AUGUST 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS 05 TÊTE-À-TÊTE WITH PROF. SANDIP MONDAL 08 INTERNSHIP DIARIES 10 GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATIONS 03 LOOKING BACK: IITB IN THE ‘60S 21 EE ALUMNI TOUR 23 TOWARDS WELLNESS 27 INFORMAL SECTION 19 EE ACE CELL 12 DEPARTMENT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES 17 CONCEPT BYTE - VPNs
Q As an alumnus, can you let us know what life was like at IITB in your days? Wewereverycarefreeandrelaxed Wedid nothavesomanyculturalandotherevents. The campus was lush green with a very pleasingambience.Therewasagreatbonding amongthebatchmatesmainlybecausethere werenootherdisruptionslikemobilephone, laptopsetc.
Dr Sharad Saraf is an alumnus of IIT Bombay (BTech 1969, Electrical Engineering). Currently, he is the Chairman of the Board of Governors (BoG) of IIT Bombay as well as IIT Jammu He is also the chairman cum managing director of Technocraft Industries, an established multinational industrial house which he co founded along with his brother in 1972. Other than this, Dr. Saraf has headed several chambers of commerce.
Q. What plans did you have while forming EESA? In what manner did the department support it? Themainplanwasfactoryandplantvisitsthat would enhance student’s knowledge of electricalengineering.Forexample,wevisited TarapurAtomicPowerStationandafactoryin Vadodara. Therewerealsoafewothervisits. Thesevisitswerethesourceofbondingamong membersandwealsohadinterestinglectures.
Looking back: IITB in the ‘60s
Q. How did the idea of forming EESA (electrical engineering student's association) come about? AtourtimewhenIwasinmy4thyear,Ifound that there was a very vibrant Chemical Engineering Students Association. So I wondered why we did not have a similar association for the Electrical Department. I discussed this with senior professors like Hariharan, Balakrishnan, Mukherjee among others and they were extremely kind and helpful.
SAMYAK SHAH
In conversation with Dr. Sharad Saraf 03 ADIL KHAN
Q. What kind of extracurricular activities did students participate in those days? Our extracurricular activities consisted of inter hostel, inter IIT sports competitions, varioustypesofinterhostelactivities,hostel dayetc Wealsoproducedveryhighquality professionalplayswhichwerestagedinTejpal Auditorium,Mumbai. Therewasgreatstress onsports.
Q. How was the faculty - student interaction back then when the batch strength was lower? Faculty student interaction was very personal. The professors in the department knew almost all the students. The faculty memberswereeverreadytomeetthestudents orresolveanyissues.
Thefacultywasextremelycooperativeand neversaidnoforanyprogramorevent. He is a founding member of the Electrical Engineering Student’s Association (EESA) Last November, we decided to talk to him about his experiences and find out how life was at IITB in his undergraduate days.
04 Q. What factors affected career choices in those days and what went behind you choosing the path of entrepreneurship? Inthosedaysthemostfavoritechoicewasto gototheUSforhigherstudies.Almost70%of mybatchmateswenttotheUS.Thosewho stayedbackdidsoforvariousreasonslike family issues, financial conditions, family businessesorsimplythedesiretodosomething inthecountryIcouldsaythatIwaskindofa bornentrepreneur.Evenduringmystayinthe hostel,Ihadsetupsmallcommercialactivities whichweregreatfunandalsowelllikedby my hostel batch mates. I came from a traditionalMarwaricommunityandhenceI haditinmyDNA.Aftergraduating,Iworked inafactorymanufacturingelectricmotors,and thenin1972Iestablishedmyownbusiness. Q. Looking back, how was the entrepreneurial scene in the '70s, especially at IITB as compared to what it is now? In those days there was hardly any entrepreneurial spirit in our IIT students. There was no SINE or IT Sector Hence almost all students preferred to go for professionaljobs. Q How did you familiarise yourself with taxation, personal finance and other things that are important in daily life but aren’t taught in the IITB classroom? Manypeoplehaveaskedmethisquestion.All nontechnicalservicesliketaxation,personal financeetc.areavailablethroughchartered accountantsandotherprofessionals Idonot thinkthereisagreatneedforanyformal teachingofthesesubjectssincethereisnot muchcreativityinvolvedinthembutgeneral knowledgeoftaxationandpersonalfinance comesonitsownbyexperience. Q. Could you please illustrate how the IIT Bombay network and peer group has helped you throughout your career? Tillmid1980stherewasnoIITBnetworking exceptforamongclosebatchmatesorhostel mates.Therewasnoemail,mobilephoneetc. and hence networking was restricted to landline phones. However, in the 1980s I startedtheIITBAlumniAssociation(Bombay Chapter). This became quite popular and finallyspawnedIITBAAandPANIITAlumni Association.Weorganizedamonthlyalumni meetintheInstituteofEngineers,Mahalaxmi onthelastSaturdayofeverymonth.Wealso didalotofeventsincludingorganizingan annualdayonthelastSundayofeveryyear. Q. What would be your advice to students who are currently at IITB? BasicallyallIITBstudentsarequitecreative, intelligent and dedicated. My advice is to remainfocused,andhaveaCANDOattitude. You will also find opportunity in every adversityprovidedyoulookforitintelligently. Q. We came to know that you are soon coming up with a book on your life experiences. Would you like to share anything about that? Yes,mybookisunderprintingnow.Itis called “Engineering Karma” and contains certainimportanteventsandexperiencesfrom mylifewhichcarrysomemessage.Thereare also chapters about my experience at IIT Bombay,thefirst4yearsofmycareerandalso mysubsequentbusinessjourney. THIS INTERVIEW WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN FUNDAMATICS (IITBAA MAGAZINE) IN MAY 2022. SCAN THE QR CODE TO VISIT THEIR WEBSITE.
Aftercompletingmyschooling,Imovedto Calcutta University to pursue my undergraduate education. Further, I joined theintegratedMS PhDprogramofIISc Bangalore.AfterreceivingmyPhDin2017,I joinedWesternDigital(SanDisk)asadevice engineer and where I worked on flash memory technology for 2 years. Later I movedtoPurdueUniversitywhereIworked withJTEC(JohnsonThermoelectricEnergy Converter), APLJHU (Johns Hopkins UniversityAppliedPhysicsLaboratory),anda NASAcollaborativeprojectasapostdoctoral researchertill2021.IjoinedasanAssistant Professor in the Department of Electrical EngineeringatIITBin2021. Tête-à-Tête with Prof. Sandip Mondal 05 Q. Can you describe your life journey to date? Professor Sandip Mondal joined the department as an Assistant Professor in September 2021. He completed his PhD from IISc Bangalore and subsequently worked as a post doctoral researcher at Purdue University. His research interests include semiconductor devicephysics,microelectronicsandneuromorphicengineering. Duringhispostgraduatedays,hewasalsoinvolvedinmanycultural activities. He has served as the chairman of Gymkhana at IISc and thechiefcoordinatorofSPECTRUM(IISc’sannualsports,literary andculturalfest). ADIL KHAN JANEEL PATEL PRASANN VISWANATHAN Well,IwasbornandraisedinavillageofPurbaMedinipurdistrictinWestBengal.My upbringingisinaveryhumbleandsimplefamilywheremyfatherworkedasapolice constableandmymotherisahousewife.Icompletedmyhighschoolfromthegovernment schoolofmydistrictwhichwas7kmsawayfrommyvillage.Istillrememberspendinghours walkingtoandfromschooleveryday.
