Latest news with #IndianInstituteofTechnologyGandhinagar


India Today
4 days ago
- Business
- India Today
IIT Gandhinagar introduces online data science course for students and professionals
The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has introduced a new certificate course titled Foundations of Data Science for Engineers, designed to offer structured training in data science principles for students and professionals with technical backgrounds. Applications are now open on the official website and will be accepted until 15 four-month programme will be delivered through live online sessions, making it accessible to final-year undergraduates and working professionals across course is open to those who either hold or are pursuing degrees in engineering, mathematics, statistics, science, economics, computer science, or commerce. Applicants must have scored a minimum of 60% marks or a 6.0 CPI, and must have studied mathematics at the Class 12 programme offers 18 academic credits and adopts a pass/fail grading structure. It aims to combine three key areas -- foundational data science concepts, advanced tools and applications, and communication skills needed for professional DETAILS:Course duration: Four monthsMode: Online (live interactive sessions)Eligibility: Final-year undergraduates or degree holders in approved disciplinesSelection: Based on eligibility; no entrance testFEE STRUCTUREApplication fee: Rs 500Registration fee: Rs 20,000Tuition fee: Rs 1,80,000Total: Rs 2,00,000The course will include regular evaluations and hands-on exposure to real-world datasets and to the institute, the course has been designed to meet current industry expectations and encourage interdisciplinary learning.A spokesperson noted that the initiative reflects IITGN's broader effort to 'democratise access to high-quality knowledge' and build bridges across academic and professional will engage in exercises that focus on developing critical thinking and analytical abilities, aimed at preparing them for roles in data-driven move comes as demand for skilled data professionals continues to grow across flexible scheduling and no geographical restrictions, IITGN's programme is likely to attract a diverse pool of candidates from academic and corporate backgrounds.- Ends


Indian Express
5 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
IIT Gandhinagar launches Certificate Program in Foundations of Data Science
The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IIT Gandhinagar) has launched a new programme – Certificate Program in Foundations of Data Science for Engineers. The applications for the newly launched programme is open and interested candidates can register at the IIT Gandhinagar website – by August 15. The new certificate programme is aimed at equipping engineering students and professionals with a robust grounding in data science principles. The programme is open to individuals holding or pursuing a graduate degree in fields including engineering, statistics, mathematics, computer science, science, economics, or commerce, provided they have at least 60 per cent marks or a 6.0/10 CPI. Final-year undergraduate students and working professionals looking to upskill are also encouraged to apply. A mandatory requirement is prior study of mathematics at Class 12. Designed as a high-engagement, four-month-long program, it offers 18 credits and covers a strategic blend of foundational knowledge, core topics, and communication skills essential for navigating today's data-driven industries. All sessions will be conducted live online, offering flexibility to both students and working professionals. 'This initiative is part of IITGN's broader mission to democratize access to high-quality knowledge and promote interdisciplinary learning across sectors,'** a spokesperson from the institute said. – Interdisciplinary curriculum spanning foundational, core, and communication-based learning – Live interactive sessions with flexible schedules to suit diverse participants – Continuous evaluation through a pass/ fail system – Real-world exposure, fostering critical thinking and hands-on data skills Applicants will have to pay Rs 500 application fee at the time of submission. Selected candidates will then need to pay a registration fee of Rs 20,000 and a tuition fee of Rs 1,80,000, totaling Rs 2,00,000 for the full programme.


Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
At its 14th convocation ceremony, IIT Gandhinagar awards degrees to 668 students – its largest graduating cohort so far
As many as 668 students were awarded their degrees – the highest number in the history of the institution – as the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) held the convocation ceremony of its 'largest graduating class' at Mahatma Mandir on Saturday. In another record, 111 Ph D degrees were awarded to students at the institute's 14th convocation ceremony. While reflecting on his professional journey and leadership experience, chief guest Aditya Ghosh, the co-founder of Akasa Air, highlighted India's economic growth and opportunities, emphasising the importance of pursuing passion, building trust, and lifelong learning. He stressed the need for 'a growth mindset, challenging status quo, and integrating sustainability into all endeavours while underscoring the importance of humility, continuous improvement, and choosing the right role models'. He encouraged the graduates to focus on 'internal risks like complacency and arrogance, to view setbacks as learning opportunities, and to strive for impactful success, measured by the lives they influence positively'. 'Our biggest auditor is the person staring back at us from the mirror,' he noted, emphasising the importance of self-reflection and inner accountability. He gave the graduating class a powerful call to lead lives full of purpose, integrity, and continuous self-improvement, urging them to measure success not by wealth or titles, but by the positive impact they make in the lives of others. This spirit of thoughtful leadership and service was also reflected in the address of Sanjiv Puri, the Chairman of IITGN's Board of Governors. Drawing on his experience as Chairman and Managing Director of ITC Limited, and as a national business leader, he urged students to take pride in their achievements and approach the next chapter of their lives with confidence and purpose. He motivated the graduates to lead with humility and contribute to building a more equitable and sustainable world. At the event, Director's Gold Medal and the President's Gold Medal, two of the Institute's highest recognitions for academic and leadership excellence, were also awarded. Falak Vats received the Director's Gold Medal for PhD, while Hemant Poonia was awarded the Director's Gold Medal for M Tech. Aayushi Jain and Adit Atul Rambhia were recognised with the award for M Sc and MA programmes, and B Tech programme, respectively. The President's Gold Medal was presented to Vala Kiritkumar Hemrajbhai (M Tech), Mohan Murlidhar Tiratkar (M Sc and MA), and Mithil Pechimuthu (B Tech) in recognition of their exceptional academic excellence, leadership qualities, and contributions to IITGN. The institute conferred the Gold Medal for Outstanding Research to four students, 20 Institute Gold Medals to academic toppers from each graduating batch, one award for Outstanding Leadership, and 14 Commendation Awards for exceptional performance in areas such as sports, entrepreneurship, student initiatives, arts and culture, and social service, reflecting IITGN's 'commitment to holistic development and excellence beyond the classroom'. Highlighting the academic and research progress of IITGN, Prof Rajat Moona, the institute's Director, said that a new B Tech programme in Integrated Circuit Design and Technology has been launched, alongside a major curriculum reform that enables B Tech students to pursue their 7th semester off-campus, engaging in internships, research projects, entrepreneurial ventures, or academic collaborations. He spoke of IITGN-X, the Institute's education outreach unit, which has conducted two e-Master's degree programmes in Energy Policy and Regulation and Data Science for Decision Making, and is scheduled to launch a new programme, Applications of Machine Learning in Engineering, in August this year. Two new academic programmes, Master of Design and the Professional Leader's PhD, were approved, alongside ongoing dual-degree collaborations with Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Japan) and Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand). Beside 111 Ph D scholars, the graduating class of 2025 comprised 141 M Tech students, 135 M Sc students, 36 MA students, 12 PGDIIT students, seven B Tech Dual Major students, 5 B Sc Engineering students, and 221 B Tech students.


Indian Express
20-06-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
IIT Gandhinagar honours 45 students during pre-convocation awards ceremony
The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), on the eve of its 14th convocation, hosted its second annual awards ceremony at Mahatma Mandir on Friday. This year IITGN recognised over 45 medallists, including recipients of the President's and Director's Gold Medals across MTech, MSc, MA, BTech, and PhD programmes. In addition, Institute Gold Medals were awarded to students who demonstrated exceptional academic performance within their respective disciplines, including biology, chemistry, civil, computer science, electrical, mechanical engineering, cognitive science, mathematics, and physics. Special commendations celebrated student leadership, entrepreneurship, research innovation, cultural contributions, sportsmanship, and social service. The commendations honoured students who led social initiatives, spearheaded campus festivals, designed solutions to real-world problems, and pursued creative passions with relentless dedication, according to an official statement. Addressing the awardees during the ceremony, Prof Sivapriya Kirubakaran, Dean, Student Affairs, remarked that the event reinforced IITGN's core philosophy that education goes beyond intellectual accomplishment; it is also about building character, creativity, and compassion. S P Shukla, Chairman, Aero, Defence, Agri Sectors at Mahindra Group, who presided over the ceremony, reflected on the evolving profiles and aspirations of students and the IIT system over the years. He emphasised the need to balance ambition with responsibility. 'Make sure that you allocate your time, energy, and resources to carry out your responsibility towards all three — yourself and your career, your family, and society,' he said.


Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Stories in Kutch shells: Hunter-gatherers who lived in Gujarat 5,000 years before the Harappans and their cities
Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) who worked with experts from IIT Kanpur (IITK), Inter University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) Delhi, and Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) Ahmedabad, have reported the presence of humans in the Great Rann of Kutch at least 5,000 years before the Harappans. The conclusion is based on the dating and analysis of remains of shells that were first discovered in the late 19th century. The Anglo-Irish geologist Arthur Beavor Wynne wrote in the Geological Survey of India (GSI) memoirs in 1872 about 'a patch of large broken univalve shells' found 'all over the northern side of Kutch'. The IITGN study suggests links between the Kutch midden site – archaeological sites where large quantities of marine shells, along with bones, tools, and pottery are typically found – and those in Oman and Pakistan along the coast of the northern Arabian Sea where these pre-Harappan communities likely lived. Preliminary results were published in 2023 in Man and Environment, the biannual journal of the Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies ('Evidence for the presence of prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities on Khadir island, Great Rann of Kutch, Gujarat'). A new set of archaeological remains was discovered about a kilometre from the Harappan site of Dholavira near Bambhanka, the southernmost village on Khadir Beyt (island), on the route connecting the island to the Kutch mainland. Khadir was one of the six islands in this region, where sea levels were higher until about 5,000-6,000 years ago, V N Prabhakar, associate professor at the Department of Earth Sciences and Humanities and Social Sciences at IITGN, said. During a visit to the site in 2016, study co-author Shikha Rai and Vikrant Jain, professor at IITGN's Department of Earth Sciences, discovered the 'remains of house complexes' on a hillock 2.5 km to the northwest of Bambhanka. 'The surface had broken potsherds, shell remains, and flakes of carnelian and agate, while on the surface were remnants of walls built with random rubble masonry,' Dr Rai told The Indian Express. On the western edge of this hillock, a trench dug to lay a pipeline exposed a 30-40-cm-thick deposit of shell remains. 'Most of the shell remains display breakage on the central part, presumably to extract meat from them. Similar findings from the Las Bela region of Pakistan are placed between the seventh and fifth millennium BCE, which suggests the possibility of hunter-gatherer communities depending on shell remains as a food source and participating in long distance trade within inland sites,' Dr Rai said. More similar sites were subsequently discovered in and around Khadir. Clues in the mangroves The study indicates the presence of coastal hunter-gatherer communities in the Great Rann of Kutch region who adapted to the mangrove environment to which the shell species identified so far – such as Terebralia palustris, or the giant mangrove whelk – belong. 'Most sites are on river banks, some 2-2.5 km from the coast, while some are deeper inside, which suggests the inhabitants carried the sea shells inland. We could not reach the northern coast, which is a forest area, but there may be more deposits there,' Prof Prabhakar said. Currently, the only remnants of mangroves are found in the Little Rann of Kutch to the southeast of Dholavira, near Lakhpat on the coast to the west, and at an inland location known as Shravan Kavadiya to the northeast of Bhuj, which may have been the ancient shoreline. 'These humans were collecting food wherever it was available in their mangrove environment. They broke the shells and extracted the meat, which they may have even cooked – because some shells are black or grey in colour, suggesting they were heated. The shells may have been discarded at the same place for perhaps 300-400 years,' Prof Prabhakar said. These communities of humans were hunter-gatherers, not farmers, he said. 'Apart from shells, they could have consumed plants, fruits, tubers, or nuts. But there isn't enough evidence yet… Maybe if we excavate one site, we can study the soil samples and try to understand the flora of that time.' Stone tools and trade The presence of flakes at several sites like Laungwali, Kunduwari, Ganeshpar, and Janan on Khadir island suggest the use of tools by these people. 'After the discovery at Bambhanka, local people led us to the site of Lungwali, about 1 km from Dholavira, where similar remains along with stone tools were discovered. A good number of chert, jasper, and chalcedony cores were found,' Prof Prabhakar said. According to Prof Prabhakar, these hunter-gatherer communities would have used tools made of basalt, limestone, and quartzite to hunt. Some smaller stones that have been found could have served as tips of arrows. 'They may have occupied a site maybe for one season, and moved on to another location, and then to another. Had there been permanent occupation, we could have found other remains as well,' he said. Barring agate, which was available near Amarapar village in Kutch, the other stones are not available locally, which suggests the possibility of trade, according to investigators. The finding from Kutch tallies with evidence from the Karachi coast, Prof Prabhakar said. 'We think that the Oman evidence is also coinciding. There was a wider area, and people definitely could have communicated with each other. Maybe in the future, if we have more evidence we can establish this,' he said. Before the Harappan people Fifteen samples from Khadir island have been carbon dated so far. The first three samples – all from Bambhanka – were dated at PRL Ahmedabad, and the remaining 12 at IUAC Delhi. Ravi Bhushan, a former professor at PRL who is now a consultant at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, said: 'Radiocarbon dating, which is one of the most powerful tools scientists use to determine the age of ancient artifacts, fossils, and archaeological sites, was used. However, there is a time lag of 400-500 years as these shells feed on dead carbonates… this means they could be a little older.' Carbon dating pegs the antiquity of the Dholavira site at 3,300 BC to 1,400 BCE. The Harappan period is generally considered to extend from 2,600 to 1,900 BCE. 'Both before and after the Harappans, there were people living in smaller settlements in this area. But these remains are 5,500-5000 years before the time of the Harappans,' Dr Rai said. Ten more samples from four sites on Khadir, Bela, and the Kutch mainland will be dated at IUAC Delhi soon. Thereafter, more studies will be carried out with the collaboration of IIT Kanpur.