50 years) to unearth the buried portions, some steps were considered necessary for saving this structure from possible collapse. The four entrances were permanently closed, and the interior was filled with sand vertically from the top by drilling a hole and pouring sand through a funnel in order. This exercise was started in the year 1903 and completed in 1909 under the supervision of Bishan Swarup, an engineer from Patna. Over the past 113 years the sand level is known to have descended 4 – 5 metres, after absorbing moisture, and is therefore considered to have outlived its purpose of supporting the structure from inside. The Govt. of India has therefore decided recently to extract the sand from inside, take measures to ensure its integrity and eventually make the interior accessible to visitors. 63 people participated in the talk. The video recording of the talk can be viewed at the YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/s7UyGpBZugo
- Technical Talk by INAE Delhi Chapter was organized on October 14, 2022 on “Computational Software and the Future of Intelligent Electronics System Design” by Dr Anirudh Devgan, President and CEO of Cadence Design Systems. Prior to becoming CEO in 2021, he was President of Cadence, before which he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Digital & Signoff and System Verification groups. Prior to joining Cadence in 2012, Dr Devgan was Corporate VP and member of the executive staff at Magma Design Automation, and earlier held management and technical roles at IBM. Dr Devgan is widely recognized as one of the leading authorities in electronic design automation (EDA), and successfully pioneered the application of massively parallel and distributed architectures to create several industry firsts and most impactful products in the areas of SPICE simulation, library characterization, place and route, static timing, power and electromagnetics, among several others. He also drove the first common compiler architecture for emulation and prototyping platforms. Dr Devgan is an IEEE Fellow, has written numerous research papers, and holds 27 US patents. He has won several awards, including the prestigious Phil Kaufman Award for his extensive contributions to EDA as well as the IBM Corporate Award and IEEE McCalla Award. Dr Devgan serves on the boards of the Global Semiconductor Alliance and the Electronic System Design Alliance. Dr Devgan received a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, and MS and PhD degrees in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
- 21st Lecture of the Distinguished Lecture Series was organised by INAE Bhubaneswar Chapter, jointly with SOA University and IMMT Bhubaneswar on 25th November 2022 on “Accelerator Architectures for Deep Neural Networks and Homomorphic Encryption” by Prof. Keshab K. Parhi, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Key Points: Machine learning and data analytics continue to expand the fourth industrial revolution and affect many aspects of our lives. The talk explored hardware accelerator architectures for deep neural networks (DNNs). A brief review of history of neural networks (IEEE OJCAS-2020) was presented and covered his recent work on Perm-DNN based on permuted-diagonal interconnections in deep convolutional neural networks and how structured sparsity can reduce energy consumption associated with memory access in these systems (IEEE MICRO-2018). He also talked about reducing latency and memory access in accelerator architectures for training DNNs by gradient interleaving using systolic arrays (IEEE ISCAS-2020). He presented his recent work on LayerPipe, an approach for training deep neural networks that leads to simultaneous intra-layer and inter-layer pipelining (ACM/IEEE ICCAD-2021). This approach can increase processor utilization efficiency and increase speed of training without increasing communication costs. Finally, he described ongoing work on accelerators for homomorphic encryption, computing in the encrypted domain. 71 people participated in the talk. The video recording of the talk can be viewed at the YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/QQr8SdKSmKs
- Webinar by INAE Chennai Chapter was held on 25th November 2022 on “Education and Research in Emerging and Disruptive Technologies in HEIs” by Prof Kamakoti Veezhinathan, Director, Indian Institute of Technology Madras. In this talk, Prof. Kamakoti talked about the need for accessibility to world-class education by a larger section of the society. He pointed out that various IITs are working towards different online programmes, so that students from anywhere in the country can register for these courses and upskill. He mentioned that IIT Madras has launched an online 4-year Bachelor of Science program in Data Science and Applications, which is the first of its kind in the world. Several such online courses are being planned and will be launched in near future. About 40 people joined the webinar on-line. Prof. S. Narayanan, president INAE Chennai Chapter introduced the speaker. The vote of thanks was proposed by Prof. Nandita DasGupta, Secretary, INAE Chennai Chapter.
