DEHRADUN: Four faculty from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have been featured in the compendium by the Confederation of Indian Industry - CII on 50 women achievers from India in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
The CII on Sunday launched an ebook, titled 'WiSTEM-2021: Nurture and Celebrate Women in STEM'.
Professor Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director IIT Roorkee, said, "It is a proud moment for us as four of our faculty members have been recognized in the e-book on Indian Women Achievers in STEM disciplines. I would like to congratulate CII on this initiative. It will encourage women from all walks of life to believe that their aspirations can be fulfilled if they can persist with their efforts."
The IIT Roorkee professors, part of the compendium include the names of Professor Davinder Kaur Walia, senior faculty in the department of Physics and Centre for Nanotechnology; professor Debrupa Lahiri, faculty in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and Center for Nanotechnology; professor Pranita P Sarangi, faculty at the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering and professor Kusum Deep, senior faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.
All four faculty members have vastly contributed to scientific research, new product development, patents, and research publications. They have inspired many students to take up STEM courses and engineering as a profession said the statement from the IIT-R.
The statement added, "All the women featured in the publication are warriors in their own right, for they have carved a niche career path for themselves, defying all the existing social barriers."
Commenting on the development, professor Debrupa Lahiri said, "I believe that a woman shouldn't let go off her aspirations due to social constructs. They should have faith and confidence in their ability and maintain a balance between family and profession, to let neither pull them away from their dream. Determination is the key to achieving goals. I am glad to be associated with a progressive institute such as IIT Roorkee, which in many ways is a torchbearer, encouraging and uplifting women with their multiple initiatives and programmes."
Professor Davinder Kaur Walia said, "I am thankful to CII that they are recognizing and appreciating the presence of women in STEM disciplines. These stories will act as morale boosters for future science and technology courses aspirants. Besides the institute, parents' encouragement towards their child's ambitions does wonders, irrespective of the field. I am grateful for all the support and push I received from my parents. For today, they are one of the key contributors to my success. My advice to all the students is to stay positive and enthusiastic about their dreams."
Elated with her inclusion in the list, Professor Pranita P Sarangi said, "I am extremely humbled to feature among such glorious women of India. I strongly feel that with the right environment and support women could achieve anything. We just have to believe in ourselves, listen to our hearts, set bigger goals, and rise above our environments to bring all dreams to reality. I am very happy and excited for the opportunity to contribute to initiatives such as DST's Vigyan Jyoti and Gender Advancement in Transforming Institutions (GATI) programs currently implemented at the institution."