It marked a successful gathering of professionals and researchers from diverse disciplines within the field of Earth Sciences.

The workshop featured an extensive program, including plenary talks, keynote addresses, and a multitude of oral and poster presentations, providing a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in the field, say sources from IIT Roorkee.

The inaugural program was presided over by Prof. K K Pant, Director IIT Roorkee, but due to a last-minute engagement, Prof Anand Joshi read his address.

During the proceedings, Prof. Joshi shared a message from Prof. K K Pant, the Director of IIT Roorkee, who emphasized the institution’s unwavering commitment to advancing research and education in Earth Sciences since its inception in 1960.

This conference, building on the success of the 2013 edition, symbolizes our dedication to pushing the boundaries of Earth Sciences. Generous support from sponsors, including ONGC Videsh, Horiba India, NRSC, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Leica Microsystems, Parsan, ThermoFisher Scientific, and Amaron, has made this event possible.

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As we commence this workshop, it serves as a nationwide platform for showcasing scientific advancements, fostering collaboration, and contributing to the continual growth of Earth Sciences in India, said IIT Roorkee director.

Chief Guest

Chief Guest was Sanjeev Tokhi, Director (Exploration) at ONGC Videsh Ltd. He attributed his achievements to his academic pursuits and overall personal development while on campus.

He emphasized the critical need for net zero energy security development, correlating it with decisions made during CCOP23.ted eve

Expressing his privilege to be part of the National Workshop on Earth Sciences at IIT Roorkee, he lauded the Department of Earth Sciences for its commitment to fostering excellence in research and collaboration.

As a symbolic gesture, he installed the ONGC Videsh trophy, recognizing students with the highest CGPA in the departments of M.Sc. (Applied Geology), Integrated M.Tech. (Geological Technology), and Integrated M.Tech. (Geophysical Technology) – intake through JEE and Integrated M.Teh. (Geophysical Technology) intake through JEE.

Guest of honour

The program also welcomed two esteemed Guest of Honors: Dr. Rajeev Gautam, President of Horiba India, an alumnus from the class of 1986 in the Department of BioSciences, and Dr. Prakash Chauhan, Director of NRSC, who graduated from the department in the year 1990, say sources from IIT Roorkee.

Sessions

The inaugural session of the National Workshop on Earth Sciences featured speakers expressing gratitude to the then University of Roorkee (now IIT Roorkee) for its role in their success.

The technical sessions covered diverse topics, from Precambrian Geodynamics to Emerging Techniques in Earth Sciences, exploring the Himalayan geodynamics and natural hazard mitigation. Celebrating the rich history of IIT Roorkee’s Department of Earth Sciences, dating back to 1845, the workshop was a collaborative platform for knowledge exchange.

The organizers were optimistic about its lasting impact on advancing Earth Sciences in India, leaving participants with enriched perspectives and insights, say sources from IIT Roorkee.

Enriched perspectives

As participants departed, they carried with them enriched perspectives and a profound sense of the institution’s dedication to fostering cutting-edge research and collaborative endeavors.

The workshop, with its diverse program encompassing Precambrian Geodynamics, Sedimentary Earth Surface Processes, Geophysical Techniques, and Emerging Tools in Earth Sciences, reflected IIT Roorkee’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of knowledge in the field.

Impact

As the echoes of the workshop reverberate, it is anticipated that the lasting impact will extend far beyond the event itself, influencing the trajectory of Earth Sciences in India.

IIT Roorkee, with its unwavering dedication, continues to stand as a cornerstone of academic brilliance, shaping the future of Earth Sciences and contributing to the nation’s scientific advancement.

Development of this advanced facility is a key demonstration of the research and technical capabilities of IIT Madras and the nation.

Solutions

This is a unique facility that can address challenging problems in Indian ports, waterways and coastal Engineering.

Facility

This facility has been established through the National Technology Centre for Ports Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC), a centre dedicated for technological innovations and the evolution of new ideas and breakthroughs in the port and maritime sector.

It works as the technology arm of the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India and provides the needful technological support to ports, IWAI and other institutions, say sources from IIT Madras.

Department of Ocean Engineering at IIT Madras

Prof. Prof. K. Murali, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, said, this facility will position IIT Madras in international arena as one of the institutes that operates the large scale shallow wave basin for research and industry applications.

We no longer need to depend on technology from other countries for the generation of waves in laboratory, he said.

Initiative

Prof. V. Sriram, also from the Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, said except a few items that they needed to import due to non-availability, rest of the Shallow Wave Basin was truly a ‘Make in India’ initiative.

It was indigenously developed with most of the fabrications of the wavemaker done within IIT Madras itself, he said.

The entire architecture, communications and designs were made in-house for the operations and sustainability of the facility over the long term, he said.

The facility was conceived with the future government of India initiatives in mind for the new ports and coastal engineering as well as for inland waterways projects, he said.

Prof. Torsten Schlurmann who is also a long-term collaborator at IIT Madras added, that the facility will elevate IIT Madras’ status as a world-class institution for marine science and engineering by facilitating ground-breaking research and international collaboration across a broad range of disciplines.

Fundamental understanding

This state-of-the-art research facility can be used for fundamental understanding as well as for application projects, where the influence of 3D waves on the structures can be critical.

The basin can be used for harbour, coastal, offshore, inland waterways and shallow water manoeuvring-related projects, say sources from IIT Madras.

In these studies, sediment transport – mobile bed modelling, stability of the armour units, hydraulic and hydrodynamic performances, wave impact loading and the determination of the relevant design aspects due to climate change can be ascertained.

Key benefits

The key benefits of this facility include testing of varieties of the coastal structures, post impact analysis of the coastal structures, large solar floating plants, climate change effects and many more.

This large-scale facility is one of its kind in the world with mobile wave maker, thus multiple projects can be carried out parallel, if required.

Planning

With the growing development of new ports in Indian coasts, this indigenous facility will help with the planning and is set to become a crucial tool, say sources from IIT Madras.

With the knowledge gained by creating such a large scale facility, IIT Madras is also set to help other institutes like NITs, IITs and research institutes in India to establish such cutting-edge research centres for their academic and research purposes.

Both waves, current and a combination of these can be generated. As of now, due to the available stroke, velocity limits and basin size, for example, a wave period range from 5 s- 18 s with a significant wave height upto 3m can be easily generated in 1:10 scale or in large scale easily.

The circulation facility around the tank can be efficiently used to generate the currents inside the basin, this will be implemented in the near future.

Scientific support

The NTCPWC gives effective solutions to an extensive range of problems being faced in the industry through scientific support.

It also provides valuable education, applied research and technology transfer in maritime transportation at the local, regional, national and International levels.

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