Bharatanatyam ‘star’ is born
Rubaina Gambhir, 14, a student of Springdales School, Pusa road, New Delhi and senior diploma certificate holder in Bharatanatyam from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad on January 10 performed Arangetram (debut on-stage performance of a classical art student, after undertaking years of training. It is a public graduation performance for any art form ) at at Triveni Auditorioum, New Delhi.
Rubaina erformed Pushpanjali, Alarippu, Jathiswaram, Varnam, Padams, Tillana at the event. She has practiced day in and day out for last six months for this show. To inaugurate the dancer’s journey the ceremonial Ghungroo Pooja was also done at a temple in Janakpuri, New Delhi. The event had live musicians who have come down from Chennai to participate in Rubaina’s journey. The chief guest at the show was Nupur Kundu (Visual Artist). Rubaina has been learning the form of art under the expert guidance of Guru Usha Rao who was also present at the occasion
TCS Research Scholarship Programme (TCS RSP) to be extended & expanded
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), on January 21 announced that the company’s flagship TCS Research Scholarship Programme (TCS RSP) will be extended for another five years to reach over 200 additional doctoral research scholars across India in the area of Computer Science. Till date, TCS has actively supported 188 research scholars across 33 institutes in India, under this programme. Six students have successfully completed their PhDs under this scheme and are now employed in Academia and Industry R&D centers.
For the next five years, the TCS RSP will benefit 40 scholars annually. The programme supports nearly 20% of all the Computing Science PhD scholars in India. The TCS Research Scholarship Programme was launched in 2010 to provide a major fillip for quality research in areas such as computer sciences and engineering, information systems and technology, and software engineering. The programme also aims to promote development and innovation to contribute towards boosting the country’s technology landscape.
“There is a big gap between the demand and supply of quality scientists in computational science disciplines in India. Recent studies indicate the growing need for more research in this area to help develop intellectual property in this country. To address this gap, TCS created Research Scholar Program to improve the research talent base in the country and given its success, we are delighted to increase the number of students funded by another 200,” said N Chandrasekaran, CEO & MD, Tata Consultancy Services.
TCS has identified and shortlisted 61 top-ranking institutes and universities in India with active Ph.D. programmes in the Computing Sciences. Invitations seeking applications for the Research Scholar Programme are sent out to these institutes, in January and July. Students who are registered for full time PhD in areas such as Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, and Information Technology are eligible to apply, with a recommendation from their institute. The Program is entirely free of any obligation on the part of awardees – the RSP scholars do not have to join TCS or share the IP of their work in any way.
The selected Research scholars will receive cash scholarship and contingency funds for four years, with a provision of extending the support for one more year. Further, they will also be awarded significant travel funds for international travel to attend and present their research work in international conferences and workshops.
Manipal University announces winners of TEENOVATORS 2014-15
Saraswati Vidyalaya High School and Junior College of Science, Mumbai bagged the first runner up position in Teenovators 2014-2015, a nationwide competition from Manipal University that provides young minds a platform to showcase their creative and innovative skills. The event held on January 22. This was the third edition of Teenovators that has been successfully conducted by Manipal University. Apart from the ten finalist teams, around 100 principals from prestigious schools across the country attended the event.
Project on Eco-friendly mechanical pump from Sri Gayatri Junior College, Bachupally Girls, Hyderabad emerged as the winner and received a cash prize of 3 lakhs. While, Saraswathi Vidyalaya High School & Junior College of Science, Thane were the first runner ups for their project on Ultimate Power Car and Poorna Prajna Education Centre, Sadashivnagar bagged the second runner up position for their project on creating Alternate source of Energy. They got cash prizes of Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 1 lakh respectively. Two teams from V K R Acharya English Medium High School, Kundapur, Udupi and DAV Public School, Rajpura were given the consolation prizes of Rs 50,000 each.
More than two lakh students from over 600 schools across 12 cities in India took part in the five-month-long competition which began on September 2014. From among these, ten teams were selected to showcase their unique innovations in the run-up to the grand finale. These teams were trained and mentored by experts from Dell, GE Global Research, Microsoft, Intel, Nvidia, CSIR and CMR IT.
