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When the Covid-19 outbreak crippled the world, P Mohan Aditya, a 3rd-year Mechanical Engineering student from SRM University-AP, made an initiative of developing the highly useful face shield made from bio-degradable substances. He named it “Facial Shield 2.0”, as it was an improved version of the ordinary face shields. The innovative features added to it helped him to earn the copyright to his credit. On May 16, 2020, Aditya filed an application on the face shield design under the IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) with Indian Patent Office, located in Kolkata, India. In 2021, a copyright was granted for the” Face Shield for Humans” with a Design Application Number of 329364 – 001.

The face shield 2.0 serves as the outer defence to the mucous membranes (nose, eyes, and mouth) and comes with a transparent visor made of a thin layer of 175-micron reusable plastic and a highly durable headband made of 3-ply corrugated cardboard. The cardboard’s bursting strength is 16kg/sq.cm, which is quite durable yet lightweight. Due to the use of biodegradable materials, the price of a face shield is at an affordable cost of INR 15. The face shield 2.0, made with firm elastic, is adjustable and suitable for all head sizes for comfortable wear without hurting the head.

Shri Adimulapu Suresh, Hon’ble Minister of Education, Andhra Pradesh and Sri Nandigama Suresh, Hon’ble MP, appreciated the student’s efforts in the Secretariat’s premises. Aditya received high accolades from the guests present on his first successful invention. They also distributed face shields among state police officers, paramedics and other frontline workers deployed in the containment areas.

In a conversation with P Mohan Aditya, he says, “With an increasing environmental degradation, we should move to the eco-friendly alternatives to develop products/services. Therefore, I thought to develop face shields from reusable plastic and cardboard, which are easily degradable. After discovering a shortage in the supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) globally, the idea struck my mind. Immediately I started researching on developing a piece of standard equipment to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. I am thankful to Mr Ravi, the attorney at SRM-AP, who supported me throughout the tough times by answering all doubts amidst challenging circumstances.”

Aditya’s invention turned out to be a successful project both for the University and the public. The leadership team of SRM University-AP – Dr P Sathyanarayanan, President, Prof V S Rao, Vice-Chancellor, and Prof D Narayana Rao, Pro-Vice-Chancellor expressed their happiness on Aditya’s success by congratulating him on developing the face shield and making use of eco-friendly technology.

Using the CAD software, Aditya designed the transparent visor of the face shield and fabricated the remaining headband with the CNC machine. The CAD model was used as the input to the CNC machine, Following the design, the CNC machine analysed and cut the cardboard and transparent sheet accordingly.

P Mohan Aditya’s another innovative design on “building block for bed” was applied for a copyright on 09-08-2020. The building block for bed is again an innovative work of making beds using reusable materials for COVID 19 patients. He and his team also successfully created an electric bicycle using a 24V 250Watt DC motor powered by a 12V and 12Ah battery as a team assignment. Aditya desires to be a successful engineer and creator of such inventions for the betterment of society.

The SRM University-AP student, P Mohinish Teja from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, brings laurel to the university by bagging the first prize at the Hackathon organised this year on April 16-18th by the Cal Hacks Team, University of California, Berkeley. More than 450 participants signed up for the world’s popular code-fest. Amongst these global participants, Mohinish won the title of “Best Hack” and a prize of $1000 worth of file coins from the sponsoring partner, Protocol Labs.

The idea of the application “Eco gift” is inspired by the Undergraduate Research Oriented Project under the guidance of Dr Ashok Kumar Pradhan, Assistant Professor-CSE and Mr Santosh Bhaskara, doctoral research scholar. Mohinish developed a Waste Management Decentralised Application called “Eco gift” using Blockchain Technology that rewards the users who categorically dump the waste. This application credits crypto tokens into the app users’ wallet. Even though it will not be the traditional currency, it can be used during registration, paying application fees, and payments at the government portals. The reward value increases with time, and the individual receives the token immediately after installing the application.

Mohinish led the team members P Poojitha, P Bharani, and S Mounika into another segment of Hackathon, Civhacks, organised by the Association of Students at the University of California, Berkeley, from April 23-25th where they bagged the “Best Civhacks” title.

The team developed a website application called “Anonymous Hawk” that displays the reported news by keeping the identity of the reporter anonymous for security reasons. The reporters facing life threats for reporting on the sensitive issue can sign up on the application. One can register simply by signing the transaction into the Blockchain. The data uploaded is stored in the Ethereum network and cannot be trifled by humans or software. The free flow of the information can take place by using the application without the fear of being targeted by any influential agents.

“Anonymous Hawk” brought each group member a prize of $500 file coins. The team was granted an opportunity to work further on the project by the sponsoring team, Protocol Labs. Mohinish expressed, “We are at the initial stage of the development of the high-end Decentralised App. In the next stage, we shall work on controlling the spamming of the information using the data and web-mining algorithms.”

The Department of Electronics and Communication at SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh, is overjoyed to announce its students’ success in pursuing higher education. Six students from the maiden batch have performed brilliantly and been accepted to prestigious universities in the United States. These students are offered the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in their chosen fields. Four of the six pupils have been accepted to New York University, and the remaining two are admitted to The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States of America.

