tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post7725080059198868716..comments2024-03-20T13:10:11.477+05:30Comments on nanopolitan: Book review: The IITs -- Slumping or Soaring?Abihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06790560045313883673noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-70662106309075633262007-09-10T13:40:00.000+05:302007-09-10T13:40:00.000+05:30"what prevented the IITs from going out and gettin..."what prevented the IITs from going out and getting research grants? Similarly, when faculty recruitment became a key issue, who prevented the IITs from raising resources for providing new recruits with generous start-up grants, travel grants, better administrative support, larger and better lab space, and lower course load? Is it fair to blame the Joint Secretary in MHRD for the IITs' inaction on these issues?"<BR/><BR/>Is IISc really different from IIT with regards to what it can do to attract more people? I have been to a couple of faculty meetings. I don't play the blame game; but the blame does not wholly lie with us.<BR/><BR/>We are playing kabaddi with one hand tied behind our backs... and for sure it wasn't us who volunteered for this.<BR/><BR/>You can criticize us for not using the other hand more effectively; but at least acknowledge that we are playing with a handicap.Nikethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882163077938014472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-26210693780860977902007-04-16T03:43:00.000+05:302007-04-16T03:43:00.000+05:30I would argue on the contrary, regarding the gover...I would argue on the contrary, regarding the government's role. Nowhere in the world does government sponsor PhD students, like they do for higher education in India. In the US, it is the professor who usually has to put fight for grants and pay his students a salary. <BR/><BR/>During my undergraduate years, what I found missing, more than anything else, was the "drive" to do new research, to make new things, to discover new phenomenon. Even as a student, it doesn't take much to feel the vibrations of politics which haunt our departments. You want promotions, and after that, research is the PhD student's albatross. <BR/><BR/>Annual review of publications, praise-per-publication, and closer interaction with industry need to be encouraged. Funds should not be taken for granted, funds should be generated by a drive. <BR/><BR/>As for the quality of students, bright minds look for 2 things:<BR/>1. A passionate, creative workspace<BR/>2. Reward for performance<BR/><BR/>The IIT culture does not excel in either.Saurabhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07310488652976618689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-90428212767365534502007-01-31T16:04:00.000+05:302007-01-31T16:04:00.000+05:30The tone of the book, written by someone who spent...The tone of the book, written by someone who spent so much of his life at an IIT, is disappointing. I donot agree that the current state of affairs is so bad that one has to panic. I feel the situation is not a simple one to just give a one line solution and be done with it. Eg., do the IITs have a clear cut thrust defined for themselves? The thrust seems to shuttle between UG teaching, research, technology development, industrial consultancy and continuing education. The social scenario today is not the same as two decades ago eg. MNCs, the IT phenomenon, increased population and the resultant desperation in the rat race and its side effects etc.,. The high percentage of research funds that continue to pour from the govt. and the global trend in funding agencies that would rather fund a sophisticated equipment than help upgrade a basic facility do play a role. We all know that it is easier to buy a TEM (thanks to nano or whatever) than a state of the art optical microscope. Ahh... its getting complicated. Well, what is the problem, BTW? :-) I mean, why not one problem and its various solutions at a time?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14375088770211511174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-6391874910954502732007-01-31T09:05:00.000+05:302007-01-31T09:05:00.000+05:30Abi:
A general notion is that many faculty members...Abi:<br />A general notion is that many faculty members at IITs, when promoted as a Full Professor, stops his/her research, and satisfies just bare-minimum reserach output required, for the rest of professional life. This leaves only a handful of Full Professors who are active with research. That means, a faculty, having reached the highest level in the ladder, lacks motivation for research.<br />I think one has to find the truth behined this notion by conducting a scientific survey of research output at various levels- Assistant, Associate, and Full professor, followed by an action plan, if the notion is true. This could improve the research output and promote external funding, I suppose.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com