All Management Events

Coming together to dance your heart out will always be a good idea. Forgetting your deadlines and occasionally catching the rhythm of your life is an acceptable crime. Being spontaneously and unapologetically happy is what we all deserve to be. After all, life is too short not to have fun.

The Department of Student Affairs is super excited to let you know about the fascinating flash mob happening near the fountain this evening. The Dance Club is all set to mesmerize SRMites with collective dances to popular songs. Make some way for your random happy pills.

Date: 26 April, 2022

Venue: Near Fountain

Time: 5.00 pm

Join the flash mob and dance it out.

Embracing one’s transgender identity is a tremendous act of courage in a world that refuses to acknowledge their very existence. The narrations of their trials and tribulations continue to prevail despite the measures taken by the state machinery to assert their rights or the transgender revolution that spilt over in recent times. So long as the society continues to deny them a conducive space to exert their existence, the transgender community will have to endure hardships in all walks of life. The present-day researchers have increasingly shifted their focus on the LGBTQIA+ community to unravel their survival tales and awaken the population to their basic human rights.

Dr Anu Kuriakose, Assistant Professor from the Department of English, has also been looking into transgender lives and the anomalies in their representation. Her research analyses the inclusion and representation of transgender people in Indian films with a specific focus on the shift in representational politics and inclusive strategies in films of late. She has recently published a paper titled “Deconstructing the Trans-Inclusivity Myth in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui” in the Economic and Political Weekly.

The article offers a critical reading of the Hindi film Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), which appears to maintain an inclusive outlook towards the queer community. Through the article, Dr Anu draws attention to the glaring presence of transphobic and homophobic attributes even in such progressive films. Her research attempts to analyse whether there have been any significant shifts in trans representation and inclusion in contemporary cinema.

She has also published two chapters, “The Impact of COVID 19 Pandemic on Employment and Livelihood Opportunities of Transgender Community in Kerala” and “The Double Marginalization of Transgender People During the COVID 19 Pandemic”, in the books COVID-19 Pandemic and the New Normal and Keralam in the Path of Survival respectively. The works recount the unspoken sufferings underwent by the transgender community in Kerala during the pandemic times. The chapters were co-authored by her peer, Dr Vinshi P K.

Her upcoming research plans include addressing gender diversity and inclusion in academic discourses in the vernacular of Kerala and critically reviewing the representational politics of trans femininity in visual cultural texts. By researching the portrayals of transgender community, Dr Anu intends to enhance awareness on the deviant representation of queer community in the realms of literature.

The Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering is glad to announce that Dr Ramanjaneya Reddy, Assistant Professor; his students, Mr Rahul Kotana and Ms SK Hima Bindu have published a paper titled “High Gain Boost Converter Fed Single-Phase Sine Pulse Width Modulated Inverter” in the journal ‘International Journal of Renewable Energy Research’ having a Scopus site score of 4.2.

Abstract of the Research

A high gain boost converter fed single-phase voltage source inverter with its control for DC to AC power conversion in uninterrupted power supply and renewable energy applications is presented in this paper. The conventional DC-DC boost converter with a coupled inductor and switched capacitor is utilised to obtain high gain. Further, the output voltage of the inverter is controlled by the sinusoidal pulse width modulation technique. The detailed design and analysis of a high gain boost converter fed single-phase voltage source inverter is presented. The sine pulse width modulation control scheme for the voltage source inverter is also developed and presented. To validate the high gain boost converter fed single-phase voltage source inverter, the simulation model is developed in the LTspice software environment, and the results are validated. The results show high gain boost converter achieves a gain of about 10 and the single-phase voltage source inverter can provide an rms voltage of 228 V without using the step-up transformer. The total harmonic distortion of output current is found to be below 4.