06 I served as the Chairman of Gymkhana (head of the managementcommittee)atIIScandChiefCoordinatorof SPECTRUM2015,amegafestofIISc.Hencearrangingfunds andorganisingeventswasthemajorpartoftheprocess. Outreachandconvincingbusinessprofessionalstoprovide sponsorship was the major challenge of such activities. I learnedresourcemanagementandeventmanagementduring thewholeprocess IIT Bombay and IISc are the topmost educational institutionsinIndiaintermsofresearchandteaching.Both institutesareequallygood.ThecorefocusofIIScisto perform fundamental research and it is more inclined towardspostgraduateteachingandresearch.WhereasIIT Bombay focuses on engineering research and teaching along with an emphasis on product development and entrepreneurship.UndergraduateprogramofIITBombay isamongthebestintheworld. Q. You completed your post graduate studies from IISc Bangalore. What difference do you find in the research and teaching atmosphere at IIT Bombay as compared to that at IISc Bangalore? Q. We saw that you were involved in many student and cultural activities at IISc. Would you like to elaborate on your experience organising and taking part in them? ThemainreasonwhyIchoseacademiaandresearchistheflexibilityofresearchwork(both intermsofchoosingtheresearchareaaswellthepossibilityofexploringnewareasand problems)thatislimitedinindustry.Moreover,Iwasalwaysinterestedinteachingtoand learningfromyoungminds.Teachingisthetopfiveadmiredprofessionsconsideredall overtheworldthroughwhichapersonisinvolvedtoofferabettershapeofthesociety overallandthebestmeansofsharingone'sknowledgeandexperience.Mybeliefisthatthe bestwaytolearnistoteachandonecontinuestolearnallthroughtheirlife.Mymottoin teachingisaslongasyoulive,learnhowtolive.Iwasfortunateenoughatanearlyageto havebeengiventheresponsibilitytoteachduringvariousopportunitiesthatcameupinmy life.Ihavealwayscherishedthosemomentsandtheprocessofguidingmystudentsby enlighteningthemwithmyknowledge. Q. Would you like to mention why you decided to choose a career in research and academia?
Q. How was your experience teaching your first course at IITB? What difference did you feel while teaching online versus offline?
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In2021,ItaughtEE620withProf.SouvikMahapatra. Itwasacompletelyonlinecourse Ireallyenjoyed teachingwithhim.Itwasagreatlearningexperience formetousetechnologyasateachingmedium.At present,IamteachingEE101forstudentsoftheCS departmentandIamreallyenjoyingtheinteraction withstudentsduringofflineteaching.
Q. What would be your message to a student confused between a career in research and industry? Mymainfocusofinterestandexpertiseisintheareasofsemiconductordevicephysics,flash memory device technology (microelectronics), neuromorphic devices for artificial intelligence,andelectronicsystemsdesignandcircuits
Q. Would you like to describe your research field and the areas that you plan to work on while at IIT Bombay? Every individual has their experience and choices. It will be better to explore both industry and academia and later decide on the future.
ThespecialisationofmyPhDisonfabricationmethodologyandmeasurementtechniques ofelectronicdevices,sothereisagoldenopportunitytocontinuemyworkintheareaof myinterestatIITBombay.Indeed,Iwillbeabletousemyphysicsknowledgedirectlyto explaintheunderlyingworkingmechanismofdifferentkindsofdevices.Sincemyaimisto contributetosocietywithscienceandtechnology,itwouldbeagreatopportunityforme toservebyworkingwiththeworldleadingstudentsandprofessorsatIITBombay.
Myresearchprojectistitled "AfastapproachtoRobustOptimalControl".Optimalcontrol problemsaregenerallyhardtosolveinpracticeandrequireahugecomputationaleffort.Themajor ideaofourworkistonotlookfortrulyoptimalsolutionsbutforsuboptimalsolutionsthatarefaster tocomputeandare"goodenough".Thusifonecandeviseawayofcomputingquicksolutions, robustnessagainstlargedisturbancescanbeguaranteedbyjustrecomputingthesolution!Weare usingtheCartPendulumsystemasatestbenchforthisapproachasitisthesimplestrealsystem withsufficientnonlinearitytomakeitinteresting.IhavebeenworkinginthePhysicsdepartment atSFUunderProfessorJohnBechhoefer. Internship Diaries Hellopeople!ThisisDhruvShahfromEE(BTech).Thissummer(2022)Itooka researchpositionatSimonFraserUniversity,Burnaby(Canada).Inthisarticle,I wouldbesummarisingmysummerinternshipexperiencecoveringthevarious stagesIwentthrough. Iwasexpectedtowork40hoursaweekandtheweekendswerecompletelyoff!Thiswasquitenew tomebecausebackhomeIwasusedtoworkingalotmorethanthis.Thisleavesouttimeforalot offunactivitiesduringtheweekandweekends. SHEEL SHAH WORK EXPERIENCE My research experience (12 weeks long!) was amazing.ThemajorreasonwasbecauseProfessor Johnwasalwaysaroundforintensediscussions . Therewereno"officehours''andonecouldcometothelabaccordingtotheirpreferredtiming. WehadagroupmeetingeveryweekonWednesdaymorningswhereeverymemberofthe researchgrouppresentedtheirprogress(onepersoneveryweek).Thesemeetingswereextremely interactiveandeducative.Themeetingsalsoservedthepurposeofobtainingfeedbackbytheentire groupandmadethespeakerlookathisworkfromadifferentperspectivehenceprovidingfurther insight LIFE IN VANCOUVER 08
The initial few weeks were not as exciting due to the lack of a social group.However,Vancouverbeinga beautiful city with cheap public transportfacilities,Ispentmyfirstfew weekendsexploringthecityalone.In the following weeks, I made friends withotherMITACSinterns(MITACS istheprogramthroughwhichIgotthis internship)fromIndiaandlifebecamea lotmoreexciting!Wetriedoutalotof new stuff hiking, ice skating, sea kayaking, biking, mountain climbing andalotmore.Alloftheseactivities The process of university apping is quite different from companyinternships.Moredetailedresponsestothisquestion canbefoundinalotoffundae sessionssoIwillbebrief here.IappliedtotheMITACSGRIprogramandhadalso . Overallthissummerhasbeenoneofthebestpartsofmylife.Iwasabletoachieveagoodworklife balancehereandlearntalotofnewskills(notjustacademic).TheproblemstatementthatIworked onwasextremelyexcitingandImightcontinuemyworkoverthenextsemester.Finally,Imetan