CSE students grab the coveted MITACS Globalink Research Internship
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”– Paulo Coelho.
Be it a dream or a wish, when you are determined to pursue what the mind really wants, SRM University-AP helps you reach that goal. Ms Pragya Gupta and Ms Swikriti Khadke joined SRM AP with vibrant dreams, and in their third year, they have attained the prestigious Mitacs Globalink Research Internship. The students from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering will spend three months in Canadian universities as a part of this fully-funded research internship. Ms Swikriti will intern at Université du Québec en Outaouais – Gatineau on the research project titled “Systematic PV farm power losses calculation and modelling using computational intelligence techniques”. Ms Pragya will be going to Athabasca University – Edmonton as a research intern to work on the project titled “Blockchains for Data Storage and Mining in Learning Analytics”.
About Mitacs Globalink Research Internship
Mitacs Globalink Research Internship is a highly competitive programme that pairs top-ranked international students having specific research expertise from 15 countries worldwide with faculty at top Canadian academic institutions. This is a twelve (12) week research project of mutual interest between May and October 2022. The Canadian host faculty project leader makes selections by verifying the student’s background and skills in the research area and the unique contribution they will be made to the research during the stay. As a fully-funded programme, Mitacs and AICTE will administer the grant. Students can choose from about 14k+ projects in disciplines like Engineering, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and the Humanities.
Mitacs will be responsible for providing the following to the students:
1. An airfare stipend of Can$1,500;
2. A stipend of Can$175 to contribute to the cost of transportation from the Canadian airport to accommodation unless otherwise arranged by your host institution
3. A stipend of Can$200 per week for living expenses
4. Ensure that students receive Canadian medical insurance.
5. A daily allowance of Can$45 for housing for the duration of the research internship.
6. A stipend of Can$300 for any student fees charged by the Canadian host institution
7. Reimbursement of immigration permit application fees (as required to participate in the research internship — up to a maximum of Can$240)
8. A stipend of Can$500 for any COVID-19-related expenses (e.g., COVID test, quarantine, expenses incurred during isolation, etc.)
The journey, in Pragya and Swikriti’s words:
The journey from applying for MITACS to getting selected as one of the GRI interns in one of the top-ranked universities in Canada was no less than a dream come true. The registration process included filling out an application form which was the most important step and a complicated one. This was also an elimination stage for many because writing down all our details in a limited number of words was quite difficult and challenging. After submitting the application form, the details about the Matching round were intimated in November. We received emails for the interview round from the professor himself. It was a technical interview that comprised of questions regarding our work experience, knowledge about the technology we will be contributing to the project during the internship, and personal details. The interview lasted for 30-45 mins, after which the professor assigned us some tasks to assess our knowledge regarding the topic. After completing and submitting the task, around Mid December, we received a congratulatory mail regarding our selection for MITACS GRI 2022, which will commence from May 2022 and continue for the next three months.
The Globalink Graduate Fellowship offers former Globalink research interns:
■ Direct financial support from Mitacs
■ Recognition as Globalink alumni
■ The opportunity to work with Canada’s research supervisors during your graduate studies
■ Additional exposure to the Canadian research and innovation landscape and increased Canadian experience.
A note of gratitude
“We would like to thank SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh, for helping us build our skills and supporting us throughout the process. Our university management has always been kind and helpful to its students to explore new opportunities and create new relations. We would like to extend our gratitude to our mentors, Dr Goutam Kumar Dalapati and Dr Anil K Suresh, for their continuous support, guidance, and motivation. Last but not least, our parents have been our support system throughout our journey”.
- Published in Blog, CSE NEWS, Departmental News, News, Research, Students Achievements
J Abbas Mohammed grabbed a staggering offer of CTC 44.91 LPA
J Abbas Mohammad was in a state of absolute euphoria as the news reached him. He has been placed with Predli, a top-performing AI company, with a staggering offer of CTC 44.91 LPA. With one more achievement to flaunt, SRM is surging ahead with an endless list of placement offers and achievement stories. Abbas is a final year student of the Department of Computer Science Engineering who has already demonstrated his calibre by grabbing a seat at UC Berkeley through the Semester Abroad Programme. His sheer will and dedication have always helped him break the records and fly to further heights.
SRM University-AP happened to be the perfect place that shaped him up to pursue the career of his dreams. Our collaboration with leading enterprises in the world turned out to be an excellent avenue for many to walk ahead to a horizon of opportunities. The Department of Corporate Relations & Careers Services is also doing an amazing job in training the students and encouraging them to apply for the best available prospects. Let us listen to Abbas as he pours out his excitement.
