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IIT Roorkee (1847 – 2022): 175 years of Excellence
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee began its journey in 1847 as the First Engineering College in the British Empire and has since progressed rapidly with many firsts and pioneering initiatives in engineering education, Research and Development (R&D), societal impact, and international collaborations. The Institute started the 175th Year celebration today, on 25th November 2021, in the esteemed presence of Hon'ble Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan as the Chief Guest.
Congratulating IIT Roorkee for its glorious 175 years of excellence, Hon'ble Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said, "I congratulate IIT Roorkee for achieving this marvelous milestone. IIT Roorkee has not only been the pioneer in the field of research and innovation but also fostered the academia-industry relationship for the larger interest of society and the nation. I heartily congratulate the alumni of IIT Roorkee for making distinguished contributions with its reverberating effects nationally and globally and wish for their continued success."
Hon'ble Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
Further the Hon'ble Chief Guest added, "In the latest NIRF ranking, IIT Roorkee has improved its overall rank from the ninth position to the seventh position. In the architecture category, this year IIT Roorkee has been ranked first in the country. I congratulate the faculty, students, and staff on this wonderful achievement. On the recommended line of the National Education Policy 2020, the Institute has introduced an exit option in its existing five-year undergraduate programs. I commend the institute for taking this initiative to fulfill the vision of NEP 2021. My best wishes for the continued growth and success of this premier institution."
During the ceremony, IIT Roorkee launched its initiative of the Creation of Research capacity by engaging with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) around IIT Roorkee and inviting children from schools to visit IIT Roorkee to enhance the exchange of knowledge and add value to the society students to experience the glory and magnificence of IIT Roorkee, the unique amalgamation of cultural heritage and future possibilities, experiencing with the fascinating facts, research culture, how the future could be, and what all can they become, the endless possibilities in life to which the students to get motivated and inspired.
Prof. Ajit K. Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, called all HEIs situated in Uttarakhand state and the institutes within 200 km radius of Roorkee situated in neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh to join hands for knowledge creation and sharing for Research and Development (R&D) related activities.
These engagements will imbibe the skills of creative thinking, innovation, and a research mindset within students and faculty. It is also expected to help these HEIs in getting more funding under the NRF scheme.
(From L to R) Prof Arun Kumar, Shri Pradeep Batra, Prof. Ajit K. Chaturvedi and Prof. Manoranjan Parida, during the 175th Foundation Day Celebration at IIT Roorkee
Speaking during the event, Prof. Ajit K. Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, said, "Today is a day to renew our efforts so that we continue to grow, continue to strengthen ourselves, and most importantly, continue to improve our standing among our peers on the global stage. I am happy to share that in our 175th year, we will be inaugurating two high-impact projects. The first one is a 1.3 PetaFLOPS supercomputing facility as a part of the national supercomputing mission, and the second project is a SCADA-based Smart Energy Management System, which will establish an integrated monitoring analytics and control centre for systems ranging from energy assets to transport, water, and waste."
"I'm happy to share that today we will be laying the foundation stone for a new hostel and a building for the Chemistry department. The foundation stone for the Mehta Family School of Data Science and Artificial intelligence building will also be laid in the near future", added Prof. Chaturvedi while highlighting the recent infrastructure development at the IIT Roorkee campus,
Along with this, Prof. Chaturvedi also launched the web page for IIT Roorkee's 175-year celebration under the tagline '[email protected] Initiatives – Leading the Future'. Other activities during the event included the launch of One day Tours for Students of nearby schools to IIT Roorkee, and the launch of the Biodiversity report prepared by Wildlife Institute of India, among others.
Speaking on the 175th anniversary of IIT Roorkee, Prof. Arun Kumar, Chairperson, 175 years Celebration Committee, IIT Roorkee, said, "We have a glorious past of serving the nation for 175 years. This is the time for us to reinvent ourselves for the changes needed in higher education in the country. The Atmanirbhar Bharat mission and the National Education Policy 2020 are expecting an anchor role from the higher education institutions. I believe that we will not only be very relevant but also lead this transition in the new era of higher education and increased contributions in basic and applied research leading to development of many products, infrastructure, processes and materials for different sections of the society".
Mr. Abhishek Jha, Studnet, IIT Roorkee, receiving an award from Prof. Ajit K. Chaturvedi during the 175th Foundation Day Ceremony
Since its inception, IIT Roorkee has initiated multiple programs to encourage the spirit of research among its faculty and students. Aligning with The Prime Minister's Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC)'s objective that India must promote research and innovation (R&I) to achieve sustainable development, IIT Roorkee is inviting proposals for engagement on the academic as well as research front. Primarily this includes –
➢ B.Tech internships for a period of 3 months through the IITR spark program
➢ M. Tech internships for a period of 6 months under the joint supervision of IIT Roorkee and collaborating Institute
➢ Institutional Partnership
The Institutional partnerships will include 2 Ph.D. registrations at IIT Roorkee from partnering institutes along with faculty and student transfer programs to IIT Roorkee for mentorship and enhancement of research facilities at the partnering Institutes.
Marking its 175th Foundation Day ceremony, IIT Roorkee also witnessed the inauguration and foundation stone laying of six new infrastructure projects. The Institute has also launched an initiative focusing on knowledge transfer for building a startup ecosystem at HEIs around Roorkee by offering mentorship and guidance with the possibility of incubation support by the Technology Incubation and Entrepreneurship Development Society (TIDES) at IIT Roorkee.
Highlighting the Institute's achievements on the Entrepreneurial front, Prof. Manoranjan Parida, Deputy Director, IIT Roorkee, said, "IIT Roorkee has a strong entrepreneurial culture. The Institute has many alumni who are founders of successful technological and social ventures in India and abroad. These alumni are playing an important role in maintaining IIT Roorkee's legacy of excellence"
The initiative related to the Creation of research capacity by engaging with HEIs around Roorkee will be initially implemented for a period of three years which may be continued after review. For the same, proposals from prospective Institutes will be invited, and after shortlisting, Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) of partnership will be signed. Partnership under this initiative will also help in joint research opportunities for IIT Roorkee and the partnering Institutes along with access to IIT Roorkee's high-end facilities.
The Golden Jubilee Reunion (GJR) of the 1971 Batch (Including 1972 B.Arch.) was organized from 23-25 November 2021. Distinguished Alumni awardees which were announced earlier participated in the event virtually and shared their views and acceptance. Several alumni pledged to support multiple awards and scholarships to the Institute during the event.
IIT Roorkee, formerly known as The Roorkee College was established in 1847 AD as the First Engineering College in the British Empire. Recognizing its performance and potential in the view of independent India's needs, in November 1949 it was elevated from the erstwhile college to the First Engineering University of independent India. On the 21st of September 2001, the University was declared an institute of national importance, bypassing a bill in the parliament, changing its status from University of Roorkee to Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee.
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