Mechanical Engineering students elaborate on their placement!
Chirag Vinod Kumar Menon and Mudireddy Raviteja Reddy from the Department of Mechanical Engineering are placed in Ather Energy with a CTC of 10 LPA. These two brilliant students will be featured in the latest episode of “The Newsmakers” on 01 October 2021, at 06.45 pm.
The Ather 450Xur and Ather 450 Plus are two electric scooters that the company manufactures. Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain established Ather Energy Pvt. Ltd., an Indian electric car startup, in 2013. It has also founded the Ather Grid electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country. This session of Newsmakers will be a platform that provides a broader spectrum of the expectations and the pedagogy required to bridge the gap between academia and the industry in various aspects.
Join this engaging session with our students on 01 October 2021, at 06.45 pm and gain inspirational insights on preparing for the campus recruitment drive!
- Published in Events, Students Affairs Events
Integration of Science, Engineering and Technology is the key to sustainable development
The 12th edition of the widely popular University Distinguished Lecture Series delved into the pertinent relationship between Science, Engineering and Technology. During the distinguished lecture, “Science-Engineering-Technology Synergy for Sustainable Growth”, Prof Indranil Manna well explained the correlation between the streams and how scientists, engineers and industry experts should work together for maximum societal benefits. Prof Indranil Manna, a JC Bose fellow of DST, is currently the Vice-Chancellor of BIT Mesra. The event took place on September 24, 2021, in virtual mode.
In his address, Prof Indranil Manna asserted that India is no longer a poor country but a mighty economic power with a 3 trillion dollar economy. “We are considered as one of the strongest nations of the world today, not because of the population or because of the youth living in the country, but we are the ones who could send mission to mars at the cheapest cost, and also successfully identified the existence of water on the surface of the moon. Further, we are one of the very few nuclear harnessing nations of the world,” said Prof Manna.
Science began its journey in order to find out the truths of nature. “Why?”- this question is the driving force behind Science. Though Science unravels nature and truth primarily through curiosity or need inspired acts, and the occasional outcome is significant earth-breaking discoveries, sometimes it needs technology to prove it. On the other hand, Engineering deals with “How?” and for Technology, the question is “What?”. Engineering produces certain products and devices by specific designs and inventions. However, what is absolutely essential for the society is Technology, knowledge through the path of knowing ‘why’ and ‘how’ to know ‘what’ sells. Thus, Prof Manna prescribes SET, a conjugation of Science+Engineering+Technology, as the way forward for maximum societal benefits.
Prof Manna explained that innovation means new ideas, creative thoughts, new imaginations in the form of a device or method. It is incremental, cross-disciplinary, directed and translational. Innovation matures itself via Engineering or Technological interventions. Further, sustainability is a composite concept that means the ability to maintain the desired rate or level, avoiding depletion of resources, energy or disturbing the related ecosystem.
Engineering and Technology are the key factors to sustainability. Engineers are not technicians meant only for routine production, maintenance or testing. Instead, Engineering applies the principles of science and logic to develop viable solutions to societal aspirations and challenges. The core of engineering lies in the translation, fundamental concepts to design, develop, fabricate, exploit, analyse, model, stimulate and predict,” Prof Manna elaborated.
Government of India’s Technology Vision-2035 focuses on developing the quality of life of each Indian. Science is pursuing the truth relentlessly regardless of its necessity or immediate scope of application. It provides clues, if not answers and extends as far as imagination goes. Engineering is all about enabling and providing solutions borrowing from the fundamentals of science. Technology is the last mile for societal benefit, based on scientific discovery and engineering inventions and innovations.
India is a great innovator and showcasing continuous gradual progress in it. In the Global Innovation Index (GII), India ranks 48 (2020), making it into the top 50 for the first time. Prof Manna believes that India has enough talent and potential to make it into the top 10. “Let us ensure that Science-Engineering-Technology in India complement each other and flourish together so that our society soon achieves the desired culture, growth and prosperity,” Prof Manna Concluded.
In his welcome address, Prof D Narayana Rao, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, SRM University-AP, said that the development and use of Science & Technology are critical for the achievement and sustenance of various sectors. The importance of Science and Technology to modern society and the role of the technologically educated population in promoting social and environmental developments have long been recognised. Science and technology are considered the most effective means to enhance the growth and socio-economic developments of nations. Moreover, the universalism of science and the globalisation of technological production and trade offer unprecedented opportunities for focused cooperation for scientists, engineers and the institutions that employ them to further progress in sustainable development. Even, National Education Policy-2020 advocated multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research for sustainable development.
In his concluding remarks, Prof V S Rao, Vice-chancellor, SRM University-AP, congratulated Prof Indranil Manna on delivering such a motivating lecture. He further honoured him by presenting a memento.
- Published in News, Research Events, Research News, University Distinguished Lecture
Kalobaran Maiti to talk on “Selective Electron Excitations in Iron-based Superconductors”
In the 4th chapter of the “Eminent Guest Lecture Series: An Odyssey of Physics”, the Department of Physics welcomes Dr Kalobaran Maiti to deliver the keynote address. Winner of the “Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology” in the category of Physical Sciences in 2010, Dr Kalobaran Maiti is an exemplary researcher. We are honoured to host him at SRM University-AP for his talk on “Selective Electron Excitations in Iron-based Superconductors,” on October 09 2021 at 10:00 am .