- Technical Talk by INAE Delhi Chapter was organized on 22nd November 2022 on “Progress in Bioelectronics – from Lab-on-Chip to Lab-on-Things” by Professor Dr Sameer Sonkusale, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Tufts University in the USA with a joint appointment in the department of Biomedical Engineering and also the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Abstract: Spurred by advances in microfabrication, lab-on-chip technologies have revolutionized our study of biology and life sciences and have resulted in the development of point of care diagnostics. In this talk we will look at some of the advances in this field with a vision towards the future, all through the lens of speaker’s own work. This vision is to migrate from developing lab-on-chip technologies towards lab-on things. Examples to be discussed in this talk: (1) Flexible smart bandages for monitoring and treating chronic wounds, (2) Functionalized smart threads for tissue-embedded or on-skin diagnostics, (3) Ingestible smart pills for studying the gut microbiome, and (4) CMOS-based single cell engineering. The key theme that permeates through all the projects is the embedding intelligence and adding multi functionality into common things. This is made possible due to advances in flexible electronics for realization of truly conformal and flexible sensors and actuators and leveraging the large-scale integration of silicon CMOS-based electronics for instrumentation.
Biography of Speaker: Professor Dr Sameer Sonkusale is currently a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Tufts University in the USA with a joint appointment in the department of Biomedical Engineering and also the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. He also held a visiting appointment at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital of the Harvard Medical School for 2011-2012 and 2018-2019. For 2012-2013 Prof. Sonkusale was also the Associate Dean of Graduate Education in the School of Engineering at the Tufts University. Currently, Prof. Sonkusale directs an interdisciplinary research group “Nano Lab” with research focus on biomedical micro devices circuits and systems, flexible bioelectronics, point of care diagnostics, precision medicine and CMOS-based instrumentation. The technologies developed in his labs have been licensed to several companies and have resulted in creation of several start-ups. Several national and international media (Forbes, Economist, Wall Street Journal, STAT News, Fast Company, Telegraph UK, National Public Radio-NPR, BBC Radio, WBUR radio, ABC News-TV, IEEE Spectrum, etc.) have highlighted his work extensively. Prof. Sonkusale received his MS and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He has received several awards including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2010. He also received the Acorn Innovation Award from Massachusetts Technology Transfer Office in 2018. He is an alumnus of the National Academy of Engineering US Frontiers of Engineering meeting in 2015, and the National Academy of Sciences Arab-America Frontiers meeting in 2014 and 2016. He also recently received the Distinguished Alumnus award from his alma mater, BITS Pilani. Prof. Sonkusale is on the editorial boards of Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group), IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems, Journal of Low Power Electronics and Application, Chips, PLoS One, and Electronic Letters. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE, and a member of OSA, MRS, BMES and AAAS.
- 22nd Lecture of the Distinguished Lecture Series organised by INAE Bhubaneswar Chapter, jointly with SOA University and IMMT Bhubaneswar on 5th December 2022 on “Design of Experiments” by Professor Tapan P. Bagchi, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur; Vinod Gupta School of Management, Kharagpur; Adjunct Professor of Quantitative Methods.
- Webinar by INAE Chennai Chapter was held on 22nd December 2022 on “Rethinking the Idea of a University” by Prof. MS Ananth, Former Director, IIT Madras. This was held in hybrid mode with about 30 people joining online and another 25 in person. In this talk, Prof. Ananth talked about the challenges faced by the universities and the need for reaching out to a larger number of students. In this context, he mentioned the important role played by NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning), which has benefitted a large number of students who can freely access the lectures by experienced professors. He also talked about the importance of Industry-academia interaction and discussed how the Research Park was set up adjacent to IIT Madras to promote such interaction. The talk was followed by a lively discussion with members of the audience both on and off-line. S. Narayanan, President INAE Chennai Chapter introduced the speaker. The vote of thanks was proposed by Prof. Nandita DasGupta, Secretary, INAE Chennai Chapter.
INAE Publications
- Transactions of INAE Volume 7, Issue 4, December 2022 was published through Springer Publishers which is a full-fledged journal of Peer reviewed papers instituted by INAE.
