IIT Gandhinagar to host Online Camp to help School Children develop Critical Thinking, Empathy and Creativity

INN/Ahmedabad, @Infodeaofficial

Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar is conducting a free online camp for school students of Classes 8-12 to help them develop critical thinking, empathy and creativity. It is aimed at facilitating the transformation of school children to a thinker and an influencer.

A first of its kind event, ‘Camp HSS’ (Humanities and Social Sciences) will be held from 30th July to 1st August 2021. No fee will be charged for participation. The last date to register is 20th July 2021. Interested candidates can register using the following link – https://hss.iitgn.ac.in/camp

Another major aim of the camp is to create awareness among School students and their parents about Liberal Arts. The camp would also inform them about a lot of choices in life and career beyond the conventional mainstream choices. Students can learn that there is a lot of interesting things that they can aspire to do.

Highlighting the unique opportunities that would be provided by this camp, Dr. Jaison A Manjaly, Jasubhai Memorial Chair Professor (Philosophy and Cognitive Science), IIT Gandhinagar, said, “Camp HSS is all about the fun, excitement and pleasure of engaging with Humanities and Social Sciences with critical, reflective and logical thinking, empathy and creativity. This Camp would also trigger curiosity among school children about topics that are otherwise not given adequate space in school curriculum.”

Further, Dr. Jaison A Manjaly said, “This initiative would also encourage other Institutions to create similar programs to engage more with school children and their parents.”

Another important objective of the camp is to create awareness among school students and parents about the Humanities and Social Science Programs in Technology Institutions such as IITs. Most students are unaware that many of the IITs have Department of Humanities and Social Sciences offering Academic Programs.

Important Outcomes envisaged from this camp include:

Ø  Get to know the fun and pleasure of liberal arts subjects

Ø  Create an awareness among students and parents about the possibilities of liberal arts education

Ø  Nudge other institutions of higher education to initiate outreach initiatives for school children

Ø  Generate curiosity among school children about the topics in Humanities and Social Sciences

Ø  Create opportunity for school children to interact with faculty from institutions of higher education

IIT Gandhinagar offers a unique undergraduate and graduate education experience in India with unmatched innovations in curriculum. The Institute takes pride in its student-centric philosophy resulting in a safe, nurturing, and empowering environment for students.

Top academics from India and abroad will be addressing the workshop. They include:

Ø  Fred Coolidge, Professor, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, who will speak on ‘Origin of Thinking’

Ø  Sumitava Mukherjee, Assistant Professor, IIT Delhi, who will speak on ‘Human Decision Making’

Ø  Leya Mathew, Assistant Professor, Ahmedabad University, who will speak on ‘Gender and body’

Ø  Sharmita Lahiri, Assistant Professor, IIT Gandhinagar, who will speak on ‘Creative You’

Ø  Shyam Sunder, James L. Frank Professor, Yale University, who will speak on ‘Prosperity, Poverty, and Inequality’

Ø  Atul Singh, Editor-in-Chief, Fair Observer, who will speak on ‘War and Peace’

Ø  Ambika Aiyadurai, Assistant Professor, IIT Gandhinagar, who will speak on ‘Protecting the Planet’

Ø  Jaison Manjaly, Jasubhai Memorial Chair Professor, IIT Gandhinagar, who will speak on ‘Argumentation’

The institute promotes critical thinking and an appreciation of the interdisciplinary character of knowledge, with an emphasis on the liberal arts, project oriented learning, compulsory courses in design and the life sciences, diversity and globalization.