Dear Friend,

Greetings from IIT Bombay!!!

I am very delighted to present the November issue of our newsletter. The month of October offered a welcome respite from academia after the conclusion of the mid-semester examinations and the Institute immersed into the festive ambiance of the Navratri season, witnessing a bunch of cultural and social activities. As we journey ahead into the month of November, it pleases me to share a brief account of our Institute’s events and happenings. With immense pleasure, I would like to inform that IIT Bombay has been rated rank one Institute in India and has secured the 9th spot amongst the BRICS universities by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University ranking system. Furthermore, the Institute has also observed a marked improvement amongst the Asian universities and was placed at 33rd rank. This has been a consequence of the institute’s relentless efforts and high determination for achieving global excellence and I am confident that we will keep progressing even further. On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, IIT Bombay entered its name into the Guinness World Records as more than 5000 solar lamps with LED lights made by school students were lit up simultaneously, under the Student Solar Ambassador program, under the Solar Urja through Localization for Sustainability (SoULS) initiative which was organized by Techfest in association with the ‘Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’. These endeavors of the Institute are instrumental in raising awareness at the grassroot level for using clean and renewable energy sources.

The weekend of 6th and 7th October witnessed the glory of the flagship fest of Student Alumni Relations Cell, ‘Alumination'. Being IIT-B's largest platform of bilateral exchange between students and alumni, the impact of Alumination lies across a spectrum spanning Career guidance, Life learning, Corporate exposure, and Motivational talks. Multitudes of events like Mock Interviews, Group Discussions, Life Mentoring, Workshops in non-core sectors and unconventional career paths had students and alumni thoroughly engaged for the weekend. A ‘Cyclathon’, organized by the Techfest committee, was held in the Institute premises on the 7th October morning as a health awareness campaign and witnessed a participation of over 1000 people spanning all age groups. A lecture delivered by the renowned Nobel Laureate Professor Anthony James Leggett on the topic ‘What can we do with Quantum Liquid?’ was also conducted as a pre-event fest on October 23rd, 2018. The distinguished leadership lecture series named ‘Alankar’ was conducted by SJMSOM under its business festival, ‘Avenues’, that invited highly eminent and distinguished personalities like Dr.Subramanian Swamy, Hon’ble member of Rajya Sabha, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister for finance and planning in the Government of Maharashtra and a host of management and entrepreneurial leaders to discuss a spectrum of topics ranging from ethical leadership to the Indian economy. Tinkerers' Laboratory and Institute Technical Council in collaboration with Discovery Channel and TeamIndus, organized a documentary screening and Live interactive session with members of Team Indus on Friday, 26th October 2018. Team happens to be the solo Indian team to reach the finals of the Google Lunar Xprize challenge for building the world’s first private mission to the moon. I also heartily congratulate Prof. Vikram Vishal, Assistant Professor at the Department of Earth Sciences, who was recently awarded the prestigious NASI Young Scientist Award for his exemplary research on reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere by injecting it underground (geologic sequestration). I hope he continues to show excellent promise in his research field. All of us know, blockchain has revolutionized trust management due to which a spectrum of applications ranging from payment systems (Fintech applications) to security of IoT are being experimented worldwide.

Ripple corporation has established ‘Centre of Excellence for Blockchain Research’ at IIT Bombay. Here is the link for the center https://isrdc.iitb.ac.in/blockchain/coe/ Commemorating the milestone of achieving its 60th anniversary, IIT Bombay is celebrating the diamond jubilee by hosting various events in different cities focusing on sharing the future roadmap of the Institute as well as reconnect the alumni and cherish the Institute’s evolution over the years. The events include, FAN meeting at Stanford University, DJ Alumni meeting at San Francisco, Chicago and New York which was attended by more than 1000 alumni. Continuing the celebration in India, DJ alumni meeting were held at Bangalore and Hyderabad which was attended by more than 700 alumni. Only with constant perseverance and tenacity, can we make a mark in the world as an Institute of eminence. Generous contributions received from our alumni, corporate entities, and other friends of the Institute are key to bolstering our endeavors to pursue global excellence. Contributions towards Institute Development, Infrastructure Development, Young Faculty Awards, Chair Professorships, Hostel Development, Student Development, etc. are examples of utilization of these funds for the betterment of the Institute. We invite you to contribute to the Institute’s betterment to the best of your ability.

Suhas Joshi, Dean,

Alumni and Corporate Relations

Alumni and Corporate Relations Office

First Floor, Main Building Tel: +91-22-2576-7023, E-Mail: dean.acr.office@iitb.ac.in