Indian Institute of Technology Jammu Foundation Program 2018
Introduction The Foundation Program at IIT Jammu was a 9 days long mixed-bag event, based on the concept of Creativity, Culture and Communication, or the 3 C’s. This model was helpful in reconnecting the new entrants with their creative and expressive tendencies, which may have receded into the background during their rigorous preparations for the JEE. The Program proved to be a successful way of molding a vibrant student-culture at IIT Jammu.
PIC: The UG 2018-entry batch during the Ice Breaking Session with Mrs. Priyanka Pareek
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The 3 C’s
Creativity: For an engineer to be able to think outside of the box, it is important to nurture and develop her/his creative thinking. The Foundation Program attempts to redirect the participants’ focus towards their creative tendencies by engaging them in hands-on workshops like clay modelling, sketching and visualization, exposure to tribal painting and craft, and much more.
All this is aimed at enhancing the aesthetic faculties of the participants and enabling them to perceive the world in more ways than one. We believe that ideas for innovative engineering solutions can come from anywhere and it is essential to be open to multiple possibilities!
Communication: This is a vital part of our foundation program which focuses on comprehension and expression. The students are constantly encouraged to voice their points of view and express their thoughts through spoken, written and other creative media.
Along with the emphasis on creativity, it is also crucial to stress on the need to be able to accurately express your ideas. Communication is, thus, an important marker of a dynamic engineer who can lead her/his team effectively. It is the way forward for anyone who wants to make sense of the world in this age of Information and Technology.
Culture: The Mission of IIT Jammu points towards a student culture which promotes mutual respect, intellectual dynamism and scientific curiosity. The Foundation Program, through its various group-based and interactive activities, enables the Freshers to know and understand each other better. It aims to cultivate a spirit of team-work and sportsmanship among the students.
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General Information
Registration of students: 2nd August 2018 Number of students enrolled: 135 FP 2018 Inauguration: 3rd August 2018 Activity Schedule
DATE ACTIVITY RESOURCE PERSON/GUEST
Prof. Adit Singh (Auburn University)
3rd August Mr. Adhik Kadam (Chariperson, Inaugural Function Borderless world Organisation)
Brig. Vijay S. Dheeman
3rd August Ice Breaking Session Mrs. Priyanka Pareek
Yoga th th Dr. Neeraj Gupta 4 and 5 August
(Morning sessions) Zumba Ms. Aarti Mahajan
Mr. Manish Jain and Team th th 4 and 5 August Creative Learning And (Day session) Engineering (Centre for Creative Learning IIT Gandhinagar)
th, th th 6 7 and 8
August Heartfulness – Meditation Mr. Adarsh Kumar and Team (Morning session) Session
Mr. Parvez Ahmed 6th August IIT Jammu Foundation- (Chairperson, J & K Bank)
Day Celebrations Evening Prof. Ashok Aima (VC, Central University Jammu)
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Dr. Sanat Tiwari and Team Toys from Trash (IIT Jammu)
Dr. Anup Shukla and Team th Reverse Engineering 7 August (IIT Jammu)
Dr. Jasmeet Kaur and Team Workshop on Singing (IMFA Jammu)
8th August Glider-Making Workshop Mr. Aditya Chundi Skyfi Labs
9th and 10th August Ms. Aarti Mahajan and Team (Morning session) Zumba
Pottery and Clay-modeling Mr. Bishamber Mehta
9th August Communication Skills Dr. Nancy Handoo
Amazing Chemistry Dr. Pankaj Chauhan and Team
Theatre Workshop Mr. Ravinder Sharma Dr. Amandeep Singh, Ms. Antima th Basholi Painting 10 August Manhas, and KCS Team Dr. Quleen Kaur Bijral Music Workshop (IIT Jammu) Screen Printing and Toy KCS Team Making
th Dr. Ravikant Saini 11 August Sketching Workshop (IIT Jammu) Dr. Gayatri Menon Creative Designing (NID Hyderabad)
12th August Valedictory Function ------
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Inaugural Function
The Foundation Program was Inaugurated on 3rd August by Director, Prof. Manoj Singh Gaur. He revisited the concept of the Foundation Program as a brainchild of IIT Gandhinagar and a project adopted by IIT Jammu to encourage hands-on and multidisciplinary approach of the students towards their education. He also shared a few ideas regarding what makes an Institution succeed in its various endeavors.
