CORPORATE CITIZEN CLAPS FOR THE FACULTY MEMBERS OF THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (IIT), MADRAS FOR DIRECTLY FOUNDING 94 ENTERPRISES AS OF OCTOBER 2021, GENERATING A COMBINED VALUATION OF OVER RS 1,400 CRORE

As per the IIT Madras Incubation Cell (IITMIC), the number of faculty-founded start-ups witnessed a sharp increase from 37 ventures in April 2017 to 69 in June 2019, reaching 80 enterprises in 2020 before touching 94 firms by October 2021. Around 77 faculty members from various departments of the IITMIC, considered one of India’s leading deep technology start-up hubs, backed these start-ups. The involvement of the faculty members indicates that 13% of the total institute faculty strength of around 600 participated in steering these start-ups, which is at par with some of the best global universities. The enterprises raised most of their investments from angel investors or venture capital firms. From a start-up aimed at making hybrid aerial vehicles to enterprises converting waste to crude oil and efficient water transport solutions, the IIT Madras backed firms primarily focus on crucial areas of manufacturing, biotechnology, space tech, e-mobility, robotics, energy and renewables, Internet of Things, data sciences, healthcare, water treatment, electric Vehicles, waste management, and waste to energy and such initiatives. The Departments of Electrical, Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Aeronautics, and Applied Mechanics have primarily contributed to the ventures. Tamaswati Ghosh, Chief Executive Officer, IITMIC, said that over 12 % of the institute faculty are co-founders in these start-ups contributing to globally critical entrepreneurial domains. “This underlines our ability to translate cutting-edge scientific innovations to the field,” she said. IIT Madras’ impact is more than a drop in the ocean and adds to the overall IIT faculty diaspora’s contribution. Official Data states that IITs’ faculty members have founded, mentored, or advised over 240 start-ups in the last 10 years with a current combined valuation of Rs 11,500 crore. New dawn indeed as new-age teachers nurture their wards in fulfilling business cycles too.

CORPORATE CITIZEN SLAPS THE RISING PHENOMENON OF HIMALAYAN GLACIERS MELTING DURING THE WINTERS

According to a new study, unusually warm winters in the Everest region have implications on the geologically delicate area and on the ‘flowing rivers of ice’ called glaciers. Recent observations in the journal ‘Remote Sensing’ stated that in the past 72 years, Nepal’s Everest region recorded its first, second and third warmest winter days in 2020-’21. Researchers highlighted that January 12, in the same year, recorded a maximum daily temperature of 4.9 °C at the Everest Base Camp. The very next day, it reached 7.1 °C, which on January 14 was a record 6.3 °C, seen as an unusually warm winter day. Glaciers in the Everest areas of Barun, Bhote Koshi, and Hunku Nup are summer-accumulated glaciers. The bulk of the precipitation is received as rain, ice, and snow during the South Asian monsoons between July and September. With the receding monsoons, around October, when winter sets in, the glaciers stop melting, and the snowline remains roughly constant until the warmer months of February-March. However, the new study suggests that this may be changing as the findings observed that despite an increase in the average elevation of the snowlines, the snow-covered areas declined by 5% and 11% between October 13, 2020, and January 22, 2021. It indicates that the glaciers may have continued to melt even during the winters. The Department of Environment Science and Engineering at Kathmandu University reported that with Nepal’s long-term temperature and precipitation changes, the country’s mountainous region might be warming faster. However, glaciologist Sudip Thakuri called on the researchers to consider other possibilities. “snow from the previous monsoon season may have transformed into ice rather than melting, as sub-zero temperatures prevail above 5,000 meters.” This, he said, explained the decline in the snow-to-ice ratio. Thakuri noted that the prevailing winds may have redistributed the glacier’s mass, making it appear as if it has lost its mass through melting. As scientists watch the winter readings, it’s a wake-up call to tread on mother nature cautiously and help reduce global warming.