ISRO made history by successfully landing India's third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, on the Moon's south pole, making India the first country to do so, last year. ISRO Chief S. Somnath received global praise for this achievement. Now, 11 months after the Chandrayaan-3 landing, more good news has emerged for him. On Friday, at the 61st convocation ceremony held at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), S. Somnath was awarded a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering. A total of 3,016 degrees, including joint and dual degrees, were awarded to students at the event.
According to NDTV, Dr. S. Somnath expressed his gratitude, stating, "It is a great honor to receive a degree from a prestigious institute like IIT Madras. As a village boy, even though I was a topper, I did not have the courage to appear for the IIT entrance exam. My dream was that one day I would graduate from here. I did my master's degree from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, and now I have been awarded a PhD by IIT Madras."
He also acknowledged the challenges of earning a PhD, especially from a reputed institution like IIT Madras. Describing it as a long journey, he mentioned that he had registered for the PhD many years ago. His research topic was related to vibration isolators, a subject he had started working on as an engineer in an ISRO project decades ago. This topic remained important to him, and he continued working on it for many years.
A statement from IIT Madras mentioned that the chief guest of the event was Dr. Brian K. Kobilka, who won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIT Madras, presided over the convocation, alongside Professor V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, faculty, staff, and students. In his address to the graduating students and award winners, Dr. Kobilka said, "I do not consider myself extraordinary in any way. My career today is an example of how an average person can achieve success through hard work, perseverance, family, friends, and great help from colleagues. When I look back at my career, I'm amazed at how many times I was in the right place at the right time, with the right people."
