Pierre Vaesen (circled in red), ambassador of Belgium to India, takes part in a plantation programme on the XIMB campus. Telegraph picture

Pierre Vaesen, the ambassador of Belgium to India, who toured Odisha recently, visited the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), on April 22. He discussed the avenues for increasing student exchange programmes and industry-academia linkages between Belgium and India, especially Odisha, with the institute authorities. He was accompanied by his wife and trade commissioner of Wallonia region in Belgium Christophe Vanoverstraten. Vaesen delivered a talk before 26 international students at XIMB who are undergoing the 3Continent-Master of Global Management, a partnership programme between XIMB, Antwerp Management School in Belgium and Fordham University, USA. Thereafter, he took part in a plantation drive on the campus in collaboration with the international students led by class representative Arnaud Surmount. The objective of this initiative was to reduce carbon footprint generated due to international travel by foreign students. Besides building environmental sustainability, conservation of natural resources is one of the primary corporate social responsibility activities of XIMB as well of the students of the 3C-MGM programme. The Belgian ambassador said he hoped that XIMB would continue to build bridges of mutual cooperation and strengthen the ongoing relationship (collaborative programme) further. Among others, XIMB director Paul Fernandez, dean (administration) P.D. Thomas, dean (academics) Biswa Swarup Mishra and faculty member Donald D’Silva discussed that Xavier University proposed to come up on 35 acres in the industrial estate of Kurki of Nijigardh village in Pipili with Vaesen. The new multi-disciplinary, unitary and self-financed university to be established by the Jesuit society would cater to the needs of 5,000 students. The varsity will offer academic programmes such as engineering and technology, banking and financial services, humanities, public policy, social science, medical services, management and law.

Research boost

A new XRD machine has been installed in the physics department of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Rourkela. It is an X-Ray machine which tests metals, alloys and other composites and is widely used by MTech and PhD research scholars and scientists. NIT Rourkela director Sunil Kumar Sarangi said it was normally not available in any institute of the eastern region and would serve the long-felt need of college teachers, research scholar and industry. Representatives from Rourkela Steel Plant, Dalmia Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Rajgangpur visited the college to watch the machine function.

Career course

Speakers at Mems Fest, the annual function of Modern Engineering and Management Studies (Mems), Balasore, stressed on skill development of students and a shift to courses that ensure the employability of youths. Former vice-chancellor of North Odisha University in Baripada Biranchi Narayan Puhan and principal of Dhaneswar Rath Institute of Engineering and Management Studies (Driems) in Cuttack Amiya Kumar Rath were the guests on the occasion.

Teachers from US-based University of Maryland on a visit to Driems, Cuttack.

Legal studies

The Central University of Odisha in Koraput will organise a national colloquium on the theme “Legal education in post-modern India” on April 27 at its Sunabeda campus. As part of upcoming academic projects, the university envisions setting up of the School of Legal Studies and starting disciplines related to emerging aspects of law.

Scholars’ meet

A two-day national workshop on Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodology was held at the International Management Institute, Bhubaneswar, on April 18. Research scholars and academics from Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, New Delhi and Bengal participated in the workshop organised by faculty members S.K. Mohanty and Plavini Punyatoya.

Driems visit

Three professors from the University of Maryland, USA, visited the Driems in Cuttack on April 20. The visit sparked off speculations of a possible tie-up between the local college and the US-based university for student exchange programmes. Led by Siba Kumar Samal, the team consisted of university chairman and virology professor Tracy Mc Cracken and scientist and lab manager Daniel Rockmmann.