TALENT@SBIT ON 22ND & 23RD FEBRUARY 2013

SBIT IS ORGANIZING A NATIONAL LEVEL TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM ON 22ND & 23RD FEBRUARY 2013.FOR FURTHER DETAILS....
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Taking the ‘baby’ steps

Engineering project works can either make or mar career growth. Doing a final year project is different from studying and passing a subject in a particular semester.

Engineering marvels:A project work requires exploring something new in the field of specialisation one is pursuing and looking at known things in a different way or creating new knowledge or use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way

Every year lakhs of engineering students are in a state of dilemma regarding what to do for a final year engineering project and finally end up doing mediocre projects of no relevance affecting their employability and career opportunities.

It is important to understand that doing a good engineering project requires a different mindset or attitude. Doing a final year project is different from studying and passing a subject in a particular semester.

A project work requires exploring or finding something new in the field of specialisation or branch one is pursuing. It involves looking at known things in a different way or creating new knowledge or use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate, new concepts, methodologies and understanding.

Go to library, read lot of books, magazines and periodicals, attend seminars, expert lectures, exhibitions and workshops in your area of specialisation during the course of your study. Refer other recent project reports in your area of specialisation. Go to the Google Scholar. Google is a good source for accessing updated information from every nook and corner of the world.

It is very important to choose a good supervisor for your project. A good supervisor gives you direction on what to do and what not to do. He helps you in planning and coordinating your resources and time.

The engineering design project is a set of steps that a student takes to go from first, identifying a problem or need to, at the end, creating and developing a solution that solves the problem or meets the need. The engineering design project starts when you ask the questions about problems that you observe. To find an idea for your engineering project, create a list of all the things that annoy or bother the people around you. Record this bug list in your Design Notebook. Mind map possible design problems, ideas, or areas of interest to you. Once you find an idea, describe the problem by writing a problem statement. Your problem statement must answer three questions: What is the problem or need? Who has the problem or need? Why is it important to solve? The design project takes several months to complete and involves many different steps and phases along the way. To avoid being disorganised, engineers keep design notebooks, where they record every detail of their projects along the way.

Do Background Research: Learn from the experience of others rather than blunder around and repeat their mistakes. Identify questions to ask about your target and identify questions to ask about the products that already exist to solve the problem.

Network with other people with more experience than yourself: your mentors, parents, and teachers. Ask them: “What should I study to better understand my engineering project?” and “What area of science covers my project?” Better yet, ask even more specific questions.

To complete the requirements step of the project, you should write a project brief— a document that holds all of the key information for solving your problem in one place.

Create Alternative Solutions: There are always many good possibilities for solving design problems. If you focus on just one before looking at the alternatives, it is almost certain that you are overlooking a better solution. Good engineers try to generate as many possible solutions as they can before choosing one that they feel is the best.

Choose the Best Solution: Look at whether each possible solution meets your project requirements. Some solutions probably meet more requirements than others. Reject solutions that do not meet the requirements.

Develop the Solution: Development involves the refinement and improvement of a solution, and it continues throughout the project. The goals of development work are to - Make it work, reduce risk and optimize success.

Build a Prototype: A prototype is an operating version of a solution. Often it is made with different materials than the final version. Prototypes are a key step in the development of a final solution, allowing the engineer to test how the solution will work.

Test and Redesign: The project involves multiple loops and circles around your final solution. You will likely test your solution -- find problems and make changes -- test your new solution -- find new problems and make changes -- and so on, before settling on a final design.

Communicate Results: To complete your project, communicate your results to others in a final report and/or a display board. Professional engineers always do the same, thoroughly documenting their solutions so that they can be discussed and supported.

Writing a project report

Your project report should be written like a story, interesting to read and understand. Adhere to the University standard format or style. Use the right word to convey the right meaning. You have to develop the vocabulary, you cannot use general words.

The people who are going to read, interpret your project work are entirely different people.

Some points to remember while writing a project report: Acknowledge the source from where material or information is borrowed. Acknowledging the sources of reference enhances your own credibility. Describe the benefit to society of your project work. Ensure every word is correctly spelled.

Your project report is not based on its weight, volume or size. Be brief and avoid concentrating on too many details and minor issues. You have to balance the contents. Use easily legible fonts and use generous margins. Proof read your project report before you submit. A project report is intended to convince others that you have done a worthwhile project and that you have the competence to do it.

Ethics

Engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people. Engineering students, in the fulfilment of their professional duties should avoid faking of projects and deceptive acts. Engineers should acknowledge the source of their work. Plagiarism or any other act of copying from other sources without acknowledgement should be avoided. Getting your project work done by somebody else is highly condemnable act.

Once you complete your project you have all you need to get your engineering graduate career off to a flying start and get ready for an exciting career and employment opportunity.