amazingbunchofpeople.Itwastheircompanythatmademystaymemorable.Allinall,thisisnot whatIhadexpectedfromtheinternship(expectedalotmorework)butIamquitesatisfiedwith myexperience. HOW I GOT THIS INTERNSHIP (AND OTHER LOGISTICS) LAST WORDS appliedfortheDAADscholarship.LuckilyIwasacceptedinbothandchosetogoaheadwith MITACS.Ihadalsoindividuallymailedalotofprofessorspersonallyrequestingforaninternship andhad2positiveresponses MITACSfullyfundedmyinternshipandthestipendismorethan sufficienttoliveandhavefuninVancouver.TheresultsweredeclaredaroundDecember (MITACS)andaroundFebruary(DAAD) Oneneedsatleastoneletterofrecommendationfor applyingtotheseprograms.Previousresearchexperienceisadvantageous. wereextremelyfun.TheSFU(SimonFraserUniversity)Burnabycampusisquitebeautifulandhas alotofhikesveryclosetothecampus.Wewerealsoabletoseedeerrightoutsideourwindowand alsoablackbear!!!Therearealotofpicnicspotsnearthecampuswhereweenjoyedthesunseton weekdaysafterwork.OnecantravelfartherfromVancouver,ifinterested.IhavebeentoWhistler andMapleRidge,bothofwhichwereworththelongtravelTheUniversityofBritishColumbia (UBC)isalsoclosebyandisamustvisit. 09
OnemustfirstchoosewhethertopursueaMaster'soraPhDbeforestartingtheapplicationprocess. WhileaPhDisthebestoptionforpeoplewhowanttoconductfull-timeresearchandistypically funded,Master'sprogramsarelessresearchorientedandalsolesslikelytoprovidescholarships. Therefore,publicationsorundergraduateresearchprovidemaster'sapplicantsanadvantage,whileitis quiteastandardrequirementforPhDapplicants.Becausemaster'sprogramsareshorter(often1.5to2 years),theyallowquickercareergrowthintheindustry.CandidatesforPhDprogramsmustbewilling todedicate4-6yearstoresearch,andtheirchoiceofadvisorsisfarmoreimportantthanitisfor candidatesofMaster'sprograms.TherearequiteafewinterestingMaster'sprogramsifonewantsto exploreavenuesotherthanElectricalEngineering,likeMaster'sinFinancialEngineeringandMaster's inBusinessAnalytics,whicharegainingpopularityandbecomingmoreindustry-relevant.
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TheGREandTOEFLproficiencyexaminationsaretheinitialstagein theadmissionprocess.IELTScanbeusedinplaceoftheTOEFL,but beforechoosingwhichexamtostudyforandtake,oneshouldreview thecriteriaofdifferentcolleges.Wewouldrecommendgettingdone withbothinthesummerorthebeginningoftheFallsemester. Both examsdemandsignificantstudy,includinglearningnewvocabularyand developingtimedessaywritingskills. TheGREisthemoredifficultof thetwoexaminations,thereforeweadvisetakingitfirstandtheTOEFL shortlyafter.WiththeexceptionofTOEFL'sspeakingcomponent,for whichyouwouldneedtodedicatetimeseparately,preparingforGRE wouldalsocoverthepreparationrequiredfortheTOEFL.
SAMYAK SHAH
DecidingthenextstepafterIITisacrucialdecisionandcanhavesignificant implicationsonone’sprofessionaltrajectoryGradSchools(highereducation) areanoptionmanystudentsconsidertoexploretheirinterests,pursuefurther researchorsometimesgetachangeingeographyEachsectionofthisarticle containsseparatesectionsthataddressimportantquestionsstudentshave.
Barron’sGREbook(especiallyitswordlists)alongwithMagoosh’sVocabularyFlashcardappishighly recommendedforthepreparation.TheReadingComprehensionpart,wherethepassagesaretoolong formoststudentstoreadthrough,isamajorbarrierformany.Forexperiencedreaders,itpresentsless ofachallenge,buttherearemanystrategiesaccessibletotry,test,anduseforothers.Understanding thesignificanceofanessay'sstructureandcreatingaskeletalframeworkarecrucialforthewriting portions.AlsobeneficialforpracticearetestexamplesfromManhattanPreporPrincetonReview.The speakingcomponentofTOEFLdemandsyoutoquicklyplanyourspeech.Tobecomeusedtothe actualtestsituation,practicespeakinginanoisyarea,ideallywithloudvoices.Youwouldbegiventhe optiontosendyourtestresultstothreecollegesforfreeattheconclusionoftheseassessments(you wouldthereafterberequiredtopayapproximately$25foreachexam).Tosavemoney,lookupthe relevantdepartmentcodesbeforethetest.
Graduate School Applications
Master's vs PhD Proficiency Tests
THIS ARTICLE IS BASED ON SARTHAK CONSUL’S BLOG ON EESA
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Picking the Schools and Professors LoRs and SoPs Once you have submitted your application, relax! Professors typically contact shortlisted PhD applicantsforinterviews.Thedecision-makingprocessisconvolutedandmaskedinmystery;itis influencedbyawiderangeofelementsoutsideofacademiaandresearch.Sojustprepareyour applicationasbestyoucan,andthenhopeforthebest.Finally,beingrejectedinnowaydiminishes yourvalue.Keepapositiveattitudeanddon'tlosehope;thingswillturnoutwellintheend. All the best! To be Placed or not to be Placed Submitting your Application Post Applying, Interviews and Results
Remembertochooseamixofdream,good,andsafeschoolswhilemakingyourselections.However, youshouldonlyselectschoolsthatyouarewillingtojoin.Itisnotusefultoapplytoa "lowtier" university,justbecauseitissafe,butwhenitcomesdowntoit,youwouldnotbewillingtojointhere. Everyuniversity'sprogramisuniqueascomparedtotherest.Sobeforeapplying,reviewthecourse planandofferedcourses.Weadviseyoutobeopenaboutyourresearchpreferencesandtokeepan openmindwhileyouconsiderdifferentprofessorsinvariousdepartments.Therearemanyprofessors whomakeitclearontheirwebpagesthatyoushouldn'tcontactthembeforeadmissions;beonthe lookoutforsuchguidelinesbeforeyouruinyourprospectsinhaste.
ThemostimportantpartsofyourapplicationareSoPs(Statementof Purpose).Asamirrorofyourpersonality,aSoPmustbewholly If.oneshouldregisterforplacementsandsecureabackupisafrequentlyaskedissue.Really,thechoice isyours.Whatwecansayisthatboththeplacementprocedureandthegraduateapplicationprocess takealotoftimeandeffort.Itischallenging,butnotimpossible,tobalancebothinadditiontothe semesterworkload. Itisstronglyadvisedthatyousubmityourapplicationswellinadvanceofthedeadline.Donot consideritlikeataskthatmustbeturnedinonMoodlejustbeforetheduedate.TheLORdeadline typicallyfallsafterthedateyousubmittherestofyourapplication,sokeepatrackofthis,andif necessary,keepremindingyourrecommendertoensurethattheLoRisuploadedontime.Thereare noextensionstothestateddeadlines;itisyourobligationtomakesureeverythingissubmittedon time.
