IIT-M welcomes freshers with new new initiatives

The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) today welcomed the newly admitted students, with state-of-the-art infrastructure and several new initiatives intended to give them a top notch experience in one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. The new academic session of the Institute for the B.Tech, B.Tech-M.Tech (dual Degree) and MA students started today. Addressing the students and parents during the Orientation Session IIT-M Director Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi said the academic programs at the Institute were designed in a manner that students have adequate time to pursue co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, along with their studies.

He urged the freshers to lead a disciplined life and be sensitive towards the animals residing on the campus such as deers, blackbucks and monkeys. Prof Ramamurthi also urged the parents to tell their wards to take adequate sleep and rest. “Parents should tell their children that they should never miss their breakfast,” he added. Two new modern solar-powered classroom complexes, designed exclusively for freshers and built at a cost of Rs 7.7 crore, was inaugurated by Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi on July 21, 2017. The Institute was also beefing up the use of a mobile app for students’ safety this academic year.

The app, which was being used as a pilot project in previous years, will send out an alert if a student, who perceives that he/she is in some sort of danger, presses the power button twice, Prof Sivakumar M. Srinivasan, Dean (Students), IIT-M, said. The IIT-M would also launch, as a pilot project this year, a solar-powered pedal assisted vehicle to help differently-abled hostel students travel to their classrooms. The vehicle will have a seating capacity of four. Based on the requirement, this would be scaled up in near future.