A team of students from the Institute of Engineering and Management (IEM) will be headed to Australia next month to participate in conferences and a preview to the same was held at their Sector V campus recently.
The conference will be on English learning and teaching skills, language studies, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in management for business and industrial growth and will take place between May 14 and 18 at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. The preview took place on IEM’s Foundation Day on April 10.
“International education is Australia’s third-largest export and key to our relationship with India,” said Hugh Boylan, consul general of Australia, who presided over the event. “Some 1,38,000 Indian students are studying in Australia and demand for Australian education in India is growing, with collaborative efforts including online courses, dual degrees, and joint research. The Australia-India Strategic Research Fund has invested over $100 million in hundreds of projects.”
He also mentioned the Maitri Scholarship Programme, a joint initiative by both governments to support top Indian STEM students at leading Australian universities. “I encourage students to make the most of these opportunities and am confident that IEM’s collaboration with Australian institutes will play a key role in achieving our shared goals,” said Boylan.
A total of 150 students and eight faculty members will head to Sydney where they will present papers. Selected entries will also be published in the International Journal of English Learning and Teaching Skills. The programme includes hands-on learning in AI, data science, and machine learning, followed by a one-month internship offering both theoretical and practical training with credit-based recognition.
The vice-chancellor of UEM’s Jaipur branch, Biswajoy Chatterjee, expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming conferences, highlighting their role in equipping students with skills aligned with global industry demands. “Students would apply this advanced knowledge upon returning to India, contributing to industrial growth,” he said.
Samapika Das Biswas, assistant head of the department, basic science and humanities, and conference convenor, underlined the transformative impact of AI on communication and language education. She noted the success of last year’s Australia tour and emphasised that early exposure to global technology would give students a professional edge.
“Such conferences reflect IEM-UEM’s vision of borderless collaboration,” said Prabir Kumar Das, head of the department, basic science and humanities. “We’ve been sending students abroad since 2018. Exposure to world-class faculty opens doors to research and internships, and helps students adapt to new systems and develop innovative solutions.” He added how last year, IEM’s third-year students won the All India Innovators Challenge organised by AICTE, for their waste oil recycler project, developed under foreign mentorship.
Students have been looking forward to the trip. Sounak Basu, a first-year student of computer science and engineering, will be presenting a paper on AI in Encrypting Harappan Literary Script. “What archaeologists struggle to decode, AI might be able to decipher,” he said.
Sarbani Saha expressed pride at receiving a scholarship for the month-long training stint in Australia. “No college in Calcutta offers such opportunities,” she said. “What we learn will benefit not just us but our country,” said the student who would be presenting a paper on Cognitive Insight through AI Advancing Literature and Language Learning.