US varsities expo on Feb. 22

The American Education Scholarship Expo will be conducted on February 22 at the Taj Deccan Hotel where students will get a chance to meet the university representatives and also attend sessions on visa.

Top universities offering majors such as engineering, business, pharmacy and arts will participate in the expo. This event is supported by US Department of Commerce at the US Consulate in Hyderabad. This event includes a Student Visa Seminar presented by the U.S. Consular officer, which explains the visa process for students. This seminar starts at 5.30 p.m.

Students should bring multiple copies of their report cards, transcripts, TOEFL scores to the event. Representatives of universities will also give applications for generous scholarships based on merit.

Merit based scholarships range from 10,000 dollars to full tuition.

Entry is free and details can be had on ‘www.studentlane.com’.

Students should bring copies of their report cards, transcripts, TOEFL scores

THE HINDU

Microsoft Corporation India announced the launch of 14 Microsoft Innovation Centres (MICs) in India including seven centres in the State - Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Khammam, Bapatla, Guntur and Tirupati and signing MoUs with leading academic institutions across the four States.

One of the centres was inaugurated at the Anurag Group of Institutions by Joseph Landes, General Manager, DPE, Microsoft India. He said that the Microsoft Innovation Centres were designed to offer a unique environment conducive for student entrepreneurship and can play a vital role in generating powerful new ideas through training, education and knowledge transfer.

The MICs will act as innovation hubs at select colleges and technology institutes, providing incubation and expert hands-on support on Microsoft technology innovation, research, and software solutions, aiming to create a pool of student technology experts across India.

Each MIC will function as a hub for five neighbouring colleges and will operate in a hub-spoke model driving employability, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the academic ecosystem, opined P. Rajeshwar Reddy, chairman, Anurag Group of Institutions.

 

THE HINDU

360° minds for the future

Are Indian youth equipped mentally and culturally to face the challenges that the Internet era throws at them?

As technology changes our day-to-day lives in ways that were unfathomable only a few decades ago, the world of work is also undergoing a parallel transformation. In his bestselling book,The World is Flat , Thomas Friedman argues that the twin forces of globalisation and technology, especially the Internet, are rapidly and radically altering how and whom we work for. A click of a mouse can erase geographic boundaries, and routine jobs are increasingly getting automated. Social networks, online retailing, e-books and GPS maps have revolutionised how we socialise, shop, read and navigate our worlds. As a result, new jobs are being continually created that require mindsets different from traditional manufacturing jobs. The aptitude and skills that the 21st Century worker needs are indeed quite different from those that his predecessors required, argue renowned educationists.

Ethical mindset

Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner states that five kinds of minds will be valued in the future. As human beings continue to break new frontiers of knowledge from minuscule nano particles to gargantuan galactic spaces, specialised knowledge is going to be increasingly prized. Gardner argues that experts in particular domains or disciplines will play important roles. Research across domains as diverse as chess to physics to dance indicates that it takes about 10 years for a person to become adept in a field. Second, as we are bombarded with information from diverse media, the mind that can gather information from various sources and synthesise it in a meaningful way will be critical. Third, as routine jobs get automated, the mind that can extend knowledge or understanding in creative ways will be esteemed.

As the world gets more interconnected through the web of globalisation, we need to learn to tolerate and respect difference, be it in the form of language, religion or culture. Finally, in the Indian context, we need to nurture an ethical mindset in students so that they learn to think beyond individual self-interests.

Digital deluge

In a similar vein, educationist Tony Wagner says that students need to acquire “seven survival skills” to meet the dynamic demands of an ever-changing workplace. Similar to Gardner, he emphasises the ability to problem-solve and think creatively. Instead of being overwhelmed by the digital deluge of disjointed information, students need to learn to synthesise effectively. As the world gets increasingly specialised, he says that people need to learn to work collaboratively in order to make a difference.

He also adds that we need to hone our ability to communicate cogently, both orally and in writing. Clichéd as it may sound, change is the only constant in the future workplace. People, thus, have to demonstrate flexibility and adaptability and not display rigid mindsets.

Finally, we have to keep the spark of learning in ourselves alive forever; a willingness to learn and accommodate to the demands of a job will be essential. In fact, Ken Robinson, who writes and lectures extensively on creativity and education, urges us “to adjust to a world where, for most people, secure lifelong employment in a single job is a thing of the past.”

Not the goal

Wagner bemoans the fact that education, unfortunately, has not kept pace with the changing landscape of work. He rightly states that the content schools and colleges teach should be used as a “means of developing competencies, instead of being the goal”.

However, school systems across the world are mired in emphasising traditional academic subjects at the cost of honing other talents, according to Robinson. He says that our academic fixation and pervasive testing ends up “stifling the very skills and qualities that are essential to meet the challenges we face.”