- Compendium on “Women Engineers in India Vol. I”
The Government of India launched a 75-week celebration of India’s 75th year of Independence (Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav) in March 2021 and Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India requested all Autonomous bodies under its aegis to conduct technical programmes and activities to mark the celebrations. It was thus envisaged in June 2021 to bring out a Compendium on “Women Engineers in India- Volume I” as no such document is available anywhere. An Editorial Committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of Prof Purnendu Ghosh, Vice-President, INAE to undertake the task. Periodic meetings of the Editorial Committee were held with active and sustained contributions of all Members. A Master List of nominees based on suggested names of women engineers was prepared with inputs received from the Members of the Editorial Committee and Heads of Academic Institutions, R&D organizations and Industry in response to letters from President, INAE and the nominees for this volume were chosen by adopting laid down yardsticks and criteria. The Compendium by INAE on “Women Engineers in India Vol. I” was released during the Inaugural Session of the INAE Annual Convention 2022 held on December 14-16, 2022 at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai. Messages from Dr Jitendra Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences and Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India were featured in the Compendium on “Women Engineers in India Vol. I”
- Compendium on “Landmark Achievements in Engineering and Technology in Independent India”
The Compendium on “Landmark Achievements in Engineering and Technology in Independent India” was also compiled by the INAE as a part of the 75-week celebration of India’s 75th Year of Independence (Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav) to showcase the country’s seminal achievements in this domain. For pursuing this activity, the INAE Governing Council had constituted a Task Force Chaired by Prof Prem Krishna, former Vice-President, INAE and comprising of ten Members representing respectively the 10 Engineering Sections of INAE. Suggestions and nominations for entry into the compendium were invited from the major industries, strategic Departments, national institutions, R&D Organizations besides Fellowship of INAE, INAE Young Associates, students, professionals and top organizations. The topics were chosen based on well-defined criteria and after due deliberations by the Task Force Members. The Compendium by INAE on “Landmark Achievements in Engineering and Technology in Independent India” was released during the Inaugural Session of the INAE Annual Convention 2022 held on December 14-16, 2022 at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai. Messages from Dr Jitendra Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences and Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India were featured in the Compendium on “Landmark Achievements in Engineering and Technology in Independent India”.
- Study Report on “Housing in India – Challenges & Way Forward”
The report on Study on “Housing in India – Challenges & Way Forward” incorporating all inputs from invited experts was released during the INAE Annual Convention 2022 held on December 14-16, 2022 at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai. Civil Infrastructure touches the lives of millions, and thus the reduction or removal of its deficiencies create an enormous challenge The Academy therefore set up the forum on Civil Infrastructure in January 2018 to address the issues of Traffic & Transportation, Housing and Water in the context of National Development. The study on Housing problems in India contained in this report has been carried out by authors with considerable experience and expertise in the subject domain drawn from within the INAE Fellowship as well other eminent experts. The report contains an analysis of the challenges faced and their possible solutions and, contains a set of actionable – recommendations. Before its finalization, an extended executive summary based on the draft was shared with a select group of stakeholders in the domain, and also discussed subsequently in an online meeting, wherein besides invited experts, officials from the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India, also participated. The comments from the stakeholders, experts and officials served as valuable inputs for finalizing the report and helped in making it more meaningful and relevant. The report on Study on “Housing in India – Challenges & Way Forward” is being disseminated to the concerned stakeholders from the Government agencies, besides INAE Fellows and other experts for follow up actions on the recommendations accordingly.
Important Meetings held during October 2022, November 2022 and December 2022
List of Meetings in October 2022
Oct 6 INAE Annual Convention 2022
Oct 6 Meeting to discuss the status of Engineers Conclave 2022
Oct 7 Discussion on Report of Housing Forum
Oct 22 Meeting to discuss Modalities for the conduct of INAE Annual Convention 2022
Oct 27 Finalizing the program of Annual Convention 2022
Oct 31 Meeting with President INAE
Oct 31 Meeting with Accounts Department (BARC)
List of Meetings in November 2022
Nov 3 Meeting to discuss the requirement for IITF
Nov 7 Meetings of Selection Committee and Search-cum-Selection Committee from 5:30 PM to 6 PM on 7th November 2022
Nov 7 Meeting with President INAE
Nov 7 Apex Committee Meeting from 6 PM to 7 PM on 7th November 2022
Nov 10 Discussion on Landmark Compendium – Final Layout
Nov 15 Meeting with creative design team with INAE Core Committee for landmark compendium
Nov 21 Discussion on memento for Annual Convention 2022
Nov 21 Meeting of Design Team with INAE Core Committee to finalize the manuscript of Landmark Compendium
Nov 25 Webinar on “Education and Research in Emerging and Disruptive Technologies in HEIs”
Nov 28 Meeting of INAE Core Committee to discuss manuscript of Landmark Compendium
Nov 28 Meeting of Convention Organizing Committee of INAE Annual Convention 2022
Nov 30 Meeting of Convention Organizing Committee of INAE Annual Convention 2022
List of Meetings in December 2022
Dec 2 Review Meeting for INAE-SERB Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship
Dec 2 36th Finance Committee Meeting of INAE followed by 41st Apex Committee meeting on Dec 2nd, 2022.
