A student of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, (XIMB) has written a book titled Never Again - Tale of the Stranded Island that is now available at various bookstores and online platforms. 

The book, a war thriller, is based on the diary of a Nazi soldier and revolves around two nations, seven lives, a terrorist organisation and a secret that is stored in the diary. The writer, a second-year student of the institute, took about six months to complete the book. 

He had earlier written another book titled The Adventures Beyond Existence in 2013 while he was pursuing his bachelor’s degree. The book was well received by the students of the institute and outside. 

Placement 

The Asian School of Business Management (ASBM) has witnessed 100 per cent placement this year. Around 28 companies of the country had taken part in the recruitment process and given offer letters to the students of the postgraduate diploma in management course of the institute. Many students have got multiple job offers. Companies, such as ITC Limited, Axis Bank Limited, Pantaloons Retail & Fashion Limited, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co Limited, HR Mantra, Bajaj Allianz Limited, ICICI Securities Limited, Vodafone Spacetel Limited, Blue Dart Express Limited and SBI Life Insurance Company Limited have recruited students. The placements have made the young graduates, many of who had come from across the country to study there, very happy. 

Transportation engineering

A training programme - Recent Advances and Innovation in Transportation Engineering — was organised at the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, last week. 

Students of the university’s civil engineering department co-ordinated the programme. Around 50 people from state works department, various engineering colleges of the state and outside took part in the six-day training session. 

A number of papers were presented during the programme. Head of the department of civil engineering Amar Nath Nayak shared his views on the role of transport engineers who plan, design and operate the large public and private infrastructure systems that connect our physical world. Students also showcased innovative models of green vehicles. 

Nanoscience

The Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of SOA University has developed a method for conversion of carbon dioxide into solar fuels. Researchers at the centre have developed a prototype for photocatalytic conversion of water to hydrogen fuel using solar light. Director Kulamani Parida, while speaking at the two-day workshop on development of nanomaterials for energy, environment and sustainability on May 9 and 10, spoke to the students about the techniques employed during the research. Speaking at the event, NISER-Bhubaneswar director V. Chandrasekhar said nanoscience and nanotechnology could be utilised to address serious issues such as sustainability and environment, both global concerns. Students also discussed various trends with experts.

Art and craft

A week-long summer camp was organised at the Balasore Art and Craft College for schoolchildren. The event came to an end on May 9. Around 123 students from nursery to Class-X had taken part in the camp. On the closing day, 27 students who won various competitions were felicitated by the guests that included culture department director Amarendra Mohanty, Lalit Kala Akademi secretary Tarakanta Parida and others. The guests spoke to the students about modern art and art forms such as clay modelling, and colloid painting. 

The students were given training on various art and crafts skills by 37 teachers including students of the college and the faculty members. The camp gave the art students an opportunity to hone their teaching skills along with promoting art and culture among the school students. 

Flying model

Gandhi Institute For Technology, Bhubaneswar, recently conducted a workshop called Aeronika on the institute premises. 
A group of students of the institute have created the model of an airplane that flew up to 700ft above the ground and landed satisfactorily after an hour’s flight. In another development, the mechanical department of Gandhi Institute for Technological Advancement conducted a two-day national seminar on recent advancement in mechanical engineering last week. 

Retired professor of NIT Rourkela A. Sarangi addressed the students on the occasion.