First batch of Niser students at their graduation ceremony in Bhubaneswar.

Week beyond learning

The graduation ceremony of the first batch students of the National Institute of Science Education and Research (Niser) saw experts deliberating on the dearth of scientists in the country to work on newer technologies. R.K. Sinha, chairman of the atomic energy commission (AEC), said: “There is no harm in students opting to go abroad to pursue advanced research and improve their skills. But whenever they are willing to return home, the country should be prepared to provide enough opportunities to them.”

Sinha expressed happiness that 11 of the 35 graduates from Niser were going abroad to pursue PhD programmes with fellowships from reputed science and research institutions in universities. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik also urged the female students to continue their career in science as the representation of women scientists in the country is very low. Former AEC chairman Anil Kakodkar said: “I am glad to note that during 2007-11, the teaching faculty of Niser involved students in bringing out publications on about 100 academic papers in various high impact journals.”

Niser director T.K. Chandrashekhar said to keep the institute on par with IITs and the like, they had proposed a separate Niser Act that has been sent to the department of atomic energy for processing. Sharing the progress of construction work of the permanent campus at Jatni, he said classes there would start by 2014. Siddharth Satpathy, from department of physics, was awarded the best graduate of the year.

Hitting airwaves

The Siksha O Anusandhan University, Bhubaneswar, would soon launch community radio, 90.4. This announcement was made on the sidelines of a medical camp recently organised in the capital by the university’s two constituent colleges. The radio station, which would broadcast its programmes within a radius of 15km, would serve as a platform to the community to express its views. It would also include entertainment, educational and health related programmes. Former captain of the Indian women’s football team Shraddhanjali Samantaray was the chief guest on the occasion.

Degrees from Russia

A MoU was signed between the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia and the Centre for Corporate Governance and Management, Bhubaneswar, on June 17 to facilitate student exchange programmes. This took place on the sidelines of a counselling session conducted by nuclear scientist and scientific advisor to the Russian federation, Dr. Borris in the capital. With this agreement, students from Odisha would be able to pursue degrees in medical and dental sciences in Russia at a nominal cos. Borris said the international degree is recognised by the Medical Council of India and in the US, Europe, Canada and a few other countries.

Aid for HIV patients

The Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), partnered with the Don Bosco Institute of Management, Guwahati, to design and conduct a two-month certificate course in leadership and managerial proficiency for people with HIV in Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland. Sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the two institutes collaborated with National Aids Control Organisation (Naco)’s north-east regional office in Guwahati for the programme, which aimed at capacity building of 29 participants, enabling them to acquire knowledge, skills and attitude appropriate to manage their professional and personal life. This residential programme included five weeks of classroom learning and three weeks of field learning. ‘Learning with fun’ formed the basis for teaching every module and the interactive lecture sessions were conducted with the help of powerpoint presentations, group discussions, case discussions, case analysis, psychometric tests, business games and simulation exercises. The graduation ceremony for the leadership and managerial proficiency participants was conducted on June 20, in which the additional secretary of Naco, Aradhana Johri, gave away certificates of merit. XIMB director father P.T. Joseph presented the awards to rank holders. The ceremony also showcased the folk dances of the north-east by the course participants and staff members of Don Bosco, Guwahati.

Value-added course

A seminar on “Financial Modelling — A Strategic Tool for Business Renovation” was organised last week by the MBA department of Srusti Academy of Management, Bhubaneswar. Management experts participating in the seminar felt that financial modelling was emerging as a strategic tool for the valuation of business and students taking up this course could enhance their employability. Two technical sessions — one on corporate restructuring and business renovation and the other on financial modelling technique and business valuation — were held. Seven technical papers were presented by academicians from different universities of the country. Srusti Newsletter, the quarterly magazine of the institute, was also released on the occasion.

Going rural

A national-level workshop on curriculum development for farmer producer organisations in India was hosted by the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), and the Small Farmers Agricultural Consortium (SFAC) on June 19. The objective of the workshop was to share and learn from among the resource groups of SFAC, various stakeholders working with the farmers and the curriculum designers, the training needs of farmer producer organisations.