Dec 6 INAE Annual Convention 2022 – Meeting with ‘Accommodation & Reception Committee’ and ‘Transport Committee’
Dec 6 INAE Annual Convention 2022 – Meeting with ‘Catering Committee’
Dec 8 Meeting for INAE Corpus Fund
Dec 9 Discussion on Progress of Annual Convention 2022
Dec 14 145th Governing Council Meeting on 14th December at 6:15 PM
Dec 16 Agenda: 34th AGM of Fellows of INAE (Part B) on 16th December at 10:00 AM
Dec 22 Webinar on “Rethinking the Idea of a University”
Dec 26 INAE Bhubaneswar Chapter Meeting at Bhubaneswar Office in SOA University.
International/National Conferences/Seminars being organized by IITs/other Institutions
To view a list of International/ National Conferences/Seminars being held in the month of January 2023/February 2023, click here….
Honours and Awards
1 | Prof Suresh Bhargava, AM; FTSE, FNAE, FAAAS, FRSC, FRACI, FNASI, FTWAS-UNESCO, KIA Laureate and QPM Chair, Dean, Research & Innovation Research partnerships (India), Director for CAMIC, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, a Foreign Fellow of INAE, received one of the Highest Civilian honours in Australia from the late Queen of England last year viz Member-order of Australia, Queens Honour,2022. |
2 | Prof Suman Chakraborty, FNAE, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur has been awarded the Infosys Prize 2022 for his contribution in the fields of Engineering and Computer Science. He was rewarded as his work helped advance healthcare in resource limited settings. |
3 | Prof K. Ramesh, FNAE, K Mahesh Chair Professor, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras, Chennai was selected to receive the “2023 M M Frocht Award” in recognition of outstanding achievements as an educator in the field of experimental mechanics by the Society of Experimental Mechanics, USA. The award ceremony will be on 7th June 2023 at their Annual conference to be held at Orlando, USA. For more details you can see the following link: https://sem.org/awardsfrocht |
News of Fellows
1 | Prof Ganapati D. Yadav, FNAE, National Science Chair of Govt. of India and Emeritus Professor of Eminence, and Former Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) Mumbai was elected as the Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors (NAI). He is the only second Indian to be so honoured. The NAI was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. |
2 | Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr Basavaraj Bommai released biography of Dr BN Suresh, Former President, INAE, Chancellor, Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST) and Honorary Distinguished Professor, ISRO Headquarters, Bangalore on October 29, 2022. The book authored by his son Mr Sunil Suresh tracks Dr. Suresh’s journey from a small village called Hoskare near the town of Koppa to overseeing the development of India’s launch vehicles. |
3 | Dr Bhujanga Rao, Vepakomma, FNAE, ISRO Chair Professor, National Institute of Advanced Technologies (NIAS), Bengaluru has been elected as Fellow of Indian National Science Academy (INSA) Effective from January 1, 2023 under a special category. |
4 | Prof SN Mukhopadhyay, FNAE, Adjunct Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, BITS, Pilani and Former Professor, DBEB, IIT Delhi; Former Professor & Head, BERC, IIT Delhi; Former Professor SOBT, GBU, Greater Noida jointly with his wife Mrs Sakuntala has published a short paragraph in Bangla Medium with a title “Maner Majhe Mandir Mahima” in the Souvenir of Durgotsab 1429/year 2022 of C.R.Park, Kali Mandir Society in December 2022. |
INAE on Facebook and Twitter
INAE has created a Facebook and Twitter Account to post the news of recent INAE activities in the Social Media. The same can be viewed at the link below.
