Students Achievements

The Department of Mechanical Engineering proudly congratulates G Chandra Mouli, PhD scholar for receiving the Best Oral Paper Presentation Award at the International Conference on Advances in Materials, Ceramics & Engineering Sciences (AMCES – 2023) organised by Dayananda Sagar University, Bangalore, held during March 13-15, 2023. The paper titled “A New Approach to Enhance Microhardness and Corrosion Resistance with In-Situ Shot-Peened Al – Zn Coatings on ZK60 Magnesium Alloy by Cold Spray” was awarded the first prize among the 200+ papers presented at the conclave.

Congratulations to G Chandra Mouli and his mentor, Prof, GS Vinodkumar, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering for their cutting-edge research in enhancing the thickness, microhardness and corrosion resistance of metals!

Abstract

This paper aims to develop an improved microhardness and corrosion protective coating (Pure Al-Zn, Al-Zn-Al2O3 and Shot peened Al-Zn) on an Mg alloy substrate, by using the cold spray (CS) technique. A mixture of metal, ceramic/hard particles (Al2O3) and Shot-peened (Large Ni particles) has been used to improve the feedstock powder flowability and coating deposition efficiency. The long-term corrosion properties are evaluated by immersing these coupons in NaCl solution as a function of immersion time durations. The coatings are well-characterised for their structural, morphological, mechanical and electrochemical properties. Thus, it has been observed that in-situ-shot peening helps to enhance the thickness, microhardness and corrosion resistance.

The students of SRM University-AP are nurtured in a conducive educational ecosystem that moulds them into competent candidates ensuring research and academic success at national and international frontiers. The Department of Civil Engineering proudly congratulates Tanoogna Mallarapu, Jonnalagadda Cheritha and Gade Venkata Reddy, Final year BTech students for securing the second prize in the Paper presentation contest at the prestigious Aakaar Symposium held by The Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay on March 17 and 18, 2023. The trio presented their paper titled “Study of alternative flexible pavement design approaches suitable for Maine conditions” which was part of the students’ paid internship on an overseas (USA) research project funded by the Maine Department of Transportation, USA. A total of 47 groups participated in the contest from various domains of civil engineering from all over India. The academic cohort bagged the position of runners-up under the guidance and mentorship of the faculty advisor, Dr Uma Maheswar Arepalli, Assistant Professor, SRM Univeristy-AP.

About the Symposium

Aakaar is an annual symposium organized by the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Bombay. The event comprises workshops, lecture series, panel discussions, industrial talks, exhibitions, and other activities. The festival also includes the Seventh International Civil Engineering Symposium (ICES), which aims to encourage young research enthusiasts to engage in rigorous research in civil engineering. ICES includes poster presentations, 3-minute thesis talks, city planning, and paper presentations. The symposium offers young and promising students enthusiastic about research the opportunity to present their work in front of experienced professors, civil engineering leaders, and industrialists.

The team had the incredible opportunity to meet renowned academicians and industrialists and learn about various projects in the civil engineering domain. Their work was highly praised by the judges with Dr Dharmaveer, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering Dept., IIT Bombay commenting that, “I enjoyed their presentation. I like their exposure to new tools and techniques, exploring new terms, learning, and understanding, which made them worthy.”

Tanoogna from the team stated her elevation in acquiring this success. “From the outset, I was motivated to participate in the competition and showcase my skills. Our advisor, Dr Uma Maheswar was always available to answer our questions, provide feedback on our work, and offer valuable insights that helped us refine our approach. His mentorship has played an integral role in our success, and we could not have accomplished this without his assistance. We are grateful for this opportunity and the platform that IIT Bombay provided us. It has been a fantastic journey, and I look forward to participating in more competitions and pushing my limits further,” said the young scholar.

Cheritha also expressed her gratitude towards her team’s accomplishment and the valuable experience the symposium had provided. “We were able to show case our work and was able to present it effectively and secured 2nd place in the category of paper presentation. Participating in this event is an incredible experience for me to gain knowledge. I am very grateful for my advisor and my teammates Tanoogna and Venkata Reddy for their hard work towards the accomplishment of the project and for being there in difficult situations.”

Venkat also commented that the event was beneficial in gaining knowledge and to present the project. The students thanked their mentor, Dr Uma Maheswar for the opportunities he had provided and his constant encouragement to strive for excellence.

Dr Uma Maheswar, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, SRM University-AP also voiced delight in the incredible performance of his students. “From the beginning, I had the feeling that the topic has the potential to win this competition. But this team of students has made it a reality with their excellent technical and soft skills. It was a moment of immense pride and happiness for us in the civil engineering department when our students won the contest at a prestigious platform like IITB. Heartful congratulations to Tanoogna, Cheritha, and Venkat. I wish them the best of luck in their future career endeavours.”

