‘Missile Woman of India’ Tessy Thomas urges students to set their sights on big goals
The sky is not the limit, as human potential can soar much higher, said Tessy Thomas, scientist and former director general of Aeronautical Systems at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), as she addressed graduands at the fifth convocation ceremony of Indian Institute of Information Technology – Tiruchi (IIIT-T) at Sethurapatti in Tiruchi, on Saturday.
Ms. Thomas, often referred to as the ‘Missile Woman of India’, highlighted the growth of DRDO, and the opportunities waiting for the younger generation in automation and data science, in her keynote address.
She advised students to use their newly gained technical expertise and knowledge for the common good. “Each one of you has a long journey ahead, and the sky is not the limit, because our potential is much higher. Dream big and be limitless,” the scientist said.
Ms. Thomas also spoke about how the Agni missiles and underwater weapons systems had helped DRDO to position India among the few countries in the world with multi-level strategic capability.
Working for the Agni programme had been a great challenge, but it had helped the nation gain strike capabilities of 3,000-5,000 km, she said.
The convocation witnessed the graduation of IIIT-T’s batch of 2023, which had 45 students.
The Institute Gold Medal was awarded to N. Nagamallishwar (ECE), and Pawan Kalyan Jada (CSE). Mr. Nagamallishwar also received the President’s Gold Medal for overall best academic performance.
N.V.S.N. Sarma, director, IIIT-T, spoke.
