SRM-AP All News

ALL News

An Enthralling Webinar on “Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Aerospace Engineering” April 23, 2021
On April 15, 2021, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh, hosted a virtual lecture session with Dr B V N Ramakumar, Professor and HOD, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Dayananda Sagar University, Bangalore. Addressing the Webinar, Dr Lakshmi Sirisha Maganti and Dr Venkata Nori, Faculty, Department of Mechanical Engineering, handed over the podium to Dr Ramakumar. Initiating the discussion with a brief understanding of the background of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Dr Ramakumar described the AI Applications in Space, Civil and Defense industry. Apart from highlighting the overview and functionality of AI Applications in Aerospace Engineering, he outlined the challenges associated with it.

Dr Ramakumar completed his bachelor’s from Ranchi University, and he pursued a master’s from Andhra University. Dr Ramakumar holds a Doctorate Degree from IIT Madras and has years of experience in research, academia and industry. Dr Ramakumar worked for Rolls Royce India Pvt Ltd and Honeywell Solutions Pvt Ltd. With contributions to the Auto Mechanics Industrial Sector, he also worked for the DMR Institute of Technology.

Dr Ramakumar was the visiting faculty at Manipal University. In terms of contribution to the field of engineering, he designed, developed, and analysed components for Boeing 777X, Airbus A350 and Honeywell HTF700 Engine Programme. Dr Ramakumar published papers in reputed National and International journals in addition to two patents to his credit.

Dr Ramakumar elucidated, “Artificial Intelligence is the broad sphere covering machine learning and deep learning as well. Moreover, a technique which mimics human behaviour”. Discussing the key players in the aviation industry, he explained the role of the mini-robots to capture the imagery clips of the inaccessible area in an aircraft. Implementation of the Artificial Reality techniques in the civil aviation industry is needed to reduce manual cost and time. AI applications manage the supply chain by gathering data as a part of the predictive measure. With the inclusion of automated tools, the civil aviation industry efficiently controls and optimises the security parameters.

During Dr Ramkumar’s proceeding, he added, “AI Application in aviation optimises the data related to flight scheduling, seat arrangement, cabin crew shift scheduling along with the management of the route mapping”. Starting from taking off to landing, AI Applications are being used widely in the aviation industry.

He further added that “Emerging as the dynamic technology, AI Applications marked their presence in the military intelligence too. Drones for military operations map the routes and record that in imagery forms to apprehend the nearby geographical location. The information stored in databases are sent and received without any manual meddling”.

Advancing to the next part of the discussion, Dr Ramakumar explained that “Speaking of the satellite link and communication, Robonauts are the new humanoid robots that would replicate the actual human beings by assisting in anything from gathering outer space information to exploring it”. Dr Ramakumar also propounds that “Productivity and Investment are few challenges amongst others that are common and would go hand in hand with the development of AI technology.” The discussion came to an end with an engaging Q&A session with the students followed by a Vote of Thanks by Dr Nori.
Continue reading →
“Chemists have to play a major role to achieve sustainable development”- opined Prof Lakshmi Kantam in the University Distinguished Lecture Series April 19, 2021
Observing the ninth edition of University Distinguished Lecture Series, SRM University, Andhra Pradesh, invited Prof Lakshmi Kantam Mannepalli, the Dr B P Godrej Distinguished Professor of Green Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, to address a captivating speech on “Design and Development of Homogeneous/Heterogeneous Catalysts for Sustainable Chemical Industry”. Prof D Narayana Rao, Pro Vice-chancellor, inaugurated the talk with a welcome speech. The ceremony was attended by Prof VS Rao, Vice-Chancellor SRMAP and Dr S Mannathan, Department of Chemistry. Prof D Narayana Rao expressed that “Industrial collaboration is very much necessary in the context of self-reliant India (Atma Nirbhar Bharat)”.

Advancing with Prof Lakshmi Kanam’s presentation, she added, “Global and Indian chemical industry estimate 5.1 trillion and 108.4 billion USD in 2021. Catalysis is a highly demanded technology for a sustainable society and drives innovation in many other fields. Achieving the high catalytic selectivity is the aim of catalysis science in 21 st century”.