Saifuddin Ahmed, Akhil Aluri, Rohit Sai K, and Abirami Ravishankar have been awarded a handsome annual scholarship from New York University. The host university offered a grant of $10,000, $8000, $8000, and $11000, respectively. Among the four students, Saifuddin, Akhil, Rohit and Abirami, the first three opted for a master’s in Management of Technology and Abirami enrolled in the Department of Electrical Engineering. Agnishwar Paul is selected by Georgia Tech University while B Yogananda took admission in the Master’s-Research Programme at The University of Wisconsin-Madison. Yogananda has received an offer for Teaching Assistantship from University of Wisconsin, Madison and as a part of it, he will also be receiving a Monthly Stipend and full Tuition Fee Wavier.

Students indicated that the in-depth knowledge that they gained during their B. Tech studies made them very confident while applying for higher studies. Agniswar said, “The curriculum that is followed in the university is up-to-date and at par with reputed global universities. It helped me a lot to catch up with the expectations of my preferred university.” Saifuddin added, “I was a bit doubtful at first whether to pursue higher studies after graduation. But the sincere guidance of Dr Sunil Chinnadurai and Higher Connect Club invoked the hunger in me to seek more knowledge.”

Higher Connect Club (HCC) is the university’s dedicated wing to connect all ECE students interested in pursuing Higher Education after they graduate from SRM University – AP. This club is focused on clarifying all the doubts that usually arise in a student’s mind when pursuing higher education and provides required support with all the resources required, guiding in the best possible way.

“My professors helped me to come up with the right strategy to score well in GRE. All of our teachers have international exposures. It helped a lot during our preparations for higher studies,” said Yogananda. Apart from strong grades in undergraduate courses, selection rounds of interviews needed proficiency in work experience and extracurricular activities. “The experience we gained during the Semester Abroad Programme and Capstone Projects added value to the resume, which helped us tremendously to prove our merit,” asserted Abirami.

The Department of ECE is pleased with students’ accomplishments and encourages future batches to emulate them, bringing honour to SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh. Prof Siva Sankar Yellampalli, Head of the Department, said, “We are proud of our students. The first batch is about to graduate. We feel saddened to bid them goodbye, but at the same time, it makes me extremely happy to know that they are going to pursue their chosen paths. My best wishes are always with them.”

While the maiden batch of the nascent SRM University-AP is ready to set foot for the next venture, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) proudly announces 100% successful placement for its students. The first-ever placement drive in SRM University-AP began last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, overcoming all the difficulties, the talented engineers of the CSE department found their passion and a job offer according to their will. The brilliant students of CSE bagged envious offers with the highest salary of 50 LPA and an average salary of 8 LPA. 71% of the students are placed with Super Dream and Dream offers, which is highly commendable.

Amid the unprecedented crisis, the hiring process was a difficult task to be performed for both the students and the recruiters. Corporate Relations and Career Services (CR&CS), the placement team of the university, has done an excellent job by conducting the placement drive with passion and dedication. The students were provided with every support they needed during these trying times. During their internships and projects in reputed companies, the students had hands-on experience, industry exposure, and became aware of the expectations of the corporate world. This experience helped the students to prepare for the job interviews. The numerous training sessions arranged by the CR&CS team for core and soft skill development brushed up their knowledge and personality. The mock interviews, sessions with corporate experts also assisted the students in their preparation. The interdisciplinary modernised curriculum provided the students with in-depth knowledge in their domain, strengthening their basic skills.

“Every moment at SRM-AP was so defining. Academics and research, 24×7 student-run Next Tech Lab, Semester Abroad and Entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley, USA and winning Hackathon in Bay area competing with MIT, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon gave us the wide exposure of the real world, which would not have been possible without the continuous support of our faculty and university management. Now, it is time that we start our life in Japan, and we are very much looking forward to the new chapter,” said Rajarshi Mazumder, who has received the highest offer of this season with a pay package of 50 LPA along with his twin Saptarshi. Sri Ritika Katragadda, who has been offered one of the best packages with 29.5 LPA, opined, “The selection process was tough, but with the extensive knowledge we gained in the classroom studies, I cleared it with ease.”

“The support I received from my professors and CR&CS team is unforgettable. I am forever grateful to their guidance, for being able to secure such a good offer,” said Sai Krishna Rohith, who bagged an offer of 20 LPA. “Prof Ragunathan is like a father figure to me. I can reach him anytime without any hesitation, even in case of a smallest doubt. All other faculty members were equally supportive,” asserted Venkata Sai Nikhith Nagamlla. Venkata also received an offer of 29.5 LPA.

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.”

“SRM University-AP has made its name as a reputed tech hub to the recruiters who are searching for the best engineers to recruit. We are certain that in the coming years, the numbers of top offers will further increase, creating a record in the country,” shared Professor Ragunathan, Associate Dean in the School of Engineering and Basic Sciences and Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

“SRM University-AP is founded with the vision to offer quality engineers, entrepreneurs and professionals to the country. In the First Placement Drive itself, the university has proved its mettle and has become a favourable destination for top recruiters,” said Prof V S Rao, Vice-Chancellor, SRM University-AP.

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