34 Nirma Newsletter Jan-June 2020.Cdr
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Nirma University Newsletter Volume 12 • Issue 1 & 2 January - June 2020 Quarterly Newsletter Major Nirma University is awarded a 4-star Highlights status in Gujarat State Institute of Technology received Institutional Rating accreditation from National Board of of this Issue Framework (GSIRF) Accreditation (NBA) for all its 2020 by Knowledge undergraduate programmes. Consortium of Gujarat. Nirma University th signs MoU with Institute of Pharmacy is ranked 17 Robert Bosch among the Pharmacy Institutions of Engineering and India as per the National Institutional Business Solution Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2020 by Pvt Ltd (RBEI), the Ministry of HRD, Government of Bangalore. India. Inauguration of the Centre of Innovative initiatives Excellence in Data Science at at the university… Institute of Technology. Academic continuity during the times of COVID-19 Contents Volume 12 • Issue 1 & 2 • January - June 2020 Message from the 04 Director General's Desk 05 News 07 Students 14 Education and Research 05 MoU 15 Internships 16 Placements 17 Innovative Initiatives 18 Innovative Initiatives 20 Visitors 21 Events & Activities 41 Extension Activities 45 In Focus 21 46 Faculty Study-In-Gujarat Campaign 47 Alumni 35 50 International Day of Yoga Alumni Meets Message from the Director General's Desk creating despair and dismay for the development, etc) in numerous small youth. Governments across India have groups. It implies that the HEIs have to stopped recruiting, while the private invest massively in equipment, facilities sector corporations have adopted a wait and production of digital learning and watch tactic. Consequently, many materials. In the future, learning would students will either become unemployed not be counted in terms of class credits – or will be forced to elongate their the clock hours that students spend in studies. the classroom – but in terms of learning credits – the hours the students engage Peter Drucker – the foremost in learning units. It has several management thinker - is attributed to imperatives for the teaching-learning have said that the modern university is a methods. Several new methods have to Dear Reader, relic and will disappear soon. His be evolved and experimented. New prediction did not prove true for many realities command new responses. A pandemic like COVID-19 occurs only decades. Nevertheless, the modern once in several centuries. Unfortunately, university is poised to get its new Avtar. Thirdly, examinations and assessments when it happens, it disrupts the human Higher education has been affected by have to be redefined and be treated as life drastically. It stuns and stupefies the corona pandemic in three ways. learning. There will be a greater need for people at large and leaves them helpless Firstly, higher education professionals more assessments, so that learning is and hopeless. In addition, it changes have realised the inevitability of online assured. At the same time, it cannot be – economic, social, political, and education. Previously, classroom learning and should not be - a source of stress. It developmental paradigms prevalent in and online learning were like water and has to be as natural and smooth as the different parts of the world. Today oil, and they hardly mixed. Online learning. Technologies will help the humanity is caught unaware and learning has now been found a valuable academics in fast and seamless scrambling for finding effective survival tool that is going to stay in higher implementation of assessment. The moot and growth strategies. What are the education forever. On-campus teaching point is that students should be given answers to long-term challenges posed and online teaching are meeting and feedback about at each and every step of by this pandemic? merging like never before. Of course, their learning process. many efforts are required to make this The future of the human race depends conflating more effective. Better As the HEIs are currently undergoing largely on high quality education and communication and information unpredictable, unforeseeable health. Education is the spirit of the technologies are needed; teachers need transformations, we are limited in our mind, whereas health provides the elixir to be trained to optimise the online ability to visualise the future of higher to the body. In the past, these two teaching-learning process; students have education. Nevertheless, we can safely sectors have received scant attention to be more efficient self-learners; and, state that the old paradigm of higher from the governments of the world. One governments are required to change the education cannot sustain itself. A new surprising positive aspect of the current regulations to facilitate higher education paradigm