She also stated in her presentation, “The catalysis of organic reactions by homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts remains a diversified field of scientific inquiry. It attracts a large group of scientists with specialities spanning synthetic organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, surface science, material science, reaction engineering and computational modelling”.

As a part of Prof Lakshmi Kantam’ s research study, she briefly explained, “Hydroxyapatite (HA) is a hydrated calcium phosphate material, which is an important biomaterial because of its similarity to the mineral component of mammalian bone. We have utilised these materials, and their metal exchanged materials as catalysts for C-C and C-N coupling reactions. Similarly, hydrotalcite, anionic clays have been exchanged with different metal ions and successfully applied in a number of organic transformations”. An overview of the work on the design and development of catalysts for sustainable, economical process and technologies for the chemical industry was introduced.

Noted personality in the field of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Prof Lakshmi Kantam holds esteemed titles of FNA, FTWAS, FNASc, FRSC. Her fields of expertise are Catalysis, Materials and Process Chemistry. Prof Lakshmi Kantam served as the Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad. Prof. Lakshmi Kantam is Non-Executive Independent Director of Godavari Bio Refineries Ltd, Indo Amines Ltd, Vinati Organics Ltd and several others.
Continue reading →
Dr Nimai Mishra explores the role of surface chemistry in improving photocatalytic applications April 8, 2021
Dr Nimai Mishra, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh, along with his research group comprising of students pursuing PhD under him, Mr Syed Akhil and Ms V G Vasavi Dutt have published a research article titled “Surface Modification for Improving Photoredox Activity of CsPbBr3 Nanocrystals” in the Journal “Nanoscale Advances” (The Royal Society of Chemistry).

Inorganic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) are used in photocatalytic reactions in the modern era. The surface chemistry of the PNCs can play an important role in the excited state interactions and efficient charge transfer with redox molecules. In this work, Dr Mishra’s research group explored the impact of CsPbBr3 nanocrystal surface modification on the excited state interactions with the electron acceptor benzoquinone (BQ) for three different ligand environments: as oleic acid/oleylamine (OA/OAm), oleic acid (OA)/ trioctylphosphine (TOP), and oleic acid (OA)/ oleylamine (OAm)/ trioctylphosphine (TOP) ligands.

The research infers that amine-free PNCs (OA/TOP capped) exhibit the best-excited state interactions with benzoquinone as compared to the conventional oleylamine ligand environment. The photoinduced electron transfer (PET) rate constants were measured from PL-lifetime decay measurement. The amine-free PNCs show the highest PET which is 9 times higher than conventional ligands capped PNCs. These results highlight the impact of surface chemistry on excited-state interactions of CsPbBr3 NCs and in photocatalytic applications.

More importantly, this work concludes that amine-free PNCs maintain a redox-active surface with a high photoinduced electron transfer rate which makes them an ideal candidate for photocatalytic applications.

To read the full paper: Please Click Here
Continue reading →
Dr Jatindra Kumar Dash devices technique for easy detection of Interstitial Lung Diseases April 5, 2021
Dr Jatindra Kumar Dash, Associate Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, has recently published a paper, “Content-based image retrieval system for HRCT lung images: Assisting radiologists in self-learning and diagnosis of Interstitial Lung Diseases” in the reputed Springer Journal- Multimedia Tools and Applications. The research has been carried out in collaboration with Prof. Sudipta Mukhopadhyay, IIT Kharagpur and Professor & Head, Department of RADIO DIAGNOSIS & IMAGING, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.

Content-based Image Retrieval (CBIR) is a technique that can exploit the wealth of the data stored in the repository and help radiologists in decision making by providing references to the image in hand. A CBIR system for High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) lung images depicting the sign of Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) is built, and the system can be used as a self-learning tool by budding radiologists. The system is built by addressing several challenges using advanced machine learning techniques. The objective of this work is to develop a CBIR system for ILDs that is reliable and needs minimal human intervention for ling disease diagnosis.

