Converting ideas into products; Tinkerer’s lab & Makerspace to soon come up in IIT Indore

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore has major in-campus initiatives for enhancing student's experience. Apart from the curriculum, the institute is also driven to encourage students to pursue sports, interests and hobbies. A new indoor sports complex has also been inaugurated on Tuesday. In an attempt to further enable students with access to technology, a Tinkerer’s lab and a Makerspace will be established. These advancements will also advocate the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020.

Tinkerer’s labs and Makerspaces allow students to explore technology on their own accord. They can collaborate with others simply based on their interests. The move is aimed at, offering hands-on experience to students allowing them a chance to turn their ideas into products.

Since students are not curriculum bound while working in such spaces, the concept has also proven to be a great stimulant for them. IITs across the country like those in Bombay, Hyderabad, Pune, etc. are already running similar programmes.

The newly inaugurated indoor sports complex consists of two badminton courts, three squash courts, two basketball courts, an indoor gallery to accommodate 580 people, and an olympic size swimming pool with a viewing gallery that can seat 288. According to the IIT media coordinator, the indoor sports complex is part of phase-I of the planned construction projects.

In the upcoming phases, the institute will develop outdoor sports facilities like hockey grounds, football fields, tracks for athletes and outdoor volleyball and basketball courts.

During the inauguration, detailed discussions about the institute’s achievements, development plans and challenges were conducted with the education minister. The institute aims to develop a Translation Research Ecosystem to improve the Technology Readiness Level of research. Eventually, the institute intends to get listed in the top 10 engineering institutes based on NIRF rankings.