IIT Madras takes Scientific Concepts & 3D-Printing to Rural Schools

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has initiated a program to bring fundamental and advanced scientific and engineering principles to rural schools in Tamil Nadu. Their goal is to offer practical, hands-on education in scientific concepts to students, encouraging them to develop innovative and creative thinking skills.

The project is known as the 'Device Engineering Lab,' and it is spearheaded by 'Teach to Learn'. It focuses on educating school students about the scientific principles that underlie common devices while also incorporating the use of 3D printing to create toys and various household items.

The DEL initiative offers a three-year curriculum designed for students in grades VIII, IX, X, and XI. Within the lab, a range of affordable devices are available, which students encounter and use in their daily lives. Importantly, these devices are grounded in the principles covered in the school syllabus, spanning from simple items like bicycle bells, doorbells, electric irons, and motors to more complex ones such as water heaters, microwave ovens, and 3D printers.

The aim of connecting IIT Madras students with rural school students is to instill a culture of hands-on creation and to improve their design and fabrication skills at the school level. Additionally, it seeks to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, with the possibility that these classes may offer potential career opportunities in the future.

The Device Engineering Labs consist of two primary training components. The first component focuses on Device Engineering Concepts, encompassing activities such as disassembling and reassembling devices, understanding their working principles, exploring the science behind these devices, contemplating 'what if' scenarios, and exploring extended applications. The second component centers around 3D Printing and covers aspects like designing using Computer-Aided Design (CAD), basic programming, and the printing process.

The training and education offered to the students are entirely experiential and hands-on in nature. Students will gain practical experience in 3D printing, primarily focusing on the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technique. They will print various components of devices, gears, wheels, toys, and more. The complexity and difficulty level of both the devices and printed objects progressively increase as students advance from the first to the second and then to the third year. Additionally, students in the eleventh grade will acquire the skills to construct a 3D printer from scratch, potentially opening up future career opportunities.

IIT Madras is actively seeking partnerships with other educational institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and corporate entities to establish additional labs like the Device Engineering Lab (DEL) and expand its reach to remote and rural regions, with a particular focus on the North-Eastern States.

While emphasizing the significant advantages of this initiative, Professor Pijush Ghosh, who leads the project, from the Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering at IIT Madras, stated, "We firmly believe that fostering a 'Making in India' ethos should commence at the school level. IIT Madras is actively engaging with rural schools to cultivate this ethos collaboratively. When students are involved in creating or crafting, they develop a deeper comprehension of the underlying concepts and principles, leading to increased confidence and a heightened enthusiasm for learning."

A total of 200 postgraduate students from 25 research labs have contributed to developing content for approximately 30 devices within the DEL Labs initiative. They have also designed teaching modules, including documentation, PowerPoint presentations, and 'Train the Trainer' modules. In a recent project phase, 30 postgraduate students directly delivered instruction on these device-related concepts to rural students.

Additionally, about 25 undergraduate students have been involved in creating device repositories aligned with the school syllabus. Furthermore, 60 Prime Minister's Research Fellows (PMRF) Scholars are currently dedicated to constructing various hands-on models for explaining concepts and producing 3D-printed objects. Over the next 2-3 months, graduate students are expected to commence weekend visits to schools to provide instruction on these devices and 3D printing.

In addition to instruction by graduate students from IIT Madras, DEL Labs have appointed trainers. These recruited trainers undergo rigorous training at IIT Madras, covering various aspects of devices, teaching methodologies, and 3D printing. They are responsible for creating diverse models to explain the concepts associated with devices and printing.