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The ECE department at IISc has recently received generous funding from alumni towards two new initiatives: the advancement of photonics technology, and support for students’ professional development. Prof. KVS Hari, Chairperson, ECE, shared some insights on how alumni support has benefited much-needed initiatives at the department. When the 1965 B.E. ET, ECE batch were planning their golden jubilee reunion last year, they came up with the idea of raising funds to contribute to students’ needs. Discussions with the ECE and EE department chairmen led them to realize that travel to international conferences was one of the biggest challenges that research students currently face.

ISSUE 1 JUNE 2016

ALUMNI GIVE BACK TO ECE

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“Students get Rs. 1 lakh for the entire duration of their research for travel. This is nothing; not even enough for one international conference,” says Prof. KVS Hari, ECE Chairperson. The alumni then raised Rs. 3.2 lakhs to help kick-start the ECE Alumni Research Fund for Students, to support students towards travel and research contingencies. In order to make the fund sustainable, Hari plans to encourage department alumni to contribute to the fund at golden and silver jubilee reunions every year. “If the fund grows, we will be to support more students and even think of expanding the support amount,” he says. (Contd. on page 2)

“If we are an international institution, there should be free exchange of scholars across. Students should travel [to conferences], because they can initiate networks that will be helpful for the rest of their lives. That connection with your peer group at a young age is very important because whatever network you form during your PhD is very critical for the rest of your academic and R&D career.”

Odaa NEWSLETTER

Indian Institute of Science (IISC)

Updates on Alumni and Institute

News

From the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs @

IISc

The Office of Development and Alumni Affairs (ODAA) was established in 2015, announced by the Director Prof. Anurag Kumar in his address to alumni at the Global Alumni Conference in June. The mandate of the ODAA is to develop a vibrant Industry-Alumni-Institute ecosystem at IISc.

Prof. G. Rangarajan, Chairman, Division of Interdisciplinary Research, is currently in-charge of the ODAA. Get in touch: alumniaffairs@odaa.iisc.ernet.in www.odaa.iisc.ernet.in +91-80-2293 3590/3591

Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore – 560012, India

ODAA NEWSLETTER issue 1

A conclave on Women in Science and Engineering Research (WiSER) was recently organized at the Institute by the IISc Family and Friends forum and IISc Alumni Association. Keynote speaker Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson and Managing Director, Biocon, highlighted the challenges she encountered as a woman entrepreneur.

Several eminent faculty members, industry leaders, students and alumni also shared their insights and offered recommendations for addressing issues faced by women students and scientists.

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(Contd. From page 1) Another major contribution to the department came from IISc alumnus and former ECE faculty member Prof. Ananth Selvarajan and his wife, Mrs. Indira Devi, to support the advancement of photonics technology at IISc. Research in photonics and optical communication is critical for the growth of wireless communication, says Hari. IISc had earlier funded a 5-year photonics initiative that ended last year. Motivated by his passion for the field, Prof. Selvarajan came forward with the funding to encourage the Institute to sustain these efforts. The fund will be used for purchasing accessory lab equipment and building multimedia teaching material, and will also help students acquire consumables and research material. It also served as

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a catalyst for the department to hire a new faculty member who will work on related research, says Hari. Apart from financial contributions, alumni can also act as mentors for career development and entrepreneurship, or help students get internships at their organizations, he suggests. Placement is another challenge particularly for Master’s students, one that affects student intake, he points out. “If there is a buzz created about jobs for Master’s students, we will get better students. Alumni can help in that.” Alumni, especially those in industry, can also consider visiting IISc and giving lectures on their industry experience and recruiter insights for students, he says. “The department would be happy to host them.”

Prof. KVS Hari receiving the cheque for the ECE Alumni Research Fund for

Students

Prof. A. Selvarajan & Mrs. Indira Devi felicitated at the ECE

department for their contribution towards the advancement of photonics technology @ IISc

For more information on these and other projects, visit http://www.alumni.iisc.ernet.in/fundraising

ODAA NEWSLETTER issue 1

A panel discussion on “Entrepreneurship or Employment - What governs the choice?” was recently organized by the IISc Alumni Association in collaboration with the Students Council & EntIISc.

Panelists included eminent entrepreneurs with diverse backgrounds. The discussion was moderated by Mr. C.S. Murali, Chairman, Entrepreneurship Cell, IISc.

The 2-hour session left the audience with useful insights on pursuing either of the two choices: Entrepreneurship or Employment. Questions posed to the panelists included:

• The right time to become an entrepreneur

• Right idea to start a business

• Funding ideas

• Inventors as innovators, and vice versa

• Deciding when to quit Many more sessions of this kind need to be organized to dig deeper into various topics that capture the experiences of entrepreneurs, noted Mr. Murali.

– Input from IIScAA

IISc tops in research output in the country

With 22,056 publications between 2002 and 2014, IISc was ahead of 29 top academic institutions – government and private – based on the volume of publications, according to a study commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology. This is the most number of publications from a single academic institute in India.

Prof. Sriram Ramaswamy elected as FRS

Prof. Sriram Ramaswamy from the Department of Physics at IISc, on lien to the TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, London. He is widely regarded for his contributions to the rapidly growing field of Active Matter.

Quantum dots for cheaper solar lasers, power generation

IISc researchers have developed nano-sized semiconductor particles that can strongly absorb light. These “quantum dots” can convert very low intensities of light, such as sunlight, into laser beams, opening up the possibility of cheaper solar lasers, and making their use in power generation viable.

Sign up for free to access IISc’s exclusive alumni portal: www.alumni.iisc.ernet.in/login

Questions? Write to alumniaffairs@odaa.iisc.ernet.in Photos: IISc photography club, Archives & Publications Cell, IIScAA, Prof. KVS Hari

Natural compounds to reduce tumour size

Use of two natural extracts — Quercetin, and the plant Vernonia condensata — has significantly reduced tumour sizes and increased longevity, two separate IISc studies have found. Quercetin was found to prompt cell “suicide” by cancer cells and the plant extract caused an imbalance in mitochondrial membrane potential, leading to their destruction.

For more news, visit: http://alumni.iisc.ernet.in/news