IGCS

IGCS serves as a platform for research and academic exchange for Masters students, Doctoral candidates, and Scientists. Since its inception in 2010, we have been facilitating exchange of more than 1000 scholars from German and Indian academic institutions who are dedicated in contributing towards climate science.

The Experience Report Series celebrates our alumni and their success under IGCS. Today we share the experience report of Nhyiraba Ato-Burns who had their exchange period between 15. February 2024 until 15. May 2024 at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, , under the guidance of IGCS' Area Coordinator for the Focus Area Waste Management for the Indian side, Dr. Vinu Ravikrishnan. Their home institution is the Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management (ISAH), Leibniz Universität Hannover, and their home supervisor is IGCS' Area Coordinator for the Focus Area Waste Management for the German side, Dirk Weichgrebe, PD Dr.-Ing. habil.

Nhyiraba research exchange was motivated by an interest in India’s vast leather industry. They used this exchange as an opportunity to gather data directly relevant to their master’s thesis. Their fieldwork included visits to tanneries across , , and , where they gained hands-on insights into advanced leather processing technologies.

Despite initial language barriers, Nhyiraba’s adaptability and commitment enabled them to successfully navigate challenges, deepening their research perspective.

During their stay, Nhyiraba also built a valuable network of mentors, industry experts, and fellow researchers. Their memorable highlights included participating in an IGCS workshop on treatment options, where discussions with industry leaders inspired new approaches to sustainable practices.

You can read their full experience report here:
https://www.igcs-chennai.org/igcs-alumni-experience-nhyiraba/

IGCS collaborated with the Goethe-Institut e.V. to host a series of sustainability workshops at IIT Madras from November 4th to 6th! These workshops aim to deepen participants' understanding of key sustainability issues and foster collaborative discussions on innovative solutions aligned with the . This partnership highlights the shared commitment of both institutions to promoting sustainable development through education, research, and international cooperation.

The workshops will focus on:

Nov 4: Energy by Dr. Khulud Alsouleman from Technische Universität Berlin& Water by Mr. Lukas Paul Loose from Kiel University

Nov 5: Human-Nature Relationships by Dr. Christoph Woiwode & Waste Management by Dr. Mozhiarasi Velusamy from Leibniz Universität Hannover

Nov 6: Circular Economy by Dr.-Ing. Mohammad Chehadé from RWTH Aachen University

These workshops engaged 100-150 students of age groups 13-15 on the pressing topics of sustainability challenges, with sessions lasting 3 hours each. The sessions gave the students opportunities to visit the campus and the labs along with integration of German language elements, with 25 minutes dedicated to vocabulary.