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‘Research Day’ observed at SRM IST

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09 March 2023, Kattankulathur: The 12th annual ‘Research Day’ was observed at SRM Institute of Science of Technology (SRM IST) at Kattankulathur last week.

‘Research Day’ is held annually as part of SRM IST’s efforts to promote interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning among research scholars and encourage students to work towards preparing and presenting high-quality papers.

Prof. Umesh V.Waghmare, President of the Indian Academy of Sciences, was the Chief Guest, and Dr. P.Sathyanarayanan, Pro-Chancellor (Academics), SRM IST, delivered the Special Address in the presence of Prof. C.Muthamizhchelvan, Vice Chancellor, Dr. S.Ponnusamy, Registrar, Lt. Col (Retd.) Dr. A.Ravikumar, Pro Vice Chancellor, (Medical).

In his address, Dr. P. Sathyanarayanan said if youth wanted to be leaders, they should be the “change agents.” “We should lead change through innovation or follow leaders creating it,” he remarked. Stating that Research Day has been held annually for the last 12 years, Dr. Sathyanaranan said that it was organized on National Science Day, a tribute to Nobel Laureate Sir C.V. Raman on the day he discovered the “Raman Effect.”

Speaking about the importance of research and innovation, he said they strongly impacted the nation’s economy. It was not just about publishing papers; it should bring about a positive change among the people. He recalled that the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe were at the forefront of the industrial revolution only because of the quality of educational institutions. People had to pursue research and innovation passionately and honestly to usher in revolutionary changes.

Dr. Sathyanaranan said that research should be inculcated right from the beginning of education, however, the curiosity among children in school was killed when they pursued higher education. He said that at SRM IST, they believed that research should not be restricted only to those pursuing Ph.D., but that it should be all-pervasive – not just across disciplines, but across all levels – starting from under graduation till Ph.D.

In his address, Prof. Waghmare said he was glad to note that SRM IST was giving a lot of importance and priority to research in science and that they had a good team of vibrant researchers. He said youth should consider science as appealing as it was a shared knowledge based on a common understanding of certain aspects of the physical and social world.

He said that, for instance, energy storage was a burning problem and that science would not solve the problem. Considering the total availability of nickel, cobalt, and manganese for energy storage, targets for energy storage as envisaged for 2030 could not be met. The solution could be found only through global cooperation, and sharing knowledge through publishing research papers played a vital role.

Welcoming the gathering, Prof. Muthamizhchelvan said SRM IST’s importance to research was reflected in its presence in all the leading ranking lists – NIRF, QS, and Shanghai. This was possible as they had recruited 200 research-intensive faculty in the last 10 years. He pointed out that 7 % of their annual budget was devoted to research. In the last 4 years, 4,500 papers were published in various journals, and 350 research papers in collaboration with industrial partners were also published. He said that in the current financial year, they had received sanctions for 52 funded projects, including from the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, and Indian Council for Medical Research. They encouraged research in every field broadly categorized under energy, environment, water, health care, and disruptive technologies.

Prof. Waghmare and Dr. Sathyanarayanan felicitated 16 SRM IST faculty members mentioned in the Global List of “Stanford University’s Top 2 % of Scientists.” They also honored faculty whose publications were published in Nature Indexed Journals.

Earlier today, Prof. Waghmere inaugurated the Simultaneous Thermopower and Laser Flash Thermal Conductivity Measurement System (LZT Meter) and Scanning Probe Microscope – a new state-of-the-art facility at Nanotechnology Research Centre (NRC), College of Engineering and Technology, set up at a cost of about Rs.2.2crore.

Also Read: Indian government to launch Seed Traceability System for good quality seeds

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