Abstract of the Paper

AASHTOWare Pavement Mechanistic-Empirical Design (PMED) has been introduced to overcome the limitations of the AASHTO 1993 pavement design approach in the United States. However, due to the data requirements and work involved with accurate local calibration of PMED performance models, PMED seems challenging from a benefit-cost standpoint, especially for the states with low traffic volumes and limited resources. This study aims to understand the current flexible pavement design practices in the United States and recommend an alternative design approach for a state department of transportation. The methodology included an online survey with practitioners, a literature review, and a comparative analysis of selected alternative design approaches. Two approaches were chosen as an alternative design approach based on the online survey results, interviews, and literature review. One is updating layer coefficients for AASHTO 1993, and the second is developing its mechanistic-empirical (M-E) based pavement design approach for Maine. A layered elastic analysis using winJULEA or similar combined with standard performance empirical equations was considered a proposed M-E design tool for preliminary analysis. A sensitivity analysis using the range of design input values for Maine conditions and validation with a historical project database is planned. The presentation will discuss this study’s findings and the final recommendations derived from the comparative analysis.

SRM University-AP won the national-level volleyball competition held at BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus from February 2 to February 5, 2023, as part of Arena 2023. In the finals held on Sunday, the Women’s Volleyball team of SRM University-AP won the trophy with a 3-0 scoreline against the St. Francis College for Women, Hyderabad.

Arena is an annual national-level sports festival of BITS Pilani, Hyderabad campus, for university-level students. Arena 2023 competitions were held in the first week of February 2023. Bhavishya, the team captain of SRM AP’s Women’s Volleyball team, co-players Jhansi, Anishka, and others showed immaculate talent and brought the team to the shores of victory.

Similarly, Nayan, a CSE student of SRM AP, bagged second place in the powerlifting competition in the 80 kg category. Nayan proved his talent and won the silver medal. T Vamsi coached the volleyball team under the guidance of Dr Vijay Kumar Upadhyay, Director of Sports and Abdul Mohimin, Assistant Director of Sports. The winners were felicitated by Pro-Chancellor Dr P Sathyanarayanan, Vice Chancellor Prof. Manoj K Arora, and Registrar Dr R Premkumar of SRM University-AP.

“The best way to predict the future is to create it”. Jaswanth Sai has proved to be a living and breathing manifestation of this quote with his determination and hard work. The Directorate of Entrepreneurship and Innovation is pleased to announce that Jaswanth Sai Idupulapati, a 3rd year BBA student, has successfully started his own food-tech company, Open Cafe, a cloud kitchen enterprise. Cloud kitchens are centralised, licensed commercial food production facilities where one to dozens of restaurants rent space to prepare delivery-optimised menu items. Jaswanth, an enthusiastic student of the Hatchlab Research Centre had started his business with an investment of Rs. 5000/- and today his turnover is more than 20L per month for a business that was started just three months ago!

“We invested Rs. 5000 and brought a van full of biriyani outside the main gate of our university. Hours passed and not a single sale happened. Those moments were not only depressing but also terribly demotivating. But as a leader, I had to rise up! We immediately changed the pricing strategy and shared the same via WhatsApp groups. In the next 45 minutes, we were left with empty vessels and a handful of cash. Profit was less; the learning and our confidence levels were mountain high,” Jaswanth excitedly mentioned about his first day of business.

As of now, Open Cafe caters to more than 1000+ students from SRM AP and VITAP, with quality food items that are delivered with a caption – 15 minutes delivery. Jaswanth has 15 employees and a big renovated kitchen, generating employment and thousands of satisfied customers.

His dedication and hardcore willpower allowed the materialisation of his idea into reality. Congratulations to Jaswanth Sai for his astonishing achievement!

Japan boasts the third-largest economy in the world. Being an incredible destination for aspirants, Japan proffers limitless opportunities and a rewarding career. The International offers in Japan are the brand-new addition to the success saga of placement 2022 at SRM University-AP. Three students from the class of 2022 have been placed with the international firm PVP in Japan with a lucrative salary package of 45 LPA. Alex Martin Mason, Ravi Srihitha, and Sahitha Yalamanchili of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Electronics and Communication Engineering are making the institution proud with their academic rigour and industrial skillset.

Japan is well known for its concrete work ethic and fascinating culture. For students to be placed in Japan, more than just technical training, Japanese language proficiency and cultural knowledge are equally important. The Directorate of Corporate Relations and Career Services made sure to equip the students with intensive training in the Japanese language and culture. The international placement is also a commendable achievement for the team working exclusively on Japanese placements.

Vishal and Akanksha, students of SRM University- AP, won the National level VOIS for Tech Innovation Marathon 2022, which began on October 14 in Pune. They received a cash prize of Rs.2 lakhs, along with certificates and mementoes. Vodafone India, Voice, and Connecting Dreams Foundation jointly organised the Technology Marathon-2022 competition to bring out the latent technological creativity among engineering students.

