Srinagar, June 07: The 2nd Subject Expert Committee (SEC) meeting on Engineering and Technology under the WISE-fellowship for Postdoctoral (WISE-PDF) program, sponsored by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, successfully concluded its three-day deliberations at National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar.
The SEC meeting was organized by the Mechanical Engineering Department, from May 30th to June 1st, 2024, and was coordinated by Dr. Sandeep Rathee, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at NIT Srinagar.
The Department of Science and Technology’s ‘Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN)’ scheme aims to enhance women’s participation in Science and Technology (S&T) to achieve gender parity. The WISE-PDF and PhD programs provide opportunities for women scientists and technologists to pursue research in STEM fields as bench-level scientists.
In his keynote address, Director NIT Srinagar, Prof. A. Ravinder Nath and chief patron of the event, highlighted the SEC meeting as a vital platform for supporting women pursuing postdoctoral research. It allows them to present their work and receive feedback from established experts in their fields, he added.
Institute Registrar, Prof. Atikur Rehman, expressed the institute’s commitment to organizing similar events in the future.
Dr. Sandeep Rathee emphasized the importance of such gatherings in fostering a collaborative research environment, guiding women researchers to align their work with national priorities, and contributing to technological advancement in India.
The event saw the participation of over 100 participants and delegates, both online and offline, including SEC members, DST officials, and postdoctoral fellows. Various proposals covering topics in basic science and engineering were presented.
The experts expressed their gratitude to Prof. Nath, Prof. Rehman, and Dr. Rathee for their efforts towards nation-building and technological advancement.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Rathee thanked all the experts and his colleagues, especially Dr. Manoj Kumar, Dr. Ved Prakash, Dr. Dinesh Rajendran, and the administrative cell of the Institute for their support in organizing the event.