The system developed will act as a helping tool for radiologist by providing a second opinion for the diagnosis of a diverse group of lung diseases called Interstitial Lung Disease. It will help the budding radiologist for self-learning. When used in daily medical practice, the system may reduce the workload of radiologists in countries, having a low number of physicians per inhabitants.

Dr Dash is associated with SRM University-AP for almost three years. His research interests include Content-Based Image Retrieval, Medical Image Analysis and Texture Analysis. He has currently employed his time into the design and development of a Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Lung Cancer Screening.

Read More: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11042-020-10173-4
Continue reading →
Faculty members of SRM University-AP awarded separate research grants by the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), Government of India April 5, 2021
Prof Ranjit Thapa, Professor, Department of Physics, SRM University – AP, Andhra Pradesh has been awarded a first-year grant of Rs 28 Lakhs by the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITy), Government of India. Prof Ranjit will be working on the project titled “Catalysts for CO2 Reduction to C2 Product: Descriptor to Database” as the project leader. He has started the work to search for the best catalyst to convert CO2 into useful product and hence solving the problem of climate change due to large production of CO2 through different sources.

CO2 is a known greenhouse gas and key reason for global warming and climate change. Can we challenge mother nature by converting CO2, a greenhouse gas into energy with the required efficiency? This is a mystery and a mammoth problem and a much-needed problem to be solved with a fundamental approach. Prof Ranjit Thapa believes that metal nanocatalyst on support materials can solve the problem and can increase the efficiency of CO2 reduction to C2 products, viz., ethylene (C2H4) and ethanol (C2H5OH). An experimental approach to find the best catalyst for CO2 reduction needs enormous funds and trials, and a long time is required to develop the exact catalyst for industry application. The mammoth task is to find the suitable composition, shape, and size of metal nanoparticle (MNP) on an appropriate surface for the catalytic reactions. Prof. Ranjit proposes that this can be achieved by computational modelling using Density Functional Theory (DFT) through finding and estimating the electronic descriptor and revealing active sites through structure-activity relations. Recent progress in Machine Learning (ML) for materials with DFT modelling drives towards rational design of catalysts. The electronic descriptor, storage of MNP/support information in the database followed by prediction using Machine Learning (using predictive model equation) will help to narrow down the search for the best catalyst for CO2 reduction to C2 species.

Further, Dr Mahesh Kumar Ravva, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, SRM University – AP, Andhra Pradesh received Rs 19.92 Lakhs as the first instalment from DST-National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). His project’s primary focus will be on understanding the critical factors that influence the performance of organic solar cells. Using the supercomputer, his research group will model the electronic process that occurs during solar cell operation. The outcome of this project will guide experimentalists to develop organic solar cells with higher efficiency. Organic solar cells are flexible, lightweight, and low-cost and have many exciting applications in wearable electronic devices, smart windows, etc.

Prof V S Rao, Vice-Chancellor, SRM University – AP, and Prof D Narayana Rao, Pro Vice-Chancellor, SRM University – AP congratulated Prof Ranjit Thapa and Dr Mahesh Kumar Ravva. Prof Narayana Rao said, “Necessary facilities and support will be provided by the University to effectively carry out the two projects.”
Continue reading →
Undergrad CSE student bags envious placement offer with a CTC of 20 Lakh LPA April 3, 2021
Another proud moment for SRM University-AP when Kattamuri Sai Krishna Rohith bagged an envious job offer from ODCEM Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (OneDirect) with a CTC of 20 Lakhs per annum. He is pursuing his B. Tech final year in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

Mr Rohith will be joining the company as an intern for six months with monthly compensation of Rs. 20,000. After six months of internship, he will be offered the permanent employee as a Full Stack Developer with a CTC of Rs. 20,00,000 per annum.

