Author: Rahul Rajkarnikar

IGCS Alumni Experience- Namitha

Posted on by in Alumni

IGCS serves as a platform for research and academic exchange for Masters students, Doctoral candidates, and Scientists. Since its inception in 2010, we have been facilitating exchange of more than 1000 scholars from German and Indian academic institutions who are dedicated in contributing towards climate science.

The Experience Report Series celebrates our alumni and their success under IGCS. Today we share the experience report of Namitha D’souza who had their exchange period between 28. January 2024 until 28. July 2024 at Walter Schottky Instiute, Technical University of Munich, #Germany under Prof. Ian Sharp. Their home institution is the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, #India and their home supervisor is Prof. Jatin K Rath.

Namitha believes this exchange was a unique chance to gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge ALD techniques, deepening her expertise in solar cell technology.

Beyond the lab, this experience broadened her horizons on multiple levels. Living independently in #Munich allowed her to fully embrace the local culture, from exploring the Bavarian Alps to enjoying Germany’s food and festival traditions. Namitha shares that the time abroad not only expanded her research capabilities but also shaped her personal and professional growth, equipping her with both technical skills and a global perspective on sustainability research.

You can read more here:

Namitha_IGCS2024Download

IGCS and Goethe Institute collaborates Workshop, 2024

Posted on by in Archive

IGCS collaborated with the Goethe-Institut e.V. to host a series of sustainability workshops at IIT Madras from November 4th to 6th! These workshops aim to deepen participants’ understanding of key sustainability issues and foster collaborative discussions on innovative solutions aligned with the #SDG. This partnership highlights the shared commitment of both institutions to promoting sustainable development through education, research, and international cooperation.

The workshops will focus on:

Nov 4: Energy by Dr. Khulud Alsouleman from Technische Universität Berlin& Water by Mr. Lukas Paul Loose from Kiel University

Nov 5: Human-Nature Relationships by Dr. Christoph Woiwode & Waste Management by Dr. Mozhiarasi Velusamy from Leibniz Universität Hannover

Nov 6: Circular Economy by Dr.-Ing. Mohammad Chehadé from RWTH Aachen University

These workshops engaged 20-30 students of age groups 13-15 on the pressing topics of sustainability challenges, with sessions lasting 3 hours each. The sessions gave the students opportunities to visit the campus and the labs along with integration of German language elements, with 25 minutes dedicated to vocabulary.

#Sustainability #IndoGermanPartnership #IGCS #GoetheInstitut #IITMadras #SDGs #EducationForSustainability #Workshops

Research Brief- Dr. Saraswat’s Research on Education for Sustainability

Posted on by in Alumni

The IGCS actively contributes to the exchange of knowledge by facilitating collaboration between students and researchers, aiming to generate innovative solutions for sustainability. It is a research hub dedicated to addressing pressing sustainability challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration. Research is one of the core pillars of IGCS and is reflected in a wide array of our activities and events. The centre’s research involves collaborations with various esteemed institutions across Germany and India.

Today, we are excited to present a research brief from our alumni, offering insights into the key areas where our efforts are focused. Dr. Smriti Saraswat was our exchange student who had their exchange period between 08. July 2024 until 08. August 2024 at the Department of Architectural Theory, RWTH Aachen University, Germany under Prof. Axel Sowa. Their home institution is the department of Architecture and Planning at Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India and their home supervisor was IGCS’ Research Associate Dr. Christoph Woiwode. Their research was on the topic of ‘Higher Education Collaborations for Developing Framework for Vibrant Villages and Sustainable Communities in the Himalayan and Alpen Regions.’

Dr. Saraswat’s research, focuses on creating a collaborative framework for sustainable communities in the mountainous Himalayan and Alpen regions. The study addresses the challenge of urbanization by promoting rural revitalization through partnerships, specifically under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG-11 (sustainable communities) and SDG-17 (global partnerships). By fostering international collaboration among stakeholders in India, Germany, Nepal, and Bhutan, Smriti’s concept paper proposes strategies to harness local knowledge and resilience practices in these regions, thereby building frameworks for “vibrant villages” and sustainable, self-reliant communities.

You can read the full scholarship report here:

ResearchBrief-SmritiSaraswatDownload