Five hundred sixty teams from all over the country participated in the competition. Third-year Computer Science Engineering students Vishal Kumar Singh and Akanksha Patil participated in the competition on behalf of SRM University- AP. Both showed excellent talent and bagged the first position in the three-stage project presentation, Q&A, and review competitions. The organisers rewarded them with Rs.2 lakh and other souvenirs.

The winners, Vishal and Akanksha, were felicitated by President Dr P Satyanarayanan, Vice Chancellor Prof Manoj K Arora, and Registrar Dr Prem Kumar of SRM University- AP on Tuesday.

Exposure to international research opportunities promotes empirical learning at an impeccable level. International research ventures aid scholars to explore novel research avenues enabling a transformative progress for society through the field of science. The Department of Chemistry is glad to announce that Ms Jayasree K, PhD scholar, has been accepted for Short-Term Research Internship (STRI) for a period of six months from the Research Center of Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan.

Ms Jayasree has been elevated in receiving the offer and delightfully keen on the new avenues she could explore through this opportunity. She is currently working in the field of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). In this particular research area, her major research objective is the design and development of a novel SERS substrate for food and bioanalysis.

“My internship mentor, Prof. Vinoth Kumar, KMU University is an expert in mass spectroscopy and High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Therefore, I have an option to hyphenate the Raman technique along with mass spectroscopy which leads Raman research to the next level for various applications”, commented Ms Jayasree on this incredible opportunity.

Her internship at Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) is based on the motive of research on food and environmental toxicity which would provide guidance on her first research project in the field of food analysis.

She has offered her sincere gratitude to her supervisor, Dr Rajapandiyan JP, Department of Chemistry for his constant support and advice from the application process to proposal writing, experimental planning etc. She also thanked SRM University- AP in providing support through the process and extending travel allowance and guidance.

Ms Jayasree utilizes this great opportunity to explore and discover herself, developing both personally and professionally. Through this internship she hopes to learn new skills, expand her knowledge in the field of research and explore career options in Taiwan.

Mastering martial arts is not an easy feat as it demands an exorbitant amount of effort from our physical as well as mental capability. Truly excelling in a martial art form can only be achieved through the manifestation of hardwork, perseverance and unwavering willpower. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering is proud to announce that Ms Bala Ramya Sri Yerramreddy has been selected for the Wushu Championship at the 36th National Games, 2022.

Ms Bala Ramya had previously secured gold at both District and State Level Wushu competitions. Through her journey, she has exhibited strong willpower and dedication to reach these heights. She encourages students to pursue any field of sports or martial arts to attain a peaceful mental constitution as well as physical well-being. Martial arts also equips one with self-defence techniques against physical conflict.

Wushu, an ancient form of hard and soft Chinese martial arts, trains students with superior combat skills for self-defence and promotes sound mental and physical health. One is truly robust only with a healthy balance between well-tuned mind and body.

Her journey to the National Games 2022 representing the state of Andhra Pradesh is awe inspiring and an accomplishment of incredible pride.

Making an impact on society through revolutionary innovations is not an everyday thing. Manideep Surusomayajula from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering bagged an investment of 15 Lakh for his Hatchlab venture SPOCSQ Pvt. This is the first investment that has been secured by the startup project.

His startup deals with chip-based certification processes using Blockchain Technology. SPOCSQ is in the process of developing a tamper-proof certificate system based on chip and blockchain technology.

The investing company ThredzIT Information Technology Pvt. Ltd is willing to invest 20-30 Lakh for the final version of the product. This achievement is a milestone in Manideep’s career as it demonstrates his passion for entrepreneurship and innovation.

It is a moment of immense pride for SRM University- AP to welcome a new record maker into our midst. P Vishnu Vardhan from the Department of Computer Science Engineering has carved his name into the India Book of Records for performing 48 double-under jump rope skips in 20 seconds. He has also managed to set two records in the National Book of World Records. When most surrender their favourite hobbies to the rush of our work and academic life, this incredible student has displayed hardwork and dedication to transform his hobby into a national record.

Mr Vishnu Vardhan comments on the multiple times he succumbed to giving up his hobby of skipping ropes but realised that it was a space of refuge amidst the pressures of the world. He has shown an incredible feat of courage and dedication to set this impressive record by braving the rejection that he initially had faced.

“When I came to know about the India Book of Records, it was my parents who made me apply for it but I was rejected the first time. I had lost all hope but my friends supported me to pursue my passion for skipping rope and also helped with my academics. Finally I have entered into the National Book of Records, twice and the India Book of Records as well”, he said.

He has extended a heartfelt note towards his parents and his friends, M Surya Teja and K Nithin, for their undying support and confidence that has guided him to attain this amazing achievement.

Mr Vishnu Vardhan hopes to represent SRM University- AP at the All India Inter University rope skipping competition and provide further laurels for the institution. His journey to setting national records proves that with passion, endurance and a generous amount of optimism, even the unachievable could be achieved.