By Shikha Negi
Prof. (Dr.) Milind Pande is an Educationist and institution Builder, currently serving as the pro-vice-chancellor at MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU) in Pune, India. He has over 70 research publications and 10 internationally and nationally granted patents. In 2021, Prof. (Dr.) Milind received the prestigious VASVIK Industrial Research Scientist Award in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
During the interview with Dinis Guarda, Prof. (Dr.) Milind Pande explains the
In the latest episode of the Dinis Guarda Podcast, Prof. (Dr.) Milind Pande, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU) in Pune, India, discusses the integration of technology in education, highlighting innovations like IoT-based solutions for farmers and telematics systems for road safety. He also shares MIT WPU’s focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and peace-building, with initiatives such as hackathons and the unique co-creation system that addresses societal challenges. The podcast is powered by Businessabc.net, Citiesabc.com, Wisdomia.ai, and Sportsabc.org.
Prof. (Dr.) Milind Pande is an Educationist and institution Builder, currently serving as the pro-vice-chancellor at MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU) in Pune, India. He has over 70 research publications and 10 internationally and nationally granted patents. In 2021, Prof. (Dr.) Milind received the prestigious VASVIK Industrial Research Scientist Award in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
During the interview with Dinis Guarda, Prof. (Dr.) Milind Pande explains the Role of Technology in Education:
“The tablet became a major tool for transforming education, especially for farmer’s children who had dropped out of the education system.
Currently, I have five products on the market. One of them is related to telematics and road safety. We developed a white box system in cars to monitor driver behavior, such as sharp turns and high-speed braking. It sends real-time alerts to warn the driver.
This product was developed to reduce road accidents on the busy Bombay-Pune highway. The system connects to the car’s controller and alerts the driver if they are driving recklessly, even detecting if they are drowsy or drunk.”
Empowering communities through technology
My first paper, which turned into a product, was the H2A2 hybrid hexagonal energy-efficient system for farmers. We used various IoT devices and sensors on a 6×6-acre farm. The farmer could receive updates on his mobile, in the local language, regarding dew points, wind speed, rainfall, soil moisture, and more. The water pump and sprinklers were automatically activated when needed.
Farmers came to me and said, ‘Sir, you’ve made our lives easier. We no longer need to go to the farm at midnight to start the water pump or sprinkler.’ This was the power of technology, and the cost was negligible. It was a funded project by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India.
In 2013, we developed a system where you could prick your finger, and all your blood parameters would be displayed on your Android mobile. Though not rocket science today, it was an innovative idea back then.
We gave solar-based tablets to farmers and their children who were dropping out of school. The tablets had three icons: Education, Health, and Market. When a student clicked on the school icon, they could access lessons and videos in their local language, with an animated professor teaching the subjects.
The tablet offered interactive lessons, and for every correct answer, a Santa Claus animation would reward the student with a chocolate. This was a moment of great satisfaction for me as we used technology to impact health, education, and agriculture.
We developed a white box to be installed in cars on the busy Mumbai-Pune highway to reduce accidents. It monitored the driver’s behaviour, including sharp turns, high-speed braking, and signs of sleep. The system alerted the controller, who could intervene if the driver was in danger.
Currently, I have five products in the market. The satisfaction of seeing my research and patents turn into real products that improve lives is the greatest achievement for me, the university, and society.”
MIT WPU Pune: Driving innovation and tech-enabled education
“We have nine centres of excellence on campus, including partnerships with companies like Tata Technologies, Oracle, Cisco, and Revity, a major biotechnology company. We also have 142 technology labs and a dedicated business incubator.
My major focus is on innovation and incubation. We have regular events and programs to systematically foster an entrepreneurial mindset among our students.
We implemented a unique system called co-creation. From the first year, we assign students a project related to a social problem, asking them to create solutions before we teach them anything.
In the second semester, we introduce the Social Leadership Development Program (SLDP), where we invite top social leaders to guide our students on how they evolved and made a difference.
In the third semester, we focus on Research, Innovation, and Design (RID), where we invite successful startup owners and mentors to interact with the students about how their businesses made an impact.
We conduct two types of hackathons: one for solving government problems, where students are given problem statements by 28 ministries, and one for societal issues within the campus.
The rural immersion program, inspired by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, requires students to spend five days in rural villages, understanding the challenges of farmers related to energy, education, and the environment.
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam proposed the solution for employment and societal issues through entrepreneurship. He gave a formula: 347, which stands for the transformation of society through technology, ecosystem development, and policy implementation.
The 347 formula says that the solution for environmental and employment problems lies in assured startups. ‘Assured’ stands for operable, sustainable, and simple startups, which are the key to solving these issues.
Assured startups are the solution for all societal challenges. We must learn from failures like Blackberry and Nokia to create startups that are operable, sustainable, and simple.”
Building a Legacy of Peace: Prof. (Dr.) Milind Pande shares the Focus of MIT World Peace University (WPU):
“At MIT World Peace University, our major focus is to promote the culture of peace in the world. India is known for three people who made a large impact: Gautam Buddha, with his philosophy in China and Japan, and Mahatma Gandhi, who gave the message of peace to the entire world.
We aim to prepare our students to be peace engineers and peace managers. All of our engineering students, management students, and liberal arts students should promote the culture of peace in the world.
To establish a peace-loving, holistic global society, we want our students to make use of our peace laboratory, called the World Peace Dome, to practice this culture of peace. We are not restricting this only to our university; it is open for all countries, all nations, and all universities across the globe.
I hope to leave behind institutions not just with infrastructure and innovations, or just graduates, but with transformed hearts. We are not just training minds but transforming hearts. At MIT WPU, we want ideas to grow into movements.”
Hackathons and their role in innovation
“Hack is to challenge the mindset of the students to extract the best things from their mind at the speed of a marathon. Hack plus marathon equals hackathon.
We have different types of hackathons. One is the octathon where the problem statement is given to the students, and they have to solve it within 8 hours. Then there’s a workathon, where students design workable projects, creating prototypes of their ideas. We also have a specialised bio-thon for biotechnology, design innovation-thon for design students, and even hackathons for law students. It’s about customising the hackathon to the student’s field.”
At MIT WPU, 10,000 students participate in hackathons, with more than 1,600 teams, each consisting of five students. Over 500 judges from the corporate sector come to assess the ideas and provide feedback.
The best ideas go for business incubation, and sometimes corporations even invite the students as interns to help further develop their ideas.
Hackathons are not just for science and technology students. They’re for students in commerce, economics, liberal arts, and more.
The idea is to foster innovation in all fields. For example, liberal arts students can come up with new concepts in kitchen innovation, and law students can work on new ideas in legal fields.
MIT WPU’s hackathon started on campus but has now expanded globally, with collaborations with countries like Singapore, the UK, and Sri Lanka.
India is now hosting international hackathons, forming clusters of professors from international universities to solve real-world problems. This is how education should be.”
The post AI In Education: Dinis Guarda Interviews Prof. (Dr.) Milind Pande, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Of MIT-WPU Pune appeared first on IntelligentHQ.
Read more here:: www.intelligenthq.com/feed/
