Dr. Satyajit Gupta (PI), IIT Bhilai, and Dr Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay (Co-PI), Department of Physics, SRM University-AP has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the DST (Indo-Israel Joint Research Co-operation-IIJRC) sponsored project entitled “A HALIDE PEROVSKITE BASED PHOTOANODE FOR OXYGEN EVOLUTION REACTION USING A MOLECULAR DIODE IN A HYBRID NANOMETER SCALE PROTECTION LAYER”, Sanction Order NO. – DST/INT/ISR/P-28/2020(G). The project is a bilateral project and Foreign PI is Dr Eran Edri, Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. This MoU will help Dr Mukhopadhyay to utilize the fund under this project as co-PI, and the facility of IIT Bhilai to complete the objective of the project.

The Objectives of the MoU are to promote effective application of resources through Indo-Israel Joint Research Co-operation-(IIJRC) sponsored project, promote mentorship and research guidance, and cooperate in educational/research areas of mutual interest. It also aims to promote international collaborations through International travel of Party, hosting International delegates, and through a student exchange programme between Indian Institute/Universities and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.

The MoU will provide a platform to share and exchange Best Practices, and facilitate exchange programmes for students. Dr Satyajt Gupta and Dr Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay will provide training and development for students working under this joint project.

A scientific research paper has been published by Dr Lakhveer Singh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, SRM University-AP.

“The Role of Conductive Nanoparticles in Anaerobic Digestion: Mechanism, Current Status, and Future Perspectives”, published in the Chemosphere Journal, discusses in detail the application of conductive nanoparticles to enhance the AD process efficiency and the interaction between microbes in anaerobic conditions for electron transfer with the help of CNPs. Application of a variety of conductive nanomaterials as an additive is discussed with their potential biogas production and treatment enhancement in the anaerobic digestion process. The Impact factor of the journal is 5.77.

Dr Singh is an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery – Springer (I.F. 2.60) and a Guest Editor for Bioresource Technology Reports- Elsevier. His future research targets to reduce the component costs and test the proposed design using real waste streams, as well as continue to increase the reactor volume.

Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130601

Physics student files patent

Ms Sreelekha Bhuvaneswari, a BSc physics final year student, in SRM University AP, Andhra Pradesh, filed a patent for her work titled “A fibre material with moisture retention capacity with thermal tolerance and a method for manufacture” under the guidance of Dr Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, SRM University-AP.

The project, with the patent application number 202141023375, develops a methodology to design a fabric cloth that would replace the use of air conditioners. This cloth design is inspired by Saharan silver ants which regulate their body temperatures in the scorching desert heat and also from the cooling properties of clay. This research would significantly scale down the usage of AC and other cooling devices in warm places, thus reducing the use of electricity and emission of greenhouse gases to the environment. As this cloth would be environment friendly with long durability and cost-efficiency, Sreelekha hopes that this research would bridge the socioeconomic divide of haves and have-nots between communities.

“I am grateful to Dr Sabyasachi sir for his constant help and guidance along the way. There were several failed models, but he believed in the concept and that inspired me to go forward with the project,” said Ms Bhuvaneswari. “The facilities at the University made the process seamless; once the proposal was made, the procedure was automated. I thank the officials of SRM University-AP for believing in my proposal and helping me get through the procedures smoothly. If it were not for the facilities available at my university, I could not have finished the design,” She added.

Dr Imran Pancha, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, has recently published a paper titled “Deep eutectic solvents and Ionic liquid assisted hydrolysis of microalgal biomass: A promising approach towards sustainable biofuel production” in the celebrated Journal of Molecular Liquids (2021): 116264 (Impact Factor-5.065). The study was conducted in association with Akshay Kulshrestha, Sandhya Mishra, and Arvind Kumar from CSIR-CSMCRI

Microalgae is recently considered one of the promising biomasses for the production of renewable energy such as biodiesel and bioethanol. Microalgae are tiny photosynthetic organisms that utilise atmospheric CO2, water and sunlight to produce carbohydrates and lipids, which can be converted into renewable fuels. Compared to higher plants, microalgae is a good platform for bioethanol production as they do not contain any lignin in their cell composition, which makes pre-treatment for biomass hydrolysis easy. In the present study, Dr Pancha and his team explored the use of green solvents ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for microalgal hydrolysis. They observed that among the eight tested ionic liquids, ethyl ammonium nitrate (EAN) resulted in the highest saccharification yield of 95.5%. Whereas, among hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, menthol: lactic acid (Me: LA) exhibited the highest saccharification yield of 85.7% and also did not require any additional high temperature or other pre-treatments for biomass hydrolysis, indicating as the potential solvent system for microalgal biomass hydrolysis. Overall, the present study results indicated that the identified IL and DES could be used as a green and sustainable alternative for the pre-treatment of microalgal biomass for bioethanol production.