“I am truly delighted to have received this high-paying placement offer. And all of this became possible with the exposure I received from my university. I kept abreast of the latest technologies in the software industry and applied them through practical projects as part of our co-curricular activities in classrooms and university labs such as the Next Tech Lab. The experienced faculty and specially curated curriculum we follow here will always give an extra edge to the students. I am indeed thankful to Dr Sujith Kalluri and Dr Priyanka for assisting me on several occasions”, he said.
“It is the Semester Abroad Program at UC Berkeley, which allowed me to build a strong international networks, that eventually led to this offer. I’m immensely fortunate to land the job of my dream. In future, I hope to advance professionally and adapt to greater leadership roles with the goal of starting my own venture”, remarked Abbas.
- Published in CR&CS, CR&CS NEWS, CSE NEWS, Departmental News, News, Students Achievements
Do you think CSIR-JRF is a tough nut to crack? Persistence is the key
“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.
- Published in Blog, Chemistry-news, Departmental News, News, Research, Students Achievements
Presenting our first doctorate holder: Dr Vasavi Dutt
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.
- Published in Chemistry-news, Departmental News, News, Students Achievements
Cubing club arranges mosaic of Gautama Buddha using 1500 cubes!
The brilliant minds at the SRM AP cubing club have proved themselves again. On the occasion of Buddha Purnima, a group of students from the Cubing Club came together to arrange a mosaic of Gautama Buddha using 1500 cubes! A project of this magnitude usually takes a couple of weeks to be completed, but our students were able to complete the design within five days.
The smart brains behind this artistic endeavour:
Tarun Vaka
Jyothi Madem
Kota Vasu Desik
Durga Surya Teja Indigimilli
Sri Sathya Sai Karthik Kongara
Venkata Mohit Simhadri
Divyambica Satya Vasa
Lolugu Charansai Venkatanarayana
The vibrant colours and the simplicity behind the mosaic portray the Buddha’s teachings and the elementary life he led on earth. Members of cubing club received appreciations from peers, faculty members and university leadership in creating this adroit artistic masterpiece.
- Published in Clubs and Societies, Departmental News, News, student affairs news, Students Achievements
Top five winners of the Suggestion contest
Innovative suggestions create a doorway to a world of opportunities and possibilities. The Suggestion contest conducted by the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation received 206 entries, and each of them was significant in one way or the other. Finding out the most impactful and meaningful suggestions among them was a hectic task, and we have five winners for the competition. Congratulations to CSE second-year student Krishna Manideep, BBA second-year student Pratibha Maurya and CSE first-year students; Vishnu Vardhan, Pranathi Jayanthi, and G Sai Rohith for making it to the top five.
The department has started programmes like “ExplorerHive” and “the Leader” based on the suggestions of students. Many more innovative programs are yet to come by utilising the suggestions obtained through the competition. Congratulations to the whole 206 participants for their contributions and suggestions. We value each of you and your suggestions and will try our best to put them all into practice.
- Published in IDEA NEWS, News, Students Achievements
A solar-powered innovation of Venkata Sree Harsha
Student innovations that render hope and reassurance to an ever-changing society with booming demands indeed call for sweeping appreciation and recognition. We are elated to present the story of one of our budding masterminds who has brought us laurels through his trailblazing invention. Our first-year Mechanical Engineering student, Venkata Sree Harsha has developed the prototype of a solar electric bicycle with iconic features. This is a well-timed invention presented in the face of exacerbating pollution and energy insufficiency.
There have been endless studies and research going on to discover alternate solutions to bring down the imprudent use of conventional sources of energy. We are running out of our resources on one hand, and they are causing irreversible damage to the environment on the other hand. Tapping the invaluable potential of solar energy is the ideal way to welcome a new era of renewable energy resources. Solar inventions are therefore encouraged and put to implementation. This is believed to expedite the use of such renewable resources.
Venkata Sree Harsha’s solar-powered bicycle can run for unlimited distance in sunlight and for 2 hours at night when fully charged. It is fitted with a 24 Volt, 350-Watt DC motor, two 12 Volt batteries, two 6-Watt solar panels, and other components. The rechargeable batteries are attached to a 36 Volt motor, and it is connected in a series fashion. The solar power panels are fastened to the rear end of the vehicle which actively charges the bicycle while it is running on the sun. The total investment for this environment-friendly solar bicycle came approximately to rupees 15,000. This is a fruitful innovation when the escalating fuel prices are causing hardships in an average Indian household.
The young innovator expressed his delight and contentment over making his tiny share of contribution to the lives of those who are struggling to make ends meet in a world where expenses are soaring high without limits. His passion for science and determination to bring technology to right and productive use are what made this innovation possible. Mr Venkata also thanked his teachers and fellow friends who helped and guided him throughout this rewarding journey.