Mr Rohith went through rigorous placement training programmes conducted by the Department of Corporate Relations and Career Services to secure the job offer. The job hiring process for this role was conducted in four stages. After preliminary selection, Mr Rohith had to prove his ability in coding, aptitude and other technical domains. The Director of Engineering himself took the final call before offering him a position in the company to see if Rohith is a proper fit for their company.

Rohith expressed his gratitude towards the CR & CS department of SRM University-AP, saying that the training sessions strengthened his core skills and abilities. He was also taught to face interviews and critical questions. Mr Rohith said, “Placement is an arduous process. I was offered another position in other company before, but I was not happy with that offer. I had faith in my abilities, so I continued searching for better opportunities and improve my skill set to secure the Super Dream offer. Keeping nerves in control, not panicking during interviews, excellent communication skills are some essential qualities that everyone should master to get good jobs. I am thankful to the CR & CS department for all their support and customised, personal, need-based assistance, which helped me a lot to prepare for the interviews,” said Mr Rohith.

After five months of determination, Mr Rohith finally secured the job that he was looking for. “The University has provided us with numerous opportunities with a flexible curriculum and Global standards. In addition to all the training, my mentors encouraged me to participate in Hackathons, apply for research internships, and attend conferences. Thanks to the extraordinary faculty that we have, the regular classes were of great help in enhancing my technical knowledge,” asserted Mr Rohith. Mr Rohith was a proud track-winner of Microsoft and EthDenver hackathons and a research Intern at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore.

He has shared his mantra to success with his fellows. Mr Rohith believes that instead of panicking or comparing with others, one should focus on becoming a better version of oneself, and the success will find him.
Continue reading →
Prof C Durga Rao receives a grant to enhance vaccine efficacy at a reduced cost March 27, 2021
Prof C Durga Rao (Principal Investigator), Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, and Associate Dean, Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh has received a total outlay of Rs. 1,10,52,941/- from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, to work on the project titled “Understanding the molecular basis for the extreme differential level of expression of genes from human and animal rotaviruses in gene-transfected cells: Implications for improving the growth of human vaccine strains”. Using the grant, the professor will be spawning the appropriate facilities to perform cell culture and virus-related research at SRM University-AP.

Understanding how a virus overpowers the host resistance mechanisms and seizes the host cellular processes for its own growth is very challenging and is essential for the development of not only efficient viral vaccines but also for antiviral therapeutic strategies. Prof Durga Rao informs, “Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe and acute dehydrating diarrhoea in infants and children below 5 years of age. Efforts by us and Dr Bhan, former Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, led to the discovery and development of the first made in India rotavirus vaccine, produced by Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad.”

In the earlier project, the professor Rao observed that while some human rotaviral proteins could be expressed at high levels when the cloned genes were introduced into mammalian cells, other proteins could not be expressed at detectable levels. However, the virus expresses copious amounts of all its proteins when it infects the cells. Prof Durga Rao further shares, “Within a few hours of infection, each virus employs several ploys in the infected cell to subvert the cellular defence and regulatory mechanisms and captures the host for its own progeny production.”

Based on the earlier observations, this project will advance to unravel the tricks employed by the virus, and viral transactions in the infected cells. The outcome of the project will have implications for genetically engineering the poorly growing human vaccine strains for their efficient growth in cell culture, leading to reduced cost of not only rotavirus vaccines, but also other viral vaccines.
Continue reading →
Dr Nimai Mishra analyze approaches to Amine-Free Synthesis of Colloidal Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals March 6, 2021
Dr Nimai Mishra, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh, accompanied by his research group encompassing students pursuing PhD under him, Mr. Syed Akhil and Ms. V.G.Vasavi Dutt have published a comprehensive mini-review titled “Amine-Free Synthesis of Colloidal Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals” in the Journal “ChemNanoMat” (Wiley-VCH) with an Impact Factor of 3.4.

Colloidal cesium lead halide (CsPbX₃) perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) are emerging disciplines in research aided by their exceptional optical properties and remarkable colour tunability. Oleic acid and oleylamine are the frequently used surface capping ligands in colloidal CsPbX3 synthesis. The oleylamine plays an important role in surface passivation and maintaining colloidal stability. However, in the long run, it is accountable for poor colloidal stability because of the facile proton exchange. This heralds to the formation of labile oleylammonium halide, which removes the halide ions from the Nanocrystals’ surface.

