Hold on to legacy of scientific culture: Virologist Gagandeep Kang to graduating students at IIT Delhi

NEW DELHI: Hold on to the legacy of a scientific culture and let it inspire you in all you do, eminent virologist Gagandeep Kang told graduating students at IIT Delhi at the institute’s 54th convocation ceremony on Saturday, Kang is the first woman from India to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and the second elected to the US National Academy of Medicine. She is the only physician- scientist to receive the Infosys Award in Life Sciences.

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“IIT Delhi has a long-standing tradition of producing outstanding alumni who have excelled in various fields, making significant contributions to both India and the world. This culture of rigour, dedication, and pursuit of excellence has become the hallmark of an IIT graduate. As you enter the next phase of your life, hold on to this legacy of a scientific culture and let it inspire you in all you do,” said Kang, professor of microbiology at Christian Medical College, Vellore.

“You are stepping into the world equipped with the power of science and technology. Science has solutions to offer for many of the problems we face in society, and the privilege of receiving high-quality education and training from an esteemed institution like IIT Delhi comes with responsibility to use your skills for service,” she said.

More than 2,350 undergraduate and postgraduate students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here were awarded degrees at the convocation ceremony.

Meritorious students were awarded the President’s Gold Medal, the Director’s Gold Medal, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma (former President of India) Gold Medal, Perfect Ten Gold Medal and the Institute Silver Medal.

The distinguished alumni awardees were Ashutosh Sabharwal (Professor, Rich University, Houston), Pawan Kumar Jain (MD, INOX Air Products), Nalin Shinghal (CMD, BHEL), Aarti Gupta (Professor, Princeton University) and Gurtej S Sandhu (Senior Fellow and VP, Micron Technology).

The alumni chosen for ‘Graduates of Last Decade’ (GOLD) award are Aayush Jain (Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh) and Ananth Govind Rajan (Assistant Professor, IISc Bengaluru).