DESCRIBING HIS GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION EXPERIENCE. SCAN THE QR CODE GIVEN BELOW TO VIEW THIS AND VARIOUS OTHER GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION BLOGS ON THE EESA WEBSITE individual.Itoughttobearepresentationofyourbackground,outlook,andqualities.Don'tbother singingpraisesabouttheuniversitybecausetheyalreadyknowit;instead,personaliseyourSoPtothe targetuniversitybytalkingabouttheprofessorsandprojectsyouareinterestedinandhowyoucould contributetotheuniversity.ThepurposeofLoRs(letterofrecommendation),istoprovidethe universitywithinformationaboutthecandidatefromtheperspectiveofathirdparty.Themajorityof collegesdemandthreeLoRs,whilesomedoallowforafewmore.Chooseprofessorswithwhomyou haveagoodrapport.Guidesforprojectsandinternshipsareparticularlyhelpfulinthisregard.Contact yourrecommenderswellinadvanceofthedeadlinetogivethemtimetorespondandwritetheLoR.
The rapid advancement of wide bandgap power transistor technology has facilitated comprehensiveR&Deffortsinacademiaand industrytoassesstheimpactofGaNdevices forpowerelectronicconverters.Researchis beingcarriedoutonconvertertopologiesthat canexploittheuniquedevicecharacteristicsof GaNtransistorstogetbetterperformancein additiontothevolumeandlossreduction. Powerelectronicconvertersplayanessentialroleinthee-mobilityindustry.Theever-increasing demandforbetterefficiency,reliability,andcompactnessoftheelectricvehiclecomponents requiresinnovationinpowerelectronics.Thewidebandgap(WBG)devicesareanewdisruptive technologythatwoulddrasticallychangethepowerelectronicsindustry.GalliumNitride(GaN) transistors,aWBGdevice,offersuperiorperformanceinvariousparametersthanconventional Silicon(Si)basedpowerdevices.Propertiessuchasverylowinputcapacitanceandlow/negligible reverserecoverychargeallowGaNdevicestooperateathigherswitchingfrequencywithlower powerlossthanSidevices.Thesefeaturesresultindecreasedcoolingrequirementsandsmaller passivecomponents,contributingtolowersystemvolumeandcostsasshowninFig.1. Department Research Activities ARNAB SARKAR Introduction Compact and efficient GaN-based power supply for E-mobility Fig. 1 Advantages of GaN technology in Power Electronics Fig. 2 Power electronic converters in an electric vehicle Onesuchresearchprojectbyourteam,ledbyProf.SandeepAnandfromthedepartmentof electrical engineering, utilized the distinctive reverse conduction characteristics of GaN transistorstoimprovetheperformanceofpowerelectronicconverters.Thisimprovement reducesthecrossregulationwhileensuringasmallsizeandhighefficiencyoftheauxiliary powersupplyforEmobilityapplications. 12
To solve the crossregulation problemofMOFCs,theteam came up with an innovative technique where the gate dependentreverseconduction characteristicsofenhancement mode GaN transistors are utilized.Inanutshell,theGaN transistorcanblockacertain amount of voltage in the . Use of GaN characteristics to achieve better regulation: The cross-regulation problem: Thefourmajorpowerelectronicconvertersinanelectricvehiclearetheoffboardcharger,on boardcharger,inverter,andtheauxiliarypowersupply,asshowninFig.2.Amongthese converters, the auxiliary power supply is used to provide power to the vehicle’s various subsystems,suchascommunication,control,sensors,andprotectioncircuits Differentlevelsof voltagesarerequiredtopowertheseindividualsubsystems.Isolationbetweentheoutputvoltages andinputsupplyisanotherkeynecessity
Themultipleoutputflybackconverters(MOFC) topologyiswidelyusedastheauxiliarypowersupplyinlowpowerapplicationsbecauseofits simplicity,fewercomponentsandoverallcosteffectiveness.
CrossregulationbetweendifferentoutputsisanimportantrequirementinconventionalMOFCs Itisdefinedasthedeviationofanoutputvoltageduetoaloaddisturbanceonanotheroutput. Notethatitisdifferentfromloadregulation,whichisthedeviationofanoutputvoltagedueto theloaddisturbanceinthesameoutput.Thevoltagedeviationduetocrossregulationcanbe upwardsof5%attheworstcasecondition,whichisunacceptablesincearegulatedDCvoltageis desirableinmostapplications.Conventionalmethodsofimprovingcrossregulationachieve betterperformanceateitherthecostofsystemefficiency,powerdensityorboth.
