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Showing posts from November 3, 2013

IIT-Delhi to set up cyber security training centre

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Keeping in mind the rising number of security threats on the web, the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi will start a new centre for capacity building in cyber security since "national security will be based on cyber security in the future". Stating that the country faces a strong cyber security threat, director of the institute R K Shevgaonkar said, "Cyber security is a hot area today. All the ministries want trained manpower for this purpose and we want to start a consolidated centre." The centre will aim to create trained manpower through courses for industry and academia. "We want to partner with the Ministry of Defence as well as the telecom and home ministries for this. They can spell out their requirements and we can address that through research here." A letter of intent for setting up such a centre was signed between IIT-Delhi and the University of Nebraska during the India visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry. Shevgaonkar al

IIT, Delhi, forms committee to coordinate with world ranking agencies

As part its efforts to position itself among the top in the global ranking list, IIT, Delhi, has set up a four-member body to coordinate with ranking agencies and provide appropriate information and data sought for. The move comes in the backdrop of the HRD Ministry setting up of an 18-member committee to review existing arrangements, develop a strategy and a framework for research evaluation to drive up research activities, the lack of which is hampering Indian institutions from featuring in the global ranking list. A group of IIT Delhi professors would be engaged in a more focussed activity, understand the relevant information sought by the ranking bodies and provide inputs in proper format, IIT, Delhi, Director R K Shevgaonkar told reporters. Coordination among the peers, the faculties and alumni is the other objective of the group as providing correct information is important for the rankings, he said. According to Times Higher Education's (THE) World University Ranki

Request to HRD minister for lowering the fee of JEE offline test

 Super 30 founder and mathematician, whose innovative initiative has helped talented students from underprivileged families make it to IIT, has termed the move of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) administration to go fully online from 2014 for the main examination and charge higher fee from those applying offline as "heavily loaded in favour of the rich and the elite". Anand has written a request letter to the union minister for human resource development, with a copy to the JEE chairman, requesting them to sympathetically look into the matter and lower the fee for offline test. "An attempt to make the whole pre-exam process a paperless work sounds good, but does it really conform to the idea of inclusive education in a country, where by Planning Commission's own estimate around 35% population is below poverty line (BPL). Besides, the number of schools having computer access is very low, those schools where students actually get to use computers are even lo

JEE 2014: online application causes concern

Students who wish to get into prestigious engineering institutes such as IITs and NITs in 2014 will have to compulsorily apply online. This is the first year that the entire application process for JEE— including uploading of photograph and signature and payment of fees — is being done online, said CBSE officials. The online application process will start from November 15, 2013. The last date for application is December 26. The admission process going wholly online may not be good news to many students who are not comfortable with computers, said S. Rajan, headmaster of a Corporation school here. He said the CBSE must set up help centres, especially in the districts, to help parents and applicants. P. Sankari, a parent from Urapakkam, said they would have to depend on her son’s school teacher to fill up his online forms. “We are not clear about how to submit money and signature online,” she said. S. Vaidhyasubramaniam, Dean (planning & development), Sastra University, sa

Solarsis turns IIT Madras rooftop solar and cool

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Such an initiative helps save productive land and turns a workspace into a generating station, producing clean renewable energy Such an initiative helps save productive land and turns a workspace into a generating station, producing clean renewable energy  In one of its kind research and utility initiative by Hyderabad based Solarsis has installed a unique rooftop Solar PV System on the rooftop of the IIT Madras. The solar PV system is a smartly designed project with various technologies in modules and inverters. The solar plant is installed on top of the 50 years old Electrical Sciences Block at IIT-Madras which aims to build 1MW solar on top their existing buildings. Venkat Rajaraman, CEO, Solarsis said the structures is unique as they are non-penetrating type, elevated with a minimum clearance of 8 feet above the roof, designed to withstand high wind zone of the Chennai coastal region. The plant also brings high degree of reliability and protection to enable to smooth i

IIT-B to create life-size sculptures

The first session of the Dandi Marchers Sculptures workshops was inaugurated on Thursday at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) by eminent Gandhian and Chairman of the Institute for Gandhian Studies, Wardha, Padma Bhushan, Justice C.S. Dharmadhikari. The Industrial Design Centre (IDC) of IIT-B has been entrusted with the task of making a memorial consisting of a life-size sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi and the 80 people who marched with him in the Dandi march, which will be placed at Dandi on completion. The workshops are being organised as a part of the ‘National Dandi Salt Satyagraha Memorial’ — a project of the ministry of culture, Government of India for which IIT-B is the design coordination and implementing agency, in association with an international design team. “Under this project, full-size sculptures of all 80 people who marched will be created within the campus. The sculptures will be prepared by sculptors and students from across the globe selected by the insti

