BY K.B.NAIR

IRVINE, CA - The 3rd Indo- US  two-day workshop on Fabrionics was held at the University of  California, Irvine, on June 28 and 29 designed to bring together Indian and American researchers and intended to showcase jointly achieved research results and to explore new research and funding opportunities. It was attended by over 50 scientists, faculty, students and researchers from both countries and a large number of ideas were exchanged at the various presentations, round table discussions and during networking sessions between meetings.

Dr Marc Madou, Dept of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Dept of Biomedical Engineering at UC Irvine spearheaded the organization of the event supported by a team comprising Co-Chairs Robert Gorkin, Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte and Genis Turon Teixidor. Dr Madou explained that Fabrionics is a new term based to convey the idea of advanced manufacturing techniques of the future. He said the  US and India are in a sort of crisis situation where the former is losing manufacturing jobs while the latter is yet to become a manufacturing giant as compared to China or Japan. The Indo-US group on Fabrionics is trying to do something about this and researching latest techniques like nano technology and self assembly techniques, to make things beyond integrated circuitry and bio-sensors.

The effort is a collaboration between, UC Irvine, Northwestern and Urbana Universities on the US side with the Indian Institutes of Technology in Kanpur and Kharagpgur. As a distinguished Honorary professor at the IITs,  Madou visits both campuses frequently, planning new research projects. A significant feature of the joint venture which started in 2004,  is the exchange of students which is funded by the Department of Science and Technology in India and the National Science Foundation in the US. But these cover travel only and the group is seeking larger input of financing to embark on larger projects. Dr Madou hoped forums such as these would throw up ideas on how more funds could be raised to meet its objectives.

The event was inaugurated by the lighting of candles by Prof Susan Bryant, Vice Chancellor for Research at UC Irvine and by Dr Rao Aiyagari of the India Department of Science and Technology. Bryant pointed out that 20% of its students have an Indian background and spoke of the progress the institution continues to make in spite of the difficult financial state of the country. Aiyagari, was optimistic about funding possibilities from the sub-continent to support its programs, at a time when it was difficult to drum financial support in the US because of its dire fiscal problems.

The first day’s sessions were more on the business and administrative aspect at which Dr R. Sampath, Director of Quanta Consulting Inc spoke about the merits of Indo-US Collaboration and Public-Private Partnerships followed by a talk on how companies and nations compete and models for manufacture for India’s future by Prof Imran Currim , Chancellor’s Professor  and Associate Dean of Master’s Programs at the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business.

The scientific and technical component of the conference followed the next day with Prof Rafael Bras, Dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, UC Irvine expressing his view that it was time to go global and students should be empowered to come up with solutions to problems and be encouraged to expand, innovate and create. Prof Kornell Ehmann of Northwestern University expounded on the changing landscape of manufacturing and on his specialty of desktop sized factories and miniaturization. This trend he said would redistribute manufacturing capability from a capitol and energy intensive focus in the hands of a few to a low cost energy efficient enabling technology in the hands of the many. Institute Chair and Ranjit Singh Endowed Chair Professor  at IIT Kanpur, Prof Ashutosh Sharma presented his paper on Chemical Engineering in Self-Organized Fabrication by doing away with conventional tooling and adopting  chemical-biological means of manufacturing from bottom up. Prof Kumar Wickramasinghe, The Henry Samueli Endowed Chair, UC Irvine covered his vast research when with IBM in the area of microscopes and scanning, its scope and usage  and remarked that it has and will always be a problem getting funding for such long term projects. 

A three hour round table discussion followed and the workshop was wound up with a Fabrionics Course Review and closing remarks by Prof Amitabha Ghosh, Former Director of IIT Kharagpur and Senior Scientist of INSA, who Madou referred to as the “ Spirit of the Collaboration” between the two countries from the Indian side.

A scientific highlight of the event was a Poster Session set up in the lobby of the auditorium on on-going Indo-US Collaborations and Research Proposals by Indian and American students.

It was not all science and technology at the meet and delegates got to relax and socialize at an entertaining Indian classical and cross over hip hop dance program entitled “Celebration of Styles” presented by the UCI ensemble and the Arpana Dance Company directed by Dr Lisa Naugle, Dance Department, Claire Trevor School of Arts.