South Dakota State University has formalized its partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar.
The two schools signed a memorandum of understanding in April, SDSU announced last week.
Rajesh Kavasseri, associate dean for research for the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering, said the purpose of the memorandum is to “lay the foundation for mutual faculty and student engagement, playing to our common strengths.”
The partnership means the schools can share resources and apply for research grants that fund projects involving international collaboration. It started as a partnership between SDSU engineering professor Saikat Basu and Dr. Devranjan Samanta, who teaches at IIT Ropar.
Basu, who studies fluid dynamics, said there are multiple areas where the two institutions can work together, including healthcare and agriculture.
“We have discussed, and are interested in the use of sophisticated mechanics and data science knowledge in agriculture practices, especially because Ropar is in the northern part of India, a region that’s actually called the food bowl of India,” he said.
Sanjeev Kumar, dean of SDSU’s engineering school, will visit Ropar this September.