Latest news with #IndianInstituteofTechnology-Madras
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Science
- The Hindu
AI: Where demand for courses is high, but supply of teachers, poor
In the past three years, the intake in Artificial Intelligence (AI) courses has almost doubled in Tamil Nadu. It is expected to be at its highest this year. Looking at only the AI and Data Science course at the undergraduate level, the intake has gone up from 7,049 in 2022-23 to 15,702 in 2024-25. The number of courses on AI has grown proportionately. According to estimates, there are 800 courses on AI offered by institutions across India, said Balaraman Ravindran, head, Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras. However, there aren't enough faculty members with a qualified AI background to teach these courses. Besides, Computer Science, which provides the foundational tools for AI, does not form the core component of the emerging field since AI requires heavy reliance on mathematical concepts and principles to develop algorithms, he said. It is, therefore, pertinent that faculty members teaching AI have to be from an AI background or should equip themselves through Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs). Subalalitha C.N., professor, Department of Computing Technologies, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), concurred with this view. SRMIST offers 10 different AI courses, and finding faculty members has been a challenge. 'Certifications and FDPs are the ways through which the faculty members are equipping themselves, especially since more students are opting for AI courses,' she said. There is also a move towards integrating AI with other core engineering subjects. Such multidisciplinary approach, she said, has also attracted funding from institutions. 'AI is full of maths. All algorithms have core mathematics in their background. Hence, the integration is easy,' she said. Also, the requirements of different professionals working on AI — researchers, faculty members, or developers — are different. Those developing applications may not require heavy reliance on mathematics, but those developing language models would require it. 'They would align according to their priority or preference,' she added. The dearth of AI teachers is a matter of concern. Experts say collaboration with industry could bridge the gap to some extent, but there should be a road map for faculty development. Besides the training programmes for the faculty members, efforts are needed to attract talented youngsters proficient in AI to academics.
The Hindu
20-06-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Encourage students to choose core engineering courses: IIT-M Director
Students who wish to join engineering must be encouraged to choose core engineering programmes, said V. Kamakoti, Director of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras. At an event organised by the Pan IIT Alumni Leadership Series here on Friday, Mr. Kamakoti said 99.9% of toppers in JEE (Advanced) had chosen computer science and engineering. 'We must see a significant number of students go into core engineering. If a topper chooses civil or mechanical engineering it should be because they like it. We must reach out to students in the core engineering departments and try to educate them on professions,' he said. Since autonomous colleges had the freedom to design their curriculum they could fine tune their syllabus to align their curriculum and research with the 17 sustainable development goals. Institutions must also consider introducing interdisciplinary programmes, he said. Students can go for dual degrees, take the GATE. Humanities could tweak their syllabi to encourage students to take up civil services as the country needed to have administrators who are tech-savvy policy makers for future India, he said. IIT-Tirupati director Kalidindi N. Satyanarayana recalled his early efforts of reaching out to engineering colleges to explain the importance of the discipline. The country had completed only half its requirement of infrastructure, he said, emphasising the need for more students to take up core engineering programmes. Directors from IITs in Dharwad, Hyderabad, and Bhubhaneshwar also shared their insights on engineering education at the PALS (Pan IIT Alumni Leadership Series) event. Vijayalakshmi Sankar, co-chair of PALS who presented the annual report said it had delivered 29 programmes reaching out to 23,600 students. It worked with around 50 engineering institutions in six States and Nepal. PALS is an initiative of the IIT alumni that conducts outreach programmes for engineering colleges, including management, faculty and students.
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
IIT-Madras is now among top 200 varsities in QS global rankings, Anna University slips
The Indian Institute of Technology - Madras (IIT-Madras) has made it to the top 200 varsities in the QS World University Rankings 2026 by climbing up 47 spots from its previous year's ranking of 227. While IIT Madras is ranked 180th, Anna University that is ranked 10th among Indian universities, slipped from 383rd to 465th position in global ranking. According to the latest ranking list released by London-based global higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds, the institutions were evaluated based on multiple parameters like academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, international student diversity, graduate employability and IIT-Madras showed marked improvement in many parameters including International Research Network. Speaking to The Hindu soon after the list was released, V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT-Madras, said that added focus on the institute's international collaborations had paid dividends. The School of Interdisciplinary Studies, which began in 2018 with a seed fund of ₹1,000 crore and an additional ₹333 crore raised by the institute, resulted in a gradual improvement in its international research network. 'IRN is all about how much you start publishing with other people, how much you start collaborating on joint publications,' Prof. Kamakoti remarked. In a few parameters such as sustainability, the institute's ranking took a hit. Prof. Kamakoti said that while IIT-Madras did show a marginal improvement in the parameter from 44.6 points to 73 points, the corresponding improvement by other institutions was higher. This, he said, was because of the lower publication count of IIT-Madras in Humanities, Environment and Earth Sciences compared to other institutions. 'The others have improved by leaps and bounds,' he added. Sharing his plans for the coming year, he said that the short period goal would be to focus on international research network while a collaboration between Humanities and Management would provide more value for the institution. The Zanzibar campus of IIT-Madras had helped in internationalisation of the institute while MoUs with 16 Kenyan Universities and a Tanzanian University will help increase its footprint in the African countries, Prof. Kamakoti noted. Two parameters that carry around 45% of the ranking weightage — employer reputation and academic reputation — have dragged down the rankings of most Indian institutions, he observed. 'It is just a survey and it all depends on how many people mark you in the survey. To whom this survey is going and how it is going is something that we have to work on,' he maintained.
Hans India
13-06-2025
- Science
- Hans India
IIT-Madras issues a certificate of appreciation to CSE faculty
Visakhapatnam: Indian Institute of Technology-Madras issued a certificate of appreciation to SITAM CSE faculty Mogali Madhu Babu for being recognised as NPTEL star believer 'January-April 2025' Madhu Babu is working as Associate Professor in Department of CSE-AI and DS in SITAM. He received the certification following an online examination conducted by the IIT-Madras. Madhu Babu has successfully completed four courses of IoT, Advance Computer Networks, Computer Networks and Internet Protocol and RM with an impressive consolidated scores that earned him a silver badge in IoT course, The Associate Professor's remarkable performance demonstrates his academic excellence, commitment to continuous learning. Director of the institution Dr Majji Sashibhusan Rao, Principal DV Ramamurthy, among others congratulated Madhu Babu for his achievement in Vizianagaram.
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Vidyadhan Scholarship open for T.N., Puducherry students
: The Mathematics Department of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) has been recognised for its work by the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS). It received the silver-level recognition under the CAS University Recognition Programme. The department offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral programmes in mathematics, statistics, and financial modelling, and prepares students for careers in property and casualty insurance risk management. Neelesh S. Upadhye, professor in the department, said the recognition celebrated the department's robust stochastic processes, regression, financial mathematics and data analytics, which were at the heart of modern actuarial science. Mr. Upadhye said, 'We look forward to deepening our collaboration through faculty development workshops, student summer programme placements and joint research initiatives.' The award will offer benefits such as priority placement for students in CAS summer programmes; access to the society's teaching materials and case study libraries; invitation to annual general insurance teachers' conference; sponsored on-campus events and virtual presentations with the society's professionals. The recognition is valid through the 2023-2026 cycle. CAS has over 10,000 members working in more than 40 countries, and is the global leader in credentialing and education of general insurance actuaries.
