Category Archives: Education

VITians Work on a Housing Project on the Red Planet

Education, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Prof Ghosh and his students discussing the conceptual design at the VIT University | Express
Prof Ghosh and his students discussing the conceptual design at the VIT University | Express

Vellore :

House on Mars will be in cuboidal form with a curved roof! With Mangalyan all set to land on the red planet, a group of students of VIT University here have come up with a conceptual design to construct houses for human settlements on Mars.

The curved roof design is to facilitate light from the sky to be positioned appropriately to optimise solar gains.

“The wall in the building comprises Titanium Aluminium alloys, fibre glass and insulating aerogels. This unique man- made fabric associated with a unique building form ensures that the temperature in the dwelling never gets cold below 25 degree Celsius,” Pranav Sanghavi, one of the designers said.

Combining design components with planetary climate for the first time, the students Pranav Sanghavi, Ashutosh Jadeja and Manu Manish Jaiswal along with their guide Prof. Satyajit Ghosh, have sucessfully simulated Martian climate.

They have presented the findings in a research paper, “A nuanced thermal analysis of a proposed living space on Mars” at a conference on Mars at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, U.S.A.

The students pointed out that with Mangalyan the country was poised to be in the forefront of the Martian explorations.

Prof. Ghosh at VIT’s School of Mechanical and Building Sciences, said the student team had successfully simulated the Martian climate with a state-of-the-art code to help optimise the housing design. ‘As we had mechanical engineers in our team, they presented a robust design using the most sophisticated architectural tools,’ he noted.

The team will soon construct a prototype of the house in the campus, Ghosh added.

VIT chancellor G.Viswanathan appreciated the efforts taken by the team and assured them of all necessary support.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States>  Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / August 03rd, 2014

Three-Day Expo Kicks off in Fort City

Education, Science & Technologies

Vellore :

A three-day exposition on computers and consumer items ‘The Great Vellore Bazaar’, organised by the Vellore Association for Information Technology (VAIT) was inaugurated  by Collector R Nanthagopal here on Friday.

“This is the ninth edition of the exposition being organised this year to create awareness on the latest developments in the field of consumer electronics,” said C Arumugam, one of the organisers of the event attached to the VAIT. This time, entrepreneurs from other parts of the district had been invited to join the exhibition.

Sujith Kumar, zonal sales manager of an electronics goods-manufacturer  from Chennai, said, “Vellore is developing as an education hub, we are looking forward to explore new avenues to push our products here.”

The new 29-inch ultra-wide monitor launched recently attracted the attention of local businessmen. Youngsters were seen hovering around the low-cost all-In-One PC. A new range of smart power banks, solar chargers for mobile phones, laptops, bluetooth devices were on display. Some stalls were also selling low-cost software for billing and inventory management for business outlets.

Some stalls to promoted domestic solar power plants with latest technology, to reduce dependence on electricity. Latest range of water purifiers, domestic security systems and multi-brand computer consumables are also on display.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / August 02nd, 2014

VIT Honour for Vellore’s ‘golden’ Boy

Education, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Vellore :

VIT University here has decided to honour Sathish Kumar, the Vellore youth who won a gold medal for India in the 77-kg class in weightlifting in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, through a cash award. The university would felicitate him at a function to be held here after his return.

In a release VIT chancellor G Viswanathan said, the university would extend all support, including financial assistance, to Sathish Kumar, whose father N Sivalingam was also a national weightlifter and a security guard in the university.

Expressing happiness at Sathish’s achievements, Viswanathan, the founder president of the North Arcot Weightlifting Association for over 20 years said that he had done not only India and Tamil Nadu proud but also Vellore in a big way.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / July 31st, 2014

CEG alumni take a walk down memory lane

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Many forgotten memories were rekindled at College of Engineering, Guindy, on Saturday, when the class of 1985-89 got together to celebrate 25 years of passing out.

For Ravi Appan, who now works for Ericsson in the U.S., it was a chance to return to his alma mater and reconnect with the people from his past.