About the Research

Energy is an essential factor for the functioning and economic development of the industrialized world. It plays a key role in our day-to-day life. On the other hand, energy management has become a critical factor for our successive economic prosperity. The energy consumption process frequently needs either DC-AC conversion or AC-DC conversion. The DC-AC conversion finds its major application in uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and renewable energy (RE). To supply during power outages, most UPS systems use batteries, usually lead-acid, as the storage mechanism. The battery is supposed to provide the backup in the absence of the grid supply. However, the voltage provided by the battery alone may not be enough to provide the backup. At first, the battery output power which is DC needs to be converted to AC with the help of an inverter. Apparently, the output of the inverter needs to be stepped up with the help of a step-up transformer to achieve an output of 220V 50Hz. An alternative approach to the same process is by using a power electronic converter called the DC-DC boost converter. The boosting of battery/PV voltage can be achieved with the help of a standard boost converter as shown in Fig. 1(b), or by using a battery capable of supplying higher voltage and a step-up transformer as shown in Fig. 1(a). High power batteries and step-up transformers can be eliminated if a high gain boost (HGB) converter is used instead of a standard boost converter. The HGB converter fed DC-AC conversion system is presented in this paper which eliminates the step-up transformer. The circuit configuration of the proposed work is depicted in Fig. 2.

Practical Implementations of the Research

The DC-AC conversion method proposed is based on the HGB converter fed single-phase SPWM inverter. The proposed model is best suited when a low voltage DC supply is available, and a standard 230V AC output is needed to deliver the load. The detailed design and analysis of the HGB converter are carried out, and the gain of the converter is achieved at around 10, which is very high compared with conventional boost converter topologies. A unipolar SPWM control scheme is developed in LTspice to control the single-phase VSI. The simulation results of the complete DC-AC conversion system are in close agreement with the design parameters. Further, the total harmonic distortion of the output current waveform is around 4% which is well below the international standards. In addition, the complete model consisting of both HGB converter and single-phase VSI are successfully simulated for an input of 36 V DC and produced an rms output voltage of 228 V.

In future, the DC-AC conversion method based on a high gain boost converter can be extended with the three-phase voltage source inverter with electric drive applications.

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows – Sydney J Harris

Every day is a chance to learn and unlearn things. The higher the curiosity to know more, the deeper your roots in a hopeful life. Productive utilization of knowledge has always been the key to success. Finding the application levels of the knowledge you gained and reflecting on yourself makes a huge difference from passive learning.

The Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation is proud to announce the launch of Research Clan. This community holds the insights of research works and converts the concepts into something useful for the world. Mr. Himanshu and the team will be presenting an exciting talk about the scope, future, and value of Research papers in your career and life.

Join the clan on April 27, 2022, at 5.30 pm

Venue: Tier Classroom, Admin Building

Are you a follower of Anime Society? Did you watch or had a look at the latest Manga and Anime releases? Tell us which was the series that pulled you to the edge of your seat or the characters who have found a permanent house in your heart?

Here is an exciting opportunity for all Anime lovers! The Students’ Club is bringing forth OTA-Q, the Anime Quiz for all the anime fans to showcase their keen knowledge of all the trivia in the Anime/Manga league. The quiz also offers you a precious opportunity to take a closer glance at different shades of some of the characters you have been enamoured of!

Date: April 25, 2022

Time: 3.10 PM

Venue: ALC 4th Floor

For all the Otakus out there! We challenge you to join us for this interesting session. This is the chance for you to prove your mettle and see who is the bigger weeb!

Register yourself for the quiz. Come fall in love with Anime Society.

Imagine being taught from a very young age that you must cater to the expectations of each and everyone around you but not yours. Think about the times you tried to fit yourself in someone else’s set of standards. Falling into the rabbit hole of hating our own appearance has become easy ever since the media started setting unrealistic beauty standards. Rise of social media fitness gurus and influencers, who are obsessed with the unreasonable “flaws” in our bodies, accelerated the process. This led to a myriad of issues ranging from eating disorders to anxiety and depression.

Claiming the existence of an alternate explanation of beauty outside the stereotypes is thus the need of the hour. Cherishing yourself the way you are is not just an act of love but a socio-political statement. The ability to choose how to use your own body, irrespective of an outsider’s opinion, is an essential right of every individual.

The Department of Student Affairs is organising a session, ‘Reclaiming bodily autonomy’ with Ms Sridevi Srinath to help you unlearn the standard narratives of beauty. Let you be the one who decides what to do and what not to do with your body.

Date: April 23, 2022

Time: 11.00 am to 12.00 pm IST

Join the session and unlearn the stereotypes!

