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| A student from University of Texas at Austin, who is on a summer internship project in Odisha, conducts vocabulary and grammar classes for students in Ganjam. Telegraph picture |
Aid from abroad
A group of students from University of Texas at Austin, as part of their summer internship project, are on a two-month visit to Gopalpur-on-sea to help school children and college graduates of the coastal fishing villages in Ganjam pick up basic computer and Internet skills.
The students from Texas — Jhon, Reanna, Nessa and Lauren — are teaching the village students how to access the Internet to get study material and information on any subject.
Besides, they are imparting lessons in spoken English and basic communication skills. “The students are amazing and fast learners. Many of them are now able to prepare powerpoint slides all by themselves,” said Lauren.
The four university students are a part of Nourish International, a student’s body, which works to address global poverty and spends part of their study time on various development projects across the world.
Here, they are conducing a village assessment programme that would help the community identify their own resources and problems in education and helping them out with some feasible solutions.
During these two months, the students plan to hold a training programme for teachers too, so that they can improve upon their teaching skills and make learning much more interactive and interesting for the students.
This apart, they have decided to launch a sanitation drive in the village.
“This week, we are helping them to use the e-mail for better communication and to enrich their professional lives.
“We want them to learn as many tools and use as many opportunities as possible,” said Reanna.
Volunteers of social groups Divya Jyoti Mahila Vikash, Views and FMM Social Service Society are assisting the Texas students in conducting various programmes.
Rave reviews
Talented young artists of the Art and Crafts College, Balasore, are earning wide applause and appreciation with their art exhibition, Kala Shree, at the Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi.
The weeklong exhibition, which will end on June 7, was inaugurated by eminent art critic Padma Shree Keshav Malik. Apart from 11 students and staff members of the college, four former students of the institute are taking part in the exhibition.
Nearly 26 paintings and 11 sculptures on themes depicting the culture and traditions of Odisha are being displayed.
“After waiting for four years, we finally got the opportunity to organise the show. It is an honour to showcase our artwork on a national platform.
“The response from fellow artists and visitors has been very encouraging,” said college principal Nikunja Bihari Das.
Ex-student Pradipta Kishor Das, who put up a painting called Gandhian Chair depicting the sacrifices made by Mahatma Gandhi, which fetched Rs 40,000, is overwhelmed.
“This has been a huge opportunity for us to interact with eminent personalities of our fraternity. This exhibition has given us great exposure,” said Das.
Other paintings based on themes such as Mother and Child, City Landscape and Krishna Leela have already been auctioned,” said Debendra Khatua, another participant.
Saving energy
A two-day seminar on “Renewable Energy Sources to meet the Power Crisis” was held last week at the Aryan Institute of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar. The topic is relevant in the present context as the state is facing a massive power shortage.
Though the use of renewable sources of energy is not a new mantra, yet the 50-odd delegates taking part in the seminar threw light on innovative ways to use them and meet our energy demands, said Aryan institute chairperson Madhumita Parida.
Nearly half of total participants presented papers on alternative sources of energy to face power scarcity. They focussed on different sources of energy such as the sun, biomass, including wood, wood waste, municipal solid waste, landfill gas and biogas, ethanol and bio diesel, water, geothermal, wind power, ocean thermal energy conversion and tides.
Several academicians and scholars from various institutes as well as experts from the energy sector also took part here. The institute’s electrical engineering department hosted the seminar.
Education reforms
The second round of panel discussion on “Reform of Technical Education System in Odisha: Vision-2015” was held at the Dhaneswar Rath Institute of Engineering and Management Sciences, Tangi, on Monday.
The stakeholders of the technical education industry, research organisations, administrators, academicians and students attended the programme. The panel members unanimously agreed to update the curriculum as per the needs of the industry and society, teaching has to be more student-centric and members of the various industries must be represented in the board of studies of technical universities.
Tooth truths
Gone are the days when the only way to treat an infected and painful tooth was to remove it. Speakers at the two-day Continuing Dental Education (CDE) programme “Pathways of Successful Endodontics” at the Institute of Dental Sciences, Bhubaneswar, revealed new tricks to treat infection in the tooth.
“The trick is to retain it rather extract it,” said Prasanna Neelakanthan, an expert on conservation dentistry and endodontics at the Saveetha Dental College, Chennai, while addressing dentists and students of dental science from different parts of the country.
He said the treatment, which involved root canal intervention, would be successful if few routine checks were carried out. The institute dean, P.C.Das and principal of SCB Dental College, Cuttack, Dr. J.K. Das were among those who spoke at the event.