Fig. 4 Top and bottom view of the two-output flyback converter prototype
Fig. 3 (a) Gate dependent reverse conduction characteristic of an emode GaN HEMT. (b) Equivalent symbol representation. reversedirectionwhenitisturnedOFFwithanegative gatevoltage,asobservedfromtheI-Vcharacteristics showninFig.3.ThispropertyisutilizedintheMOFC, where all active switches are GaN transistors. For example,inthecaseofatwooutputflybackconverter, whiletheprimaryswitchisdrivenwithaunipolargate driver,bipolargatedriversareusedtoturnONthe secondary and tertiary switches during two distinct intervals.DuetotheuseofnegativeturnOFFvoltages, thesecondaryandtertiarywindingsconductcurrentin two distinct intervals. These two intervals, and consequently,theflowofcurrenttoeachoftheoutput capacitors is controlled using two PI controllers to independentlyregulateeachoutputvoltage
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Research Paper: A. Sarkar, B. T. Vankayalapati and S. Anand, "GaN Based Multiple Output Flyback Converter With Independently Controlled Outputs," in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol 69, no 3, pp 2565 2576, March 2022 Experimental Prototype and Results Theteamdevelopedanexperimentalprototypeofthetwooutputflybackconvertertovalidate the proposed idea. The top and bottom view of the converter and its compact size is demonstratedinFig.4.Thepowerdensityoftheprototypeis51W/in3.Theteamdidmultiple stagesoftheprototypedevelopment,namelytheprintedcircuitboardschematicandlayout, componentsoldering,andexperimentaltesting,inthelaboratoriesavailableintheDepartmentof ElectricalEngineering.Themagneticswasintegratedintothemainboardusingtheplanar transformertechnology,wherecoppertracesontheboardareusedasthetransformerwindings. The experimental load regulation results shown in Fig. 5 compare the crossregulation performanceoftheproposedschemewithaconventionalsynchronousrectifiedMOFCwith weightedfeedbacks.Theweightedfeedbackmethodisapopularcrossregulationreduction methodusedinindustry,wherethefeedbacksfromtheoutputsoftheconverteraregiven specificweights.However,asshowninFig.5(a)and(b),theabovemethodcannoteliminatethe crossregulationentirely.Forexample,whenIo2ischangedfrom10%to90%,a830mVchange inVo1anda184mVchangeinVo2arenoticed.Thisindicatesthatthetotalerrorisdistributed amongbothoutputs.Ontheotherhand,theresultswiththeproposedschemeshowninFig.5 (c)and(d)indicatenegligiblecrossregulation.Overthewholeloadrange,a0.2%cross regulationisobtained Fig. 5 Experimental load regulation waveforms Basedontheaboveresult,theMOFCwiththeproposedschemehaspotentialinisolatedoutput voltageapplicationswheretightvoltageregulationisrequired,suchastheauxiliarypowersupply forEmobility.ArnabSarkar(PhDstudentintheDepartmentofElectricalEngineering)also presentedthisworkintheIEEEIndustrialElectronicsSociety(IES)StudentandYoung ProfessionalCompetition2021andwasawardedthethirdprizeof500USD.Theteamisalso workingonvariousotheraspectsofWBGbasedpowerelectronicsforEmobilityapplications. 14
VivekanandcameupwiththeideaforNirmitiathis hometown,Shevgaon,duringthefirstwaveofthe COVID19pandemicin2020.Sincecourselectures wereconductedonlineduringthisperiod,hecould utilizetheextratimetoworkonhisinterests.Hefirst createdanaffordablewaterlevelindicator(worth ₹1,200)forhouseholdpurposes Later,whilehewas insearchofanaffordablemicrocontrollertoreplace thehighcostArduinohehadusedinhisprevious projects, Vivekanand came across the STM8S003F3P6controller(worth ₹19);hestarted creatinglibrariesforthismicrocontrollerwhichledto theNirmitiproject.Later,hisbatchmateandfellow WELRA,Mr.RohitKale,joinedhimindeveloping thelibraries. RUTUJA CHALKE Making a difference through Nirmiti Nirmiti Board:AreadytousemicrocontrollerboardforSTM8S003F3P6,whichhasa minimalcircuitrequirementtoprogramthemicrocontroller Nirmiti Base Shield:AnexternalperipheralmoduleonwhichtheNirmitiboardcanbe attached Nirmiti Blocks:Adraganddropgraphicaluserinterfaceforbuildingavisualblockcode Nirmiti IDE:Softwarewithatexteditorforwriting,compiling,anduploadingthecode whereinthecodeisautogenerated TheNirmitiKitcomprisesof Innovationsinthefieldofelectricalengineeringarenowflourishingmorethaneverasstudents arekeentoexpandtheirknowledgebeyondthecoursecurriculum.TheNirmitiprojectbyMr. VivekanandDhakane,anM.Tech.studentatIITBombayandResearchAssistant(RA)atthe WadhwaniElectronicsLaboratory(WEL),isaninspiringinitiativetomakeelectronicseasyto learn,userfriendly,affordable,andaccessibleforeverystudentindependentoftheirlanguage, fromschoolleveltodegreelevelandevenforhobbyists.Theinitialprototypeworkofthis projectwasfundedbySINEatIITBombayundertheNidhiPrayasprogramofferedbythe DepartmentofScienceandTechnology,GovernmentofIndia.Technicalimplementation supportwasprovidedbytheWELstaff
Mr.MaheshwarMangat,Mr.AmitShetye,andMr.
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OneoftheuniquefeaturesoftheNirmitiboardisthatbesidesEnglish,itcanbeprogrammedin Nirmitisoftwareusingregionallanguages(presently,usingMarathi),whicheliminatestheneed toknowtheClanguageusedforprogramming.TheonboardLiPObatterychargeronthe Nirmitiboardmakesitaselfsufficientsystem.
MaheshBhaganagare
TO KNOW FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE NIRMITI PROJECT VISIT WWW.NIRMITI.TECH OR SCAN THIS QR CODE 16
TheNirmitibaseshieldhasaBluetoothportforwirelesscommunication,alongwithasmall OLEDdisplayandonboardsensorssuchasadistancesensor,motionsensor,andtemperature sensor
The presence of these peripherals in Nirmiti enables its potential application in automation,dataacquisition,androbotics.AninterestingapplicationoftheNirmitiprojectisthe Nirmitiremotecontrolledcar,developedbyVivekanand,whichcanbecontrolledthroughthe NirmitiAndroidappviaBluetooth.
Inthefuture,Vivekanandaimstoworkonmoresuchprojectsfordemonstratingbasicphysics andmathematicalexperimentsusingNirmiti,whichcanbeusefuleducationalresourcesfor students.HeisalsoplanningonmakingtheNirmitiproductsavailablecommerciallyinthenext 12yearsVivekanandbelievesthatmakingNirmitisoftwareavailableinregionallanguageswill helpinremovinglanguagebarriersforstudentswillingtolearnaboutelectronics,especiallyin ruralareasinIndiawithoutaccesstotheEnglishmediumofinstruction.BesidesMarathi,heis nowworkingonaddingHindiasoneofthelanguagesinthesoftwareandeventuallyaimsto includeotherregionallanguagesaswell.Anothertaskunderdevelopmentisthecreationofauser manualforNirmitisoftwareandhardware,whichwillhelpusersseamlesslydeveloptheir applications.Vivekanandisfocusedondesigningbugproofsoftwareandmassmanufacturable hardware.Oncemassproductionisachieved,heplanstopromoteNirmitiproductsonsocial mediaplatformsbysharingprojectvideosandtocommunicatetheprojectbyconducting workshopsatschoolandcollegelevels.
Likeeveryotherinnovation,severalchallengespoppedupduringthedevelopmentoftheNirmiti project.Theprimarychallengewastheglobalchipshortagewhichhasledtoarapidrisein componentpricingsincethebeginningofthisprojectFortunately,thechipsupplyisexpectedto increasesignificantlyinayear.Delayinthedeliveryofrequirementsfortheprojecttoarural placelikeShevgaonwasyetanotherchallengeduringthepandemicUncertaintiesandimpacton timelinesduetotheunpredictablenatureofthepandemicwerechallengesthatweresuccessfully overcomebytheteam.
