PRAYAGRAJ, Sept. 13 -- Chairman of the boards of governors of IISER-Kolkata and IISER-Thiruvananthapuram Prof Arvind A Natu on Saturday urged graduating students to use science and technology to address challenges facing society and the nation, while ensuring that technological advancement does not come at the cost of human values. Addressing the 21st convocation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad (IIIT-A) on its Jhalwa campus, Prof Natu, who was the chief guest, said, "There is a great responsibility on your shoulders to carry the flag of science and technology." As many as 728 students were awarded degrees while 22 medals were conferred on meritorious students. Divyansh Omar received the Chairman's Gold Medal for 2026 for outstanding overall academic performance. Among the 728 students awarded degrees, 466 were undergraduates and 210 were postgraduates. The degrees also included 13 dual MTech-PhD, one MBA-PhD and 38 PhD degrees, of which seven were awarded to working professionals and 31 to research scholars. Among the BTech graduates, 281 were from Information Technology, 140 from Electronics and Communication Engineering and 45 from Business Informatics. Prof Natu highlighted challenges including energy security, efficient solar power, hydrogen and battery technologies, clean drinking water, affordable medicines, vaccines and grassroots healthcare. He said emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, deep learning, the Internet of Things and quantum computing could help tackle these issues. On AI, he cautioned that while the technology could improve efficiency and quality of life, its unregulated use could lead to job displacement, loss of privacy, reduced creativity and weakening of human interaction. Guest of honour Prof Bhim Singh from Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT), New Delhi, said the institute had undertaken initiatives and set up centres aimed at converting knowledge into practical solutions. "Knowledge and skills acquire their true value when they benefit the common person and provide solutions to real-world challenges," he said....