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#DeanGiri V1.0
It is natural in the course of a faculty’s life to take up administrative roles in the institute. Rolling positions of Deans, HoDs is something faculty would do at least once in their career. While it is very prestigious to be a Dean or HoD, it also means less time for research, attending more meetings etc. So, obviously it was a mixed emotion when I started as the Associate Dean of Communications and Alumni starting July 1, 2017. I was excited that I will be interacting with students/alums all around the world. This is something I have been doing for past some years on my trips to various cities in…
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Precog 101
In the summer of 2016, I was a third year Computer Science engineering student at the College of Engineering, Guindy in Chennai desperately looking for a summer internship. A chance encounter with a senior from college, who was then a Research Associate (RA) here, is how I first heard of Precog. What followed was a year long journey in which I’ve gained mentors, friends and an admit at the Ohio State University for the MS in CSE program (Let me assure you that my time at Precog is what got me in). Here I try to summarize my observations on what makes Precog awesome. What makes Precog Precog? Extreme organization. After working…
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This is Why I Love My Job #2
Once again it is that time of the academic year when all graduating students and Research Associates are moving on to the next phase in their life; starting work or grad school in India or flying off to some grad school outside India. I don’t have to write the nth time how much I love my job. But will definitely like to mention that it is very gratifying to see students achieve what they want to achieve and it is even more satisfying to know that, as a faculty, we play a small role in their achievements. Below is the list of students (arranged in alphabetical order of last name)…
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Precog: A to Z
Hi, all. I (Kartik Sethi, B.Tech. Final year at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus) interned at the Precog Research Group of IIIT Delhi in the summers of 2017 (May – July). I have tried to express my experiences through the following paragraphs. A – Amazing was the word, which flashed in my mind when the programme started. B – Best environment and bonhomie was the hallmark of the internship. I found the environment and infrastructure in IIIT as one of the best in any such institution. C – Challenges. Every difficult problem is usually entailed with an innovative solution and every new solution is associated with challenges of its own. I…
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The Journey Known as Precog
I was interested in Precog long before Precog was interested in me. Ever before I joined IIIT-Delhi, I had an innate fascination with the field of Security – especially how it affected us all in the digital age. So imagine my delight when I found out that IIIT-Delhi had an entire centre dedicated to Security, a.k.a, CERC (Cybersecurity Education and Research Centre). Among the several research groups that formed CERC, one of them was Precog. What interested me most about Precog was its focus on security and privacy, especially in the context of online social media. To me this seemed like an issue which was of vital importance, especially given…
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Precog: The Quintessential Group
As curtains drew on the summer vacations of 2016, I was already planning on doing something constructive during my next summers. My mentor at IIT Kharagpur sent me a circular about an internship opportunity at a research lab in IIIT-Delhi. This is how I first got to know about professor Ponnurangam Kumaraguru and this supercool group known as Precog! I found the work in conformity with my interests and applied at once. After some rigorous technical rounds and interviews, I was informed of my selection. On 8th May 2017, I joined the group. Having got hostel accommodation at IIIT-Delhi itself, I got settled in my room. Soon after, PK invited…
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Pages from a chapter called Precog
Back in 2014, when I came to know about Dr. PK, he was associated with Backpack, FindAWay, IDEA and other cool things that were going around the campus. It was very intriguing because I did not know much about him except that and the courses that he took. Little later, I found out about Precog, the research group that he has at IIITD. For me, Precog was this intimidating elite group that I would never be able to be a part of. But oh! how wrong was I and so are you if you ever felt that. Trust me, I am an insider. 😛 Fast forward to 2015, I saw…
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The Anatomy of a Precog Internship!
It all began in September 2016 when I saw a big informative picture (image below) in my Facebook feed. In big bold blue letters the picture said “Internship 2017” with Precog’s logo on the right side. I had heard a whole lot of awesome stuff about Precog from people in IIIT-D and didn’t think twice before applying. The selection process itself was quite rigorous and after a few interviews I got selected for an Internship at Precog in the summer of 2017!! Add to that the fact that PK told me I could join right when my semester gets over and my joy knew no bounds! I distinctly remember my…
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Precog: A Family Affair
Before joining IIIT-Delhi, my father and I sat together to go through the list of faculty members who would teach me. We were awed by them all but some names stood out, one being PK’s. I read about his achievements and was eager to enroll in one of his courses when I joined IIIT-Delhi. After completing my first year, I was presented with several domains within computer science which I did not know existed; I wanted to explore them all. During the same time, Backpack was a hot product which students and professors were gushing about. I was told that a few of PK’s students had created Backpack and my…
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A stay of 2 months: An experience of lifetime
Like every engineering student, when I took admission in engineering college I had high hopes and ambitions of doing something big and worthy. But the monotonous curriculum, seniority dogma, student-faculty gap never provided conducive environment for research and those high ambitions somehow faded away. Engineering seemed to be limited to only what was there in textbooks. However when I finished my summer internship this year (2017) at Precog, I suddenly experienced a revival of my engineering ambitions. People around were working and building stuffs that are being applied to solve real world problems and being one of them was like dream come true! My stay at precog was the most enriching part…