PIC: Prof. Pandya at the Inaugural Function
Prof. Dinesh Pandya, Dean of Administration, welcomed the guest speakers and addressed everyone with the idea of “What it is to be in an IIT”. He described to the students, the rigorous and exciting academia that forms an important part of the culture of any Indian Institute of Technology.
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PIC: Prof. Adit Singh addressing the students
Prof. Adit Singh, our distinguished guest from Auburn University, USA, addressed the new batch and delivered a detailed history of the IIT’s. After narrating the history, he contemplated the current position of the newly emerging IIT’s in this time and age. He ended on an inspiring note as he shared the famous poem, “Where the Mind is Without Fear” by Rabindranath Tagore, thereby encouraging the students to work hard and understand the value of honesty.
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PIC: Mr. Adhik Kadam addressing the students.
The students were then introduced to the Social Entrepreneur, Mr. Adhik Kadam who leads the Borderless World Organisation, working in the conflict stricken villages in the Kashmir Valley. The audience was all ears for the anecdotes that he shared, discussing the situation of the children that he came across during his work.
He addressed the students as the upcoming generation who needed to be more sensitive towards the circumstances around them.
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PIC: Cmde. (Retd.) Naresh Kumar
The Officer on Special Duty, Cmde. (Retd.) Naresh Kumar addressed the students and welcomed them to the Institute. He shared some of his pearls of wisdom amongst which was the call for action concerning the welfare of the children of construction laborers who were building IIT Jammu itself.
Finally, the gathering was addressed by Brig. Vijay Sagar Dheeman who stirred the students with his infectious enthusiasm and energy. He presented his opinions about the Kashmir-conflict and described the circumstances from the point of view of the military personnel. He also emphasized the importance of soft-skills and motivated the students to be more vocal and energetic.
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Ice-breaking Session
The students were then engaged in an ice-breaking session led by Mrs. Priyanka Pareek who created an amicable atmosphere for the newly joined students to break the ice and get to know each other. The students took part in highly interactive and creative group activities which visibly enabled the students to feel at ease in their new surroundings.
Student Feedback: The general feedback was that the workshop achieved the purpose of ice-breaking very effectively as the students did get to know each other better by the end of it. Majority of the students appreciated the group-based activities as these encouraged out-of-the-box thinking, and to use their creativity as part of a larger team of peers. Moreover, they appreciated the resource person’s skill in including everyone in the activities and keeping the session highly interactive.
The one major suggestion was to increase the duration of these sessions and including more group-based creative activities.
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Creative Learning Workshop: Hands-on Engineering
Led by Mr. Manish Jain, this 2-day long workshop was a treat for the new IIT-ians.
The workshop included multiple hands-on activities where the basic concepts of Sciences were applied onto everyday objects. Some of the activities were: robotic- arm making (pic below), drawing electricity from cucumbers, making mechanical frogs, atomizer based on Bernoulli’s Law, working of the mag-lev train and much more. All of these activities successfully enabled the students to apply the theoretical knowledge and understand the concepts in a very different manner.
Student Feedback: The students unanimously appreciated the workshop and noted that they gained a lot of insight into the application of scientific concepts. One suggestion was that the time spent on explaining the theoretical background of the experiments may be increased to ensure clarity of concept.
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Reverse Engineering
This workshop was led by Dr. Anup Shukla, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Jammu. The session was an initiation into the course “Product Assembly” which would be part of the first semester curriculum of the UG 2018-entry batch. Dr. Shukla gave a demonstration to the students by disassembling a regular sealing fan and showcasing its inner components. This was shared as a hands-on way of studying the various machinery we use and its operations. Dr. Shukla was assisted by students, Mittasha and Sravanth Reddy.
Student Feedback: The workshop was successful in instilling a sense of curiosity for machine disassembly among the students. The students suggested that the workshop could involve more student participation. However, as a way of introducing them to the hands-on course, the workshop was a great initiative
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Singing Workshop
The workshop was led by Dr. Jasmeet Kaur and her students from IMFA Jammu. The students were introduced to the basics of singing such as the octaves, rhythm, and scale. Moreover, everyone was encouraged to overcome their inhibitions in terms of singing. The workshop also provided with an opportunity for the students to nurture appreciation for music, and to acquire basic knowledge about it.
Student Feedback: The workshop introduced the students to the basics of Classical music. A lot of students appreciated the constant encouragement to sing without any inhibitions and break out of their comfort zones. One of the suggestions was to include more group-based activities. The students also felt that more time could be invested in such workshops so that all the students get equal chance to participate and learn.