“The correct analogy for the mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting” – Plutarch

Where would you go to get the most appropriate feedback to improve your learning? Whom would you approach? An active learner requires continuous assessment. Exposure to relevant remarks can make a significant impact in the learning output. Choosing the right source of feedback is important to locate your position in the learning ecosystem. This is where C-SMILE enters the frame.

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering is delighted to inform you that the patent application (202241010415) entitled ‘Classification of Student’s Misconceptions in Individualized Learning Environments (C-SMILE)’ got published. The patent application was submitted by Associate professor Dr Sobin C C and BTech final year student Meka Varsha as part of the Capstone Project.

C-SMILE is an innovative platform which allows students to take assessment and receive feedback based on their performance and misconceptions. This targets to refine their conceptual and individualised learning. The platform offers the benefits of automated identification of misconceptions and classification of their level of conceptual clarity. This eventually leads to pertinent feedbacks and ensures quality learning. It also helps engineering educators to classify their students into different categories based on their level of conceptual clarity. Short quizzes and multi-level assessments can utilise the objective of this platform.

Dr Sobin C C and Meka Varsha have collaborated with Mr Subheesh N P from IIT Madras and Mr Jahfar Ali from IIT Hyderabad as part of this work. The team has already published 2 conference papers. One of them is in the prestigious IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON 2022), which is the flagship conference of IEEE Education Society.

The researchers are now working on to extend this concept to incorporate Bloom’s taxonomy to formulate more specific questions based on their level in the cognitive domain.

The university revels in its monumental achievement of bringing out the maiden doctorate degree holder, Dr Vasavi Dutt, within four years of its inception. Dr Vasavi Dutt enrolled as a PhD scholar in the Department of Chemistry, under the supervision of Dr Nimai Mishra, Assistant Professor, in 2018. She received the academic honour for her research thesis titled “Improvement of Photoluminescence and Achieving the Stabilization of Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals for Light-emitting Applications”. Dr Vasavi has been an extremely diligent student and she mustered up immense courage to bring her research to closure even during the testing times of the pandemic.

In the words of Dr Nimai Mishra, “It was a great privilege for me to supervise Ms Vasavi, (correct me Dr Vasavi now) as my first PhD student. She joined my research lab in July 2018 when there was no lab at all, and we started our work at Chemistry BTech Lab”. Dr Mishra was gleaming with pride as he spoke more about his scholar, “During these three and a half years, I had relentless scientific discussions with Vasavi which enriched both of us. Her attitude towards research was remarkable, whenever I gave her a research problem, she used to come up with a detailed outline of how to go ahead with the project”. He also praised her for all her accomplishments which include the publication of 13 research papers, filing of 3 patents and winning the best poster in national & internal conferences.

Dr Vasavi also shared her happiness for having received the mentorship of Dr Mishra, “Working in Dr Nimai Mishra’s lab was a great experience. I had the opportunity to engage and initiate multiple research topics and collaborations. He has always encouraged me to explore new fields to broaden perspectives and bring together new ideas”. She also expressed her gratitude to him for being a welcoming and approachable mentor. “I’m eternally thankful to Dr Mishra for his friendship, empathy, and moreover, for his great sense of humour”. She currently resides in the US with her family. Now that she has successfully completed her PhD, soon she would start looking for a job or rather pursue a post-doctoral fellowship in America.

Dr Vasavi was out of words to thank the university for facilitating and bringing the best in technology and infrastructure for advanced research. “I can never thank my university enough for extending a hospitable environment and nutritious food for all the doctorate students”, she further mentioned. The university serves as a promised land for thousands of research aspirants like her to head towards their dream of making unfeigned contributions to academia.

Continue reading →

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Jesni M Jacob, currently doing research under Dr Mahesh Kumar Ravva narrates her journey to achieving CSIR-JRF All India Rank of 65 through persistent efforts.

I’m working in the field of computational chemistry on designing and developing organic molecules for OLED applications. Securing an AIR of 65 in the CSIR JRF in Chemical Science June 2021 exam is a dream come true moment for me.

In 2019, I completed my post-graduate studies at Madras Christian College, Chennai. The four-year-long journey from zero to JRF AIR 65 was of hard work, patience, sleepless nights, sacrifices and even frustrated moments. It was challenging to remain motivated after multiple unsuccessful attempts. But I wasn’t ready to give up hope. I believed in myself and dreamed big with faith in God Almighty.