The Indian mindset

In an article in The New York Times , Mohit Chandra, a partner with KPMG, complains about the lacklustre quality of Indian graduates. He says that our students need to work on five areas that employers value: communication, creative problem-solving, resourcefulness, curiosity and professionalism. Indian recruits typically expect to be handheld and given detailed instructions for all jobs, and do not necessarily think for themselves. We tend to defer to authority but rarely try to solve problems for ourselves. Students’ thinking is also streamlined into giving the one and only ‘right’ answer that the teacher will award maximum points to. In our culture, we also tend to view a Master’s or doctoral degree as the pinnacle of learning; the idea that we need to continually enhance ourselves is not celebrated in our culture. Even basic rules of conduct like honouring job contracts, sticking to one’s word and being punctual have to be spelled out. As students try to cultivate these traits, our anachronistic educational system also has to wake up to the fact that a notebook does not necessarily have to be made of paper.

In order to make students skilled and savvy for work in the 21st Century, schools and colleges also have to exhibit more innovation, creativity, flexibility and zeal, thereby modelling the very skills they need to impart. Finally, as Gardner says, education in the “broadest sense” cannot be left to schools and colleges alone. Thus, all stakeholders including parents, policy makers and the media have to do their bit to cultivate 360º minds.

(The author is director, Prayatna)

Our students need to work on five areas that employers value: communication, creative problem-solving, resourcefulness, curiosity and professionalism

THE HINDU

CSIR-UGC NET applications

The National Eligibility Test (NET) for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and eligibility for lectureship will be conducted by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) on June 23. The subjects are Chemical Sciences; Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Science; Life Sciences; Mathematical Sciences; Physical Sciences; and Engineering Sciences. Candidates may apply for either JRF or lectureship or both. Those who have passed M.Sc., B.Tech., B.Pharm., MBBS, integrated BS- MS or equivalent programmes with at least 55 per cent marks may apply. Those awaiting results or those with a B.Sc. (Honours) degree with at least 55 per cent marks and enrolled in an integrated M.Sc.-Ph.D. programme may also appear for the test. The application form and information bulletin can be had from select branches of Indian Bank till March 1 on payment of the application fee. The filled forms or printout of the online application, along with required enclosures, should be sent to the Senior Controller of Examinations, Examination Unit, Human Resources Development Group, CSIR Complex, Pusa, New Delhi – 110012, so as to reach there on or before March 7. A detailed notification in this regard has been published in the Employment News, dated January 26

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THE HINDU

IT has changed perceptions about women: Kiran Karnik

Kiran Karnik

IT industry has been at the forefront in bringing many positive changes in the Indian society, including shaping a favourable change in the perception about women as contributors to the economy, and their improved importance in the family and society, said Kiran Karnik, former President of NASSCOM.

Delivering the third Foundation Day Lecture of the ICFAI University on “Information Technology: India’s Tomorrow for Business and the Economy”, he said the IT sector was also instrumental in creating a highly confident and hopeful generation of Indian youth” said Mr. Karnik.

He recalled several instances where the Indian IT industry has withstood the challenges and continued its successful journey as a major provider of IT services in the world by reinventing itself constantly. It has successfully moved from the stage when the application, development and maintenance business formed the bread and butter, to a stage where it has embraced innovation as a source of differentiation.

New competitors

For IT professionals, he said, keeping abreast of the changing technologies and remaining relevant in the job market is an important challenge. For organisations, he identified several trends which could pose a challenge. These include the emergence of new competitors like China for IT outsourcing, emergence of new technologies like cloud computing, and automation of software development, which demands the organizations to restructure their approach to business.

In memory of the ICFAI Founder, late N.J. Yasaswy a book titled Maneeshi was released and a special photography exhibition also was organised depicting the pictures of various stages of his journey towards fulfilling his dream in setting up world-class universities in the countr
y

THE HINDU

Young leaders invited

The Indian School of Business (ISB) is inviting bright, young, talented under-graduates to apply for its prestigious Young Leaders Programme (YLP) that helps candidates from diverse disciplines to get a great head-start to their careers, by giving them an opportunity to seek pre-admission to the ISB’s one-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP). To be eligible for admission into YLP, candidates must be in pre-final year of graduation in any discipline. The three-stage selection process consists of profile evaluation, analysis of academic and analytical skills, GMAT score, written essays, video presentation and personal interviews. Excellence at every stage is a must to make the cut. The best of the best are the ones who get chosen for YLP. Candidates selected into the YLP are required to complete one year and nine months of work experience before joining the ISB’s PGP. YLP participants will be eligible for a scholarship of Rs one lakh. In addition, they will be eligible for both merit and need based scholarships of the PGP. About 132 candidates have been selected for the YLP programme over the last two years.