Leveraging on the synthetic toolboxes developed from decades of research into more traditional semiconductor nanocrystals, lately, researchers are focusing on creating various amine‐free synthesis approaches to improve the colloidal and photostability of CsPbX₃ perovskite NCs. In this paper, Dr Mishra and his team encapsulated various amine‐free based synthetic routes of CsPbX₃ (X=Cl, Br, I) PNCs that have been reported so far. They reviewed this progress in terms of their underlying synthetic approaches, and post‐synthetic treatment steps.

Furthermore, Dr Mishra and his group analyzed the prospects of these perovskite nanocrystals in terms of their photo‐luminescence properties and device performances. Advancing, a deeper understanding of the role of precursors and ligands will significantly bolster the versatility of these amine‐free PNC materials.

To read the full paper: Please Click Here
Continue reading →
SRM University-AP and GWFM organised National Human Resource Conclave-2021 March 4, 2021

SRM University-AP organised the grandest National HR Conclave-2021, the grandest conglomerate of Human Resource experts, on February 27, 2021, in association with the Global Workforce Management Forum. The theme of the conclave for this year was “Leading the Disruption- The HR Agenda for 2021 “. Senior Human Resource Leaders from reputed companies such as KPMG, Airbus, IBM, Informatica, Standard Chartered Bank, Flipkart, Shriram Bio-seeds, NCC Ltd, NOKIA, Infosys BPO, Volvo Group, Reliance Jio, Western Digital, Visa, Accenture, Grant Thornton LLP, Xperi Corp, Western Digital, Kromozones Software Pvt. Ltd, Shriram Bioseeds, SS&C Technologies delivered keynote speeches and participated in Panel Discussions in the daylong event.

The event was started with the opening remarks of Prof V S Rao, Vice-Chancellor, SRM University-AP. In his speech, Prof Rao explained briefly how disruptive innovation had benefitted several industries such as the telecom and communication industry, automobile industry and others so far. It is high time to explore the opportunities in the Human Resource sector. “Covid-19 has provided us with many opportunities. Post-COVID era is the era of changed perspective and innovation, enabling the commoners to reap the benefits of technology,” said Prof Rao. He also stated the University encourages students to make use of the opportunities such as undergrad research, semester abroad program, student run-tech labs, etc to enhance their creative and innovative thinking.

Advancing the proceedings of the event, the founders of GWFM gave a brief understanding of their organisational structure and operations. Global Workforce Management Forum, founded in June 2014 by Dr Shiva Kumar and Partho Ganguly, is the world’s first WFM Forum. It is a non-profit professional organisation comprising of a group of Senior WFM & HR professionals committed to promoting the WFM movement on the global platform. Mr Ganguly set the tone for the conclave by addressing the present stagnation in Human Resource and opportunities to move forward.

In the first Keynote speech of the conclave Mr Unmesh Pawar, Partner – People Performance & Culture- KPMG India, explained how workforce reshaping is going to be a key element as we move forward. COVID-19 has changed the HR perspective globally. Mr Pawar took some realistic examples from whatever is happening worldwide and how it is creating shifts in overall organisational behaviour and operations.

The event progressed with a few panel discussions. Commenting on the importance of Digital, Data and Disruptions, the panel agreed that data analytics is crucial in today’s world, where we are standing on the verge of digital transformation. Predictive data analysis is being used to make business decisions. It is very important to have a sharp and clear objective to move forward in this field with countless opportunities.

Advancing into the event, Mr Suraj Chetri, Director HR Airbus India illuminated the audience with his strategic keynote on The Future of HR. “Start-ups are the future. Larger conglomerates will break into smaller companies with the abolishment of hierarchy. A lot of focus will be in healthcare and safety with special emphasis on mental health,” said Mr Chetri. According to him, a smart workplace is going a play a major role in the future. Technology will support employees to carry out several activities in a seamless way. It is going to impact the workplace culture and office management. Machine learning, data-driven automation, physical as well as virtual connectivity and Team collaborations are going to sustain in the future.

