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Innovative ‘Sand Reclamation Technology for the Sustainable Growth of Foundries
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Mr. Mohd Moiz Khan*
Email: moiz.khan@iitb.ac.in
IIT – the dream destination of every Indian student! How could I be an exception..? Since my early college days, I aspired to be an
IITian. The real-life stories of IITians who made India proud through their pioneering research inspired me. Over the years, I cultivated a deep desire to study at one of the prestigious institutes. After completing my Master’s in Chemical Engineering, I applied for the doctorate program at IIT Bombay. Despite my meritocracy (I had bagged a gold medal in the Master’s course), I was slightly apprehensive. So I was delighted to receive an email from IIT Bombay in November 2015, confirming my admission to the doctoral program.
After the initial euphoria of being a research student at the iconic IIT Bombay subsided,
one question started weighing heavily on my mind: what should be my research topic?
How would I select the right area for research? And for whom I would do it? These questions were nagging my mind, making me anxious. I had an in-depth discussion with my guide, but nothing concrete emerged. The stalemate continued, and around 3 months passed with no foreseeable solution.
The answer popped up rather unexpectedly in March 2016 during the Foundation Day celebrations of the Institute. Speaking on the occasion, the Director of IIT Bombay shared some thought-provoking statistics on researches conducted by the elite Institute. He mentioned that in the previous year alone, about 100 patents were filed and around 1300 articles were published in various
* Mr. Mohd Moiz Khan, PhD Scholar from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, is pursuing his research on “Reclamation of Waste Foundry Sand”. His popular science story entitled “Innovative Sand Reclamation Technology for the Sustainable Growth of Foundries” has been selected for AWSAR Award.