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Toys from Trash
This workshop was conducted by IIT Jammu faculty from the Physics Department, Dr. Sanat Tiwari, who was assisted by, Aijaz Ahmad, Shubhendra Singh and Udaram Prajapat. The activities were inspired by Mr. Arvind Gupta’s initiative of creating toys from trash. During the workshop, the students were provided with waste materials and were taught how these can be used to learn interesting concepts of physics such as observing magnetic field lines of different kind of magnets, turbulence of water, buoyant force, water turbine, generation of electricity from potatoes, solubility in hot and cold water, heat conduction and much more.
Student Feedback: The students collectively appreciated the spirit of the workshop which encouraged practical work and application of concepts on everyday objects. The only one suggestion was that the workshop could introduce applications of more advanced and complex concepts which can challenge the students’ intellects.
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Pottery and Clay-modeling Workshop
Conducted by Mr. Bishamber Mehta, (Retd. Lecturer) from Jammu University, this workshop began with a discussion about clay, its properties such as water retention and texture, its wide ranging application – from the ceramic industry to its use as an insulator in rockets. Mr. Mehta demonstrated how to create idols and vases from clay. He also explained the logic behind each step and shared the precautions to be observed. Finally, students tried their hand at making idols with intricate patterns, using clay.
Student Feedback: The workshop helped the students in getting hands-on experience and understanding the significance of pottery. They appreciated the instructor’s in-depth knowledge on the subject. However, the general feedback was that the workshop could have been more engaging with improved communication and interaction with the students by making them work with clay as well.
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Workshop on Effective Communication
This workshop was conducted by Dr. Nancy Handoo, who emphasized on the importance of improving one’s ability to communicate. Things like body language, intonation, timing were discussed after which the students were encouraged to overcome their fear of speaking in front of a large audience. Dr. Handoo also discussed the importance of English speaking and writing skills for everyone who wants to share their ideas with a wider audience.
Student Feedback: This workshop received a positive feedback from the students as it encouraged them to appreciate the skill of effective communication and helped them get started with the basics. A lot of students mentioned that such workshops must be conducted regularly along with regular evaluations, with increased participation of the students.
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Music Workshop
The workshop was organized and conducted by IIT Jammu Faculty, Dr. Quleen Kaur Bijral who was eager to share her appreciation for music with the students. She discussed various components of pop music such as writing the lyrics, performativity and music composition. Students were encouraged to form a band and perform in front of the class. She also performed a self-composed song in the class in order to demonstrate the art and skill of music composition. The best performances were then selected for the final showcase at the valedictory function.
Student Feedback: The feedback for the workshop was positive as the students got a chance to perform in a band, and finally, in the valedictory function at the end of the Foundation Program. The ability of the instructor to bond with the students was well appreciated along with her skill and immense knowledge of music.
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Amazing Chemistry
This workshop was conducted by IIT Jammu faculty, Dr. Pankaj Chauhan, and assisted by Amit Chaneja and Nitin Raj. The activities were designed with the aim of demonstrating simple concepts of Chemistry through experimentation. The experiments included using phenolphthalein to show secret messages, charring sugar using Sulphuric Acid, and burning paper using mixture of water and ethanol. The concept of oscillatory reaction was used to create a “magic mixture” whose color changed upon shaking. The experiments were supplemented with theoretical knowledge so that they could understand the reasons behind their observation.
Student Feedback: The students unanimously appreciated this workshop since it gave them an entirely new perspective with respect to Chemistry. The Chemical reactions demonstrated in class turned were not just entertaining but also quite informative.
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Aero-Modelling Workshop
Conducted by Mr. Aditya Chundi, co-founder and CTO of Sky-fi Labs, this workshop was based on the students’ hand-on work in creating gliders out of wood. A lot of interesting questions were raised and the concepts of Aerodynamics were discussed. Working in teams, the students made gliders (based on the discussed concepts) which they flew and tested at the Mian Dido Park, Jagti. The second year and third year students worked as a team and coordinated the excursion with success.
Student Feedback: It was one of the most enjoyed workshops since the theory was explained coherently and all the practical work was based on the application of theoretical understanding of the students. The success of the workshop also lay in the fact that the final outcome was a test-flight which sparked a lot of enthusiasm in the students.
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Theatre Workshop
The students were engaged in a theatre workshop which was conducted by Mr. Ravinder Sharma, Director, Samooh Theatre, Jammu. He started from the history of theatres that how it was started, then its journey in different cultures. He discussed the various aspects of contemporary theatre and had a lot of interesting things to share, from his vast repertoire.