8th Honda Young Engineer and Scientists Award to 14
Honda Motor India Pvt. Limited (HMI) on February 13 announced the 8thYoung Engineers and Scientists’ (Y-E-S) awards for 2014 in India to 14 students from India’s premier institutes for science & technology – Indian Institute of Technology. The awardees for Y-E-S awards 2014 in India are: Nikhil Oberoi – IIT BHU, SajalMaheshwari – IIT BHU, Anand Pradeep Lalwani- IIT Bombay, Harsh Anil Kabra – IIT Bombay, Shyam Sunder Prasad – IIT Bombay, SumanShekhar- IIT Delhi, Shreya Raina – IIT Guwahati, Akshay Aggarwal – IIT Kanpur,Akshay Vijay Chaudhari- IIT Kanpur, SiddharthPrusty- IIT Kanpur, YashChandnani- IIT Kharagpur, Vishal Subbiah – IIT Madras, Aman Gupta – IIT Roorkee, MadhavKiritkumar Pathak – IIT Roorkee.
The YES awards were instituted by Honda Foundation in India in 2008 to encourage and support young Indian engineers and scientists.
Takeshi Yagi, Ambassador of Japan, presented the awards. A scholarship of cash equivalent of US $3000 each, was presented to fourteen students selected from eight IITs – Delhi, Bombay, Roorkee, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Guwahati and BHU on the basis of their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), technical papers, essays and finally in the one-on-one interviews with Dr. D R Prasada Raju, Ex- Scientist, Dept. of Science & Technology, Government of India, who was the chief assessor of the selection committee.
The Chopras’ Global Education Interact in Delhi
The Global Education Interact, the flagship event of The Chopras (one of India’s most successful study abroad consultancies in India) which puts aspiring students face to face with foreign education providers to understand admission process and other related knowledge was held in New Delhi on February 16. The event this time around was conceptualized to promote the thriving industry of Art, Fashion and Design and introduce steps to the global education opportunities that exist within the sector for Indian students. The delegates and academics of more than 60 eminent universities from 9 countries were present to guide aspiring students allowing them to ask there queries and also to showcase them the opportunities available to study and the potential career paths open thereafter. The event included interactive workshops delivered by leading academics of global universities as well as live fashion show showcasing the creative work of young students worldwide. Most importantly, the event gave a platform for institutions to identify and interact with young talent who may excel in programs focused on cultivating creativity in Art, Fashion and Design. The connected fair commenced on 3rd February, 2015 will continue till 20th February, 2015 spanning across 9 cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Delhi and Jaipur. Naveen Chopra, Founder and Chairman, The Chopras said “The GEI has been offering a common platform to Universities and educational Institutions internationally to interact with such students seeking opportunities abroad to fortify their educational qualification. This Exhibition has been serving as a beacon for students and parents across several cities in India, shedding light on the numerous avenues and options they have globally when it comes to further education. This way the students will have adequate back-ups without being overwhelmed by too many choices.”
Fest-O-Comm 2015
Fest-O-Comm 2015, the academic, cultural and sports extravaganza of Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, PG, Pune was held from February 11 to 13, 2015 around the theme, ‘The Art of Storytelling’. With a host of events ranging from creating a TV show to grueling case study competitions, Fest-O-Comm 2015 brought together creativity and talent on a common platform. MIDIval Punditz, one of India’s leading fusion and electronica music groups, enthralled the audience with their lively tunes on the final night. Participants got the opportunity to test their intellectual mettle with several academic events like digital strategy and integrated marketing communication competitions. Cultural competitions ranged from group dance to filmmaking. Sports enthusiasts were not left far behind, with football and cricket keeping the excitement on the field high. Each event was powered by channels such as Zee Studio, &Pictures, Zee Marathi, Ditto TV, Zee TV etc. which fall under the wide umbrella of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. This year, as a part of Fest-O-Comm 2015, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited presented the Zee Entertainment Talent Platform, a stage that hosted a variety of events that tested innovative and critical thinking of the participants. The various events on this platform included 24-hour filmmaking, case study competition and promo-making. Prof. Chandan Chatterjee, the Director of SIMC (PG), Pune, elaborates, “Our vision for the future spans greater recognition as an institute with proven academic standards and higher industry interactions. Our dedicated effort is towards enhancing creative business acumen among our students to facilitate the growth of media houses and agencies in the domain of Brand Communication, Media Management, Public Relations, Digital and Research and developing skills in creative content generation through our Audio-visual and Journalism programs.”
