Students must contribute to Viksit Bharat 2047: Dr. Sandip Chowdhury

National Metallurgy Seminar BTTD-2026 begins at CSIR-NML

Jamshedpur, June 17: The three-day national-level student seminar, Behind The Teacher’s Desk (BTTD-2026), began on Wednesday at CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), Jamshedpur. The event is being organised from June 17 to 19 by the Indian Institute of Metals (IIM), Jamshedpur Chapter, in association with Tata Steel Limited, CSIR-NML and NIT Jamshedpur.

The seminar was formally inaugurated with the release of the seminar souvenir by Chief Guest Dr. Sandip Ghosh Chowdhury, Director of CSIR-NML, in the presence of Dr. Atanu Ranjan Pal, Chairman of IIM Jamshedpur, Dr. Chiradeep Ghosh, Chairman of BTTD-2026, and Dr. Lalit K. Meena, Convenor of the programme.

The seminar aims to provide a common platform for students of materials and metallurgical engineering to interact with experts from industry, research laboratories and academic institutions. Participants will have opportunities to expand their knowledge, present research work and exchange ideas on emerging developments in metallurgy, materials science and coating technologies.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Sandip Ghosh Chowdhury highlighted the importance of metals, minerals and advanced materials in national development. He urged students to play an active role in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and stressed the importance of continuous learning in an era of rapidly evolving technology.

Dr. Atanu Ranjan Pal spoke about the activities of the IIM Jamshedpur Chapter and emphasised the need for developing cost-effective, high-quality materials for various industrial applications. He also advised students to maintain both physical and mental well-being and said the industrial visit planned during the seminar would help them gain practical insights from industry professionals.

Welcoming the participants, Dr. Chiradeep Ghosh informed that around 150 students and speakers from 40 engineering colleges and institutes across the country are attending the event. He said 104 technical papers will be presented in three parallel sessions covering seven major research themes, including functional and energy materials, metal extraction and circular metallurgy, materials modelling, corrosion and surface engineering, mechanical behaviour of materials, mineral processing, and microstructural assessment of metallic materials.

The seminar also features a metallurgical quiz, meta-real quiz, debates and an industrial visit. Participants represent leading institutions, including IITs, NITs, BITS, NIAMT Ranchi, IIEST Shibpur, Jadavpur University, BIT Sindri and CSIR-NML, among others. The event has continued to grow in popularity since its inception in 2011 and remains one of the country’s most prominent student forums in metallurgy and materials engineering.

Dr. Lalit Kumar Meena, Convenor, BTTD 2026, proposed the vote of thanks and expressed his sincere gratitude to the chief guest for sparing time and gracing the occasion. He thanked all the students for showing tremendous enthusiasm and participation in the seminar. He expressed his appreciation to all the members of the organising committee for their untiring effort in making the seminar a success. He also expressed his sincere thanks to Dr. Sandip Ghosh Chowdhury, Director, CSIR-NML, and each and every members of advisory committee and organizing committee for their continuous support in the making the event a grand success.

Four Keynote Lectures will be organised at BTTD-2026. The Keynote Speakers are Dr. Sujoy Hazra, Senior Vice President, R&D, JSW teel Ltd; Fr. Dr. Joseph Mathew, JRD Tata Chair Professor & Faculty, XLRI; Mr. Sabyasachi Roy, CEO, CeraMat; Dr. Vivek Srivastava, VP R&D, JSL. There are multiple technical sessions covering seven important research themes.