"I will transfer you to a science department if you always mix with the faculty members of science," said the dean of engineering in a private university!

Source: A copyright-free image from Unsplash.

• This was an angry statement from a retired professor of a premier academic institute in India, namely IIT Kharagpur, who also happened to be the dean of engineering at a private university (where I worked for a few years).

• A faculty member of engineering was stunned to hear this. But the incumbent faculty member was not surprised.

• Because he knew that the ignorant dean did not understand what a university really means, that dean was a misfit to hold that academic position of a dean, who had no idea that there could be no demarcation between knowledge in science and engineering.

[[ And that retired professor often boasted in public that he taught the current CEO of Google, namely Sundar Pichai, a course during his undergrad studies at IIT Kharagpur! It is funny, isn't it? ]]

Try to understand the level of 'understanding about STEM education' of that retired IIT Kharagpur professor!

• So, not all old is gold.

We can easily presume the academic scenarios of the Indian private academic institutes and universities with all these types of so-called retired professors of IITs and other well-known universities.

Ignorants think that Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics are separate chambers!

• The immature dean's story is unpleasant, but it gives an opportunity to think about the subject deeply.

• Are the academic disciplines just as distinct as separate chambers? Or are they interrelated and entwined with the fine threads of knowledge?

Ignorants think that Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics are separate chambers!

• But, there are ignorants, such as the acting dean in a college of engineering, who wrongly think that Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) are separate chambers!

• This is completely against the spontaneous knowledge flow in a university environment.

• This is not only wrong academic administration, but it is also equally damaging to the growth of the university.

This type of ignorant dean's wrongdoings can even destroy the smooth development of the academic disciplines in a university environment.

Academic disciplines are similar to geographic regions; they have overlapping areas and smooth transitions.

• Though people (like the ignorant dean) think of science, engineering, and technology as three separate things, they are closely connected.

• In fact, the disciplines of the liberal arts and fine arts are also not unrelated. This connection is very important for holistic learning.

Academic disciplines are like geographic regions.

• As the characteristic of a geographic region changes smoothly from river valley to barren and rocky lands, the academic disciplines also have overlapping areas with a smooth transition from one subject to the other.

There is no barrier to knowledge.

Leonardo da Vinci could explore several aspects of natural sciences.

• Leonardo da Vinci could explore several aspects of natural sciences, still he could draw amazing pieces of painting, including "The Last Supper" and Monalisa.

• Charles Chaplin considered Albert Einstein the most eligible person to be invited to the premiere of his movie City Lights.

• The Indian scientist Satyendra Nath Bose of Bose-Einstein statistics was fluent in teaching the Sanskrit language at the college level.

• Satyendra Nath Bose was also an expert practitioner of a musical instrument called the 'Esraj.'

• Albert Einstein was an expert violin player and used to perform in classical musical orchestral programs.

Learning in life grows like a collage of land in a geographical landscape.

All these are proofs that the universal knowledge has no barrier at all.

• The more we learn, the more we understand the need for cross-interaction between the disciplines.

Interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies are the need of the time

• Interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies are the need of the time.

• In fact, the real-world problems are mixtures of several disciplines.

We can't relate to the world with the chamber-like compartmentalized knowledge of separate disciplines.

• The society needs the entire spectrum of knowledge. Only then are we better equipped to solve real-world problems.

• The present-day developments in health and medical sciences nicely demonstrate the victory of interdisciplinary fields.

The innovations in physics, chemistry, biology, material sciences, electronics, mathematics, and computer science etc., solve so many complicated problems in sciences, engineering, health, and medical sciences.

Do you think alike? I will be happy to get your counter views. If you like, then please don't hesitate to hit the "like" button and share. I would love to have your comments.

Enlarged from one of my earlier published articles while working as a professor of electronics and communication engineering.

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About me

I am a researcher who contributes to the overlapping areas of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). I am an active user and promoter of GNU/Linux, free and open-source software. I also develop cybersecurity and information security solutions, specifically graphical authentication security.

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Debesh Choudhury

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Wednesday, November 26, 2025

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