KANPUR: IIT Kanpur’s distinguished alumnus and Institute’s fellow awardee Jagjeet Singh Bindra inaugurated the Unit Operations and Innovation Laboratory at the chemical department of IIT Kanpur.
Bindra, who earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1969, has been a long-time supporter of the institute. He donated Rs 1 crore for the upgradation and maintenance of the laboratory. The lab, named Jeet Bindra Unit Operations and Innovation Lab, houses state-of-the-art equipment for undergraduate students of the chemical engineering department to ideate and innovate in their field of study. On the occasion, IIT director Prof Abhay Karandikar said, “We’re delighted for the generous contribution from Jagjeet Singh Bindra in upgrading the laboratory which is now ready and will provide students with enhanced facilities to carry on with their studies and research."
Bindra said, "This lab offers two things. Number one, it offers experiments with the level of accuracy and teaching opportunities that is easily beyond what was available in the past. But more than that, students will take ownership of this lab. They will sit around and talk about how they can make improvements. How they can innovate and create new things. To me, this is not just a teaching tool, it’s a tool to help people be innovative and creative."
Thanking Bindra for his generosity, Prof. Kantesh Balani, dean of resources and an alumni, said, “Mr Bindra's generous and continued support and multiple contributions via grants, gift programmes since the last two decades have made a very positive change to the visage of IIT Kanpur. His recent contributions to scholarship for female students and modernization of the unit's operations lab highlight his continued selfless service to institute.”
Expressing his gratitude to Bindra for this generous contribution, Prof Jayant K. Singh, head of the chemical engineering department, said, “The Jeet Bindra Unit Operations and Innovation Lab will host close to 240 students every year for conducting numerous experiments and providing a platform for innovation. ”
Bindra was felicitated as Institute Fellow-020 by IIT Kanpur director, Prof. Abhay Karandikar. Bindra is on the board of LyondellBasell Industries NV and HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd. He is also the director of Edison International and Southern California Edison, one of the United States' largest electric utilities. Bindra has generously contributed to IIT Kanpur over the years by instituting faculty chairs, lecture series, gift programmes to name a few.
