The IIT2024 Global Conference took place with the alumni of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention in Washington, DC from January 12-14. The three-day conference, themed “Innovation for a Better World," focused on four major areas of global interest including India rising, artificial intelligence, health and medicine, and energy and the environment.
Sethuraman Panchanathan, National Science Foundation (NSF) director, delivered the keynote on day three of the conference. In his address, he shed light on the vision of the NSF to expand growth and development in the fields of science, technology and innovation in countries across the world.
In particular, he underlined the significance of the Chips and Science Act, signed into law by US President Joe Biden in August 2022, to unleash possibilities in the research ecosystem of science and technology
"The work of the Biden administration with the bipartisan support of congress resulted in the successful Chips and Science Act 2022. We worked closely with the administration and congress on this important legislation at this pivotal time for our country. There’s no question that science, technology and innovation will unleash opportunities everywhere across our nation," Panchanathan said.
"We need to ensure that it unleashes possibilities and prosperity. It is the vehicle by which we can ensure that we are out competing everyone and make possibilities for everyone across the globe,” he added and called for efforts to leverage the momentum and inspire the youth to bring change.
"This is the time to see what we can do, to leverage the momentum to do great things, other than sulk and talk about what could be done or could not be done. Inspire the youth, make them excited about robotics. Be the people that cause the change. That’s why, I am grateful to the Chips and Science Act in 2022," the NSF director said.
Discussing some key technological priorities outlined in the Chips and Science Act 2022, including AI, biotechnology, cybersecurity, high-performance computing, and advance energy and energy efficiency, Panchanathan noted, “There were some technology priorities that were outlined to ensure that we are constantly looking at newer technology horizons.”
He emphasized that his mission at the NSF is to grow a strategic partnership with countries across the world that share American interests for technological growth and development. “Let’s build expertise and co-create together, co-inspire and create opportunities in all the nations. That’s the vision," Panchanathan stated.
The Indian American serves as the 15th director of National Science Foundation since June 2020. He is also a member of the White House CHIPS Implementation Steering Council and the White House Gender Policy Council. He previously served as executive vice president of knowledge enterprise development and chief research and innovation officer at the Arizona State University.
Organized by the PanIIT USA Alumni Association, the IIT2024 Global Conference is a globally recognized congregation, attended by leaders in prominent sectors of economic development. During the conference, innovators and leaders underlined the various programmes and initiatives launched by the government in the area of business and academia to boost creative ideation, effective policy-making, and social impact.
Keynote speakers included Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Indian Ambassador to the US; Vinod Khosla, founder and CEO of Khosla Ventures; Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM; Aneesh Chopra, former United States CTO, among others.
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