will emerge – slowly and crisis is that the governments would be institutions (HEIs) in enhancing their steadily. Sensemaking and agility will forced to rethink their approach to impact. assist academics in developing the new reinventing and revitalising education paradigm of higher education. It also and health. Secondly, the HEIs have to develop implicates that various HEIs must innovative strategies to distribute collaborate together and design new Higher education – like several economic students into small groups (say 30 and teaching methods, redefine and rework and social activities – has suffered below) and engage them in various assessment techniques, and plan and severely from COVID-19. Teaching and academic processes. Thus, we are develop new modes of learning. Long examination activities have been heading towards a paradoxical situation. back, Lord Buddha presciently observed: hampered. There is no telling when While students will attend online lectures Only change is permanent. regular academic activities will ensue. in large groups (say 100 to 500), they Admission processes are delayed. Most would also do other academic activities Anup K Singh, PhD unfortunately, placements of students (tutorials, lab work, simulation, career Director General, Nirma University have either slowed down or revoked, 04 Nirma University | Newsletter News Rankings MoUs NIRF 2020 MoU with Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University is Solution Pvt Ltd. ranked 17th among the Pharmacy Institute of Technology, Nirma University signed an MoU with Robert Bosch Engineering Institutions of India as per the National and Business Solution Pvt Ltd (RBEI), Bangalore on Jan 30, 2020. The MoU involves the Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) exchange of technical knowledge in new age technology, strategy and innovations in 2020 by the Ministry of HRD, leading to solving real-life problems. Government of India. Dr Alka Mahajan, Director, Institute of Technology, and Dr R N Patel, Additional Director, Institute of Management, Nirma School of Engineering, Institute of Technology signed the MoU on behalf of the Nirma th University has been ranked 44 overall University. Mr Mohan BV, Manager, Strategy & Innovation, and Mr Rohit Bhardwaj, Best B-School by the National Manager, New Age Business were the signatory authorities from RBEI. Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Collaborative activities like joint research projects, organising workshops, expert lectures, in 2020 by the Ministry of HRD, faculty development programmes, laboratory development, consultancy in focused Government of India. areas, academic interaction for qualification improvements of Robert Bosch Associates, GSIRF 2020 etc will be initiated soon as part of this understanding. Nirma University is awarded a 4-star status with an overall CGPA of 3.91 in Gujarat State Institutional Rating Framework (GSIRF) 2020 by Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat. Thus, making the university the best private university in Gujarat. Nirma University is the only university to receive a 5-star rating in three out of the four evaluation parameters. GSIRF also awarded Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, with a 5-star status and an overall CGPA of 4.51 making it the best Pharmacy institute in Gujarat. The institute received 5-star in all the four evaluation parameters. SCIMAGO Institutions Rankings 2020 Nirma University has received an Overall India Rank of 52 and Global Rank of 756 in the category of Higher Education. The SCIMAGO Institutions Rankings is a science evaluation resource to assess worldwide universities and research- focused institutions. Academic and Reaching Out research related institutions are ranked Nirma University employees contribute to Gujarat Chief Minster Relief Fund by a composite indicator that combines indicators based on research Amid Coronavirus outbreak, Nirma University has pledged to contribute one-day salary performance, innovation outputs, and of all its employees towards the Chief Minister Relief Fund. It is a small gesture from the societal impact. employees and the University to support the government in its relief activities during COVID-19 pandemic. Nirma University | Newsletter 05 Awards Inauguration of Centre of Excellence in Data NBA Accreditation Science Institute of Technology, Nirma University Shri K K Patel, Vice President, Nirma University and Dr Harvey Stenger, President, got accreditation from National Board of Binghamton University, USA inaugurated the Centre of Excellence in Data Science on Jan Accreditation (NBA) for its 27, 2020 established at the Institute of Technology, Nirma University. The Centre will undergraduate programmes in Electrical cater to the research and development need in the multidisciplinary area of Data Science Engineering,