- Published in Departmental News, Mechanical Engineering NEWS, News, Students Achievements
Top 3 winners of the ‘Pitch and Win’ contest
Solving the problems existing in diverse domains through innovative ideas is something only certain people will be able to do. Earlier this year, the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation held a Pitch and Win contest, which invited ideas to solve problems across the six major domains. Sikindhar Jaladi, Pranathi Jayanthi, and Shreeyash made it to the top three with their excellent competitive skills and ideas.
The domains from which the applications were invited included Education, Deep-Tech, Social, Health, Alternate Energy, Retail, Fintech and so on. The top three winners were selected from hundreds of contestants. Also, top 10 applications are selected to be incubated at the Hatchlab Research Centre. They will be nurtured for a period of 18 months and transformed from an idea to a prototype. This will again be developed into a complete product with industrial exposure and corporate mentorship along with seed funding of Rs. 500000 (to the eligible ventures) from the university. A cubical will be allocated to each team to sit and build their products and work on the venture.
- Published in IDEA NEWS, News, Students Achievements
Hatchlab incubates student venture Amruthik Private Ltd
Empowering and Enabling startup entrepreneurs
A personal incident motivated Jithin Peram, final year Computer Science Engineering student, to start Amruthik Pvt. Ltd, a company which supplies customised food to various hospitals based on the specific needs of the patients. Various doctors and hospitals have appreciated this customisation of food as per the need. Patients are satisfied as they do not have to take the generic food given by the hospital canteen now. Instead, they have the option to have a very specific diet prescribed by certified dieticians.
The motivation behind the launch of Amruthik is quite inspirational. Jithin’s grandfather passed away due to corona. While his grandfather was suffering with Covid-19 and was admitted in hospital, Jithin was preparing for viva practicals. On hearing the news, he was shattered and it struck him how quickly everything can change around us. Since Jithin was not able to do small things such as taking lunch to his grandfather or standing next to him for moral support; With Amruthik, Jithin dreams of being there for people who need moral support and care in their hospital beds “This makes me happy, and I believe this kind of support is something everyone deserves”, says Jithin on a happy note.
Five years from now, Jithin envisions himself supporting, helping and standing by millions of people who need such services. He believes in putting smiles on faces and wants to see the impressive growth of his company.
Let’s see what Jithin says
As an engineering student, I would have never known the opportunities I have, even with the idea to build my company I would have been lost without proper guidance The Hatchlab Research Centre has given me guidance and a foundation that I can rely upon building my company.
I am thankful for the immense support I got from the faculty and the guidance provided by SRM AP, I especially thank Mr Udayan Bakshi for mentoring me and sharing his experiences with me.
- Published in Blog, IDEA NEWS, Innovation, News, Student Startups, Students Achievements
An oil stove burning the waste oil: Innovation of the month
Innovation is seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.
-Dr Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
The uncompromising vision to mould the students to be the leaders of tomorrow and to gear them up to think beyond the possible has been the propelling factor that drives each student of SRM University-AP to tread the unexplored paths and embrace the unseen challenges. They come out as transformed individuals, outgrown with enriching experiences, capable of introducing new changes into the world. Students are offered ample space and time to ideate, innovate, and build themselves into coming-of-age professionals.
Innovator Square is one such platform set up by the Entrepreneurship-cell to nurture innovative ideas and thoughts having the potential to be converted into a meaningful product or service. Each month, it brings out young talents who have expanded their limits to fashion out an unforeseen solution to the mundane troubles of society. The title winners of the ‘Innovator of the Month’ contest this time, are, Shaik Nagoor, Kalakoti Smaran, and Komirisetti Gopi, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. They have designed a special stove that runs on used cooking oil.
Introducing innovations out of bits and pieces of the commonest of things adds value to our everyday lives. These budding masterminds deserve acknowledgement for their incredible solution to utilise the leftover oil. Cooking oil is a daily essential abundantly used in food processing industry, such as restaurants and fast food, as well as in households. Reusing the oil is found to have harmful effects as it contains carcinogenic substances, that may lead to cancer or other chronic health disorders. Hence the common practice followed is to dump it in open soil. However, this will affect soil fertility and a myriad of environmental concerns.
Their motive to offer a sustainable solution to this menace is what prompted them to devise a user-friendly stove that will consume the used cooking oil. This will also serve as a better alternative to LPG, saving up to 50% of the expenditure. The students expressed their happiness in having made their tiny share of contribution for the well-being of their society. They also thanked their faculty and the university for extending unswerving support to complete this project. “We can never thank enough Dr Venkata Nori sir for guiding and supporting us from the beginning of our project, he helped us achieve this innovation, we are also thankful to Mr Udayan Bakshi sir for helping us to build a start-up”, they remarked.
- Published in IDEA NEWS, News, Students Achievements