"The Global South faces the challenges of mitigation and adaptation amid its accelerating growth and energy needs. The solution lies in a combination of cost-effective policy, technological advancements, and a well-educated workforce. By mobilising local, national, and global expertise, Ahmedabad University’s Climate Institute will ensure the implementation of such a solution to address these challenges. The institute will also leverage the University's unique strengths and partnerships to create an impact through research and education," said Balaji Srinivasan, Founding Executive Director, at the launch of the Climate Institute.
Research on Indigenous cultures often overlooks their worldviews, favouring universal frameworks. Countries with a rich heritage are succumbing to the issues of deteriorating heritage, further pushing environmentally marginalised communities to the fringes. The multi-layered cultural heritage comprises tribes from various regions with distinctive practices deeply rooted in their heritage. Despite the differences, these tribes share a common bond, connecting them to their heritage issues. The solution lies in incorporating these stories to make heritage truly inclusive.
Dean James of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, with a background in organisational psychology, is now leading the prestigious management school as its first female dean. During her visit to Ahmedabad University, she spoke about the applied benefits of interdisciplinary learning. She shared her insights on the role of education in addressing global challenges, the necessity of gender diversity in the workplace, the pursuit of responsible research, and the potential synergies between the Wharton School and Ahmedabad University.
"Where diversity is celebrated," "Where futures are made," "Where capabilities are built," and "Where students can explore" - these phrases exemplify what Ahmedabad University means for the incoming students. The Class of 2028 at Ahmedabad University represents a diverse group of students from 21 Indian States and Union Territories, as well as seven countries. The incoming class also exhibits a healthy gender composition, with about 50 per cent of the students being women. What has attracted these students to Ahmedabad University?
The burden of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs), stemming from trends such as sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, and associated risk factors, is resulting in an alarming rise in morbidity and mortality both in India and globally. This was the central theme of a panel discussion among public health experts organised by Ahmedabad University on the occasion of announcement of its Bagchi School of Public Health. The School has been named in honour of eminent philanthropists Susmita and Subroto Bagchi, whose contribution of a transformative grant of INR 55 crores to the School will enable it to become a global leader in public health education and research. Research undertaken at the Bagchi School will focus on discovering sustainable health solutions to improve lifestyle, clinical practice, policy, and the environment.
The University’s Ahmedabad Writing Programme (AWP), which brings together writers, translators and publishing professionals on a common platform, has launched a two-week to one-month Writing Residency for writers writing in different languages. The residency aims to facilitate cultural exchanges and interactions among the writers through workshops, readings, and conversations about their creative process. The first iteration of the residency hosted two noted writers, Anukrti Upadhyay and Radhika Iyengar, who spoke about their writing and publishing experience, and also produced short literary pieces on Ahmedabad city. Anukrti writes fiction and poetry in both English and Hindi, and has published her writings in several publications. Radhika, a journalist and debut author, writes on various subjects including arts and culture, marginalised communities, history, and gender.
A mechanical body, electronic components, intricate software, unique shape, various colours, and much more go into the manufacturing and assembly of a remote control for a television or air conditioner. This example of just one item of daily use shows that the entire production chain, from conception to final product, requires the expertise of people from different backgrounds, making engineering inherently a multidisciplinary field. However, despite being an applied science, engineering is primarily taught theoretically, with less focus on devising pragmatic solutions for real-life problems. In such a backdrop, how can one integrate an engineering mindset with a problem-solving acumen? What does it mean to think like an engineer? Professor Timothy Gonsalves answers these and other questions, while deconstructing the basic concepts for driving an engineer’s thought process.