“The college was where I first met my wife, over 25 years ago. Although I had visited my college once, around 15 years ago, today was the first time I had the chance to really look at the campus,” he said.

The idea for the alumni meeting came up around six months ago, when P. Gopalakrishnan and R. Mahesh got together and decided the entire batch should meet. “Initially, we had just around 20 people signing up, and we almost dropped the plan. The impetus came when, around four weeks ago, close to 100 people agreed to come,” said Mr. Gopalakrishnan. “There is now a tentative plan to meet again in 2039, when we complete 50 years,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / Staff Reporter / Chennai – July 27th, 2014

VIT Inks Pact with US Institute for Incubator Facility

Business & Economy, Education, Science & Technologies
VIT Chancellor G Viswanthan handing over prizes to one of the winning teams, which participated in the ‘Makeathon 2014’ | EXPRESS
VIT Chancellor G Viswanthan handing over prizes to one of the winning teams, which participated in the ‘Makeathon 2014’ | EXPRESS

Vellore :

The US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and VIT University here have joined hands to set up what they say is the first-of-its-kind incubator facility at VIT, to promote innovations by the student community.

This was disclosed by Dr Kenneth Eugine Paik, director of Sana, a volunteer organisation.

He was here to take part in the ‘Makeathon 2014’ organised jointly by the MIT and VIT on its campus since Saturday last.

Speaking to Express on Monday, Paik said, “This is first-its-kind facility that we would be setting up in India with an emphasis on capacity-building of the students to convert their ideas into business models and later patenting them also. This way we would be channelising the interest of students to the betterment of the community,” he further said. The MIT team would help as patrons and mentors for the students. An MoU would also be signed between the two universities in this regard, he added.

Paik and his colleagues from MIT and University of California have been camping at VIT, to judge the ‘Makeathon 2014’ in which around 450 students had participated.

VIT Vice-Chancellor Dr V Raju said that 34 judges and 47 mentors were involved in the selection of the best prototypes of products developed by the students in 36 hours of non-stop work. A total of 28 teams had worked on healthcare, 18 on automation, 21 on energy and 10 on media science-related products. According to him, the programme was the brainchild of the creation lab that has been set up at VIT to encourage students to find simple solutions to compelling problems affecting society. VIT vice-president Sekar Viswanathan, while handing over prizes to the winning teams at a function held on Monday, said, “We need to encourage students to think freely. The traditional education system did not do this. Universities must promote free thinking by the students and VIT had already taken a lead in this direction.”

VIT Chancellor G Viswanthan, while appreciating the students’ efforts, said VITA had been a trend setter and the Fully Flexible Credit System (FFCS) that was introduced by VIT four years ago was being introduced by IIT- Khargpur this year.

Jay Patravali, a third year student of VIT, who had received an award at the Makeathon for developing software to enable robots  communicate was upbeat with his idea. He said this software would have wide application in healthcare sector to help a surgeon to perform a surgery with the help of robots.

Sankalp and his team received an award for developing a low-cost Braille printer using any language.

Omkar and his team had developed a cranking portable mobilephone charger while Junwar and his team were awarded for developing an acupressure pad that could activate particular organs in the body.

The selected teams would also be participating in a ‘hackathon’ that is to be organised by Honeywell next month.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by V NarayanaMurthi / July 30th, 2014

Madurai girl dribbles basketballs for 6km, enters Limca Book of Records

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All, Sports

Madurai :

A 13-year-old girl from here has successfully entered into the Limca Book of Records for dribbling two basketballs simultaneously for a distance of six km. The girl, who skated throughout the distance, achieved the record in 29 minutes and 58 seconds. The 13-year-old L S Sivashree is known to make everyone awestruck with her feats as she often engages herself in doing many impossible tasks. She is also a state-level under-14 basket ball player and an athlete who loves to run on long tracks.

