A Lesson from IIT: Computer Science remains top choice, but research-oriented fields important, writes former IIT-Guwahati director

IITs attract a fair bit of attention when JEE Advanced results are declared. Most IIT aspirants are good students who work hard and clear an intense and competitive exam.

However, many of them lack deep knowledge or understanding about the various disciplines the IITs have to offer. This can be attributed to the overarching influence of parents who try to push them towards a specific course that they think will ensure job security.

No surprises here: Computer Science and Engineering is the top preference. Mathematics and Computing come next in line. The course names are different in different institutes, but the link to “computing” essentially guides the choice.

The branches that appear next on the list are are usually Electrical/ Electronics (in some IITs, Electrical and Electronics are two different disciplines), followed by Mechanical Engineering. Other branches such as Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering (earlier name was Metallurgy and Materials), Biological Science and Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Energy Engineering, Ocean Engineering/ Naval Architecture, Architecture, Design, Earth Sciences, Textile Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, are chosen based on the perceived reputation of these branches in a specific Institute.

Sometimes, students who end up in these branches feel like these are secondary fields, which have been allotted to them because they could not get Computer Science. But one thing is clear: There is a huge imbalance in terms of preferences. In the entire country, about 2000 post-secondary students get admitted in the Bachelor’s programme (BTech) in Computer science and engineering programs at IITs in contrast to an MSc in Earth Sciences, where the total number of students is around 150.

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For the BTech programme in Mining engineering, the total number of students is less than 100. This raises some questions: How can we cope with the country’s need for exploration of minerals and noble metals?

Innovations improve several aspects of human life. A timely innovation can benefit the society in terms of material comforts, monetary affluence, better health care, safety, and security. Innovation requires out-of-the-box thinking, a favourable ecosystem, and a grip over relevant domain knowledge. We have to be innovative in order to meet the aspirations of the country.

The Government of India has introduced a host of new programmes, including Digital India, Smart Cities, Unnat Bharat, Swachh Bharat, Make in India, Energy Security, Food Security, Skill Development, and E-mobility, among others. Through these, India is likely to see a profusion of emerging technologies. For the success of these programmes, we need trained and dedicated human resources in all branches of engineering and science.Take Biosciences and Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Sciences, for example.

Recently, nanotechnology is reported to have been deployed to deliver anti-cancer drugs impeccably to the primary tumour site. Taiwan has effectively driven the efforts this area – Taipei Medical University (TMU) and National Taiwan University (NTU) have developed an anti-cancer therapy drug that has been approved for trials by the USFDA (US Food and Drug Administration). The drug is set to inhibit histone deacetylase activity, effectively killing cancer cells, and causing fewer side effects.

Solar thermal devices and solar photovoltaic devices are ubiquitous solutions in the face of energy crises. A solar thermal device converts solar radiation into thermal energy that finds a myriad of applications. Solar drying systems can be put to effective use in industry and agriculture.

Nanoelectronics and its ubiquitous chip technology have already transformed many industries. We still categorise these devices as microelectronics, though the technology has gone beyond conventional microelectronics. The impact of electronic nanotechnology has been the key to microelectromechanical systems. Nanomechanical production technology is likewise based on arrays of nanoscale components that work together at high frequencies and handle small, discrete functions. The only difference is this: In nanomachines, things are not bits packaged in bytes, they are atoms packaged in molecules.

Advances in Organic Electronics or Flexible Electronics are definite game-changers. Flexible organic optoelectronic devices have promising implications for next-generation portable electronics. Microfluidics is another emerging area that deals with the control and manipulation of fluids, typically in the range of sub-millimetres. It is a multidisciplinary field at the intersection of mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, and biotechnology, with practical implications for the design of advanced systems.

These are some of the many possibilities of engineering research.

However, there is a problem: a lack of student engagement guided by perceptions that Computer Science is the prime field to take. Increasing student engagement is no mean task. It takes passion, commitment, and compassion to tap into the talents of each unique student.

There are ways to initiate and immerse students more actively into the teaching-learning experience. By becoming active learners, one can hope that students will demonstrate a level of engagement not observed before.

We have to come up with ideas that keep students motivated and engaged. Eventually, we will progress towards a dynamic academia.

(The writer is the J C Bose National Fellow and Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kanpur and former IIT Guwahati Director)