Category Archives: Education

Tanuvas starts b tech poultry production tech

Education, Science & Technologies

The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) on Thursday announced the introduction of a four-year undergraduate programme, B.Tech Poultry Production Technology, from this academic year.

The university plans to develop new-generation vaccines to protect livestock from new and existing diseases, said Dr R. Prabakaran, the vice-chancellor of the varsity on Thursday.

The veterinary sciences universtity is also conducting 154 research projects this year, while last year 53 research projects were carried out with an outlay of `45.11 crore, said the vice-chancellor.

The varsity had established a nano technology center for advanced research projects and a corpus would be raised to provide grants to young scientists, the vice-chancellor said at a press conference here.

TANUVAS will hold its 15th convocation on Friday, Prabakaran said, adding that a total of 225 graduates will be awarded degrees.

As many as 99 medals will be awarded to graduates at the convocation for academic excellence.

Governor K. Rosaiah will preside over the function, while Prof A.K. Srivastava, director and vice-chancellor, National Dairy Research Institute, Haryana, would deliver the convocation address.

source: http://www.AsianAge.com / Home> Metros> Chennai / by Prasanth Vijayakumar, DC- Chennai / August 03rd, 2012

TN Govt to set up fisheries technology institute

Education, Science & Technologies

Chennai:

An institute of fisheries technology that would offer diploma courses in various disciplines connected with fishing will be set up by the Tamil Nadu Government in neighbouring Tiruvallur district.

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had sanctioned administrative approval for the Rs 34.08 crore project at Ponneri.

The institute would offer diploma courses in various disciplines such as prawn-rearing, fish-breeding and equipment management among others, an official release here said, adding 20.78 acres of land had been earmarked for it.

Jayalalithaa, who had last year announced setting up a Fisheries University in Nagapattinam, has allocated an initial sum of Rs seven crore towards the latest initiative taken as part of her government’s efforts for the betterment of the fishing community.  / PTI

source: http://www.zeenewsindia.com / Home> News> Tamilnadu / Friday, July 20th, 2012

Malaysia gov’t allocates money for Tamil schools football tournament

Education, Nri's / Pio's, Sports, World Opinion

Tamil school kids in Malaysia get funding for “Road to England” football tournament.

Kuala Lumpur:

Tamil schools in Malaysia received a boost on Friday after Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the approval of RM530,000 for a football tournament between the schools aimed at boosting integration and cultural projects for the minority group in the country.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s office G. Palanivel said that the goal of the “Road to England” tournament was to promote cultural exchange and give Tamil speakers in Malaysia the opportunities other Malaysian students had.

The football tournament will include 523 Tamil schools in the country and will see the use of some 10 venues across Malaysia, he said.

He said that 11 players from the tournament would be sent to “train and play at the Manchester United (MU) football club in England later this year.

“The objective of the project is to produce Malaysian Indian boys who can have football as a career with their standards on par with the English players on a long term.

“They can also contribute towards the standard of football locally when they return and represent the country in international tournaments,” he told a a press conference after handing over an allocation worth RM330,000 to 23 Indian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Selangor at a temple near Bestari Jaya.

The final training and selection of the 11 players will be done by former England International footballer Peter Barnes.

The “Road to England” tournament initiative is a collaborative effort between Peter Barnes Football Academy and the Malaysian Tamil schools headmasters council.

BM

source: http://www.medianet2.com / by admin / July 16th, 2012

Tamil computing wizard dead

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

     Anto Peter

Anto Peter, one of the strong proponents of Tamil computing and technical writer who created many Tamil fonts, died here on Thursday. He was 45 and is survived by his wife and two children.

A native of Arumuganeri in Tuticorin district, Anto Peter was the first to launch an exclusive website, tamilcinema.com, for Tamil cinema.

His company, Softview, was the first institution in Tamil Nadu to introduce graphics and animation Courses.

Tamil literary works such as Tirukkural and Aathichoodi entered the Internet portals with graphics and proper pronunciation thanks to the efforts of Anto Peter.

He was closely associated with many Tamil groups in the country and abroad and participated in international Tamil computing conferences. He also wrote the books ‘Graphics and Animation’ and ‘Multimedia Basics’ in Tamil and created awareness of Tamil computing among the masses.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Newsz. States> TamilNadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai, July 13th, 2012

New engineering syllabus for colleges under Anna university

Education

Chennai:

The 500 self-financing colleges affiliated to Anna University are set to start the academic year with a new syllabus. A team of 240 faculty members of Anna University, Chennai, including 10-12 members from each department, coordinated by the academic courses director, is working to roll out the syllabus.

For the affiliated colleges, this is the second time the syllabus has changed in two years. The first time was in 2011, when the directorate of technical education asked colleges affiliated to each of the five Anna Universities of Technology to follow R-2008 instead of the one prescribed by the respective AUT.

