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Chandrayaan-3: Last year, ISRO created history by successfully landing India’s third moon mission Chandrayaan-3 on the south pole of the moon. India was the first country in the world to do so. ISRO chief S Somnath received praise from all over the world. After 11 months of Chandrayaan-3’s landing, once again good news has come for S Somnath. In fact, in the 61st convocation held on Friday at the campus of Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman S. Somnath was awarded PhD in Mechanical Engineering. On this occasion, 3,016 degrees (including joint and dual degrees) were given to the students.
According to NDTV, after receiving the doctorate, ISRO Chief Dr. S Somanath said that it is a great honour to receive a degree from a prestigious institute like IIT-Madras. He said, “Even though I was a topper as a village boy, I did not have the courage to take the IIT entrance exam. My dream was that one day I would graduate from here. I received my master’s degree from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and now the PhD has been awarded by IIT-Madras.”
He said that PhD has always been a very difficult task, especially when it is from a reputed institute like IIT Madras. Describing it as a very long journey, he said that he registered for it after many years. The research subject was very close to my heart. It was related to vibration isolator, which I started as an engineer in ISRO project decades ago. This subject remained in my mind and I worked on it for many years.
Dr. Brian was the chief guest of the program
A statement issued by IIT-Madras said that the chief guest of the ceremony was Dr Brian K. Kobelka who was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Dr Pawan Goenka, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Madras presided over the convocation in the presence of Director Prof V Kamakoti IIT Madras, faculty, staff and students. Congratulating the graduating students and award winners, Dr Brian said, “I do not consider myself exceptional in any way. My career to date is an example of how an average person can achieve some degree of success through a combination of hard work, perseverance, a great deal of help from family, friends and colleagues. When I look back at my career, I am amazed at how many times I was in the right place, with the right people, at the right time.”