He also created two groups and challenged them to prepare a drama in 5 minutes. Students met his expectations and he also praised the students for presenting a nice play in the short amount of time provided to them.
Student Feedback: The workshop turned out to be a success in terms of getting the students to think on their feet and attempt to stage a play. Mr. Sharma’s knowledge of theatre was highly appreciated, just as it had been in the Foundation Program 2017.
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Design and Innovation
This workshop on creative designing and innovative ideation was conducted by NID Hyderabad Faculty Dr. Gayatri Menon. The workshop walked the students through various interesting innovative solutions presented by engineers all over the world. Through these examples the idea of innovation was explained. Furthermore, the students were engaged in hands-on creative designing activities such as redesigning existing products, applying your creativity on making quotidian things stand out.
Student Feedback: The knowledge of the instructor, along with her exceptional insight into the way things work, was especially appreciated by the students. The hands-on competence of the workshop was enjoyed by all, however, one general suggestion was to increase such activities and also to increase the duration of the workshop.
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Sketching
Conducted by IIT Jammu Faculty Dr. Ravikant Saini, and Mr. Pushpak Pandit, the workshop was all about visualizing and presenting your ideas on paper through the medium of sketching. The workshop included working between 3D and 2D models of sketching and how to negotiate with both aspects. The students were all involved in sketching with some guidance regarding the basic tricks on how to make a sketch.
Student Feedback: The workshop was successful in making the students realise the importance of visualising and sketching on paper, for any engineer. The various tricks and insights were appreciated. One common remark was that the venue of the workshop could have been better, with improved audio visual arrangements. It was also suggested that such activities must happen on a more regular basis.
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Basholi Painting Workshop
Organised by Mr. Amandeep Singh and Ms. Antima Manhas, this workshop introduced the students to the art of Basholi painting, which is an integral part of the culture of Jammu and Kashmir. The students were given a detailed outline of the history of this art form and later, were given the chance to try their hand at it by painting bookmarks for themselves. This activity was coordinated with help of the Kalamkari Centre Society, Jammu.
Student Feedback: The students had a pleasant experience trying their hands at Basholi Painting. The outcome of the workshop was a set of surprisingly well painted bookmarks and a sense of appreciation for the local culture and art forms of Jammu and Kashmir.
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Toy making and Screen Printing
Led by Mrs. Jyoti Bhat and Mr. Subhash, this was one of the most experientially oriented workshops of the Foundation Program. The students worked individually to create soft toys from scratch by stitching the fabric and stuffing the filling inside. The workshop was highly appreciated since it also taught the students about basic needlework which would be useful to them in future, especially as hostellers.
Screen printing was another part of this workshop where the students printed the logo of IIT Jammu onto jute bags and thereby learning about the functionality behind screen printing. This, along with Toy Making, was organized with help of the Kalamkari Centre Society.
Student Feedback: This workshop received really good feedback from the students. The only suggestion was that such activities could have had a longer duration since students were not able to complete all the needlework within the allotted time of two hours. Nevertheless, the workshop and the way in which it had been conducted, was deemed a success by all the participants.
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Zumba (Morning Activity)
To emphasize on the importance of physical fitness, IIT Jammu organised Zumba Classes for the students with Ms. Aarti Mahajan as the principal instructor.
The students participated with a lot of enthusiasm. A variety of songs were played, with genres ranging from rap to regional. Students’ requests were also entertained. The hour-long exercise session aimed at presenting the more enjoyable ways of engaging in morning exercise.
Student Feedback: Most of the students really enjoyed the Zumba session and looked forward to it since it kept them active through the rest of the day. However, some of the students were not too keen on dancing. For them it was a good opportunity to break out of their comfort zones. It was also suggested that the audio arrangements need to be improved in order to conduct such activities better.
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Yoga (Morning Activity)
Conducted by Dr. Neeraj Gupta, this morning session was an opportunity to appreciate the age old practice of Yoga. The students were made to meditate through practicing the various kinds of breathing techniques or Pranayam. The instructor discussed the benefits of yogic meditation and exercise and demonstrated some of the basic stances or asanas.
Student Feedback: Students appreciated the instructor’s knowledge of the subject and enjoyed performing the asanas early in the morning. However, a unanimous suggestion was that a larger hall can be prepared for such activities so that there is no shortage of space for everyone to perform the asanas.
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The Heartfulness Workshop (Morning Activity)
Organised by the Heartfulness Organisation, this one-hour meditation session where a team of instructors, from the Udhampur Headquarters of the Organization, shared their practices. The session included an overview of what it means to follow the heartfulness way, making one’s way through the ups and downs of life in a stress- free manner. The instructors also shared the relaxation technique which was effective in relaxing each and every part of the body individually.