Sivashree did the dribbling for Limca a few months back amidst thundering applause from the crowds on the busy Kamarajar Salai. She, along with her father L S Sundaramoorthy, a sports trainer and her younger sister L S Yogashree were all on cloud nine when they received the copy of the book recently. Although they received an official e-mail with confirmation and the copy of book with her record under ‘Human Story’ category, they are still awaiting the certificate. Like Sivashree, Yogashree too is keen in athletics and basketball.

A Class 8 student of Meenakshi School at Vandiyur Mariamman Theppakulam where she resides, an enthusiastic Sivashree said, “I want to participate in the Olympic Games and bring laurels to the nation in athletics event. Not only in sports, I’m also good in studies too. I always score more than 80% in all the subjects.”

“Sivashree in earlier attempts ran for 30 km when was just five years old. When she was six she ran for 10.5 km by dribbling a basketball. In another attempt she dribbled a ball while skating for 19 km when she was seven years. We have presented them to the Guinness records but they have not even considered the little girl,” said Sundaramoorthy.

“In the next level, I want prove my talent in running and basketball at the national level. I have been undergoing rigorous training to come up at the national level,” Sivashree said.

Sundaramoorthy said that during his school days he wanted to pursue basketball and table tennis seriously but was rejected citing his height. He then took up kho-kho and athletics to emerge as a state player. From then, he has been coaching his two daughters to groom them into the international level, he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by v. Devanathan, TNN / May 23rd, 2014

Of heritage, gyaan and quizzes

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence
Participants at the India Heritage Quiz 2014 at Asian College of Journalism | Albin Mathew
Participants at the India Heritage Quiz 2014 at Asian College of Journalism | Albin Mathew

Chennai :

Did you know that Mysore Pak was created by Kakasura Madappa? Several other quiz questions such as these were thrown at students from classes seven to nine from across the State at the INTACH India Heritage Quiz 2014.

The nation-wide contest was organised by The Indian National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage (INTACH) as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, in collaboration with Xpress Minds Edutainment. It tested the students’ knowledge of Indian culture and heritage.

On Thursday, the Tamil Nadu zonal final was conducted at the Asian College of Journalism, Taramani, for students of nine schools. They were among the 150 students who were shortlisted from 40 schools in Puducherry, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Salem, Madurai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore and Chennai.

The winner, an all-girls team comprising Adithya Sivasankar and G Prashanthi from Sri Akilandeswari Vidyalaya, Tiruchy, was selected to participate in the National finals to be held in New Delhi.

Sarayu S from INTACH, said that quiz contests like these were designed to give the right exposure and motivate students to know about heritage.

“Heritage is more about the way we think. We all need to ponder along the lines of what our workplace or home would have been before. This gives a whole new perspective, and would interest kids. When they are tuned to think this way, conducting quizzes will further help them to be on track,” she said.

The organisation has also created heritage clubs in schools, where periodic activities such as presentations and role plays are conducted to enhance the students’ knowledge.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / July 19th, 2014

JMC’s students cooperative store adjudged best

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
Jamal Mohamed College Students Cooperative Stores, Tiruchi, being awarded as the Best Student Cooperative Stores / .Photo: Special Arrngement / The Hindu
Jamal Mohamed College Students Cooperative Stores, Tiruchi, being awarded as the Best Student Cooperative Stores / .Photo: Special Arrngement / The Hindu

The store managed to achieve a sales turnover of Rs.13 lakh last year and a maximum dividend of 14 per cent has been paid to its members for the last 20 Years.

Jamal Mohamed College Students Cooperative Store has been adjudged the best store among the 276 student cooperative stores functioning in Tiruchi district for the year 2012-13. It won the award for the second consecutive year.

