The Indian Institute of Technology Madras Research Park and the National Institute of Ocean Technology are jointly hosting, for the first time in India, the OCEANS 2022 conference, a bi-annual event of global marine researchers.
The Department of Ocean Engineering is coordinating the event on behalf of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Ocean Engineering Society and Marine Technology Society.
The hybrid mode conference will have 400 presentations by delegates on topics related to climate change, global warming, vagaries of weather, combating coastal erosion, marine pollution and microplastics during the four-day event that began on Monday.
Madhu Nair, chairman and managing director of Cochin Shipyard, said the theme was “inspire-innovate-sustain”. The conference will highlight how the “U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development” is attempting to reduce the impact of climate change through renewable energies.
IIT Madras Research Park’s chief executive Ashok Jhunjhunwala said: “We need to figure how electricity can be generated from a small wave as current technologies only allow for energy generation from large waves. One of the start- ups, Plays Technologies, incubated at the Institute, is making small underwater vehicles for exploring the ocean.”
NIOT director G.A. Ramadass said the $530 million had been allocated in the Union Budget for deep ocean exploration. NIOT had been mandated to design, develop and demonstrate technologies for sustainable exploration and use of ocean resources. NIOT’s first project is with the IIT Madras on extraction of energy from oceans. The success of three desalination plants it had developed for Lakshadweep islands had got them the opportunity to erect six more such plants, he said.
Institute director V. Kamakoti said IIT Madras had been setting up a large ocean centre on its satellite campus, Discovery in Thaiyur, which would be ready soon for large-sale research.
Over 500 professionally reviewed technical papers were being presented and more than 40 exhibitors were showcasing the latest innovations in products and services across the globe. There was an exclusive session on women in engineering.
