Punjab Engineering College (Deemed to be University), Chandigarh is observing Industry-Academia Interaction week from September 11-15, 2023. The industry-academia interaction week is a valuable opportunity for students and faculty to learn from experienced professionals in the aerospace industry. They also help foster collaboration between industry and academia, which is essential for developing a strong and vibrant aerospace sector in India.
Two invited lectures were organized in Aerospace Engineering Department on the 2nd day (12.09.2023) of the lecture-series week with an aim to bridge the gap between industry and academia. First lecture was delivered by Air Marshal Sukhchain Singh (AVSM, VSM). Air Marshal Sukhchain Singh (Retd.) was commissioned in the Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) branch of the IAF in July 1979. He served in various command and staff positions during his career, including as the Air Officer-in-charge Maintenance (AOM) at Air HQ, New Delhi.
Air Marshal Sukhchain Singh interacted with Aerospace Engg. Students on “Aerospace Stakeholders Synergy in Amritkal Bharat". In his presentation, Air Marshal Singh covered emerging aerospace technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics followed by the importance of industry-academia interface synergy in developing new technologies. Thereafter, he covered the need for military internal organization change to adapt to the changing nature of warfare and autonomous flight systems, which have the potential to revolutionize the aerospace industry. He also spoke about the importance of collaboration between industry, academia, and government to achieve the goals of the Amritkal Bharat initiative.
The second lecture was delivered by Sh. Debadatta Mishra, Director and COO, Erisha Space Limited. Sh. Mishra is a former scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He joined ISRO in 2007 as a Scientist-C and worked in the satellite propulsion research and development areas. He was involved in the design and development of spacecraft propulsion systems for a number of remote sensing and communication satellite projects, including the Mars Orbiter Mission, Chandrayaan-2, and Aditya L1 mission. Debadatta Mishra is passionate about space exploration and is committed to making India a leader in this field. He is a member of the Indian Space Research Organisation's Human Spaceflight Programme and is working on developing technologies for future human space missions. He is also a strong advocate for collaboration between industry, academia, and government in order to accelerate the pace of space exploration. He believes that by working together, we can achieve the goal of sending humans to Mars in the near future.
Sh. Debadatta Mishra presented an interactive talk on "Space Research-Emphasis on Human Space Exploration". He spoke about the challenges and opportunities of human space exploration and the role of India in this field. His presentation delved into various facets of space research and exploration, including life exploration beyond Earth, Chandrayaan 3 success story, and the future space missions of India, such as Gaganyaan, Aditya L1, and Venus Mission. He also highlighted the importance of collaboration between industry, academia, and government to send humans to Mars.
On the 3rd day, the invited lecture was organized in Aerospace Engineering Department (13.09.2023) of the lecture-series week with an aim to bridge the gap between industry and academia. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Shashi Poddar, Scientist-CSIO CSIR, Chandigarh. Dr. Shashi Poddar is a Fulbright fellow who has completed his post-doctoral research from University at Buffalo, SUNY, New York, USA. Prior to that, he has completed his master’s and PhD from Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, India. He is currently working as a principal scientist with CSIR - CSIO, Chandigarh and his research interests include optimal state estimation, image processing, computer vision, and machine learning. Currently, he is working in image-based analytics required for unmanned aerial vehicles.
The experts were greeted with floral welcome by Dr. Rakesh Kumar (Head, Aerospace Engineering Department). The experts were presented with mementoes as a mark of gratitude and appreciation. The lecture series is being jointly coordinated by Sh. Tushar Siag & Prabhjeet Singh. as well-received by the students and faculty of PEC.
