Kanpur, 09 May, 2023: Material Advantage at IIT Kanpur, a student chapter in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with American Society for Metals (ASM) International Kanpur Chapter, Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) Kanpur Chapter, and Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) Kanpur Chapter, organized a three-day ‘Materials Camp’ at IIT Kanpur from May 6th to 8th, 2023. The event drew participation of 38 students and ten teachers from nine schools in Kanpur, namely DPS Azad Nagar, DPS Kalyanpur, Dr. Virendra Swaroop Education Centre, Jai Narayan Vidya Mandir, Kendriya Vidyalaya IIT Kanpur, Methodist High School, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Sheiling House School, and Sir Padampat Singhania School.

The event was inaugurated by Shri Pradeep Goyal, Senior Vice President of ASM International, who stressed the importance of materials in the world today. The Head of the MSE Department, Prof. Kallol Mondal, emphasized the role of material and processing in achieving the required performance, while Prof. Yogesh Joshi, Chair INAE Kanpur, highlighted the importance of the convergence of all engineering fields through research in Materials Science. Prof. Amarendra Kumar Singh, Chair, IIM Kanpur Chapter, spoke about the role of materials in civilization. Prof. Sudhanshu Shekhar Singh, Secretary IIM Kanpur Chapter, was also present at the event. Ms. Shruti Dubey, Mr. P. Shiven, Mr. Dhananjay Umrao, and Prof. Kantesh Balani were the lead organizers of the event.

The event was packed with activities and sessions over the course of three days. The first-day sessions involved talks on “Classification of Materials” by Prof. Niraj Chawake, followed by real-life demonstrations on materials in a mobile phone by Ms. Shruti Dubey and Ms. Pooja Rani from Material Advantage at IITK. Prof. Kantesh Balani delivered a talk on “Fascinating World of Materials,” which was followed by an impromptu session by Prof. Anish Upadhyaya on challenges in materials. A session on sample preparation and microscopy of various samples was also held at the physical metallurgy laboratory, which was coordinated by Mr. Gyan P. Bajpai and Mr. Ajay P. Singh from the MSE Dept., IITK.

The second day session highlights included demonstrations of Electrospinning, Wetting, Lab-safety, and Scanning Electron Microscopy by Mr. Shiven Ponnupureddy, Mr. Govind, Mr. Ajay Pratap Singh, Ms. Pooja Rani, Ms. Shruti Dubey, Mr. Murli Manohar, and Dr. Deepak Khare. The team comprising Mr. Dhananjay Umrao, Ms. Sheetal Singh, Mr. Vinay Tripathi, Ms. Reena, Ms. Suman Tripathi, Mr. Harsh Dwivedi ran a parallel session of a virtual lab on “Electron Microscopy for Beginners” with assistance from Mr. Dinesh Diwakar and Mr. Raj Babu.

The concluding day of the ‘Materials Camp’ focused more on mechanical testing and manufacturing processes to appreciate the utility of processing techniques in changing material shape and also attaining requisite performance. The proceedings were anchored by a team comprising Shri Anil K. Verma, Shri S.K. Agnihotri, Shri I.P. Singh, Shri Rakesh K. Dixit, Shri Gaurav Mishra, Shri Gyanendra Singh, Shri Samardeep, Shri Bharat R. Singh, and Shri Pappu Kannaujia. As a special highlight of the day, the students were taken on an industrial visit to Anod Plasma Spray Ltd., where they witnessed firsthand the surface preparation and coating deposition techniques, such as plasma spraying and flame spraying, on real-life components. The demonstrations were carried out by the expert team of Shri Ritik Tandon and Shri Viraj Tandon, leaving the participants visibly thrilled and energized. The three-day program culminated with the distribution of certificates to all the participants, and the overwhelming response received was a testament to the grand success of the Materials Camp.

About IIT Kanpur:

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur was established on 2nd November 1959 by an Act of Parliament. The institute has a sprawling campus spread over 1055 acres with large pool of academic and research resources spanning across 19 departments, 22 centres, and 3 Interdisciplinary programs in engineering, science, design, humanities, and management disciplines with 540 full-time faculty members and approximately 9000 students. In addition to formal undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the institute has been active in research and development in areas of value to both industry and government.

For more information, visit www.iitk.ac.in.