How will you deal with the problem of getting extra international college students and school, which has impacted IIT Madras’ international rankings?

IIT Tanzania is the answer. The recruitment of international college and scholar enrollment on the Tanzania campus shall be counted as a part of our general college and scholar physique. Additionally, establishing this campus will enhance our worldwide repute… IIT Tanzania shall be a department of IIT Madras.

Where will the Tanzania campus be situated and which programmes are you planning to begin there?

IIT Madras plans to determine its campus in Zanzibar, an island close to Tanzania. The campus will (initially) supply Bachelor of Science (BSc) levels in Data Science and AI (Artificial Intelligence), together with M.Tech in Energy Systems and Cyber-Physical Systems.

Do you count on the entry of international universities in India to make it tougher so that you can recruit international college?

If a good establishment establishes a campus right here, it can profit our nation. We see this as a possibility. Annually, we now have 15 lakh college students taking the JEE Main examination, with 20,000 securing a spot within the IITs and 5,000 becoming a member of IIT Madras. What in regards to the remaining 14,95,000 college students? There is a excessive demand for high quality instructional establishments in our nation.

In a latest interview, you referred to as an OTT collection on Kota an “eyeopener”. How has engineering training advanced since your individual scholar days?

I don’t consider this degree of parental stress was there earlier. My father needed me to review effectively, however he allowed me to pursue what I needed. However, these days, not stepping into an IIT is seen as the top of the street. Many of my pals made it to IIT, however I didn’t as a result of I didn’t put together for the JEE. But I had different choices. However, now there may be immense stress; college students begin making ready for JEE Advanced as early as Class 5. When they arrive right here, they’re like robots. Once they enter an IIT, they encounter much more rigour and exhausting work.

Over the previous six months, IIT Madras has seen a collection of suicides. Has the institute been in a position to establish the underlying causes?

We performed a psychological wellness workshop and recognized 4 causes: private, well being, monetary, and educational stress. We have established an impartial community of counsellors who go to hostels day by day and spend one hour at a predetermined time. We facilitate conferences between college and college students, and performed a psychological wellness survey with the National Health Authority. The pandemic has additionally performed a job. During the pandemic, college students had been unable to be on campus for 2 years, resulting in an absence of socialisation. When they returned, they found that a few of their friends had taken further courses or acquired further expertise at residence. This realisation created a way of being left behind.

Have you observed any modifications in studying patterns as a result of extended interval of distant studying throughout the pandemic?

Yes, college students’ consideration span has decreased to fifteen minutes. So after I’m instructing a category, I reset each quarter-hour. By that, I imply switching subjects each quarter-hour to recapture their consideration, discussing topics like films or IPL. Maintaining their focus for your complete 50-minute class is difficult.

Did discrimination come up as a trigger in your wellness survey and workshops?

Discrimination is available in numerous kinds: area/language, mental functionality, monetary circumstances, and caste. We have created a variety of consciousness about rank-based discrimination. Teachers by no means ask college students about their ranks. However, college students could enquire about ranks. We are sensitising college students in opposition to these points. Addressing household/wealth-related discrimination is difficult. Concerning caste discrimination, we take it very critically. High-powered committees deal with SC/ST and OBC complaints, with the choice to escalate to the director, if wanted. There have been no caste discrimination complaints prior to now one-and-a-half years.

On AI, what potential threats and alternatives do you consider we’re encountering?

AI with robotics holds nice potential. I don’t consider AI will solely exchange jobs. Its success lies in low-stakes eventualities. In conditions with excessive stakes, similar to these involving human lives, AI will function a decision-making assist quite than a sole determinant.

So you see no threats?

I see solely alternatives. While there could also be threats, I stay assured that AI gained’t exchange jobs. Take the instance of automated manufacturing utilizing robots. Even in such eventualities, there’ll nonetheless be a requirement for expert people to keep up these robots. Let’s contemplate the position of financial institution cashiers. In the previous, their efficiency was evaluated based mostly on their pace in counting notes. Nowadays, we now have counting machines, however somebody nonetheless must function these machines.

Does the excessive prevalence of non-engineering profession decisions amongst IIT college students concern you?

With India’s growing variety of infrastructure and aviation initiatives, I fear in regards to the availability of civil and aerospace engineers. Recently, I met alumni from IIT Madras who pursued careers in large 4 corporations, similar to advertising and marketing or high-frequency buying and selling. When requested about their (engineering) background, it turns into obvious that their profession decisions are utterly unrelated to what they’ve studied. It’s a waste of sources.