HRD Ministry okays IIT, IIM, 3 central universities for Seemandhra

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The HRD Ministry has given its nod for an IIT , an IIM and three central universities among other institutes for the Seemandhra region which has witnessed widespread resentment over the Centre's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. The Ministry has conveyed its decision to the Home Ministry which had forwarded representations made by different stakeholders to it earlier in response to the GoM on Telangana inviting suggestions on bifurcation of the state. The decision would be placed before the GoM for consideration, sources in the Ministry said. The ministry has also cleared an IISER and an IIIT for the region. The move is aimed at striking a balance between the two regions -- Telangana and Seemandhra -- as far as establishment of premier institutes are concerned, though the end objective is to ensure that students derive maximum benefit, they said. Rough estimate suggests an investment in the range of Rs 6000 to Rs 7000 crore for establishment of the institutes in

Students, faculty at IIT-Madras seek solution to stop suicides

"Sir, since I joined in 2009, every year there has been a suicide. As a student I have the right to know about IIT-M's actions to prevent such unfortunate incidents. And even after the introduction of MITR (a guidance and counselling system), the story is same," reads a mail sent by a student of IIT-Madras after institute dean (students) L S Ganesh posted a condolence message following the suicide of a first year student on Friday. The suicide of 18-year-old Akshay Kumar Meena, a student of chemical engineering student, is the eighth at IIT-M in the last four years. The dean dismissed fears of any inadequacy in the suicide preventive measures taken by the administration, but a large number of students and faculty remain agitated with the response. Besides academic stress, say some faculty members, the increasing population on the campus, from 3,000 in 1980 to 8,000 this year, and a mix of students from different social strata should be seen as trends leading to

IIT research moan at top

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The President and the Prime Minister today rued the poor research output at the IITs and the National Institutes of Technology, both echoing what academics have long described as a historical neglect. At a conference of NIT directors, Pranab Mukherjee and Manmohan Singh also voiced dissatisfaction over the global rankings of Indian institutions. Figures show the number of researchers for every million people in the country is just 119, way behind countries like China and the US. “There is need to emphasise research and innovation in NITs. Out of the total student strength of 71,000 in NITs, there are only 4,000 PhD students. In IITs, there are only around 3,000 PhD students in the total student strength of 60,000…. NITs must evolve clear strategies to encourage research and development, which then leads on to innovation and patents,” Mukherjee said. Singh voiced the same concern, saying India’s research output in science and technology accounted for a mere 3.5 per cent o

GES 2014

GES - Global Entrepreneurship Summit is the annual international corporate summit held in IIT Kharagpur by ECell. It is the largest student level entrepreneurialsummit in India and the biggest entrepreneurialplatform for all aspiring entrepreneurs and enthusiasts. The registrations for GES '14 are open now. Get yourselves registered using the link below : http:// www.ges.ecell-ii tkgp.org/

IIT and NIT colleges in India

"Engineers Make the World" – reads the bumper sticker on a midsize car driven by a person in his mid twenties. Needless to say that the owner of this automobile is an Engineer by education and profession. Why is Engineering considered to be one of the best career options today? There are several parts to this answer. Let’s start with the sheer number of opportunities available for engineering graduates today. Irrespective of their specialization – like Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering, engineers command a large percentage of the jobs that are available today. What makes Engineers click? We asked a senior executive of a large business house that recruits engineers in hundreds every year. The answer – "They know how to think sequentially, in a structured manner". Of course this answer does not take away the value of the technical content that is taught over a four-year period. It is just that it is taken for granted. There are thousands of Enginee

Pull the Socks Up As Schedule For JEE Advanced Test Is Now Officially Released

For the entrance to IIT’s and other colleges in 2014, the official date for JEE (Advanced) 2014 has officially been released by the Joint Admission Board of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). The dates decided for JEE Advanced is 25 May 2014. As per the earlier decision of board no computer-based JEE-Advanced 2014 will held. The JEE (Advanced) test will be given using the form of paper-pencil based test. The 2014 test shall comprise 2 question papers - 9 am to 12 noon for the first one while second will held from 2 pm to 5 pm. The questions asked will be in the form of objective/ MCQ type. The paper will test candidate’s knowledge through checking their comprehension, reasoning ability along with analytical ability. The JEE paper is composed and conducted by the 7 zonal IITs under the directives of its Joint Admission Board. This is to give admission to the eligible candidates in UG programmes in all of the IITs across the India and ISM Dhanbad. Based on the scores in Pap