ThehistoryofVPNsdatesbackto1996,whenitstartedwiththedevelopmentofPPTP Peerto PeerTunnelingProtocol.Initially,VPNswereusedalmostexclusivelyincorporateenvironments. VPNwasoriginallymeanttobeusedbybigcompaniesandorganizationsfortheirbusiness objectivesanditwasn’tintendedforanaverageonlineuser.Companiesneededasecureprivate networktocommunicateandsharedatabetweendifferentlocations,andalsotoallowemployees toaccessfileswhilebeingoutsidethecompany’sownnetwork. UsingVPN,anemployeecouldaccessaprivatebusinessnetworkthroughtheinternet,allowing theuseofconfidentialdatawithouttheentirenetworkbeingexposedtotheoutsideworlddirectly andreducingtheriskofunauthorizedusersstealingdata.However,therashofhighprofile securitybreachesoccurringintheearly2000swasakeymomentinthehistoryofVPN technology.Withthis,everydayinternetusersbecameawareofthetruerisksofworkingonline andbegantolookformoresecurewaysofdoingso.Today,VPNsareusedtosecureinternet connections,preventmalwareandhackingandtoensuredigitalprivacy.Easiertouseandmore affordablethanever,aVPNisanessentialtoolforstayingsafeandsecureonline. PRIYANKA BAGADE Concept Byte - VPNs ThereareasetofdedicatedprivateIPaddresseswhich areallottedtoIITBbytheinternetserviceprovider (ISP)andthesearelimitedinnumber.Allthedevices insideIITB’snetworkcannotbeallottedauniqueIP addresswithinthislimitedrange,andhenceweneed aninternalprivatenetworkwithadifferentIPaddress range.IITBusesa10dotprivateaddress(Ranging from10.0.0.0to10.255.255.255 a10.0.0.0network witha255.0.0.0or/8(an8bit)mask). Why does IITB need a Virtual Private Network? SIDDHARTH ANAND ADIL KHAN Special Thanks to Prof. Varsha Apte for insightful discussions with us on working of VPNs History of VPNs Implementinga10dotnetworkgivesaround1,67,77,216addressestouse,andsinceIITB’s networkwouldneverneedthesemanyaddresses,so10dotisagoodchoice.Theseinternal addressesarenotvisibletotheoutsideworldandcanbeaccessedonlywithinthecampusnetwork Moreover,sensitiveservicesaremadeavailabletocertainspecificIPaddressesandnottoany publicIP.Nowtoaccessaparticularhostinsidethecampusnetwork,sayadepartmentserverora labmachineovertheinternet,theuseofaVPNisneeded.ThisisbecausethehosthasaprivateIP address,whichisnotuniqueintheentireinternetandhenceisnotvisibleoutside.Henceonehas togotocampus“virtually”,whichcanbeachievedbyusingavirtualprivatenetwork. 17
AVPNhidesanIPaddressbylettingthenetworkredirectitthroughaspeciallyconfiguredremote serverrunbyaVPNhost.ThismeansthatifonesurfsonlineusingaVPN,theVPNserveractsas theapparentsourceofyourdata.TheInternetServiceProvider(ISP)andotherthirdpartiescannot seetheactualdestinationofthedatasentandreceivedonline.Moreover,usingencryptionwhich takesplaceinrealtime,thedataitselfcanbemadesecurefrombeingseenbyintermediaries.Thus, aVPNmakesitmoredifficultforthirdpartiestotracktheactivitiesofanonlineuser. TounderstandhowVPNworks,wecanuseananalogy Aprivatemeetisorganizedexclusively forIITBstudents.StudentsarerecognizedonlyiftheywearaspecificIITBTshirt.Themeetis confidentialandeverystudenthastoreport“undercover”.Hence,eachstudentwearsagownon topoftheirspecificTshirts.Thegownwouldmaketravelfromtheinitialpointtothefinal destinationnotsuspicious/special.Tunnelingisaprocessbywhicheachdatapacketisencapsulated insideanotherdatapacket(agown),thusmakingitdifficultforthirdpartiestoreadintransit. WhenVPNtunnelingisinitiated,itconnectswiththeVPNserverofcampus.Thisistheactby whichonegetstheTshirt.TunnelingandconnectionwiththeVPNserverensurethatonly authorizedthingsareletonthecampus.
Being connected to the VPN server implies that one is virtually inside IITB’ s network, and hence all the firewalls and access rules of campus apply. There are quite a few rules imposed by CC (Computer Centre) when on the campus network and therefore, there are certain things one cannot access even on being connected to IITB’s VPN server.
WhenusingaVPNgateway,anIPpacketisencapsulated insideanotherIPpacketandtheinnerpacketistherealIP packet(containingactualdata).TheouterIPpacketusesa publicIPaddressinitsheader(assourceordestination)and theinternalIPaddressisreferredtobytheinternalpacket. ThisrealIPpacketisretrievedbydecapsulationofthe outer IP packet at the destination. Routers inside the campusnetwork(whichisbeingaccessedfromoutside) canonlyunderstandthisretrievedIPpacket.
Earlier, there was an upper limit of 300 concurrent connections to the VPN server that has been raised to 1500 now. Why is such a limit necessary?
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While being connected to IITB’ s VPN server, access to certain things is not permitted even when outside campus. Why is this implemented?
The limits have been set because of the processing and connection capacity of the machinery employed. Tunneling and decapsulation of IP packets consume bandwidth. With an increase in the number of packets tunneled, there is an increase in the bandwidth consumed. Hence, there is a maximum limit to the connections that can be made to the VPN server at a single time. How does a VPN work?
SHRUSHTI TAPAR
. EE ACE The Department’s Alumni
departmentalcellsforconnectingalumniwiththedepartment.Itsaimistoshowcasethelatest researchandinviteindustrialcollaborativeopportunities.EEACEcellisguidedbyanadvisory committeeofdistinguishedalumniandexperiencedfaculty.Itsactivemembersareitsstaffmembers, facultycommitteemembersandstudentswhoreporttotheHeadoftheDepartment. Tasks and responsibilities of the EE ACE team
Withafocusondepartmentlevel engagement, the EE Alumni and Corporate Engagement (EE ACE) office complementsandsupportsthe Institute ACR office in their mission of developing long termrelationshipswithAlumni andIndustryinfourofthefive sub-categoriesshownbelow.
Outreach: Themostcrucialstepofstartingcommunicationistocreateacommonplatform.The Outreachsectionworksonafoundationallevelforcommunicatingevents,activities,initiativesand ongoingstate-of-the-artresearchthroughmassemails,InstituteACRandAlumniAssociation newslettersinjointventurewiththedepartmentalmagazineBackgroundHumandsocialmedia siteslikeFacebook,InstagrammanagedbyEESA.
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Engagement: Thebondgetsstrongerwithrelevantcommunicationandengagementatthe departmentlevelwithaninterestedsetofalumni.WiththevisionofbuildingastrongEE community,yearlyactivitiesliketalks,interactionwithfaculty,student-guidedlabtourshavebeen well-receivedbyalumni.Thedepartmentisactivelylearningthroughtheexperiencesofalumni, whohavemadesignificantcontributionsintheirfields. (Left) '96 Silver jubilee batch group picture during department visit. (Right) Lab tour for the silver jubilee alums
EEACEisaninitiativelaunchedbytheElectricalEngineeringDepartment in2019.ThemotivationbehindestablishingACEwastosetupaproper hierarchicalcommunicationsystemamongtheinstituteofficesandinterand Corporate Engagement cell
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Apreliminaryproposalforanindustry-facingCentreofExcellenceintheareaofE-Mobilitywas initiatedfromEEACE,championedbyProf.SandeepAnandandProf.B.G.Fernandes,whichwas latertakenupbyIITBDRF.EEACEcontinuestosupportitintermsofoutreachtoindustry bodies.
