IIT Indore Elevates STEM Education With Tinkerers’ Lab Inauguration

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore inaugurated Prof Deepak Phatak Tinkerers' Lab, a student managed facility on September 11. The facility is funded by the Maker Bhavan Foundation (MBF) and the Desai Sethi Foundation and is named after recipient of Padma Shri Phatak, a former chairman of IIT Indore who is known for his path breaking work on a variety of digital technology domains. The lab will remain open 24x7 to the IIT Indore community.

Phatak was the chief guest and were accompanied by Dr Hemant Kanakia, chairman and founder of Maker Bhavan Foundation and Bharat Desai of Desai Sethi Foundation. Phatak addressed the students and highlighted the value of Learning by Doing for an engineer.

‘Tinkerers’ Lab is an embodiment of fundamental aptitude and attitude of an IITian. Students will definitely enjoy building things with their own hands. The amount of innovation and creativity will depend upon the talent you use and passion shown. The product prototypes students build here will not be bound by any syllabus, but only by the imaginative ideas and creative talent brought to life. The students are encouraged to work and build things with their own hands and seek advice and mentorship from elders as required. The passion which gets poured into the work done here would make the students far better practical problem solvers in life. Their accomplishments here may constitute tiny steps taken towards becoming successful entrepreneurs,’ he said.

IIT Indore director Prof Suhas Joshi said, ‘The inauguration of Tinkerers’ Lab is a momentous occasion for IIT Indore marking our commitment towards nurturing next generation of engineers who are adept at practical problem solving, besides being well-versed in theory. It reflects IIT Indore’s commitment to provide holistic ambience to its students and prepare them to make a real impact in the world. The lab will be open 24x7 and that will give a lot of flexibility to execute working on one’s idea whenever it strikes and don’t have to wait for the next day.’

Desai joined the inauguration online from USA and interacted with the students in a fireside chat. He shared, ‘We are inspired by Phatak’s passion for teaching, his deep understanding of technology and his ability to translate that into clear conceptual principles that audiences can readily grasp and his immense love for India. This laboratory is dedicated to his contributions to India and his unwavering support to learning.’

Kanakia attended the function in person with his batchmates from the batch of 1975, IIT Bombay. He shared the history and goals of the programme. He said ‘Tinkerers’ Lab began with the support of the batch of 1975 of IIT Bombay. Today, it is the flagship initiative of Maker Bhavan Foundation working towards transforming India’s STEM education landscape by creating the future generation of talented technologists and inventive engineers – the next generation of changemakers who are master innovators, real problem solvers, confident builders and ethical leaders for the nation.’