Using Historical Wars to Understand Thermodynamics
Dharamashi Rabari, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Science, a Thermodynamics expert and enthusiast, visited Olin College of Engineering in 2018. What fascinated him the most were the courses on offer, a unique blend of History and Sciences. There were courses on History and Materials, History and Chemistry, History and Physics, and many more. He says, “I was deeply inspired by these and for the first time in my life, I picked up a history book to read.” Professor Rabari read Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson. The book identifies 17 groups of molecules and narrates how they have greatly influenced the course of history, providing the impetus for early exploration and future discoveries.
Professor Rabari says, “Studying history for the very first time, I noted that it was very interesting how Napoleon's army perished because they could not sustain the cold temperatures as the tin buttons of their coats turned to powder. That's called Entropy Thermodynamics, I said to myself!” When he returned to Ahmedabad University, he decided to explore history and thermodynamics as a combined Independent Study Period (ISP) course for his students in collaboration with his colleague from the School of Arts and Sciences, Professor Aparajith Ramnath, whose research interests lie in the history of science and technology. In Winter 2022, they offered Thermodynamics in Historical Wars as an ISP course.
Why the Need for ISP?
ISP at Ahmedabad University is a set of hands-on winter term courses offered by experts, practitioners, and pioneers in various fields beyond their choice of discipline. It allows students to explore their passion and go beyond the classroom, making their academic learning truly interdisciplinary and conceptual understanding more experiential. Juhi Bansal, Senior Associate Director, Centre for Learning Futures, that offers the ENABLE and ISP courses, says, “Our ENABLE course Digital Experience Design builds on that digital practices are altering the way we archive, interpret and communicate knowledge resources to diverse audiences. Hence the need for understanding design and digital experience is crucial. Another of our highly popular ISP courses, Clues ‘The Truth Finder’: Solving the Crime, offered in Winter 2022 by our forensics expert, Professor Ritesh Shukla of the School of Arts and Sciences, makes students aware of the significance of clues and its role in the forensic investigation process and also prime them to prevent becoming a victim. We are facilitating an experiential learning process for students with a dynamic classroom approach.”
One of the ISP courses offered for Winter 2023 is Ocean Explorers - Concerns and Solutions with Shefali Naik, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Janki Teli, a naturalist working in the field of wildlife research, conservation, and education for the last 15 years. This ISP course will address the grand challenges of sedimentation in the oceans, curbing oil spills and minimising the damage caused, and developing an app for fishermen to help them sell their catch better nationwide. The ISP course, BiodiverCity: Prototyping Faunal Habitat in Urban Areas is being offered by academician and practising architect Priyanka Kanhare Patel for the second year. The course treats Ahmedabad as a classroom and helps students design captivating structures and installations that will enhance the habitat for various fauna species on Campus.
Ahmedabad University’s innovative initiatives such as the Foundation Programme, Engagement and Application Based Learning and Education (ENABLE), and ISP are building the foundations of a dynamic and strong 21st-century education in India. Recently, these highly impactful innovations in teaching and learning have been recognised internationally with two highly prestigious awards. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) presented Ahmedabad University with the Innovations That Inspire Award for 2023 for its Foundation Programme. Parallelly, the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Asia 2023 recognised it as a Highly Commended University for Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year. Ahmedabad University received THE’s unique distinction for its research-pedagogy design and unique learning initiatives, underscored by the Foundation Programme, ENABLE, and ISP.
