Six MIT scientists to address 4th EmTech India

BANGALORE, INDIA: Six outstanding scientists and researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) head for India’s Silicon Valley–Bangalore–this weekend to participate in the fourth emerging technologies conference of MIT Technology Review’s, EmTech India, starting March 27.

These scientists include George Westerman, MIT Center for Digital Business; Marie-Jose Montpetit, MIT Research Lab of Electronics and Shiladitya Sengupta, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. They will deliver keynote addresses on day one of the conference, where over 500 innovators will get an insight into the work being done in digital transformation; network designs in the social world and the innovation ecosystem and how it can impact society.

On day 2, Brian Anthony, MIT’s Department of Engineering in Manufacturing Program; Rahul Sarpeshkar, MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Joseph Paradiso, MIT Media Laboratory will speak on concepts and interplay between medical imaging, manufacturing inspection and video analytics; energy efficient systems in biology, engineering and medicine and the emerging nervous system of ubiquitous sensing.

The US-based Director of GE’s global research Mark M Little will deliver the inaugural address. Mark, the 9th director of GE’s global research in its 108-year history, leads a team of nearly 3000 researchers who work with GE businesses around the world–from aviation to energy and healthcare to electronics.

For a nation of a billion cricket fans, the organizers--MIT’s Technology Review--have appropriately dedicated a session to ‘Technology in Cricket’. Here Siddharth Khullar, a doctoral candidate in imaging science from Rochester Institute of Technology, MIT Media Lab along with College of Engineering, Pune student Chinmaya Joshi will show case new advances in technology that may put an end to all the controversies and appeals in the field of international cricket.

In a fire side chat with Narayanan Suresh, Group Editor, Technology Review India, leading technology evangelist in India, Prof VS Ramamurthy, Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies will delve on subject of technology development in India and mapping ofIndia's technology needs.

Prof. Y.S. Rajan, who besides being an eminent scientist, administrator and a leader, is a writer and poet and known for innovative thinking, will deliver the closing keynote on India's technology mission and spin-offs from space and nuclear programs.

Twenty innovators from Technology Review’s India TR35 list of technologists under the age of 35 would also present their innovations at the Emerging Technologies conference. The India TR 35 program, started in 2010 by Technology ReviewIndia, has identified 57 young innovators till date.

India TR35 lists have so far been dominated by innovators from small and medium size private research institutions. In 2012, six innovators in the India TR 35 list are from IITs and CSIR funded labs, pointing to trend that the Indian technology innovation scene is expanding its footprint into more sectors.

“We are pleased to present the most celebrated scientists from MIT including the legendary publisher and editor in chief of Technology Review US Jason Pontin and eminent Indian scientists like Prof YS Rajan and Prof VS Ramamurthy,” says Narayanan Suresh, Group Editor of Technology Review India.

“Presentation of technologies ready for commercialization by India TR35 winners at EmTech India fosters Technology Review’s mantra of innovation. By celebrating their innovations, we shall give a new fillip to the decade of innovation that India is embarked upon.  This will enthuse thousands of bright young Indians to pursue technical education and lead with innovation,” said Pradeep Gupta, Publisher of Technology Review India.

In view of the mounting crude oil prices EmTech’s special sessions on Biofuels, CleanTech, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency are timely. Sessions on sustainable development, innovation in engineering and design and technology ventures promise to find solutions to spread the culture of innovation inIndia.