S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Madras online international workshop deliberated on recent trends in science and technology. The workshop was organised by IIT Madras in association with IIT-M Construction Materials Group and Réunion Internationale des Laboratoires et Experts des Matériaux, systèmes de construction et ouvrages (RILEM) and Indian Concrete Institute.
IIT Madras online workshop focused on topics like ‘3D printing of concrete,’ which, with more development, could offer innovative solutions to meet future infrastructure demands including high construction speed, reduce material wastage and creative designs.
IIT Madras online 2020
IIT Madras online workshop was organised on 2 May and attracted widespread attention including not only from India but from countries such as the UK, U.S.A, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, DR Congo, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Kenya, Kuwait.
And also from Oman, Qatar, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, S. Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Singapore and U.A.E.
Among those who addressed the IIT Madras online workshop were faculty from Civil Engineering department of IIT Madras namely Professor Manu Santhanam, Head of the Department, Dr. Piyush Chaunsali and Dr. Radhakrishna G. Pillai, besides two other speakers from USA and an IIT Madras research scholar.
Each lecture was for 20 minutes with 10 minutes for responding to online questions. Speaking about IIT Madras online workshop Professor Ravindra Gettu, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT Madras, said they have developed the resources at IIT Madras to help disseminate research findings and transfer knowhow to a large number of interested people across the globe.
This is being appreciated specially during this period with restrictions on travel and meetings, he said.
RILEM is based in Paris, was founded in June 1947 to promote scientific cooperation in construction materials and structures.
Today, the new meaning of the acronym RILEM emphasises its dominant focus on people as well as its worldwide activities, covering 70 countries. Professor Ravindra Gettu is currently the president of RILEM.
One of the main point discussed in the IIT Madras online workshop was the possibility of using a wide range of natural materials and industrial by-products in concrete necessitates the use of rapid screening tests for assessing their suitability for ensuring performance and sustainability.
The other point discussed in IIT Madras online workshop was chemical activation which has been developed and validated as a means for high volume waste utilization in construction materials.
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Also discussed during the IIT Madras online workshop was about new binders which are said to be promising alternatives to cement with respect to their superior durability in specific applications.
The need for the construction industry to adopt an application-specific binder approach rather than one binder-fits-all approach was also a point discussed during the IIT Madras online workshop.
The requirement of a paradigm shift from design based only on strength to criteria considering strength, durability and crack resistance in order to enhance the service lives of concrete structures was also spoken during IIT Madras online workshop.
The announcements of IIT Madras online workshop were done through National Programme for Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), and the network of IIT-M Construction Materials Group, IIT Madras and RILEM Social Media.
IIT Madras online workshop was run with a video conferencing software and linked to YouTube with help from RILEM and IIT Madras web studio staff.
About IIT Madras
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an institute of national importance.
The activities of the Institute in various fields of Technology and Science are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary Research Academic Centres.
The Institute offers undergraduate and post – graduate programmes leading to the B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations.
IIT Madras is a residential institute with more than 580 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.
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IIT Madras has been ranked No.1 in the Overall Institutions category in India Rankings 2019 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India.
The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the Engineering Institutions category in the same Rankings for four consecutive years – 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
It was also adjudged as the ‘Top innovative Institution’ in the country in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2019 launched by Innovation Cell of MHRD.