“It is four years since R-2008 was drawn up. At Anna University it is customary to revise the syllabus every four years. This helps us to adapt to industry needs and keep up with technology developments,” said a senior faculty member of Anna University, Chennai. The constituent colleges of Anna University, Chennai — Guindy College of Engineering, Madras Institute of Technology and Alagappa College of Technology — follow a different curriculum and syllabus called R-2009. “This syllabus is tougher than that prescribed for the affiliated colleges. Work on upgrading it will begin next year,” said another faculty member.

With just a few weeks to go for the new academic year to start, academicians believe the change will not be too drastic. “It is likely that there is only a 10% change in the syllabus. A couple of electives are likely to be added based on industry inputs,” said an academic. For instance, the Data Structures course could be changed to Date Structures with Programming in C, C++.

The move has evoked mixed reactions. Anna University faculty are pleased. “When the AUTs were formed they started their own curriculum and syllabus based on their whims and fancies. At least now the colleges will conform to the academic standard set by the university.”

Others said institutions should be allowed to work out the curriculum according to the region concerned. A faculty member in Chennai may not be aware of or bother too much about the need for solutions to a regional problem. In Tuticorin, for instance, the need may be for technology that helps workers separate salt from impurities in the salt pans there. A professor in Chennai is unlikely to know about such demands. “It’s not so much about knowledge, as knowledge delivery that we have to worry about. The curriculum may have changed, but how many teachers will be able to adapt to it? Our teacher are not prepared for the new syllabus,” said educational consultant P Moorthy Selvakumaran.

For the second year, the 500-odd technical institutions will follow a common academic calendar too. All AUTs and Anna University, Chennai, will have the same semester opening and closing dates, examinations and practicals.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> News> Education / TNN / July 11th, 2012

Safety device jams driver’s mobile phone

Education, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Researchers at the Anna University of Technology in Chennai, India have prototyped another system to prevent drivers from using their mobile phones when driving.

According to articles about the research at Smithsonian and Phys.Org, the system detects when a car is in motion and then uses a “jammer” to block the driver’s cell phone signal but not the passenger. It’s not entirely clear to me how that’s possible (unless the phone is tethered to the device), and unfortunately the full research paper is only for paid subscribers of the International Journal of Enterprise Network Management

. Not only does their system limit use, it reportedly also employs RFID to “transmit the vehicle number plate information stored in RFID tag to RFID reader buffer, when driver use of cell phone was detected. Data collected from the reader will be transmitted from car and displayed at traffic signal post containing LCD so that police can take legislative action against the driver.” Of course, if the jammer actually works, that entire part of the system would be unnecessary.

Yeah, so… I’m a bit unclear on the details of this. But the tl;dr is, don’t be distracted by your mobile phone when you’re driving. “Technology to prevent mobile phone accidents”

source: http://www.boingboing.net / by David Pescovitz / Monday, July 09th, 2012

Chennai colleges attracting more foreign students

Business & Economy, Education

It may not be the most preferred location, but Chennai is definitely catching up and the figures are proof of the fact. The number of students from foreign countries applying to city colleges that had increased by almost 20 per cent over the last three years has hit a new high this time.

“We are getting a hostel built at a cost of Rs. 18 crore for international students in Taramani. It will have a support centre and all facilities to make them feel at ease here,” said Madras University Vice-Chancellor G. Thiruvasagam.

Foreign students at the university mainly study specific subjects in Music, Anthropology and Public Administration. “The city is not often the first choice, especially for graduation. For most of us back there it is only Delhi or Kolkata. But I wanted to pursue my M. Phil in Medical Pathology, so I am here,” said Rosario Kevin, from Denmark. Besides a steady flow from Thailand, Mauritius, Italy, Kenya and Bhutan, the university this year has recorded an increase in the number of students from Sri Lanka, the U.K and France for research.

“This time, we have quite a good number of students from China and Korea,” says Prince Annadurai, admissions in charge, Madras Christian College. “Education in English is what these Chinese students are looking for and so they are willing to take up any of the popular courses,” he adds.

The online admission process initiated this year by some colleges and their high position on most all-India lists of best colleges are some of the factors that attracted students. Oscar C. Nigli, former director of Foreign Desk, Loyola College, points out that “the city is intellectually vibrant, safe and has a lower cost of living.”

B. Com with an IMS – (Information Management Systems), biological sciences, computer science and electronics are some of the more popular courses.

“They look for computer training in every course which is not available back home. Students come with an assurance from the respective governments that they will get placements as lecturer or bank official after finishing studies. The Indian degree is considered so high there that a few students get senior posts in universities there,” says K.E.N. Nalla Mohammed, academic director, Mohammed Sathak College of Arts and Science.