Due to limited fossil fuel reserve as well as environmental issues like high greenhouse gas emission and other environmental problems, finding green and sustainable energy resource is of prime importance for today’s world. To solve this problem, microalgae are among the best resources for producing renewable resources due to it’s high growth rate and photosynthetic ability. Microalgae also have the ability to obtain nutrients from various wastewater, so they also do not require fresh water for cultivation. However, commercial-scale production of microalgae-based biofuels faces various problems such as cultivation cost, downstream processing for biofuel production etc. In this regard, in the present work, Dr Pancha demonstrated the use of ILs and DESs for pre-treatment of microalgal biomass for reducing sugar production, which can be further utilised to produce bioethanol.

Dr Pancha and his research group are further devoted to understanding the molecular mechanism behind the accumulation of energy reserved compounds in the microalgae and developing a sustainable biorefinery process to extract biofuels and other industrially relevant compounds from single microalgal biomass.

Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2021.116264

Dreams do come true when you grab the opportunities that come by. Srikanth Somarouthu, a BTech final year student from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh, gets placed as a software engineer with Infoedge. This extreme moment of happiness with a prestigious company offering an incredible CTC is the result of the persistent mentoring he received during his studies at university.

Srikant has been preparing for a year to perfectly fit the company’s recruitment process. He underwent rigorous training programmes conducted by the Department of Corporate Relations and Career Services. Mock tests were conducted at regular intervals with industry experts to polish his coding and aptitude skills. In addition to this, separate sessions by Career Development Centre (CDC) were carried out to develop his soft skills to qualify for the final interview rounds.

“I sincerely express my gratitude towards the Department of CR and CS, SRM-AP, for conducting a well-planned training programme both on theoretical and practical levels,” said Srikant. “The University played a major role in providing me with opportunities to participate in competitive programmes and offered a global standard curriculum that has shaped my career. SRM University-AP has prepared me with practical knowledge right from the inception of the UG course. I am thankful to the faculty members of my department who guided and encouraged me to embark into the field. The nurture and guidance that I received from the University have given me ample confidence to be competitive enough and grab the Super dream offer”, he added.

Mr Vivekanandan, Assistant Director, Corporate Relations and Career Services, said, “We always looked for the best opportunities for our students. The talent exhibited by the CSE students during the internships, projects, curriculum and extra-curriculum activities naturally drew the best recruiters to SRM University-AP.”

SVS Sri Harsha, a final-year BSc Computer Science student at SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh, receives admission offers from India’s top business schools. As an extremely meritorious student, he has qualified CAT, XAT, NMAT and SNAP. He scored a percentile of 98.9 in CAT and has got the opportunity to study MBA at any one of the IIMs in Shillong, Kozhikode, Raipur, and Bodh Gaya. In addition to these apex management institutes, he has also received offers from XLRI-Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur; Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad; NMIMS, Mumbai; Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune; and International Management Institute, Delhi. He hails from Vijayawada and completed his schooling in Delhi.

“I started my preparation for CAT from the end of March 2020 and successfully achieved the percentile. I am extremely happy that I got calls from reputed institutes in the country as it was my dream to pursue an MBA from any one of these institutes after completing my bachelor studies”, said Harsha. “I would like to express my gratitude to the computer science head of the department, Dr T Ragunathan, and the faculty members for their unwavering support throughout my academic journey at SRM University-AP” he added.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh, introduces the globally recognised American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) membership programmes to its students.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is a non-profit establishment formed for the global engineers’ community that promotes collaboration, knowledge sharing, career enhancement, and skill development. ASME Student Chapter helps university engineering students develop their professional identity and provides essential engagement opportunities by offering access to a wide range of activities and resources such as membership, competitions, scholarships, student sections and much more.

The engineering curriculum is not restricted to the theoretical aspects but involves practical applications. The collaboration with ASME will help students of our university to find engineering-related job articles, online journals, webinars, and workshops on a single platform. Students will be exposed to niche career paths and opportunities across industries where they can apply their mechanical engineering education to address critical issues facing the globe. Students can get in touch with experienced professionals all around the world through the ASME mentoring programme and seek careers or any other type of guidance.

SRM University-AP collaborates with global organisations to promote international exposure of students. In collaboration with ASME, the Department of Mechanical Engineering will be organising webinars and workshops by eminent faculties of the institute, where they will share their experiences and knowledge with the participants. The programme aims to create extraordinary learning experiences for the students to carry out many activities under this umbrella and fulfil the expectations of ASME.

