Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has launched a new department of Cognitive Science. The institute will be the first among the IITs to have a fully-fledged department of Cognitive Science. It aims to devise futuristic technology by understanding, mirroring and adapting the complexity of the perception and processes of the human mind.
IIT Kanpur said that the initiative will go a long way in mapping traditional Indian knowledge and understanding of the human mind with futuristic technology.
The Department of Cognitive Science will prepare students for careers by bringing together knowledge in fields of artificial intelligence, business, data analysis, government intelligence, healthcare, human performance, information processing, law, marketing, product design, and software design.
IIT Kanpur first ventured into Cognitive Science, formally, by establishing an interdisciplinary program (IDP) in Cognitive Science on June 1, 2017. The proposal to start the new department was approved at the meeting of the board of governors held on December 7, 2020.
In 2019, a team of Cognitive Science experts as part of the National Advisory Committee visited the IIT Kanpur campus. The team had recommended the formation of a Cognitive Science department, IIT Kanpur said.
Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur, said, “The pioneering step of establishing a separate department for Cognitive Science is expected to provide impetus to the research and teaching programs in Cognitive Science at IIT Kanpur. The new department will address this lacuna and help India to become a pioneer in the field of cognitive science. The department will study the working of the human mind and mechanisms in the brain involved in mental processes and interface with departments like BSBE on neuroscience-related areas. The new department will also work in collaboration with the Computer Sciences and Engineering department to develop new artificially intelligent and machine-learning interfaces.”
What Is Cognitive Science?
The study of Cognitive Sciences traverses multiple disciplines such as anthropology, engineering, computer science, linguistics, medicine, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and others to offer multi-faceted explanations of individual and social behavior.
Applications of cognitive science include understanding and developing methods for effective learning, remediation for mental-disorders, and development of better user interfaces to be utilized by software companies.