Industry partnership: Industrypartnershipsworkforbridgingthegapbetweenacademicresearch andindustrialresearchandtherebyenhancingtheskillsandjobopportunitiesforstudents.
Secured the formal partnership with Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers (SIAM) for E Mobility Media coverage on the partnership announcement (Left) Inauguration of the Collaborative classroom and Experiential Lab by Dr Hemant Kanakia on 14th February 2022 (Right) Prof VM Gadre teaching in the collaborative classroom
Future Vision Withthemission“Togetadiversesetofpeopletalkingtoeachother”,wearebrainstormingthemes anddomain-specificevents.TheTBDflagshipEEACEeventwouldinviteprofessionalsand academicsbelongingtoaspecifictechnicaldomainaswellasfutureaspirantswiththeprospectof workinginthedomaintointeractwitheachother,creatingcollaborativeopportunities.Wewill keepexpandingouroutreachtoalumniforcultivatingastrongEEcommunity-inthedepartment, campusandbeyond!
Fund raising: “Alonewecandolittle,togetherwecandosomuch”-HellenKeller.AssistingDRF, ACRandotherinstituteofficeswithbackgroundinformationisthemainfocusofthefundraising aspectsofEEACEoffice.
Departmental projects: “TellmeandIforgot,teachmeandImayremember,involvemeandI learn” by Benjamin Franklin. The learning and teaching experience was pushed towards enhancementinthedepartmentthroughrevampingofexistinginfrastructure.Advancedlearning methodsaretheneedofthehourforsustainingmoreflexiblelearningwithever-growing technology.EEACE tookresponsibilityforsustainingtheseneedstoacceleratethelearning experienceofstudents.OnesuchexampleistheCollaborativeClassroomandExperientialLab. MakerBhavanFoundation(MBF)isanalumni-establishedcharityorganizationworkinginthe highereducationsector.EEACEstaffworkedtopitchaproposaloncollaborativelearningtoMBF, leadingtotherenovationoftwoclassroomsforacollaborativelearningmode.
EE Alumni Tour On25thJune2022,theDepartmentofElectricalEngineeringhelditsfirsteverlabtourforlocal alumniorganizedbytheEEAlumniandCorporateEngagement(ACE)team.Theenthusiasmfrom thealumnicommunityandstudentswasunprecedented.Alumnivisitedusfromplacesasfaras Rajasthan,PuneandasnearbyasAndheri.Wehad75attendeesrangingbetween70yearsto3years old!Wehadourundergradsvisitofflimitlabsandwealsohadgreatfood!Wehopeyouenjoythe picturejourneyofasuccessfulandeventfulday! 21 Registration Welcome by Faculty Orientation and welcome WEL Lab Nanofabrication Facility NCPRE
22 Control and Computing Lab aiCAS Lab WEL Lab Exhibit Lunch Interaction Exhibit End of Day Interaction ACE team with volunteers and staff
Doyouthinkyouhavealottooffertotheworldaroundus?Orareyoutheonewhowillhavethis intheheartoftheirhearts–“gradesandjob,that’sallthatmatters.”Arewesooccupiedwithseeking outwhatweneedfromthesystemthatwemissoutontheopportunitiestocultivateourcharacter? Buthowischaracter-buildingrelatedtoelectricalengineering? WeheldsomethinguniqueinthefirstweekofAugust2022:A Reunion-Convocationforthegraduatedbatchesof2020and2021.An eventlikethisistheperfectexampleofblurringoflines–studentprofessional,oralumnus-student.Thingsthathappenwhenpressures beyondourcontrolimposeuponus.Theeventwasastepping-stone fortheentiredepartment,providingmuch-neededclosuretowhathas beenatoughcoupleofyears.Everyonegrappledwithunprecedented challengesaroundtheworld.Thingsarestillnotbackto‘normal’for many,buteachdayimprovesonthelastone.
The Pressures of Being Human while Breathing Engineering
Inessence,knowwhatisimportantanddon’tlettheebbandflowofemotionswayyou. Health is important. Wealth is also important. Also, build on relationships. Don’t speak/ write emails when angry. Don’t make decisions when you ’ re sad. Don’t promise things when you ’ re happy.
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Thepreviousarticleintheseriessatyoudowntofourmostcommonhumanindividualactions.The simpleactofstartingandendingthedayconsistentlyandwithawarenesswilldeveloppsychoemotionalprotectionsonetakesforgranteduntilthey’rerippedaway.Inthisone,weexplorenot individualresponsibilitybuttheimportanceofcommunityandrelationships.
NEHA CHAUDHURI
Towards Wellness
Theword:hum
ComingTogether
TheDepartment’sHeadtoday,Prof.KishoreChatterjeeaddressedthegatheringwithakernelofa lessononecanonlygainfromexperience–thatenjoyingtheworkyoudo,enjoyingtheintellectual stimulationorthecamaraderieofcolleagues,attheendofthedayisimportant.Thatmoneyisgood, butitisnottheonlythinginlife.DepartmentHeadduringCovid,Prof.BGFernandes,followed withabulletlistofwisdomdistilledfromdecadesofinteractionsandexperiences.Hereitis,word for abouthealthandwellnessisgrowingacrosstheworld,especially afterourstellarentryintothe20softhe2000s.Whatmakesforgoodhealth? Whatcomponentsadduptoconstitutethatelusivestateofbeingthatseveral billionpeoplehavebeengrapplingwithlately?
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WiseWords
“Thereisnosuchthingasagoodorabadboss.”
Pressures:TheyExist Inphysicswestudyaboutpressure–atitsverybasic,itisapplied perpendiculartoanobject’ssurfacearea.(Wecandiscussthefinerpoints ofitbeingscalaroraforce(asusedinformally)later.)Wehearaboutour planetunderincreasingpressuresof…canyouguess?Wetalkaboutthe pressureforexcellenceandtheincreasingpressureofperformanceonour studentsandfaculty.Whenwetalkaboutthese,wehunch,lookdown, bemoansomeaspectofourlivesorwatchthenextthingonNetflixbefore weheadofftoplayCounterstrike.
Becausetherelationshipsyouhaveandthecompanyyoukeepcanmakeyou“adropofwater shiningonalotusleaforanindistinguishablemassofabiglake.”Howdoeshegettothis conviction,yourteacher?Howdoeshehandthemovertoyouin5minutes:awholelifetime’s learningaboutliving?
Wisdomistermedwisdombecauseithaswithstoodpressuresoftime, space,multiplehistoricalerasandseveraldegreesofhumanviolenceand annihilation.Amaniscalledwisewhenhetoohasdonethesameand livedtotellyouaboutit.