Symposium on “Disaster Mitigation in Special Geoenvironmental conditions” at IIT Madras
IIT Madras jointly with the Indian Geotechnical Society (IGS) Chapters in Chennai, Bangalore and Kochi organized a three-day International Geotechnical Symposium (sixth edition) on “Disaster Mitigation in Special Geoenvironmental conditions” on January 21-23. The objective of the symposium was to provide a platform for students and professional practitioners to highlight their research findings and exchange knowledge
Prof. A Sridharan, former Deputy Director of IISc Bangalore, Prof Ikuo Towhata, Vice President of International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) and Prof A Srirama Rao, President, Indian Geotechnical Society were among the prominent experts who attended. Dr. Makoto Takao of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Japan delivered the keynote address on various hazard related issues, including a talk on Geotechnical Hazards Evaluation for Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. Conference also focused on the advances in In-situ testing and Monitoring Techniques, and Tsunami prediction and modelling. A special session on landslides by leading experts from various countries such as India, Japan and Malaysia was also held Nearly 200 participants among which 125 were from India and 75 are from abroad attended.
Centre of Excellence for Entrepreneurship at BIMTECH,Greater Noida
A Centre of Excellence for Entrepreneurship has been set up at the Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) campus in partnership with National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) and the Wadhwani Foundation to promote entrepreneurship among students of several dozen management and engineering schools located in the Knowledge Park in Greater Noida. The Centre for Excellence launched by Ajay Goel, Vice PresidentGovernment, Industry and Academia Relations, Wadhwani Foundation and BIMTECHDirector Dr Harivansh Chaturvedi at the BIMTECH campus will help bring the much needed ecosystem of Mentors, Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists and Support Services needed by budding entrepreneurs to test ideas, tweak business plans and to move pilot projects into scalable businesses. “The Wadhwani Center of Excellence will accelerate creation of entrepreneurs from a large pool of budding entrepreneurs from engineering and business schools as well as small and growing businesses in and around Greater Noida.” said Goel. “Through partnership with NEN and Wadhwani Foundation, the existing Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at BIMTECH gets closer to its ambition of creating and implementing entrepreneurship capacity building programs for students, alumni and early stage start-ups in the Knowledge Park,” says BIMTECH Director, Dr Harivansh Chaturvedi. The Knowledge Park at Greater Noida, with 60 Colleges and 6 Universities, is a learning hub for nearly 100,000 students with a potential to grow their student base to 500,000 by end of this decade. The centre aims to empower job seekers with ideas, passion and entrepreneurial skills with knowledge and experience of its network to become job creators as they sow the seeds of successful businesses.
SPICE augments studio facilities, to launch a post-graduate year-long advertising diploma
Bhandra-based St Pauls Institute of Communication Education (SPICE), a leading media education institute on Feb 12 inaugurated new infrastructural facilities its students which include a professionally-equipped television studio with international standards lighting and Chroma key screen, a virtual classroom equipped with video-conferencing, a library that is also an e-library, two editing suites along with more classrooms. Subhash Ghai, Founder & Chairman of Whistling Woods International, and Naseeruddin Shah, eminent screen and theatre actor, were present at the specially organized opening function. Carol Andrade, Dean of SPICE said, “The requirement for skilled professionals has increased by leaps and bounds and we are sure SPICE will be able to contribute to the industry by producing well-trained individuals with thorough knowledge of its fundamentals.”Currently providing a range of short term courses as well as workshops on various aspects of media and its processes, SPICE will also be launching a post-graduate year-long advertising diploma to its current bouquet of offerings, with plans on the anvil for a one-of-its-kind course in television entertainment and production.
8th Indira International Innovation Summit
Indira College of Engineering and Management, Pune under the aegis of Indira Group of Institutes organized 8th Indira International Innovation Summit and HR Excellence Awards on 23rdJanuary, 2015. The summit was an endeavor to expose academia to the leading edge innovation practices from across the world. The event acted as a remarkable platform for intellectual exchange of ideas between the industry giants and hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs. Under the theme of “Youth, Innovation and Entrepreneurship” the summit aspired and imbibed the spirit of innovation in generation next students for entrepreneurship.