The study and preservation of heritage is emerging as an interdisciplinary field in the backdrop of evolving cultural landscapes worldwide. In this context, dance, in alignment with other art forms, signifies the intersection of heritage with human endeavour and spiritual experience. This was expressed by the renowned dancer, Dr Sonal Mansingh, recipient of the Padma Bhushan (1992) and Padma Vibhushan (2003), during her lecture at Ahmedabad University, wherein she recounted her journey through dance. She suggested that the aesthetic richness and cultural traditions encapsulated in dance should be integrated into the education system. This would help students understand the beauty of poems, literature, iconography, and motifs ingrained in local textiles and handicrafts. Dr Mansingh's talk aligns with the University's vibrant ecosystem that encourages students to cultivate a holistic understanding of different disciplines and art forms through experiential learning and innovative thinking.
The advent of Fourier Neural Operators (FNOs) represents a remarkable innovation in the field of machine learning. As a mathematical tool, FNOs can learn mappings between infinite-dimensional spaces of functions and are discretisation-invariant. Freya Shah, a student of BS (Honours) at Ahmedabad University, who has been exploring FNOs, will get an interesting opportunity to carry forward her research on using FNOs for quantum applications after having received the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) award at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for 2024. She will work on a Quantum Machine Learning project with Professor Anima Anandkumar, Bren Professor of Computing at California Institute of Technology. Freya’s research at Caltech will also explore if FNOs can learn the underlying quantum dynamics of these structured spin systems to generalise across similar unseen problems. After her previous research experience at Harvard University and the University of Waterloo, the study of FNOs at Caltech would be her third exciting research endeavour.
The creative economy, with its huge domino and multiplier effect, can create jobs, adding about 2.7 per cent to the GDP. This emerged from discussions among academics, researchers, and practitioners at the 5th International Conference on Heritage Management Education and Practice at Ahmedabad University. The conference discussed the impact of digital technologies and emerging economic trends in arts, crafts, heritage, and innovations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Various economic and technological perspectives needed for adapting to the changing landscape were also examined.
Determined to create a bigger social impact in improving human and planetary health, Ahmedabad University's School of Public Health and the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) collaborated to establish the Sahyog Centre for Promoting Health. The institutions will combine their strengths in epidemiology, health promotion, research, training, community empowerment, and outreach to improve health locally, nationally, and globally, especially among the underprivileged.
Books challenge our preconceptions, provoke our thoughts, encourage us to think critically and spark new ideas. They expose our minds to seek new possibilities and introduce us to diverse cultures, experiences, and perspectives. Books are dangerous in the sense that they hold the power to change our lives, that is, if we allow them to.
Vice Chancellor Pankaj Chandra discusses the wider and deeper perspective that Ahmedabad University aims to create in its students through The BxMx Programme, a dual degree highly selective programme for very well-prepared students.
Kaumudi Joshipura, Dean of our recently announced School of Public Health, puts across her vision for the School in this interaction, expanding on how she plans multiple creative initiatives integrating research, education, and health promotion.
The Indian technical textiles industry is currently the fifth largest in the world. This exciting growth is driving innovation and industry expertise, building of a skilled labour force, and deeper opportunities for research and development. Ahmedabad University and Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA) have collaborated to address this need for relevant resources and infrastructure development in this domain.
Recently, Ahmedabad University’s unique learning initiatives were recognised by two globally acclaimed academic bodies – Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) and Times Higher Education (THE). What are these innovative practices that are aimed at creating critical thinkers who understand the social, technological, and business context of 21st-century challenges?
Stand by the values of respecting diversity, leave a place better than before, and call out the wrong. Each of these will go a long way in shaping how you own your education, writes Vice Chancellor Pankaj Chandra, in this open letter to the incoming students.
Ahmedabad University is participating in reducing barriers to higher education. We recognise how essential such education is in today’s environment. With the Karta Initiative, we provide to over 35 Karta Scholars the foundation they require to build their future.
What brings a national-level rifle shooter from Bangalore to Ahmedabad University? How does a student from Gangtok sense that Ahmedabad will soon become her second home? Incoming students of 2023 talk about what drew them to Ahmedabad University and the inclusive experiences the University has curated for them.