The store has been functioning as an outstanding student store ever since it came into being in 1953. All the students of Jamal Mohamed College are enrolled as members of this store. The teaching and non-teaching members have also been admitted as members and they have to pay a share capital of Rs.100. The student store at present accounted for 109 teachers and non-teaching staff as members and over 2,500 students as associates. The store managed to achieve a sales turnover of Rs.13 lakh last year and a maximum dividend of 14 per cent has been paid to its members for the last 20 Years.K. K. Selvaraj, Managing Director, Tiruchi District Cooperative Union, handed over the shield to Khaja Nazeemudeen, Secretary and Correspondent of the College, and Khaleel Ahamed, treasurer, in the presence of Mohamed Salique, Principal, and Syed Ghayas Ahmed, secretary of the cooperative stores.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi – July 20th, 2014

As she turns 100, nurse takes a walk down time

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Chennai :

With a rusty trunk in hand and a plethora of instructions in mind, Anna Jacob boarded SS Franconia from Bombay to Liverpool to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. “It was 1947. There were 3,500 passengers on board, and most of them were Britons returning home,” says Jacob, 67 years later.

The journey lasted three weeks. “There was a badminton court, a swimming pool, a live band. Many of them were upbeat as they all were returning home at last,” says Jacob, her face breaking into a wrinkled smile.

Jacob, who will turn 100 this month-end, was among the first batch of students who completed the higher grade nursing course from Christian Medical College, Vellore, in 1936. In the city to attend the centenary celebration of Women’s Christian College, where she did an intermediate course in 1946, she recounts her days with Dr Ida Scudder, founder of CMC, and Vera Pitman, her nursing tutor.

Jacob, fondly called Annamma by her family and friends, surprises people with her sharp memory. “I still remember the day Miss Pitman came to our school in Tiruvalla, Kerala,” she recalls. “She was really tall and graceful, but what drew people to her was her passion for what she did — nursing. Fifteen minutes into her talk on the need for dedicated nurses in the country, I had already made up my mind to join her team in Vellore.”

Her family members were aghast as “Nursing was looked down at that time. No woman from a good family would get into the profession.” When I broke the news to my family that I was moving to Vellore, they were aghast. News spread fast and my father received condolence letters,” said Jacob, who was the third among five sisters. Undeterred, she went on to be among the first batch of nine students under Pitman. “It was the best move I made in my life,” says Jacob.

After completing her course three years later, Jacob moved on to work in Delhi, before she got a scholarship in 1947 to do a bachelor’s in Canada. “A month later, I saw myself on board SS Franconia and later made my way from Liverpool to Montreal,” she said. She returned to Vellore two years later, where she was made the Nursing Superintendent. She worked there from 1949 to 1974.

Pitman continued mentoring her through letters from London. “She said it was up to me to now to pass on what I was taught. And that’s what I did and continue doing,” says Jacob, who stays on her own in Vellore and continues mentoring young nurses.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Ekatha Ann John, TNN / July 20th, 2014

 

Exploring new frontiers in medical imaging, physiology

Education, Science & Technologies

Intravascular imaging enables doctors to assess and capture images from inside the coronary artery

Madras Medical Mission (MMM) will soon launch a centre of excellence in imaging, physiology and structural intervention.

There are only three-four such centres in the Asia-Pacific region, including in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Mullasari Ajit S., director of cardiology, MMM, said the centre will conduct training and promote peer-to-peer learning by conducting expert group meetings, continuing medical education and demonstrations for physicians.

“We have installed a 3D OCT Ilumien Optis equipment. This technology helps in looking inside an artery in 3D mode and provides better images. We are also setting up a core lab for coronary and structural intervention in angiography and imaging for research purposes,” said Dr. Ajit on Friday.

On Saturday, a two-day symposium on advanced cardiovascular therapeutics was launched. The focus is on intravascular imaging and physiology and transcatheter congenital and structural cardiac interventions. A similar symposium will be held on July 26-27, with participation of national and international faculty.

S. Vijayakumar, senior consultant of cardiology, said angiography determines the decision to perform angioplasty but can underestimate or overestimate the narrowing of a blood vessel. It has limited ability to assess severity of coronary artery disease, and is also poor in predicting the size of the stent.

Intravascular imaging enables doctors to assess and capture images from inside the coronary artery to understand the severity of the block, decide on optimal treatment options and examine the outcomes of interventional procedures.

R. Sivakumar, head of paediatric cardiology, said advanced imaging gives a picture similar to direct surgical visualisation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – July 20th, 2014