Summary
The Department of Design is a much-expanded vision of the existing programme at IIT Kanpur
The Department of Space Science and Astronomy will cater to the broad area of Space, Planetary, Astronomical Sciences and Engineering
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has approved two new departments in the fields of Design, Space Science and Astronomy.
Speaking on the announcement, Abhay Karandikar, director, IIT Kanpur said, “IIT Kanpur firmly believes in diversity of education. We have been continuously revamping our curricula periodically to better suit the changing education ecosystem of the country and the setting up of new departments is also part of that process. I believe these two new departments in the fields of Design, and Space Science and Astronomy will facilitate new research and innovation in these crucial sectors and would broaden up the ever-expanding horizon of research and learning practiced at IIT Kanpur.”
The institute’s Design programme that has been in existence since 2002 will be transformed into the department of Design, and they are also planning to offer a Bachelor of Design course starting as early as 2023.
The department of Design will be headed by Nachiketa Tiwari, the current head of the Design programme. It will have a design cell to address the needs of the industry in areas of new product conceptualisation and development, product design, engineering design, branding, user experience, and packaging. The department will also develop strong collaborative relationships with international design schools such as the ones at Stanford University, Alto University, and Georgia Tech.
The department of Space Science and Astronomy will be devoted to the broad field of space, planetary, astronomical sciences and engineering.
The department will allow exploratory efforts in the field of Space Science to answer some pertinent questions such as, whether there is life in outer space, whether other planets are inhabitable, the science behind black holes, or whether asteroids can be mined or not, etc. The department will make important contributions towards enriching our understanding of the Universe, the solar system and all the other celestial objects by attracting faculties and researchers who work in these new and emerging areas of research.
Both undergraduate and graduate degree programmes (Masters and PhDs) will be offered by the newly-established department.
Last updated on 18 Jan 2022
