Eminent physicist K.L. Chopra said last Saturday that higher education should be given equal importance with primary education and the objective should be to ensure that the purpose of learning was to grasp the nuances as to how to live with each other in the society. He was speaking as the chief guest at the two-day national seminar on “recent trends in condensed matter physics”, organised by the department of physics of the ITER, SOA University, Bhubaneswar. “Universities, which only teach, are dead or dying,” he said, emphasising on the need to modify the education system, so that people could relate to physics.
The seminar also coincided with the 31st annual convention of the Odisha Physical Society (OPS), which attracted physicists from all over the country and abroad. Many eminent physicists from across the nation attended the gathering. Pratibha Jolly, principal of Miranda House, New Delhi, who spoke as the guest of honour, underscored the need for sustainable changes for education as the learning process had to be more collaborative, enabling the students to take charge of their own destiny. About 100 research articles were received for presentation at the event and six prominent teachers were felicitated by the OPS for their contribution to physics on the occasion.
Up in the air
Students of the Air Hostess and Hospitality Academy, Bhubaneswar, had their fair share of adventure when they tried their hand at parasailing for the first time last Sunday. Parasailing is a mandatory course that an aspirant has to cover to become an airhostess. It is considered an exciting yet tough sport and is off-limits for people with high blood pressure, heart ailments and pregnant women. The students were strapped into parachutes and were tied to a long rope, which was pulled by a jeep on the ground. The students ran for a short distance before being hoisted up into the air with the help of the parachute. The student glided gently back to the ground after a brief flight through the air.
IT meet
The 10th edition of the International Conference on Distributed Computing and Internet Technology (ICDCIT-2014) concluded this Sunday at KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. The conference has become a useful platform for researchers in the field of computer science from India and all over the world to exchange research results and ideas on the foundations and applications of distributed computing and Internet technologies. More than 200 delegates from countries, including USA, France, India and Austria, presented over 30 research papers at the meet.
Quiz time
On Sunday, the BJB Friends, the Alumni Association of BJB College, organised an inter-college competition between Plus Two commerce students. Titled Scholastic Quiz, 64 students from various colleges of Odisha selected through preliminary rounds took part in the final round.
Fun and frolic
The Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal, celebrated its annual cultural fest Ten-2-Ten on Monday. The daylong festival, in its fifth year, now was a mélange of literary events, theatre, music and dance. Head of the institute Mrinal Chatterjee inaugurated the event. A quiz competition, a satirical mimicry event called Shipwreck took place where the students poked fun at famous celebrities. The evening session featured music and dance performances by students. Nitrutsav, the annual cultural festival, organised by the Literary and Cultural Society, Student Activity Centre of National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, was held last week. The three-day festival brought together competitions, workshops, exhibitions and guest lecturers focusing on cultural exploration.
The festivity concluded with a DJ night promoting the Sunburn festival. The annual techno management festival of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology of Burla, Samavesh-2014, was organised on the university campus. Robotics, bike stunt, laser show and several technical and management events were organised during the festival. An industrial exhibition was also organised during this occasion. A three-day fest, held on the campus of Satya Sai Engineering College on the Chandipur road, Balasore, saw students taking part in a number of events where they showcased their talents. Cultural programmes, including song, dance and drama, were held. The highlight of the festival was a gala night by singer Babul Supriyo.
Self-defence
Under the guidance of Poonam Khandelwal, the Ispat Vidya Mandir, Rourkela, initiated a 12-day karate training camp for its female students last week. Deemed extremely important in today’s time, the martial art would be taught to 50 students in two groups as to prepare them for self-defence.
Mixed bag
The KKS Women’s College held its annual function on Sunday. The annual function of the students’ union of Hinjili Science College, Berhampur, was also observed recently. A seminar on “energy management tools for loss reduction” was organised by the department of electrical engineering of Balasore College of Engineering and Technology, recently.