(a) Facebook -link https://www.facebook.com/pages/Indian-National-Academy-of-Engineering/714509531987607?ref=hl
(b) Twitter handle link https://twitter.com/inaehq1
Obituaries
Dr Jamshed J Irani
(June 2, 1936- October 31, 2022)
Dr Jamshed J Irani, FNAE born on June 2, 1936 passed away on October 31, 2022.
Dr Jamshed J Irani, Formerly Managing Director, Tata Steel was also known as the steel man of India. He was associated with Tata Steel for over four decades when he decided to retire from the board committee in June 2011, leaving behind a legacy that earned him and the organisation several international and national acclaim. He attended Science College and Nagpur University to pursue BSc and MSc in Geology. Later, he shifted to the United Kingdom to attend the University of Sheffield as a JN Tata Scholar, where he completed a Master’s in Metallurgy and a PhD in Metallurgy. He started his professional career by joining Sheffield’s British Iron and Steel Research Association. While working in a British company, he always yearned to contribute to India’s development. After five years in Britain, he returned to his homeland and joined Tata Steel (then The Tata Iron and Steel Company) as an Assistant to the Director in charge of Research and Development (R&D). He became the company’s General Manager in 1979, the President of Tata Steel in 1985 and the Managing Director in 1988. He joined the company as a Non-Executive Director in 2001, which continued for a decade. Besides Tata Sons and Tata Steel, he also held positions at several Tata Group companies- Tata Teleservices and Tata Motors. As an industrialist, Dr Irani was conferred with several honours, including his appointment in the Royal Academy of Engineering as an International Fellow and an Honorary Knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to Indo-British trade and cooperation. Dr Irani also served as the national president of the Confederation of Indian Industry for 1992-93. He was conferred the INAE Life Time Contribution Award in Engineering in the year 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007 by President of India for contributing to the country as an industrialist.
May God Bless His Soul to Rest in Peace
Mr Vikram S Kirloskar
(November 19, 1958- November 29, 2022)
Mr Vikram S Kirloskar, FNAE born on November 19, 1958 passed away on November 29, 2022. He was elected to INAE Fellowship in the year 2021 and affiliated to ES -III (Mechanical Engineering).
Mr Vikram S Kirloskar, Chairman and Managing Director of Kirloskar Systems Ltd. & Vice Chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motor obtained his Bachelor’s in Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, USA in 1981. He was responsible for partnering the Toyota Group and starting a major automobile manufacturing industry in Karnataka; for which he conferred with “Suvarna Karnataka” award by Government of Karnataka. He had designed and developed many processes and machine tools in his career. Mr Kirloskar was a staunch advocate of green mobility solutions. According to him, it was crucial to align technology with the energy mix and the infrastructure available to cut emissions in a world grappling with the fallout of climate change. He was President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) during 2019-20 and was conferred with Indian Institute of Metals JRD Tata Award 2020, for his excellence in corporate leadership in Metallurgical Industries. Mr Kirloskar had made seminal contributions in promotion of the growth of the Indian industry.
May God Bless His Soul to Rest in Peace
Mr. VCV Chenulu
(December 01, 1931 – December 1, 2022)
Mr VCV Chenulu, FNAE born on December 1, 1931 passed away on December 1, 2022. He was elected to INAE Fellowship in the year 1990 and affiliated to ES – V (Electrical Engineering).
Mr VCV Chenulu, Formerly Member (Electrical), Railway Board, Indian Railways held various important appointments in Indian Railways such as Assistant Electrical Engineer, Chief Electrical Engineer; Director General (Research, Designs & Standards Organization) and as the first Member (Electrical) Railway Board. As Member (Electrical), he made significant contributions in development of proper infrastructure for discharging the responsibility of reliable and efficient operation and maintenance of Electrical assets under his charge. In the modernization plans, acquisition of three phase high horsepower electric locomotives was a major step, under his guidance. The Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and the Chittaranjan Locomotive works also successfully upgraded the designs and improved reliability, under his tenure.
May God Bless His Soul to Rest in Peace