Nirma University held its 28th Convocation on Oct 16, 2019 wherein 1,644 students from Institute of Technology, Institute of Management, Institute of Law, Institute of Pharmacy, Institute of Science, Institute of Architecture and Planning, and Institute of Commerce received their graduation, postgraduation and PhD degree.
Chief Guest Mr Guenter Butschek, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Tata Motors Ltd, in his inspiring speech, asked the students to evolve as a person, as a professional and as a leader. He further advised the students to, ?Compete within, than others to get the best out of you. That is the new reality. To lead the change. You need to put yourself out there and prove yourself. Managers would be plenty, leaders are seldom. So, differentiate yourself.?
The president of the Nirma University, Dr Karsanbhai K Patel congratulated the students and wished them success in their future endeavours.
This year Nirma University conferred degrees to 11 PhD, 442 postgraduate and 1,191 graduate students. The University presented 39 medals to 36 students for their outstanding academic performance. These students secured top three ranks in the various programmes or specialisation offered by the University.
Nirma University International Conference on Engineering (NUiCONE), the flagship event of the Institute of Technology, was organised during Nov 21-22, 2019. This year, the conference was organised in association with CRC Press, and Taylor & Francis.
The main theme of the conference was ?Technologies for Sustainable Development?. Padmashri Dr A S Kirankumar, ex-Chairman, ISRO was the chief guest at the inaugural function. Padmashri Shri Amitava Roy, former Distinguished Scientist and Chief Executive, Nuclear Recycle Board, BARC, Mumbai was the guest of honour. He gave a keynote address on ?Nuclear energy in the service of the nation and its applications?. The event saw a host of expert talks, panel discussion on Industry 4.0: A way forward, and technical sessions.
Organisation of Civil Engineering Students (OrCES) on the special occasion of silver jubilee of Institute of Technology, Nirma University organised a national level technical symposium ?Nirman 2019? during Oct 14-15, 2019.
The symposium included various technical events, non-technical events, workshops and an exhibition by National Disaster Response Force.
The event was inaugurated by Shri Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, the Honourable Education Minister, Government of Gujarat; Shri K K Patel, Vice-President, Nirma University; and Dr Anup K Singh, Director General, Nirma University.
Around 650 students from various colleges of Gujarat participated in the technical symposium.
The Institute of Technology has noticed an increasing interest from school children in robotics and in order to encourage them and pursue robotics as an area of study it organised ?Nirma RoboCup 2019? on Oct 19-20, 2019. The event was inaugurated by Shri G T Pandya, Director, Directorate of Technical Education, Gujarat.
17 teams from across India participated in the event to become the ultimate robotic champions. This year?s theme draws inspiration from Lord Krishna whose fondness for butter is well known.
After the inaugural ceremony, there were league matches followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final match. Bannari Amman Public School, Tamil Nadu emerged as the winner of the Nirma RoboCup 2019. They finished the entire race in 30 seconds and won a cash prize of INR 50,000.
Students Welfare Board in association with Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University organised ?Raas Garba? on Oct 19, 2019.
More than 3000 students, staff, and faculty members participated in the event. The best student performance award was given to Kushal Mehta of Institute of Commerce, and to Mauli Bhatt from Institute of Technology in the male and female category, respectively. In the staff/faculty category, Mr Tarkesh Molia from Institute of Law and Ms Niyati Acharya from Institute of Pharmacy received the best performance award.
The Institute of Architecture and Planning celebrated World Habitat Day on Oct 10, 2019. This day reflects on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter.
On this occasion, the Institute invited Ar Vinod Gupta and Ar Lalit Kishor Bhati as chief guests. Ar Vinod Gupta is a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for GRIHA-The National Green Building Rating System; and a founder member of Association for Development and Research of Sustainable Habitats (ADaRSH). He talked about how architects can contribute towards sustainable design by adopting a more sensitive approach considering various sustainable principles.
Ar Lalit Kishor Bhati is an Urban Planner who has been associated with Auroville?s Town Planning office as a consultant since 1998. He talked about evolution of Auroville from being a water scarce barren land to a land which overcame hurdles and became an epitome of sustainable design and living.
Revival of Indian Rivers-Reviving a Lost Culture
The Centre for Environmental Law in collaboration with the NSS unit of Institute of Law, Nirma University organised a workshop on ?Revival of Indian Rivers-Reviving a Lost Culture? on Oct 20, 2019. The keynote speaker for the event was Mr Rajendra Singh, a Magsaysay Awardee and winner of Stockholm Water Prize-2015, an Indian Water Conservationist and Environmentalist. Mr Singh is also known as the ?Waterman of India’.
Mr Singh presented a need to establish a connection between indigenous knowledge and practices, and the present legal regime and governmental practices in order to avoid drought and flood like situations in India. He is working immensely for the revival and rejuvenation of the water bodies for the last three and a half decades.