Admissions for this year are open and candidates can apply by logging onto ‘http://ylpapp.isb.edu/user/’.

Contest

Recently the ISB also announced the launch of the Leaders of Tomorrow Contest, providing a common platform, whereby, young students and professionals are invited to share their ideas on various issues like education, environment, social cause, etc. They also share information about the inspirations and leadership icons and solve interesting puzzles.

Those who solve the maze stand to win interesting prizes like the iPhone 4, iPad 2, iPod Nano.

For more information, follow the link -www.youngleadersprogramme.com.

tips for cracking GATE

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PRABALYA EVENT FOR DECEMBER 2012

CIVIL SERVICES

Cracking the highly competitive civil services exam is a daunting task. A structured and focussed approach will help you attain your goal.

The Civil Services Examination is conducted by Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) for recruitment to various Civil Services, including Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Foreign Services (IFS), Indian Police Services (IPS), among others. The Indian Civil Servants serve as the backbone of the administration that runs the country. India is a country with the most diverse culture in the world, and the UPSC demands officers who understand this diversity and are sensitive to the various social needs.It is a position that awards power and commands respect, but with it comes great responsibility. The examination process is structured in such a way that it handpicks those candidates who can apply their knowledge and understanding in carrying out these responsibilities in the most effective way. Employing what is regarded as one of the toughest screening processes in the world, the UPSC selects the Civil Servants through a three stage process — the Preliminary examination, consisting of two objective-type papers (General Studies and Aptitude Test), and the Mains examination, consisting of nine papers of conventional (essay) type followed by the Personality Test (Interview). The new pattern for Prelims was introduced in 2011 — a twin paper objective answer test on aptitude and awareness, which revolves around a vast array of topics. The new pattern is designed to understand a person’s analytical and reasoning skills rather than just testing his/her ability to memorise and replicate.

Prelims Paper-I

Prelims Paper I tests your General Awareness and how connected you are with the latest happenings around the world. Questions are usually related to:

History of India and Indian National Movement; Current events of National and international importance; Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World; Economic and Social Development — Sustainable development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives; General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change; Indian Polity and Governance — Constitution, Political system, Panchayati raj, Public policy, Rights issues and General Science.

It is natural for a student to be overwhelmed by the syllabus of General Studies paper-I. But, it has to be noted that the UPSC is moving away from checking the rote capability of the students and instead has started checking the analytical skills of the student. For example: 2011 saw a wave of protests with many following Gandhian ideologies of Satyagraha. The 2012 Civil Services paper tried to test the candidates’ understanding of this issue and their opinion on the same by posing the quesiton: “How are Gandhian Ideals like Satyagraha, Swadhinata and Swaraj relevant to contemporary Indian Democracy?”

Prelims Paper-II

Prelims Paper II designed to test your skills in comprehension, interpersonal skills, communication, logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision making, problem solving, basic numeracy & data interpretation. Broadly, around half the questions in the last two years, were from Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability. A good percentage of the remaining questions test Logical Reasoning, Basic Calculation, Quantitative Aptitude and Decision Making. Remember that an aptitude paper always tests your inherent common sense. Thus, performing well in this section is not contingent on the number of arcane formulae a student memorises, but on the application of the logic underlying each concept.

The Mains

Once you have cleared the Prelims, you become eligible for the ‘Mains’, which is a true test of your in-depth knowledge and writing skills. It consists of nine papers, two qualifying and seven ranking in nature. Out of the seven ranking papers, four papers are from two optional subjects that have to be selected from a pack of 26 subjects. There are proposals to do away with these two optional subjects but it has not been confirmed yet.

Candidates who pass the qualifying papers are screened according to marks and selected candidates are called for an interview. The Interview for the Civil Services is aimed at assessing whether a candidate is suitable to be a competent administrator or not. It is not an assessment of the specialised or general knowledge that has already been tested in the Prelims and Mains, but the mental ability of the candidate which is judged by the clarity of expression, appreciation of different points of view, balance of judgment and leadership qualities.

The general tip passed on through civil service success stories revolves around in-depth knowledge. Though there has been some paradigm shift in terms of scoring in Prelims, thanks to the aptitude section, the trend still continues with a traditional preparation for the general studies in Prelims done hand in hand with the Mains along with its optional. It therefore becomes easier to focus on the wide array of topics ranging from History to Geography to Economic and Social Development, Polity and Governance with current events and general science. This wide array clubbed with the comprehension, reasoning, mental ability for numeracy and the English language makes for a daunting task.

The exam has never been about remembering all topics but understanding concepts, and this has to be done smartly and swiftly.

The writer is the founder of Byju’s Classes, and has been training Civil Services aspirants across the country.

THE HINDU EDITORIAL

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group discussion topics

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