The results of the UC Berkeley – IIT Kharagpur collaboration have thus far exceeded expectations in several important ways:
1) Eleven IIT Kharagpur students completed an 8-week summer research program at UC Berkeley and LBL in summer 2008. They found the research and educational experience transformative.
a) One student (Raj Shekhar Singh) from the 2008 program will be joining UC Berkeley’s graduate program and will work with Prof. Norm Miller on Bio-Energy research.
b) Prof. Norm Miller is a Co-PI for the joint-research symposium at IIT Kharagpur, planned for Jan. 2010.
c) Eighteen IIT Kharagpur students were in UC Berkeley for the 2009 summer research program, completing a successful second year of the collaboration.
2) The UC Berkeley faculty members were impressed by students’ quality, motivation and dedication. One of the faculty members mentioned that his student was “…as good as or better than the best UC Berkeley undergraduates that I have worked with…” As a result of the positive interactions, the faculty members are also interested in enhanced interactions with IIT Kharagpur faculty and students, including visiting IIT Kharagpur and submitting joint grant proposals.
3) Several visits of IIT Kharagpur faculty members to UC Berkeley have been arranged. As a result of these faculty-faculty interactions and the summer research program:
a) Several IIT Kharagpur faculty members have indicated interest in working with the students and assisting them in continuing their summer research project at IIT.
b) The Henry Wheeler Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases (CEND) faculty member led proposal, with one IIT Kharagpur faculty member as Co-PI, was awarded a training grant. This two-year funding will support two UC Berkeley students to visit IIT Kharagpur for summer program starting 2010.
c) A joint-research workshop in bio-energy and healthcare is being planned for January 2010.
4) The collaboration acted as a catalyst for IIT Kharagpur alumnus to provide seed funding to create a BioEnergy Center at IIT Kharagpur. This initiative is expected to further enhance IIT Kharagpur’s capacity, capability and unique positioning in this area. Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) is advising with the centre set-up.
FUTURE PLANS
Based on recent discussions among program organizers and faculty members who mentored the students during the summer research program, the following steps are planned:
- Continue the eight-week summer research program at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) with 12-16 B.Tech and B.Tech/M.Tech joint degree students (EBI: 5-6, CEND: 5-6, Physics: 1-2, Geophysics: 1-2).
- Facilitate faculty visits from UC Berkeley to IIT Kharagpur and vice-versa.
- Raise funds for the summer research program at UC Berkeley, faculty visits, and Ph.D. fellowships for IIT Kharagpur B.Tech students admitted to UC Berkeley or IIT Kharagpur’s Ph.D. programs in related areas.
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