My previous attempts didn’t provide me with any hope of continuing my preparation because my marks were consistently far below the cutoffs. That made me realise one thing: without coaching and ample guidance, qualifying for CSIR JRF is a toiling task for an average student. But I learned that with strong passion, proper dedication, and right strategies of do’s and don’ts, any aspiring student can pass the exam with flying colours.

After each attempt, I learned from my mistakes and tried to optimise my strategies. One should never try to cover the entire syllabus and be bothered about it. I analysed the unit-wise weightage and narrowed it down to a few important topics that I found exciting and comfortable.

• Choose topics carefully and focus solely on mastering them.
• Try to stick to and rely on reliable standard textbooks as much as possible.
• The SRMAP library provided me with excellent access to a wide range of standard texts.

The JRF aspirants should try to solve previous years’ questions from standard exams (CSIR, GATE, IISc, etc.) and note new concepts or approaches every day. Enjoy and prepare short notes with a lot of scribbling and highlighting in various colours. Notes should be concise and simple to revise later. But don’t spend too much time making notes.

I made time for exam preparation along with my work and research activities. I’m grateful to my family, teachers, and especially my guide- Dr Mahesh Kumar Ravva, for their constant support and encouragement. He gave me a safe space to express my desire to ace the exam and my anxieties about it. Dr Mahesh always listened to my concerns and helped me to gain clarity on my thoughts. He always encouraged me to dream big and shared his perspectives and lessons from his life experiences. He is a great mentor, motivator, and teacher to me.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has greatly increased our awareness of the world and broadened the scope of our engagement with it. In the first episode of the ECE Department Guest Lecture Series, the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering at SRM University-AP is organising a lecture on April 23, 2022, from 10.20 am to 12.00 noon. Dr Orazio Aiello, Assistant Professor at the University of Genoa, Italy, will engage the audience on the topic Ultra-Low-Power and Agile IC Design for novel Sensor Nodes for the Internet of Things on that day.

The vision of a world where pervasive integrated electronic systems embedded in everyday life objects (e.g. household appliances, surveillance cameras, healthcare systems) are fully interconnected to collect, process, and exchange useful information requires energy-autonomous systems for distributed sensing and data acquisition. The low-cost requirement demands a small area, low design effort, digital-like shrinkage across CMOS generations, and design/technology portability. The possibility to exploit the digital (automated) design flow even for analog building blocks can dramatically reduce the design effort of any system-on-chip that faces the analog signal. Since data processing is digital, but most signals from the real world are analog, almost any electronic device that interfaces with the surrounding environment will benefit from the outcomes of this investigation. In this framework, the talk illustrates the concepts and the design flows which enable the implementation of analog functions by true digital circuits.

Biography of the speaker:

Orazio Aiello (Senior Member, IEEE) received the BSc and MSc degrees (cum laude) from the University of Catania, Italy, in 2005 and 2008, respectively, the M.Sc. degree (cum laude) from the Scuola Superiore di Catania, Italy, in 2009, and the PhD degree from the Politecnico di Torino, Italy, in 2013.,From 2008 to 2009, he was an Analog IC Designer and an EMC Consultant for STMicroelectronics, Castelletto, Italy. In 2012, he was a Visiting PhD. A student with Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. In 2013, he was a Research Fellow in a joint project with FIAT-Chrysler Automobiles, Turin. In 2014, he joined NXP-Semiconductors, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, as a Mixed Signal IC Designer and an EMC Expert. In 2015 and 2016, he was a Visiting Fellow with the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Since 2015, he has been working with the Green IC Group, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), National University of Singapore, where he has also been a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual and a Global Fellow leading the ULPIoT project. He is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Genova, Italy. His main research interests include energy-efficient analogue-mixed signal circuits and sensor interfaces. Dr Aiello is a member of the IEEE CASS Microlearning AdHoc Committee and is/was a Technical Program Committee Member of a number of conferences, such as NORCAS and APCCAS.

Join this informative lecture with Dr Orazio Aiello on April 23, 2022 at 10.20 am IST.