1st time in India: IIT Madras and NIOT bring OCEANS Conference

IT Madras and NIOT have started OCEANS Conference, the Bi-Annual event of Global Marine Researchers, in India for the first time.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras and National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, organized the OCEANS 2022 Conference and Exposition, the Bi-annual event for Global Marine Researchers, technologists and engineers, students, and policymakers, from February 21-24, 2022.

This conference was organized in India for the first time and being coordinated by the Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras.

 They are organizing the event on behalf of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Ocean Engineering Society (IEEE OES) and Marine Technology Society (MTS). The Conference is being held in Hybrid Mode.

IIT Madras conference focusing on climate change

This event is for global maritime professionals to learn, innovate, and lead in the protection and utilization of the world’s largest natural resource Oceans.

‘Inspire-Innovate-Sustain’ is the main theme of the conference.

Congratulating NIOT and IIT Madras for getting this prestigious conference to India, Madhu Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, Cochin Shipyard Ltd, told the Inaugural Session, “It is also heartening to note that this Conference has been dovetailed into ‘UN Decade of Ocean events.

IIT Madras conference concerning climate change: Hydrogen production

Further, Madhu Nair said, “Hydrogen will be the fuel of the future and to produce hydrogen, you need a lot of energy. Defence will still continue to be very strong through control of the seas and the protection of the homeland.

Forums like this can create connections with Industry and Policymakers.”

The conference  also highlighted  how the ‘UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development’ is attempting to reduce the impacts of climate change through renewable energies - offshore wind, wave, OTEC and other forms of alternate sources of energy.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Chief Executive, IIT Madras Research Park, which was hosting the Event, said, “After Solar and Wind, Oceans are the third source of energy. India is surrounded by oceans and will need this third source of energy.

We need to figure out how electricity can be generated from a small wave

We need to figure out how electricity can be generated from a small wave as current technologies only allow for energy generation from large waves… One of IIT Madras incubated Start-up Planys Technologies is making small underwater vehicles for exploring the ocean and has been doing great work.”

Speaking earlier, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “OCEANS 2022 is an Institute by itself, touching on a broad array for areas. It is strongly inter-disciplinary in nature and that has also been a core focus for IIT Madras in the past decade. IIT Madras is very committed to development of Ocean Technology.

We are setting up a large ocean centre at our Satellite campus - Discovery - in Thaiyur (Near Chennai). It will be ready shortly for large-scale research.

We are all committed to developing state-of-the-art ocean technologies.