Student Feedback: The session was indeed relaxing and helped the students know about the various techniques for relaxation and stress management. The instructors were all very dedicated and sincere. Their demeanor in itself taught the students a lesson about compassion and humility. However, a general opinion was that this session must be conducted on voluntary basis, and preferably not early in the morning.
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Foundation Program Organizing Committee
Anup Shukla, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Electrical Engineering Ishita Mahajan, English Language Instructor, H&SS Quleen Kaur Bijral, Assistant Professor, Dept. of H&SS Ravikant Saini, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Electrical Engineering Sanat Tiwari, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Physics Srujana Kagita, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Electrical Engineering Swati Basotra, Visiting Faculty
Student Volunteers
Name Entry no. Shubhendra Singh Yadav 2016MEJ0081 Amit Chaneja 2017EEJ0065 Rohit Kumar 2017CSJ0054 Vaidehi Som 2017MEJ0119 Shreyas Arvind Gore 2017CEJ0028 Sravanth 2017CSJ0041 Vishwas Modanwal 2017CSJ0059 Udaram Prajapat 2017CSJ0057 B Shravan Kumar Reddy 2017MEJ0099 Arjun Singh Chaudhary 2017EEJ0121 Venkateshh Sugandham 2017EEJ0086 Akshith D 2017CEJ0010 Mayank Pratap 2017CSJ0045 M Praveen 2017MEJ0105 Nitin Raj 2017MEJ0108 Abhishek Raj 2017MEJ0092 Pranav Reddy 2017MEJ0110 Aditya 2017CSJ0035 Abhishek Kumar Gupta 2017MEJ0091 Mittasha 2017CEJ0015
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Acknowledgments
The Foundation Program was a success owing to the efforts by all the members of the Program Committee. Thanks Dr. Chauhan, Dr. Shukla, Dr. Saini, Dr. Tiwari and Dr. Bijral for organizing workshops which truly showed how passionate you are towards your work. Thanks Dr. Kagita for being so supportive and for taking on the major responsibility of the budgeting. Thanks to Mrs. Swati Basotra for mobilizing a talented lot of artistes from Jammu and sharing her experience of organizing the Foundation Program in 2017. Thanks to Prof. Pandya who brought far sightedness to the project and, in his own way, made sure that the program achieved what it had set out to do. Thanks to the Accounts Department and Internal Audit for being incredibly patient and cooperative when it came to settling the bills.
When it came to managing everything from the instructors to mentoring the new batch, the student volunteers stole the show with their tireless efforts from early in the morning till late at night. They wonderfully coordinated the operations and logistics and set an example for the new batch.
Thanks is due also to Ms. Niketa Fotedar for her coordination with all the resource persons from the moment they arrived to Jammu till the moment they left. Thanks to Mrs. Madhu Pahal for taking care of the travel arrangements which were painfully complicated. Thanks to the caretakers Mr. Anish Koul and Mr. Jagath J.P. for their cooperation throughout the Program. Thanks to Mr. Munish and Mr. Kulraj for being such dedicated safai sevaks. Finally, thanks to Prof. Gaur for envisioning this Program in the first place, and for being supportive and available for counsel throughout, despite rigorous schedule.
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Remarks:
1. All student volunteers received free messing for the duration of the Foundation Program. 2. It was noted that more cooperation was needed at the ground level – the Plan of Action for the entire Program must be finalized and attested by all coordinators and they should be aware of theirs and others’ roles and responsibilities, beforehand. 3. All rooms must be cleaned properly every day before the programs start. 4. The Audio visual setup must be working properly in each venue/classroom with one staff contact to be reachable in case any technical glitches happen. 5. At least 2 cleaning staff members must be readily available on call during the day so as to help in rearranging the classroom as per the requirement of the resource person. 6. At least 1 hospitality staff should be present to coordinate the serving of refreshments to the resource persons. 7. One designated staff member to follow up on all honorariums and reimbursement and prepare a document of all the expenditure incurred during the Program. 8. Student volunteers were efficient and highly responsive. Every year, at least 20 student volunteers must be present for the Foundation program, at least one week in advance.
Credits:
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Pictures by The Photography Club (Venkatesh S. and Akshith Doddi) Content by: Volunteers and Students of UG2018. Compiled by: Ishita Mahajan Proof-read by: Dr. Varsha Singh and Dr. Quleen Bijral
**end**
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