Wisdomistermedwisdombecausetheblurringoflines–likewithour reunion-cum-convocation–isonthesurfacewhilerock-solidlessons nevergoaway.Thereisanelementoftheeternaltothem.Thatiswhy theyarepassedon–fromstudenttoteacher,fromfriendtofriend,from colleaguetocolleagueandinourpersonalrelationships.
Hiswiryframestoodatthepodiumwithconviction,“Baba,youlearnfromeveryone.Learnfrom thepersonabouthowyoushouldnottreatpeople.”
Prof B G Fernandes Prof Kishore Chatterjee
“Andtotheonewhohurtsyousaythankyou,youhavegivenmetheopportunitytorelease myselfandfindsomeoneelse.”
“Diamondsbegintoformatabout725,000poundspersquareinchofpressureandtemperatures between2,000and2,200degreesFahrenheit.Atthishighpressureandtemperature,carbonatoms combinetoformcrystals.Eachcarbonatomcombineswithfourothercarbonatomstocreatethe famousstrengthofdiamond,thehardestmaterialintheworld.”Youcanmakediamondsinthe lab.Youcanrecreatethoseconditions,takebitsofMoissanite,ZirconorTopaz,andmake diamonds.Youcanbuyandsellthematcheaperpricestoo.Theyevenlookmorediamond-y thanrealones.Buttheyarecalledsimulationdiamondsforareason.They’renotmadeinthe naturalworld,donothavethedurabilityorhardnessoftherealdealandtoaconnoisseurwho knowsthedifference,sparkleswithoutthosepropertiesdon’tmatter.
Pressures:TheyMake
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GettingintothechemistryofitallisperhapssomethingbesthandedovertotheChemistry Department.I’dliketogetintothecommunityorthehumanityofit.Andtheroleof relationshipsinstrengtheningordepletingyou.Whythestrengthoffour-friend,family,foe, guru?Wearemuchcarbonafterall.Alotofteacherscanknowtheirsubjectslikethebackof theirhands.Manyindividualscanspendtheirlivesstudyingandteachingthem.Yetonlya handfulofpeoplecanbringthewholedramaoflivingintoyourawarenessandshakeyouawake whenconveyinghowtobeacertainkindofhumanbeingtoo.Suchpeopletakethewoundsof theirexperiences,absorbanddirectincreasingpressuresontheworldandtheirownlives,and transformthemintolessonsforall.Notallpeoplewhodothiscantalktoyouabouthowtheydid it.Notallofthemendupaliveforverylong.Notallofthemstickaroundwhereyouare.The probabilityoffindingapersonlikethatisliketrekkinginLohagarhandfindingadiamondon theway.
Whyarewesurroundedbypressureandwhydoweneedtoworkwithit?Whycancertain pressuresbreakyoudownandnottheotherperson?Whyaresomepressuresuniversally consideredgoodwhileothers,well,bad?Andwhatpressuresleadtothedistilledwisdom?Apart fromthethoroughknowledgeoftheirsubject,whatmakesateachermorethanjustateacher?By extension,whatmakesastudentmorethanjustayoungpersonhereforagoodsetofgrades,for thepromiseofajobattheendofthegrind?
FourCarbonAtoms
Weareallformsofcarbon,yetonlythelongdeadthingsunder ourfeethavingspenteonsbeingcrushedandturnedinto carbonmushareeligibleforformingdiamonds.Havingdied, buried,crushedandmushedtogetherisnotenoughthough.It isonlywithsurroundingdiamond-formationconditions,which arepreciseandintense,thatdiamondscomeintobeing.
AtothertimeswestudypressureinFluidDynamics,utilizecapacitivesensorstoassesspressure, employstraingaugestotweaksystemstooptimaladjustment.Weusehigh-pressuredtanksfor storingoxygen,argon,nitrogengasesusingthemtomakesemiconductordevices.Weuse pressureasbuffer,storageandprotection.Weuseitforholding,mouldingandshaping.Wehave devicestocheckformultitudeofpressures,sowecanbepreparedfor…whatexactly?Doom, disaster,destruction?Sothatwecanachieve…optimalperfection?
Ms. Neha Chaudhuri is a part of the EE ACE team. She can be reached at eeacr.iitb@gmail.com.
Howcanwedothat?Wecandothatthroughabsorbingtheliminalenergyofpeoplearoundusas weshowup.Wecandothatbyofferingthemthebestofourselveseverymoment.Ourdepartment hasworkedveryhardovermanydecadestohavesuchteachers.Andstudentsworkveryhard,have workedformanydecadestocometoEE,tostayhere,toworkhere.Manydreamswerebornand manydied.Youwalkoneonsofdeadwishes,aspirations,brokendreamsandfulfilledlivesofothers untilthosehaveturnedtomush.Rightnow,youareinahigh-pressurewomb–theoneofyour AlmaMater,asProf.AmitSethiputittowrapuptheeveningbeforeVedantSatavtookthestage. Welcomethepressures.Findyourbuffers.Makestrongbondswithyourfriendsandteachers.Please default-countyourselflucky,seekoutyourmentor-teachers–andutilizethepositivepowerofthe forcesaroundtoturnyouintolittlediamonds. Yetherewewere,allofus,listeningintheair-conditionedConvocationHall,onthecuspofbeing student-professionaloralumnus-studenttoateacherwhosaid,“Bekind.Helpeachotherout.” withoutexpectinganythingbackinreturn.Eachoneofushasalottooffertotheworldaroundus, yetwearesooccupiedwithseekingoutwhatweneedfromthesystemthatwemisstheopportunities todevelopthetensilestrengthofgiving.
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TheHymnofLove
SAMYAK SHAH JANEEL PATEL
Iseemedtotrytobehappy DeepIknewnotIwas WhennolongerwasIableto Resist,Itoldhim;Iamsad, Causeissmall;effectislit Litlikefire Cravingtoharm Isamereunderstatement. Ithinkthisistheonlyway,Isay Heshowsme,no,neveristhereoneway Neveris!
VemparalaLakshmiPravallika SinkarSharvareeRajendra
Informal Section
VemparalaLakshmiPravallika Prof.SiddharthTallur
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Design Bhavesh Khichi Ojasvi Kathuria Special Thanks Neha Chaudhuri Shrushti Tapar Arnab Sarkar Rutuja Chalke WEL Lab Image Credits: Freepik Chief Editor Adil Khan Editorial Team Amol Shah Janeel Patel Mihika Dhok Mihir Kavishwar Prasann Viswanathan Pudi Seshasainadh Samyak Shah Sheel Shah Siddharth Anand We hope that everything is well with you and your loved ones. We are excited to present to you the August 2022 issue of Background Hum, our department's student newsletter. We would like to express our gratitude to the faculty, students, and EE ACE team whose important contributions made this edition possible. Your opinions and comments regarding the newsletter are welcome. Feel free to reach out to us at bh@ee.iitb.ac.in. Wish to contribute? Have an article idea? We're all ears! Visit the Background Hum website at www.ee.iitb.ac.in/~bh by scanning this QR code to find our present and past newsletter editions and article posts
