Magnetism at Nanoscale, a workshop on nano-magnetism was held at the National Institute of Science Education and Research (Niser), Bhubaneswar, in association with the central government’s department of science and technology and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan. About 80 participants attended the four-day conference last week.

There were eight participants from Japan, while two came from Germany and one from the UK. Students from premier research institutes in India such as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Indian Institute of technology, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and several central universities. Chairman of the solid state and structural chemistry unit of the IISc D.D. Sharma was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony. The workshop had four plenary lectures, 25 invited lectures and four contributed talks in the scientific sessions. The conference also had a poster session with 44 posters on display.

Management summit

The Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), conducted a national-level entrepreneurship summit, Ignite 2015, on January 18. The event was organised by X-SEED, the idea and initiative cell of the XIMB. Renowned speakers from various backgrounds discussed on the topic - how technology has changed entrepreneurship. Anurag Batra started the discussion with the keynote address. He said that earlier people used to pursue MBA to get a job, but now, 90 per cent people want to become entrepreneurs. Srikumar Mishra, an XIMB alumnus, spoke about evolving history of music from vinyl records to the digital age of iTunes. K.C. Mishra spoke about various aspects of management. Tanmay Mohanty discussed about the importance of focus.

Blood donation

The social service grill society of the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, in association with the Red Cross Society, organised a blood donation camp on January 14. The camp was held on the varsity campus, where over 400 students and the faculty members had donated blood. Vice-chancellor E. Saibaba Reddy inaugurated the event. Certificates of appreciation were given to the donors. Many students were donating blood for the first time, and they were happy to take part in a good cause.

Cultural extravaganza

The 31st state-level cultural and literary festival was organised on the Sailabala Women’s College’s campus in Cuttack on January 19 and 20. The event was held by the state government authorities to provide a platform for the Plus Two students to showcase their extra-curricular skills. Around 240 students from 62 colleges had taken part in the event. Various literary competitions such as essay, poem and caption writing, along with other events such as quiz, debate, folk dance and music were also organised.

Music and more

The Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH), Bhubaneswar, organised its first management festival — B’mahotsav-2015 on January 19. Famous pop singer Neeraj Shridhar thrilled the students with his voice on this occasion. Around 50 management institutes had taken part in various academic and non-academic events. Sudarshan Pattanaik, the brand ambassador of the fest, inaugurated the event. A souvenir was also released during the inaugural ceremony. The organising committee members, under the leadership of director Prithvi Yadav, successfully managed the fest.

Various cultural competitions among students of various management institutes were also organised.

Job placement

As many as 17 MBA students of Sanjay Memorial Institute of Technology (SMIT), Berhampur, have been selected by Odishaclick.com, a Calcutta-based web portal firm in a placement session held on the Ankuspur campus of the SMIT on January 20. Total 35 students of the marketing and finance department of the institute took part in the session. Deputy general manager of the firm Subir Bose and its Odisha head Satyajit Mishra selected the students through technical assessment, group discussion and personality tests.

The selected students would be appointed in various sites of the company. Institute president Bhagaban Gantayat wished the students a bright future. “Two other companies would organise campus selection during the first week of February. Aspiring students of all local degree or diploma engineering colleges must take advantage of this,” Gantayat said.

Annual sports

Students of the Sushilavati Government Women’s College, Rourkela, took part in the 26th annual sports organised on the college’s Sector-II campus last week. The students took part in various sports, along with events such as tug of war, breaking a pot with one blow, and several other competitions in the two-day event. Principal Priyambada Mohanty inaugurated the event, while Geetanjali Patri was the chief guest on the closing ceremony and handed over trophies to the winners. Archana Kerketa, a Plus Three student, emerged as the champion.

Awards for excellence

Students of the Kamala Nehru Women’s College in Bhubaneswar observed their 36th annual college event on January 19 and 20. Several eminent personalities from various fields graced the event and shared their views with the girls and inspired them to excel in their life. Kumarabar Das, former vice-chancellor of the Fakir Mohan University, talked about the role of girls in creating a better society.

Das conferred awards on meritorious and those, who had excelled in other fields. Besides, winners of various competitions held on the college campus were also rewarded on this occasion.

SANDIP BAL