Abstract:
Solids, a collection of a huge number (~10 23 ) of atoms, exhibit exotic behaviour due to complex interplay of spin, charge, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom that makes the study of the origin of such exoticism difficult. Heating a system via any method leads to excitation of all the degrees of freedom together. Therefore, studying the effect of a particular degrees of freedom without affecting others is a formidable task. We have discovered a unique method to heat electrons of a selected symmetry without affecting the other electrons via aligning the polarization of a pump light along the orbital lobe of the selected electrons to be heated, then study the excited system using a probe beam in a pump-probe experiment, called time-resolved ARPES. We demonstrated that it is possible to excite the selected electrons without affecting other electrons. Some published results [1,2] will be discussed in connection to the results of Fe-based superconductors.
About the speaker:
Currently a professor at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai (TIFR), Dr Kalobaran Maiti specialises in Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science. He received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for his contribution in the field of very high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy in understanding the physics of metal-insulator transition, charge density wave and Kondo systems. Dr Maiti obtained his PhD from the Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore (IISc) and is now a fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences and Indian National Science Academy.
We encourage you to make use of this exclusive opportunity to interact with Dr Kalobaran Maiti and understand better the scopes and pathways for aspirants of a career in scientific research on October 09, 2021 at 10.00 am .
- Published in Events
Dr Tathagata Sengupta to speak on ‘Debt, Mathematics and Education’.
Department of Mathematics is organising the 16th edition of the “Departmental Weekly Seminar Series” on October 06, 2021, at 3 pm with Dr Tathagata Sengupta as the Chief Guest. Dr Tathagata Sengupta is from Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and he is going to speak on ‘Debt, Mathematics and Education’.
The talk is based on the ongoing work of Dr Sengupta, where he and his collaborators deal with the sociological, emotional and intellectual impacts of mechanical reproduction of formal knowledge systems – such as those based on mathematical models – in the service of economies of endless repetition and mass reproduction. Symbols and formalisms can carry over across different paradigms of human existence, across both time and space, without the underlying meanings and subtleties necessarily being carried along. Such nominalisation of meanings only gets exacerbated under systems of massive mechanical reproduction. Mathematical models particularly are not just mere vehicles of computation but play a paradigmatic role in the very realisation of today’s political economy – being endlessly used to reproduce social relations that suit the interests of power and capital.
Specifically, Dr Sengupta and his team analyse a particular, basic microfinance model that aims to mathematise and thus aid in the management of micro-lending businesses. They describe how such a model not only tries to construct particular social realities and certain kinds of financial ‘common sense’ as such but also how pre-existing normative common sense is likewise codified into the model itself. They argue how such mathematical models have no independent truth value outside of specific historic processes, contexts and paradigms of public common sense – hoping that this allows us to fundamentally shift the culture of mathematical modelling in a way that respects such subtleties of human knowledge in their extremely rich, dynamic, plural, communistic wisdom and creativity.
Dr Sengupta’s main attempt is to push the discussion not only out of the binaries of ‘good/bad models’ but also beyond rule-based rationalist imaginations of ethics into the mundane and emotional – and yet creative, subtle and even magical – daily existence of ordinary people. Existence is marked by social relations of radical inequalities and radical unities. In particular, this also opens up possible directions to pursue intellectually and in practice, when it comes to the question of education.
Mathematics enthusiasts can avail this opportunity to listen to the captivating talk of Dr Tathagata Sengupta on October 06, 2021 at 3 pm.
- Published in Events, Math Events
Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality
Governments from across the globe highlight the need to scale up effective mental health services at all levels in the Covid-19 pandemic. As a part of observing World Mental Health Day, SRM University-AP is organising a three-day webinar series on the dates 8, 9, 10 October 2021, to raise awareness among students regarding preventable psychological conditions.
On October 8, at 6.45 pm, Ms Samitha, Counselling Psychologist with Fortis Malar, Chennai will take the session on the topic “Mastering your Mood”. On the second day, Dr Ninad Patwardhan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, SRM University-AP will elucidate on the topic “All stress begins with your thoughts” at 6.45 pm. Psychotherapist and Special Educator Dr Vasuprada Kartic will engage the session on October 10 on the topic “Mental health for 360-degree success” at 5 pm.
One of the primary causes of psychological disability is depression. Suicide is the second-biggest cause of death in people aged 15 to 29. Assistance for mental and neurological conditions have been severely hampered during the lockdown period. Some groups have been particularly affected, including health and other frontline workers, students, persons living alone, and those with pre-existing mental health issues.
About the Speakers:
Dr Vasuprada Kartic holds double Masters in Counseling and Psychotherapy with a Diploma in Special Education and is a PhD (AM) in Holistic Psychotherapy using complementary and alternative tools. She works as a Psychotherapist in private practice. She’s also a trainer and a live television counsellor.
Ms Samitha has volunteered actively in various Nonprofit organizations such as Sarvahitey that works towards equipping rural kids from age 5-13 with important life skills through interactive ways. She was also a part of a nonprofit organization called FEEL-IT which works towards spreading mental health awareness as well as promoting the use of sanitary menstrual products among the rural population.
Dr Ninad Patwardhan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at SRM University-AP. His research areas include cognitive psychology, social psychology and personality psychology.
Make sure you join these informative and healing sessions from 8 to 10 October 2021, organised as part of World Mental Health Day.
- Published in Events, Psychology