Arena Orbit Live 2015
Arena Animation concluded 4-day Orbit Live 2015 on January 19. Students were encouraged to let their creative juices flow and learn while making merry. More than 150 industry experts, top 100 animation studios and more than 300 Arena students attended the event. The event witnessed over 70 practical workshops, master classes and interactive sessions on the art and craft of film editing, principles of animation, digital media campaign (social media), 3D visualization and simulation, etc. These workshops were conducted by Indian and international industry luminaries. Arena students were mentored by industry experts & practitioners at live workshops & master classes and had the golden opportunity to undergo intense interactions with industry practitioners at workshops and get a chance to work on live industry projects. To add to the celebration of films, the best animation films from across the world were displayed during breakfast, in a special screening called ‘Breakfast Shorts’. During the festival, the participants got the opportunity to personally interact with international festival luminaries such as Mickael Marin, Head of the International Animation Film Market of Annecy (MIFA) organized by CITIA; Eugene Kim, Programmer, PISAF Festival, South Korea; Siobhan Fenton, Animex Festival, Director of Animex International Partnerships, Teesside University, UK; Penelope Holton, Deputy Section Head (Animation and Visual Effects), Senior Lecturer 3D Animation, Teesside University, UK;. Thierry Dezarmenien, Zeilt Productions, Luxembourg
“Back to Earth” lessons in waste management
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) organized “Back to Earth”, an initiative on waste management, held at the Shyama Prasad Vidyalaya on January 20. “Back to Earth” enabled strengthening knowledge on waste management and the importance of the 4Rs (Refuse, Reuse, Reduce and Recycle) among children and made them aware on the need to take the necessary actions to conserve the environment. This programme was not limited to children, but also extended to larger audiences to generate an overall awareness and movement.
The education and outreach programme helped generate understanding and support for waste management issues across Delhi. The programme is being launched in three phases in selected six schools for children aged between 8 to 14 years. Phase one will comprise orientation workshops, distribution of educational kits and installation of water purifiers in schools. Phase two of the programme includes active engagement by involving teachers and school authorities; implementing various activities in schools and among communities through student’s leadership and competitions/activities. In the concluding phase, schools will be evaluated and the best performers will be identified and acknowledged. The programme is been evaluated and recommendations will be made to the authorities to improve our social framework. Based on the outcome of this pilot project, SBH and TERI hope to take this programme to different areas and initiate wider outreach activities and address other burning environmental issues in the future.
CBSE-shOObh Arts Competition-2014
The results for the annual shOObh Arts Competition 2014 by shOObh Group Welfare Society in association with CBSE and NIOS were announced on 20th January, 2015 at Bhatnagar International School, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. Winners in each category were declared by a jury that consisted of Mrs. Nupur Kundu, Mrs. Shruti Chandra, Mr. Asit Patnayak, Mr. Mukesh Sharma, and Goldie Malhotra and will receive a medal and certificate from their respective schools. shOObh art competition theme of 2014- ‘JOY’, was well answered by thousands of creative children from thousands of schools. They shared their Moments of JOY by submitting paintings with stories to CBSE-shOObh Arts Contest-2014. “It was a learning experience, seeing paintings and reading moments of JOY shared by kids, teens & teachers. Definition of Joy changes with age. It changes with the way we think” said Bharat Gauba, shOObh group. He also shared a few stories submitted by participants.
Study in Japan
Under the aegis of the Japanese government, University of Tokyo (UTokyo) has been assigned the task of “Coordinator for Study in Japan Project (India)” in October,2014. This project aims to double the number of students from India studying at Japanese universities in five years from the current level of 500 to 1000. Through networks established with schools and universities in India, UTokyo aims to identify the best way to attract students from India and take the initiative torecruit good students to universities all over Japan. In order to publicize higher education opportunities in Japan, UTokyo and nine other leading Japanese universities hosted the Japan Education Summit in New Delhi on, February 2, 2015 and at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad Campus in Hyderabad on February 4, 2015. The Japan Education Summit 2015 in New Delhi and Hyderabad was a great opportunity for students, parents and educators to learn more about the degree and non-degreeprograms in English and unique exposure that awaits Indian students at Japan’s top universities.