In another discussion on HR strategies to build flexibility, adaptability, and agility, the panel agreed on that every crisis goes through a time of recovery. This is a recovery phase. What is needed is adaptability as a skill. People are now looking for adaptability as the most important tool and hiring criteria. There are many tools and technologies to aid the recruitment process. But that is for ease of administration. More important is how one positions himself? Students should be focused from the beginning to create their own brand, deciding their selling points and USPs.

While speaking on the Future-proofing workforce 2020: Upskilling employees for future-oriented career trajectories, Mr Augustus Azariah, Human Resource Leader IBM mentioned that organisations used to build skills, capabilities, competencies, risk appetite among the employees. These skills are now being used to stay afloat in the storm called COVID-19. Analytics says storm riders are highly adaptable, willing to take risks with the resilience to get teams together. “If we walk through a journey of how HR has evolved over the years, we will find that it used to be process-driven, but now it is experiential and result- oriented. Conversion of data into actionable insights, design thinking, awareness of market trends, proactive learning and upskilling are the tools that employees of the future will need. To be an essential part of the future, one has to be digitally aware with a work experience consistent with his customers’ experience along with proper sensitisation in the workplace with the changed demographics,” advised Mr Azariah.

Over 25 Human Resource experts joined the conclave to share their view and usher in the way forward for the students. the conclave provided food for thought for the fellow recruiters as well as the students were highly motivated to listen to the experts speaking on real time problems with a solution. Mr Vivekanandan, Assistant Director-CR&CS, SRM University-AP, cordially thanked all the speakers, panel members, and the GWFM for their efforts to make the conclave a grand success.
Continue reading →
ECE Undergrads developed AI-based communication app for deaf and blind March 3, 2021
Won prestigious i-Hack Alpha with a cash prize of $2300

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering rejoices in the exhilarating success of Harsha and Mahesh, the winners at iHack Alpha Hackathon. iHack Alpha was an AI-Hackathon, where developers from all backgrounds were invited to solve real-world problems with innovative AI solutions powered by sentient.io AI and Data platform. Unlike the usual hackathons, it was conducted over three weeks, starting from December 2, 2020, and finished on December 27, 2020, and participants were supposed to present a full-fledged application. Four themes were given to participants to work on in the hackathon- 1) Use of AI in retail 2) Use of AI in Customer service 3) Use of AI in media 4) Use of AI in Accessibility.

Harsha and Mahesh chose to work on the use of AI in the Accessibility theme, where they were asked to build an AI – solution using the sentient.io services. The whole hackathon was divided into three phases 1.) Ideation Phase 2) Build Phase 3) Finals.
Around 1083 teams participated across countries such as India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Harsha and Mahesh found their inspiration in the story of Helen Keller and decided to build an app with ease of accessibility for the blind and deaf persons. As Annie Sullivan used to help Helen in her communication, Harsha and Mahesh thought, why can’t they create an app which can be installed on the mobile phone and will do the same! The duo turned this crazy idea into reality by developing Artificial Voice- a communication app for the blind and deaf. Artificial Voice is a bidirectional communication app for the deaf and blind to send and receive messages with the help of AI-based technology such as Automatic Speech recognition, Text to speech converter, Audio format converter.

The whole Hackathon was broadcasted online. Harsha and Mahesh’s presentation on Artificial Voice received high praise and acclaims from the judges, and the Team SRMAP(aka Team Square) secured first place in the prestigious i-Hack Alpha hackathon with a grand cash prize of $2300. Harsha is currently pursuing his 3rd year B. Tech Studies whereas Mahesh is in the 2nd year of his undergraduate studies at the Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering. “This success at i-Hack Alpha hackathon has boosted our confidence. We are working on better versions of the app and some other projects that can contribute to society,” said Harsha.
Continue reading →

...