The Class of 2027 receives some great advice from their seniors on how to negotiate University life, and the list includes everything from building skills through the Foundation Programme and planning their courses over the next four years to the yummiest food and the best hangouts on and off Campus.
Faculty and students at the School of Engineering and Applied Science are deeply involved with the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in addressing various challenges salt pan workers face in the Rann of Kutch. One of these is devising a scientific method to improve groundwater identification and eliminate the manual digging of wells.
Through his for-profit Redicine Medsol, Ahmedabad Alumnus Raj Shah addresses the problem of patients who fail to take the right medicines at the correct times. In this interview with AACSB Insights of AACSB International, he traces much of his interest in social entrepreneurship to education at Ahmedabad University, where he learnt “discipline, happiness, strategy, design thinking, event management, negotiation, mind mapping, and systemic thinking”.
Through its Undergraduate Research Programme, Ahmedabad University provides opportunities for students to deeply explore issues by working independently under the supervision of a faculty member or with faculty in their laboratory or on their research projects. This Programme prepares students for graduate school and provides exposure to a research-oriented career.
From mentoring students on design to assisting them in evaluating and procuring materials to build their projects, from engineering complex tools for the research labs to supporting start-ups in building products, the Fabrication Workshop is transforming into a Learning Factory.
Economics undergraduate at Amrut Mody School of Management Aashi Verma is interested in examining how small-scale workers are affected by rapid urbanisation, especially in the light of the pandemic. She worked with eminent journalist P Sainath’s People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) for a story documenting Suhaagan Devi's daily life as a potter in Begamganj, a small town in Madhya Pradesh.
Mohit Gupta, Director, Career Development Centre at Ahmedabad University, engages with numerous talent acquisition managers from the industry regularly. “They are looking at T-shaped personalities in their workspaces today, and that’s how we groom students at Ahmedabad University,” he says.
Over the last three years, the student-run Stepwell Radio has developed as a multidisciplinary, cosmopolitan, and creative platform for community voices, addressing contemporary issues that transcend geographical boundaries.
Understanding the significance of safety practices and stringently implementing these in everyday life is an essential life skill. In modern workspaces, these have become necessary obligatory requisites for personnel. Sunil Kale, Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science, writes about how safety is critically linked to better productivity and quality of life.
Happiness, better health, or social bonds? What is it that ‘giving’ triggers? Philosophers and students at Ahmedabad University unravel the circle of giving, associated emotions of gratitude and satisfaction, and why these are essential.
The world is changing, and with it, the requirements of the workspaces of tomorrow. Here is how Ahmedabad University is reimagining the classroom beyond the physical walls and focusing on the whole development of students.
Almost 300 students across Ahmedabad University joined hands with the University’s Fine Arts Club in a project titled Rang-De-Pathshala. The objective was to paint murals in a city government school to assist in teaching, kickstart hygiene maintenance, and beautify the institution that has rudimentary facilities but is crucial to providing no-cost learning.
Mathis Maduit of the Rennes School of Business, France, is spending a term at Ahmedabad University and alongside discovering the city, its people, and its culture. Ahmedabad University’s student Dharmin Lungariya who had earlier spent a term at Rennes, exchanges notes with him on culture and learning initiatives in the Universities.
Defining science, technology, and innovation as the cornerstones of national growth, internationally renowned technology leader and former Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan urged the Class of 2022 to work on people-centric technology and make a difference to society.
How critical is a sighted practitioner to those seeking physiotherapy? People queuing up at the Blind People’s Association’s clinic have a story of trust to narrate. At Ahmedabad University's Physiotherapy College for the Visually Impaired, for students with varying degrees of vision, it is this trust that spurs them on to complete their education and build their financially independent space.
She was only 15 when she founded an NGO in Bhavnagar, her hometown in Gujarat, India, mobilising over 100 community volunteers to plant and nurture tree saplings in the courtyard of a church. Last month, Ahmedabad Alumna Hasti Modi (BBA 2020) received the prestigious Diana Award for her relentless efforts in the field.