The college is one of the most preferred destinations in the city for foreign students, especially for those from Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Arab countries, who come because of the low cost of education.

“A student has to spend just about Rs 50,000 a year which includes lodging, food and tuition fee, way less than what they would have to pay in their countries, which have fewer colleges and almost no postgraduate courses,” Mr. Mohammed says.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Vasudha VenuGopal / Chennai, June 30th, 2012

IIT Madras to hold Shaastra Junior Quiz

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras will conduct a nation-wide quiz on science and technology for school students as part of its annual technical festival, Shaastra.The preliminary round of the Shaastra Junior Quiz will be held at St. Thomas Central School, Thiruvananthapuram, on July 13 and Silver Hills Public School, Kozhikode, on July 14.

State toppers

The State toppers will qualify for the main round to be held on IIT Madras campus in January next year.

Objective test

The preliminary round will have a written objective test followed by an elimination round.

High school and higher secondary school students could register for the event by sending their details to publicity@shaastra.org, C.S. Abhijit, student coordinator of the event, has said. The organisers could also be contacted at 09809677798.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> National> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Malappuram, June 29th, 2012

IIT professors to present innovation and incubation at IIT Madras

Business & Economy, Education, Nri's / Pio's, Science & Technologies

The IIT Madras delegation consisting of two-member team led by Director, Dr. Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Dr. Ram Nagarajan, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and the Faculty Advisor, Office of Alumni Affairs will be visiting Houston on June 18 and 19, 2012.

  Dr. Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Dr. Ram Nagarajan

The Team will be meeting with IIT Madras Alumni of North America (IITMAANA) and IIT Alumni of Greater Houston (IITAGH) members on June 18 evening to communicate “IITM Vision and Plans” to the alumni and solicit their input and support. This meeting will begin at 6:30 PM on Monday, June 18, at Mayuri Restaurant, 5857 Westheimer.

On June 19, at the luncheon meeting in collaboration with the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, Dr. Bhaskar Ramamurthi plans to address the business and entrepreneur community about the recent successes of IIT Madras innovation and incubation initiatives.

This gathering will take place at Narin’s Bombay Brasserie, 3115 West Loop South, Suite 110; (77027) on Tuesday June 19, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Later in the afternoon, at the “Academic and Research Collaboration” session, the Team plans to communicate IITM academic collaboration initiatives with the Deans and Faculties of Rice University, University of Houston, University of Texas, and Texas A& M University and solicit their active participation.

The IITMAANA, established in 1980, is a US based non-profit alumni organization that serves the needs of IIT Madras and her alumni in North America region. The Houston Chapter is actively pursuing Prof. S. Sampath Endowment Chair Fund Raising, the first of its kind “to honor the Professors who have made profound impact on the students during their days at IITM and beyond in a sustainable way”.

The IITAGH, established in 2004, is a non-profit organization that was created to meet three goals: to promote professional growth of its members; to provide a social network for IIT alumni and their family members to swiftly assimilate into the Houston community, and to give back to the local community.

The team’s visit is locally coordinated by Mallik Putcha, and Dr. Subba Viswanathan, Founding President and Director respectively of IITMAANA, and supported by Witty Bindra, President of IITAGH

source: http://www.india-herald.com / India Herald

IIT Madras to tie up with Automation Industry Association to enhance research projects

Education, Science & Technologies

Chennai:

The Indian Institute of Technology – Madras has planned to tie up with the Automation Industry Association to set up a centre of excellence in the field in Chennai. The collaboration will enable the institute to get industry inputs in developing curriculum, and come up with industry-relevant and need-based research projects.

A memorandum of understanding will be signed between IIT-M and the association on June 7 in this regard. Each participating company will bring a ‘mentor’ and a subject matter or domain expert. There will be joint development of curriculum, research projects, individual technology demonstrations, and training workshops under the MOU. The idea is to infuse contemporary technology and content into the educational system.

Industrial automation is the use of control systems such as computers to control industrial machinery and processes, replacing human operators. In the scope of industrialization, it is a step beyond mechanization. Whereas mechanization provides human operators with machinery to assist them with the physical requirements of work, automation greatly reduces the need for human sensory and mental requirements as well.

Leading players in the field of automation, such as B&R Automation, Larsen & Toubro Control and Automation, Invensys Process Management and Siemens Limited, have announced immediate participation in the project with their state-of-the-art technologies. PV Sivaram, MD, B&R Industrial Automation and an alumnus of IITM, said, “The challenge here is to share and excite a global industrial vision amongst the new breed of B.Tech and M.Tech graduates.”

K Nandakumar, vice-president of the association, AIA, said the tie-up is an opportunity to showcase success ideas and to interact with emerging technical talent and users.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Education / by M Ramya / June 06th, 2012