It's raining job offers at IIT Kharagpur

The  volatile market  situation coupled with archaic government policies may have dried up opportunities on the job front, but at IIT Kharagpur, offers have started pouring in even before the placement season kicked in. At least 110 final-year students already have enviable job offers in their kitty. Global giants have recruited best brains of the oldest IIT almost a month before the placement starts on December 1. The management of the institute is particularly happy with a 100% growth in pre-placement offer figures. In 2011, the number of students picked up by companies before placements stood at 54. The highest package, offered to a student by  Google  US, stands at around Rs 93 lakh. At least 25 global majors have made a beeline for the campus prior to the placement season to ensure that all students are available. Among firms that vied for prospective employees are Google US,  Deutsche Bank , Microsoft, Unilever, Transoceans and  Samsung . The departments that have turned out to

India to take off for Mars from Sriharikota today

India's space ambition will make another giant leap at 2.38pm on Tuesday - mangalvaar, the day of planet Mars. The country's first mission to the red planet will lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh with the Mars Orbiter on board, along with other scientific equipment. If all goes according to plan, this will also push India into a very small club of nations with interplanetary travel capabilities. The nine-month long journey, after the Orbiter goes around Earth for 22-25 days, is scheduled to enter Mars' orbit on September 24, 2014. The Mars Orbiter will observe the physical features of Mars and conduct limited study of the Martian atmosphere as finalised by the Advisory Committee on Space Sciences. The pay loads include Lyman Lpha Photometer to measure the relative abundance of deuterium and hydrogen from Lyman-alpha emission; Methane Sensor for Mars to measure methane in the Martian atmosphere, and thus determine past existence

Are you eligible for IIT JEE 2014?

If you are preparing for IIT JEE 2014, it is important to know the rules related to IIT JEE eligibility criteria and admission procedure. All of us already know that candidates who are in the Top 1,50,000 rank holders in JEE Main (including all categories) are eligible for JEE Advanced next year. The JEE Main rank is determined using JEE scores and board marks of a student. A student also has to be within the Top 20 percentile in their respective boards. But there are other important points you should know about: *.Candidates who appeared for IIT JEE 2012 are not eligible for JEE Advanced 2014. *.Candidates who successfully cracked IIT JEE 2013 and were allotted a seat but did not withdraw within the specified deadline will also be considered eligible for IIT JEE 2014. However, if they did not pay the admission fee and certificate verification, they might sit for the exam next year. *.Candidates who gave their board exams in 2013 and are going to appear for re-examination next y

IIT JEE ADVANCE 2014

The Joint Admission Board of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) has officially released the schedule for JEE (Advanced) - 2014 for admissions to the IITs. The JEE Advanced will be held on May 25, 2014, a week in advance as compared to last year. The board had earlier decided not to go for a computer-based JEE-Advanced 2014. Instead, aspirants will have a paper-pencil test. The test will include two papers- the first to be held from 9 am to 12 noon, and second from 2 pm to 5 pm. The questions will be objective (multiple choice) type that will test comprehension, reasoning and analytical ability of candidates. Conducted by the seven zonal IITs (under the directives of the Joint Admission Board) for admission to the undergraduate programmes in all IITs and ISM Dhanbad, only the top 1,50,000 candidates (including all categories) based on their scores in Paper-1 of JEE (Main)-2014 will be eligible to appear in JEE (Advanced)-2014. JEE (Main)-2014 will be conducted by CBSE on behalf

At IIT Gandhinagar- by a student

After a harsh and tiring experience preparing for IIT JEE, I finally got into the IIT's and thank god it's IIT Gandhinagar. It's a place with really a distinguishable environment and activities but the most important of it is the "FOUNDATION PROGRAMME" (FP). The FP is a 35 days programme aimed to unlearn all old ideas and views, and start 'Rediscovering Ourselves'. Comprising of a large variety of activities, it doesn't leave any field untouched. It had many lectures from the fields of history, science, politics and social studies. Many NGOs also visited IIT Gandhinagar, spreading of awareness about "Being the change". Several other speakers such as Mr. Sandip Pandey - Social Activist, Mr. K.J Alphonse - a Politician and various others helped us to understand our society and encouraged us to become the change for our country's future. Many practical activities were organized, such as pottery, survey about educational status of the slu

IIT Suicide case- Madras student of kota hangs himself

A first-year student of chemical engineering committed suicide in his hostel room at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras on Friday night. The 18-year-old student, Akshay Kumar Meena, from Kota in Rajasthan, was found hanging himself from the ceiling fan in his room in Pampa Hostel, IIT officials said. They said it was not immediately clear what provoked Meena to commit suicide as he did not leave behind a suicide note. This is the third suicide of a student in an IIT Madras hostel in the past two years. Meena joined the institution in July 2013. His friends and hostel-mates said they did not notice anything out of the usual in Meena's behaviour and they could not think of any reason why he would kill himself. "He was very active in student groups and participated in events in the hostels," a friend said, requesting that his name not be revealed. "He was not bad at studies." Meena made a call to his father at 8.30pm. "His father said there was nothin