Art of Success seminar at Jamia
Success Guru AK Mishra’s art of success seminar reached to youth of Jamia University on 3rd Feb 2015 at Ansari Auditorium. Students were beautifully indulged in the seminar and shared their thoughts with the chief speaker of the seminar throughout the seminar for almost 4 hours. Mishra motivated the audience by prodding them to understand the purpose of their lives and how one gets astray from the same due to continuous conditioning of their minds right from their childhood. He urged every one present to dream big and constantly remind oneself that we are born for a definitive purpose. He also shared live examples by narrating stories, giving examples of famous personalities, showed movie clips and inspirational videos to motivate his audience to move forward to achieve their desires with right focus and belief in oneself.
IMT places nearly 200 students from the 2013-15 batch across top global corporate
Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad’s Post Graduate Diploma in Management Program (Dual Country Program) got 200 of its students from its 2013-15 batch placed across top global corporate. The Dual-Country Program allows students to gain critical insights into the world’s key economies, India and the Middle East. Students received job offers from prominent recruiters including HCL Technologies Ltd., Sharaf DG, Google India Pvt. Ltd., Microsoft, Cognizant Technology Solutions India Pvt. Ltd., Accenture Services Ltd., Bank of America, Infosys Ltd., Royal Bank of Scotland, Wipro Ltd., Genpact, WNS Global Services Pvt. Ltd., Cisco Systems India Pvt. Ltd., Hexaware Technologies, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., Hindustan Zinc (Vedanta Group), Maruti Suzuki, and Birlasoft India Ltd. amongst others.
The Program Chairperson Dr Shantanu Roy added “This program is unique and special in terms of its thought and ideology, orientation and the kind of global exposure it gives..” Aditi Phadke, a student of the DCP Batch of 2015 says, “Spending a year in Dubai has broadened my outlook and sensitized me to the cultural and corporate differences that exist in this era of extreme globalization. Taking up the dual country program at IMT gave me the opportunity to interact with people of various nationalities and cultures. This is crucial for my role at Google which requires me to work with global clients and cross-cultural teams.”
Seventh Convocation ceremony of TERI University
Eight doctoral degrees and 178 master’s degrees were awarded to students on February 4 at the seventh convocation of TERI University, Delhi. Honorary Doctorates to DrJosé Manuel Ramos-Horta, Mr Paul Polman and Mr Hiroaki Nakanishi and V V S Laxman were also awarded.
M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Urban Development, said: “ Given the state of unplanned development, we need to build capacity, especially for our urban bodies. We cannot build Smart Cities overnight, but we need appropriate technologies to realize this dream.”
Dr Rajiv Seth, Dean (Admn) & Registrar, TERI University, said: “2014 has been a great year for the TERI University in many ways. Apart from enhancing our learning, we have expanded modern green building concepts such as passive solar design, energy efficiency and water and waste management systems. This year we have set up a new department of regional water studies to respond to the challenges of water management, both at the national and regional levels.”
Workshop on Water Resource Management for students
TERI University and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on jnauary 20 organized the ‘Inter-University Competition on Water Resources Management’ programme, which is for students at the undergraduate level, who are typically in the age group of 17-22 years. The programme, which comes under the Educating Youth for Sustainable Development (EYSD) division of TERI, essentially follows a competition mode, which will run along sub-national lines, providing an opportunity to students from all parts of India to participate. The programme will engage students to develop a multi-stakeholder, evidence-based, participative and practically implementable ‘Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Proposal’. The programme is being supported by Robert Bosch Stiftung, WAPCOS, US AID and Coca Cola.
As part of this programme several consultative workshops were organized across cities in India. These cities include Kolkata, Bengaluru, Jalandhar, Cochin, Goa, Guwahati, Ahmedabad and Ranchi. The workshop in New Delhi is the last one in the series. These workshops were attended by the teams (students, mentors/faculty members) who had qualified during the first round of selection. The workshops were organized to give guidance to the selected teams on the IWRM proposals submitted for further refinement for the regional competitions, which will be held during July and August, 2015.
The programmeseeks to: generate awareness on water and sanitation challenges and instill an ownership of solutions at a wider stakeholder level; encourage a systemic, multi-disciplinary approach to understanding and solving water and sanitation problems; engage academia and students with local communities, governments and other stakeholders; and, to encourage local governments to mobilize research expertise of local universities for evidence generation. Attractive awards equivalent to INR 14 Lakhs will be given to the winning teams at regional and national levels. The programme will also include international knowledge exchange between German experts and selected teams for the National Competition.
