Dr. Nirni Kumar Memorial Best Student Award
The Dr. Nirni Kumar Memorial Best Student Award, instituted by Dr. Kumar's wife in his honor, will provide support to the graduating B.Tech student with the highest CGPA from the Department of Ocean Engg and Naval Architecture
To the left is a photo of Nirni on one of his research cruises, which he always enjoyed going on.
Background:
Dr. Nirnimesh Kumar graduated from the OE & NA department at IIT KGP in 2007 with a B. Tech degree. He pursued MS in Geological Sciences and PhD in Marine Sciences from the University of South Carolina. Following this Dr. Kumar worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in California. He pursued his passion for teaching and research, and was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington.
Dr. Kumar was fondly called ‘Nirni’ by everyone. Cheerful, helpful, humble, lively, and kind are some of Nirni's qualities which his friends remember him by. He was an avid hiker, a dog lover, and immensely dedicated towards his family. Nirni was adept at connecting instantly with people and forging a meaningful and thoughtful conversation with them. He capitalized on everything which IIT had to offer. He, also, enthusiastically participated in Hall, Gymkhana as well as Departmental activities. Nirni will forever be remembered as a kind and gentle soul, full of joy and compassion.
Dr. Kumar's untimely death in 2020 left his family, friends and colleagues overwhelmed with the loss. With the establishment of this scholarship, we would like his legacy of generosity and kindness to continue and be able to give back to his community.
Objective of Fund:
For the next 25 years under the "Dr. Nirni Kumar Memorial Best Student Award" a scholarship will be awarded to the graduating B. Tech student with the highest CGPA from the Ocean Engg and Naval Architecture Department.
A heartfelt thank you to all who have already contributed.
We are continuing to collect funds for this award, you can make a donation in USD via this link: Donate in USD
To make a contribution in INR and receive an 80G Certificate, please click the following link for account information of IIT-Kharagpur's Office of Alumni Affairs: Donate in INR