Dr Prakash Jadav, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, will be acting as faculty adviser for this chapter which is headed by Tushar Sahu.

Why choose commerce?In the wake of Admissions-2021, the Department of Commerce is holding a formal webinar on “Salient features and career options for BCom (Hons) at SRM University-AP”, highlighting the contemporary aspects of the subject and the career paths that one can choose after pursuing Commerce in our university. Dr A Lakshmana Rao and Dr Shailendra Singh from the Department of Commerce, SRM University-AP, will elucidate on the topic on July 16, 2021, 4.00 pm onwards.

The vision of the Department of Commerce under the School of Entrepreneurship and Management Studies (SEAMS) is to prepare agents of change in business, life, and society. The department, which has highly experienced faculty with international exposure, aims to build business leaders who represent the university in global standards. The curriculum not only caters to the theoretical aspect of the subject but also implements the practical methods for the understanding of real-life problems. The academic programmes and workshops held at regular intervals provide students with in-depth knowledge of the subject. The department exposes its students to well-known business and industry experts. It urges students to formulate innovative business ideas and represent them on global platforms.

All commerce aspirants are cordially invited to join this introductory session on July 16, 2021, at 4:00 pm to get worthwhile insights on pursuing a BCom (Hons) degree at SRM University-AP.

Register here: https://srmap.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-lhIzqejTnGHr2KbQEwmVg

Dr Satish Anamalamudi, Assistant Professor, in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering has published a research paper titled “Cooperative Caching Scheme for Machine-to-Machine Information-Centric IoT Networks” in the IEEE Canadian Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The research paper is co-authored by Dr Mohammed Saeed Alkatheiri and Dr Eesa Al Solami of University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Dr Abdur Rashid Sangi of Yibin University, China.

According to the authors, Information-centric networks (ICNs), a foreseen future Internet architecture, focuses on the application content rather than its hosting location. With this, the existing Internet protocol (IP)-based host-centric communication model can be transformed into a content-centric communication model with the support of in-network caching, name-based routing, and location-independent content domain names. Recently, ICN is proposed to be a potential Internet architecture for Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks due to minimal retrieval delays and reduced load on the data producer. Content retrieval from IoT nodes plays a prominent role in enhancing the performance of the ICN-IoT networks. The in-network caching of ICN enhances the data availability in the network, overcome the issue of single-point failure, and improve IoT devices power efficiency. In this work, the authors explore a cooperative caching scheme for information-centric-IoT networks to optimize the cache hit with the support of a caching network topology model, a content popularity model, and an exogenous request access model.

Dr Satish says that ICN proposes to shift the existing complex Internet model to a simple and generic one. This approach considers the content as the first-class network citizen. In ICN, contents are addressed and routed by their unique names and are decoupled from the address of the node storing it. In this way, consumers ask for information by its name rather than its locality address. In ICN, every content is identified by using a unique, persistent and location-independent name. A wide set of IoT applications is inherently information-centric. In fact, the majority of IoT applications target data regardless of its source. For instance, environmental monitoring applications are oblivious to the information origin. ICN is a promising candidate for IoT environments. It can natively support IoT scenarios while improving data dissemination and reducing network complexity.

Dr Satish Anamalamudi had been a Research Engineer with Huawei Technologies, Beijing, China. He also worked with the Huaiyin Institute of Technology (HYIT), Huai’an, China, until February 2018. He is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh. His research interests include the common-control-channel design for MAC and routing protocols in cognitive radio ad hoc networks, MAC, and routing protocol design of Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G networks.

Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICJECE.2020.3046844

Lankalapalli Pavan Sai from the undergraduate department of Mechanical Engineering at SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh, has secured an astounding admission to Northeastern University (NEU), Boston for his higher education. The Master’s in Engineering Management programme that he has enrolled in meets F-1 international student status requirements and is purely designed for the Core background (i.e. Mechanical, Electrical, and Civil Engineering) students. Pavan Sai had also qualified to work with the global L&T Technology Services company through the campus placement at SRM University-AP.

According to Pavan Sai, NEU lies in the heart of Boston city which is one of the major hubs for startups and the University is known for its CO-OP program that gives hands-on experience in theoretical, quantitative, and analytical skills and tools. His decision to study abroad happened rather late though he qualified IELTS on time and has been preparing for GRE.

When he applied to NEU just two days before the deadline, the faculty and staff at SRM University-AP extended their full assistance to go by the application. “I cannot forget the assiduous support and mentorship of my Professors Dr Satya Pramod Jammy and Dr Venkata Nori from the Department of Mechanical Engineering”, says Pavan Sai. “I also want to thank SRM University-AP for helping me and providing me with opportunities”, he adds.