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One Lab - One School

Academic Rural
Lab Government
School

A Socially Relevant Project

Funded & Supported by SRP Scheme (IITM

Alumni Affairs
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Project Coordinators
Dr. Pijush Ghosh
Associate Professor.
Department of Applied Mechanics
IIT Madras

&

Mrs. Anuradha Kumar

Psychological Counsellor, Personality Development Trainer
Researcher

In collaboration with:

RMSA office, Tamil Nadu

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The Project Concept in a nutshell

What?
An attempt to connect the graduate labs of premier institutes of the country
with the rural schools through a structured mechanism of mentoring,
training and knowledge transfer

How?
One research lab (consisting of graduate students) will adopt one
rural school and mentor it at different capacities for at least three
years.
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Why One ‘Lab’ (school student perspective)

 Will motivate school students as they often look up at the elders

 The success stories of the graduate students will be closer to them than
short stories in a moral science book

 Will also get exposure to the real-world scenarios, relate the book
learning to reality

 Will give the students an opportunity to work with the top most labs or
institutes of the country

 Will get familiar with the research culture and engineering applications
from the school level
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Why One ‘Lab’ (graduate student perspective)

• Opportunity to hone their (graduate students) skills

• Enhances their sense of responsibility and duty

• Experience the challenge of taking their engineering and scientific

thoughts to grass root level

• Motivate themselves in solving social problems seeing from close

• Enhances their social attachment

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Methodology

Through online
portal(next slide)
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Connecting Rural schools & Labs through Online Portal

Major Areas of Mentoring & Training Identified

A. Academic (Engineering, Science & Humanities)

B. Career Counselling
This is the major
emphasis in this
pilot study
C. Teachers Mentoring
Academic (Science, Engineering & Humanities)

A. ‘Tell me why’ (Concept Based)

B. ‘Building from Scratch’ (Demo and experiment based)

C. ‘Straight from Lab’ (state-of-the art happenings)

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Academic (Science, Engineering & Humanities)

‘Tell me why’
(Science in Everyday Life)

Just few examples ……

 Science in everyday life (Level – 1)
• Why do metals feel colder compared to wood or plastic?
• Does ice melt faster on a metal block or wooden block at
the same temperature?

• Why does water level in an open bowl decrease over time

even thought the temperature is not above boiling point?
• Why do clothes dry faster on a windy day?
Science in everyday life (Level – 1)
• Why do we feel colder on a windy day?
• Why do water droplets appear on the outside of a cold
bottle?
• Why do air bubbles appear in a water while boiling?
Science in everyday life (Level – 2)

• How are tides formed?

• What is the color of sun?
• Why do rotten eggs float in water?
Science in everyday life (Level – 2)
• How does rainbow form?
• What makes ice different from snow ?
• Why is the sky blue during day time and red during
sunrise/sunset?
Humanities Related Questions

• Materials used in building Temples differs with ages

• Why smoking is a bad habit?
• How can drinking habit ruin a family?
• What is acid rain?
• Examples of supply and demand in our daily life
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Academic (Science, Engineering & Humanities)

Building from Scratch

(Demo and Experiment based)

This is the thrust area of our

program…..just few basic examples
follow !!
 Iron Box Important Parts

Soleplate

Heating Element

Thermostat

Working Principle
Mechanical Watch
Gear train Balance Spring

Mainspring
Escapement
Mechanism

Assembly
Li-ion Battery

Important Parts

Working Principle
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Academic (Science, Engineering & Humanities)

Straight from Lab

(State-of-the-art Happening)
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Exciting Stuff from Student Labs……..

• New Materials

• New Devices Designed

• New Methodology or technique developed

• etc etc…….
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Some Thoughts
According to this 1L – 1S model, One School say School -A below, will only get
exposure and guidance in the area of chemical engineering, is not it ???? How do we
resolve this issue ??
Lab – 1 School -A
(electrical)

Lab – 2 School -B
(chemical)

Lab – 3 School -C
(civil)

Lab – 4 School -D
(humanities)
Possible
Solution
Lab – 5
School -E
(biomedical)
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Core & Basket Model (For Labs)

Good mix of events
Syllabus from major
Compatible departments

For all labs

Must be and schools
completed
Core
Program
Basket-1 Basket-5
Lab Expertise & Interest
School’s Need & Request
Convenience & Feasibility
Basket-2 Basket-4

Basket-3
Areas of Mentoring & Training Identified

A. Academic (Engineering, Science & Humanities)

B. Career Counselling
These two will not be taken up
in the pilot study
C. Teachers Mentoring
Career Counselling
• Academic Nature ( general and higher studies)

• Job Based

• Training Based

• Customized to schools need

Teacher Mentoring

• Proposal Writing

• Article/Paper writing

• Pedagogical teaching

• Mini Research projects with students

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Progress so far…….
• Awareness Workshop with 100 school teachers including
headmaster conducted last week at IITM research park

• A preliminary meeting with about 50 graduate students conducted last

week to get their suggest learn about their interest

• Progress made in formalizing the collaboration with Rashtriya Siksha

Mission (RMSA), Tamil Nadu to jointly run this project

• Some structure of the program is thought out, needs some refining

and fine tuning after discussion with the labs.
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Immediate Plan Ahead …

• Identify 15 graduate labs from IIT Madras who are willing
to participate and thus extend their help and support

• Build the ‘Core and Basket’ part of the program with the
interested labs.

• Connect the Labs and the Schools

• Implement in 15 Schools from June-July, 2018.

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Thank You