Freshers take centre stage

The literary and cultural wing of the students activity centre of the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, (NIT-R), organised a freshers’ welcome last week at the Bhubaneswar Behera auditorium. Several departments had organised parties at their respective wings, but this was the first official event for the engineering students. All the first year students were welcomed into the auditorium by their seniors. A majority of the faculty members were also present during the two-and-a-half-hour programme. The dean of students’ affair, K.C. Pati, addressed the students. Two dance groups - Synergy and Maverick - presented both contemporary and traditional dances as part of the entertainment programme. A mini film depicting upcoming activities of the activity centre was also presented. Three new initiatives such as TedX, AIESEC NIT Chapter and Ritwik, a social awareness activity, were launched. 
 

National seminar

X-Ops, the operations committee of the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, (XIM-B), hosted its flagship event called Ashwamedh 2015 on Sunday. It is an annual national seminar, which brings together eminent personalities from diverse range of backgrounds, including academia, corporate and the government sector. The theme of the conclave was “Gaining competitive advantage through operations and supply chain management.” The event saw a congregation of leading names from different industries who participated in a panel discussion. The online journal of Xops, Ashwamedh 2015 was also launched. This was followed by a question and answer session between the panelists and the audience. It was a great learning experience for the students of this leading management institute.

Tech-talk

TechHack, the tech club of SOA University, organised a tech talk session in collaboration with Microsoft Developer Community (MSDC), Odisha, at the computer science department of ITER (Institute of Technical Education and Research). The speakers included experts such as Tadit Dash, Nirmal Chandra Hota, Durga Charan Ojha and Zeeshan Ali. They spoke on different Microsoft-related technologies and about the Internet. MSDC is a team of expert software engineers and students destined towards a common goal to narrow the gap between technology and society.

Foundation day

The Central University of Odisha, Koraput, celebrated its 7th foundation day programme on the sprawling Landiguda campus in Koraput on August 29. The programme started with the raising of the university flag by the vice-chancellor, Sachidananda Mohanty, who presided over the event. 

Mohanty emphasised on participatory approach with adjacent villages so that the university can help in developing the area. The chief guest gave away prizes and certificates to the meritorious students. 

A colourful cultural programme was organised on the occasion, which portrayed the themes of cultural diversity and the importance of national integration.

Soft skill development

A soft skill development workshop was organised at Odisha Engineering College, Bhubaneswar. The Biju Patnaik University of Technology conducted it on August 31. The one-day workshop on soft skill development was inaugurated by Sanjay Kumar Das Burma, minister for skill development and technical education, government of Odisha. More than 3,000 engineering, management, pharmacy students and budding young technocrats from more than 100 colleges affiliated to BPUT took part in the event. The first ever newsletter of BPUT, “BPUT Connect,” which emphasised the achievements of the university, along with the affiliated colleges, was inaugurated on the occasion.  

Convocation

As many as 83 MBA students received their certificates while six were awarded gold medals for their outstanding performance at the Sri Sri University on the occasion of convocation day. Two students - Seetharaman, chairman of Doha Bank, Dubai, and Suseela Rani, assistant professor at Lendi Institute of Engineering & Technology, Andhra Pradesh, received their PhD degrees. 

They have the distinction of being the first doctorates from Sri Sri University. Presenting a report on the milestones achieved by the varsity since its commencement in 2012, vice-chancellor Nand Lal announced the launch of several new courses in the next academic year, including two-year masters programmes in mathematics, statistics, Sanskrit, philosophy, two-year bachelors programme in education, three-year bachelors programme in tourism and travel management and four-year bachelors programmes in fine arts. 

The varsity is also planning to start programmes in architecture, journalism and osteopathy. 

Agitation

Students of Maharaja Purna Chandra College, Baripada, staged an agitation on Monday to protest against lack of basic amenities in the institute. The agitators closed the main gate for two hours. The demands included the increase of Plus Three seats by 20 per cent, renovation of the old hostel and construction of a new hostel, adequate books in the library, introduction of MPhil course and the immediate appointment of adequate teaching staff members. The agitation was called off after the principal assured to take care of their problems.

Remembering Meher

Several students of Sambalpur University attended a meet that was organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of legendary poet Gangadhar Meher. 

The event was organised at the statistic hall of the varsity. Padma Shri Srinivas Udgata attended the meeting as the chief guest, while the vice-chancellor of the varsity presided over the event.