"Sometimes it feels like living in a National Geographic documentary."| Prof Preeti Aghalayam, IITMZ
Episode Summary
How does building an IIT campus in an entirely different country feel? We have been talking to founders and professors about building their startups and building up their ideas from IIT Madras. In this episode, Amrut sits down for a conversation with Professor Preeti Aghalayam, the first woman director of any IIT campus. Watch for fascinating insights about building a campus in less than a year, from signing the agreement to offering first admissions. And join us in some major FOMO as she describes the campus at IIT Madras Zanzibar, the courses offered and how IIT Madras is the best place to build academic institutions in a completely different country.
Amrut’s Comment
Key Highlights
[00:01:38] What does it take to start a new IIT: Breaking down the steps
[00:05:32] Rapid Progress in less than a Year: Agreement to Day 1 of classes
[00:07:03] IITM Zanzibar: Course offerings
[00:08:57] International Campus: What does that really mean?
[00:12:36] Community at IITM Zanzibar: What is campus life and vibe like?
[00:20:17] The Power of Data: First student showcase event at IITM Zanzibar
[00:25:20] Outreach Events at the Zanzibar campus
[00:32:57] Zanzibar: The challenges and opportunities
[00:35:50] IITM Zanzibar: Admissions process and placement opportunities
[00:42:58] Addressing Self-Doubt: empowering students for the testing process
[00:44:21] Governance: How is IITM Zanzibar governed?
[00:49:06] Next Ten Years: What does it look like for IITM Zanzibar?
[00:55:57] Chemical Engineering: Is it different from Chemistry, and safe for girls?
[01:01:50] Professor Preeti and Chemical Engineering: Her areas of research and the courses she teaches
[01:09:41] Academia: What is the Gender Ratio like?
[01:18:12] Reflections: Prof Preeti’s academic experiences
[01:22:55] Running: A passion or meditation?
[01:26:19] Story Time: The stickers on Prof Preeti’s laptop
Institutions mentioned
[00:01:19] Prof. Preeti was a professor at IIT Madras and at IIT Bombay before that.
[00:06:01] Agreement for IITM Zanzibar was signed between the Govt of India, Govt of Zanzibar and IIT Madras.
[00:07:03] IITM Zanzibar is a subsidiary of IIT Madras and follows the curriculum and structure established in IIT Madras
[00:45:01] IIT Delhi also has a Tripartite MoU for their campus in Abu Dhabi
[00:55:43] Prof. Preeti completed her Masters in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester.
[01:06:31] Professor Preeti is teaching a course which is a joint venture with Kathmandu University
[01:18:33] Prof Preeti talks about her time at MIT and the hall at MIT filled with pictures of Nobel Laureates who were MIT alumni.
People mentioned
[00:06:05] The President of Zanzibar, Hussein Mwinyi was present at the signing of the MoU agreement for the formation of IITM Zanzibar
[00:06:08] The External Affairs ministers of both India and Zanzibar were present at the signing of the Agreement.
[00:14:44] Professor Ligy Philip is the professor in charge of Infrastructure at the Zanzibar Campus and was the Dean of Planning at IIT Madras.
[00:15:20] Professor Raghunathan Rengaswamy is also available for interaction with the students when he visits the campus at IITM Zanzibar
[00:30:24] Prof. Preeti talks about how Professor Ravindra Gettu and Professor Ashwin Mahalingam make time for sightseeing and bring back amazing pictures
[00:31:38] Professor Ramkrishna Pasumarthy is the faculty from Electrical Engineering
[00:31:19] Prof K. Suresh Akkihebbal who used to be Deputy Director IIT Bombay is the Vice President of IITM Zanzibar
[00:47:17] Professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi is on the IITM Zanzibar Governing Council along with Professor Ligy Philip and Professor Raghunathan Rengaswamy are on the IITM Zanzibar Governing Council
[00:47:21] Professor Devang Khakhar, who was earlier the director at IIT Bombay is also on the IITM Zanzibar Governing Council
[01:03:21] Professor Kartic Vaidyanathan is Prof Preeti’s colleague who teaches the Play to Learn course with her
Books & Other Media
[00:29:51] Dr. Preeti shares that living in Zanzibar feels like living in a National Geographic documentary.
Concepts & Models
[00:02:19] The Office of Global Engagement at IIT Madras was involved with creating the IITM Zanzibar campus.
[00:23:08] Swahili and Arabic are among the 10 languages spoken on the Zanzibar campus
[00:31:53] Prof. Preeti shares a video of her student Abdalla who can solve any Rubiks cube within minutes
[00:42:10] The IITM Zanzibar Screening test is a 3 hour test covering maths, physics, chemistry, mental ability and english comprehension questions
[00:44:28] The Institutes of Technology Act created in 1961 is a key piece of Indian legislation that granted legal status and degree-granting powers to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
[01:14:18] Prof Preeti coordinated the GATI Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions program by the Government of India.
Prof. Preeti Aghalayam is the Founding Director of the IIT Madras Zanzibar campus and the Dean of the School of Engineering and Science. She is the first Woman director of any IIT campus. Professor Preeti did her Masters in Chemical Engineering at the University of Rochester and her post-doctoral research at MIT before teaching at IIT Bombay. She has been Professor of Chemical Engineering at IIT Madras since 2014. She is now the director and faculty at the IIT Madras Zanzibar campus.
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