Achiever's Success Story
“Md. Akhtar Khan, Assistant Professor, GITAM Deemed to be University”
Someone has rightly quoted, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”Md Akhtar Khan is perefect living example of this saying. This Assistant Professor in Department of Aerospace Engineering, GITAM Deemed to be University, Hyderabad is a dynamic personality with a zest for life.He always strived hard to achieve his goal to become a researcher.His research work includes steady and unsteady aerodynamics, Low Reynolds number flyers, Aerodynamics of dragonfly wing corrugation, Dynamics of UAVs and MAVs, Flapping wing aerodynamics and Fluid dynamics. He has published nearly 20 research journal papers in peer-reviewed International Journals and is an editorial board member and reviewer of peer-reviewed Elsevier and Web of Science Journals. He has received Award’s from SAE and Botswana University, USA in 2018 , Ryerson University, Canada in 2019 and Research Excellence Award-2020 from Institute of Scholars, Bengaluru .
“Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.“(Theodore Roosevelt)
Teaching is really about inspiration, not information. The goal should be to spark each student’s imagination, to find a hook in their heart and mind so that they feel a need to learn the material.As a teacher, he used to ask challenging questions and helped the students to make a path toward the answers. If they are motivated to find the path, they will carve it themselves. This is an important reminder that teaching is all about building a relationship with students.
He forayed into the field of education instead of chance and stayed on as he discovered his passion. He believes that a robust appreciation of subjects and personal conviction and authority on concept learnt enhances students’ cognitive capabilities. Passionate about education,he believes that every student is a potential powerhouse, and he endeavours to help each student tap into it.
Along his journey, Akhtar Khan worked in various academic institutions with unique insights at various tactical,operational, and strategic levels.Curriculum development, assessments,conferences,workshops and research projects in Aerospace Engineering are his forte.
His critical thinking, innovative ideas and problem-solving skills are integrated into the curriculum and focus is on the conceptual understanding at engineering level education.He instigates a firm foundation so that each student has a long run in their careers. In the absence of this foundation, they (students) will likely have loopholes in their understanding which will eventually result in their inability to apply their knowledge and skills later.It’s relatively easy to meet expectations, knowing precisely what you will get in return. But amazing things happen when you take away the cap. Like a soda bottle that’s been shaken, individuals who remove perceived limits achieve remarkable results in the classroom and beyond!It is up to teachers to light the fuse and see what happens.