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| Students of Khallikote Arts College, Ganjam, carve sculptures of uprooted tree trunks on the campus of National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. Pictures by Uttam Kumar Pal |
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Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SoA) University, Bhubaneswar, has introduced dual degrees in engineering and hotel management courses for students taking admission this year. Students opting for these degrees can study B.Tech alongside M.Tech or B.Tech with MBA over a five year-period, which will provide them one year’s advantage. Those studying for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in hotel management and catering technology can pursue MBA at the same time over a five year-period. Counselling for admissions to various courses has started and would continue till June 10. Students seeking lateral entry into B.Tech, B.Pharm and MCA will be admitted on the basis of SAAT-2014, the entrance test conducted by the university across the country on May 18. Students with 85 per cent or more marks in Class X and Plus Two will be eligible for scholarship in MBBS, BDS, BSc Nursing and BTech, while those who have obtained first class in the qualifying examination and pursuing courses in MCA, MBA, BBA, BPharm, hotel management and law will get grant.
Girls on a high
BJB Autonomous College registered a pass percentage of 94.32 in the final year degree exams, an improvement of four per cent from last year. While the success rate for science subjects stood at 95.50 per cent, for commerce and arts it was 95.93 per cent and 91.53 per cent, respectively. Last year, the overall pass rate of the college was about 90 per cent – 88 for science, 91 for commerce and 90 in arts. Debadarshini Samantaray of physics department was adjudged best graduate with a score of 1,554 out of 1,800 marks (86.33 per cent). “Girls have topped in 17 of the 24 disciplines across all three streams,” said BJB controller of examinations Chittaranjan Mishra. The departments of anthropology, geography, psychology, statistics, chemistry, mathematics and physics recorded cent per cent results. Marksheets, provisional certificates and college leaving certificates are available at the examination cell. Results of the self-financing subjects would be published by mid-June. “Exams for the sponsored programmes were held a little late, which explains the delay,” said Mishra.
Tree of life
A campus beautification drive is on at the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, with students of Khallikote Art College, Ganjam, working their magic on the roots and trunks of uprooted trees. The young artists have been creating innovative wood sculptures since the last week of April are now lending finishing touches to their works.
Oral hygiene
The Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences (Kids) under KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, conducted a free dental screening and treatment camp in Panchupal village at Barang on May 31 to mark World No Tobacco Day. Around 150 residents of Panchupal village attended the camp to be screened for dental and oral diseases and were explained about the ill effects of tobacco consumption. Banners were displayed, which educated the public about the ill effects of tobacco and how it is one of the major cause of oral cancer. A total of 82 extractions (tooth removal) were also done at the camp. The team from Kids consisted of 14 doctors, dental students and assistants.
Moral lessons
Professor emeritus at the University of Oklahoma, US, Farrokh Mistree visited the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University last week and emphasised on the role of parents in inculcating moral values in their wards. He was responding to suggestions in an interaction with top officers of the varsity that higher education alone was not able to bring in morality and stem the rot in the society, which was battling corruption. He said students passing through the portals of higher education may get the requisite degrees, but the burden of training them on how to carry themselves rested on their parents. “The institution or university may play a part, but the core values need to come from parents,” said Prof. Mistree, professor in aerospace and mechanical engineering in the US varsity.
Another feather
KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, bagged two Consortium of Co-Chairpersons-Industry Technology Education Excellency Awards 2013 at a presentation ceremony in Ahmedabad recently. KIIT vice-chancellor Prof. P. P. Mathur received the award from the High Commissioner of Nigeria Ndubulsi Vitus Amaku. The awards — Best University in Promoting Research and Development, Relevant to the Needs of the Society and Best University in Learned Publication in High Impact Journals in Top tier Conferences — recognise the efforts of the university in promoting research, development and publications in world class journals by the faculty. It is instituted by Gujarat Technological University, jointly with Communication Multimedia Applications Infrastructure Association of India and supported by Assocham, a national chamber of commerce and industries.