Research will be a priority for National Institute of Technology, Surathkal (NITK), and this will be bolstered by tie-ups with foreign universities and the industry, said Swapan Bhattacharya, Director NITK.
Talking to presspersons after the 10th annual convocation held on Saturday, Mr. Bhattacharya said the memorandum of understanding signed on November 7 with MITACS, an association of 95 Canadian universities, was to give a “formalised channel for research and financial support for any research undertaken” in the college.
“Only five colleges from the country have been selected for this,” he said, and added: “But, it should be a two-way exchange. While we cannot offer research, our B.Tech course is one of the finest in teaching. So we hope to get students from there to benefit from the teaching here.”
Developing research remains high on the agenda, with the college planning an MOU with Dell to set up a collaborative research cell to find the impact of coastal climate on computers. “The coastal climate is humid and hot. This leads to rusting and other problems for computers. And so, this will be important to Dell, and a good opportunity for our students to learn how to deal with practical problems,” he said.
Mr. Bhattacharya said the college had allocated budget for a ‘Research Promotional Scheme’ wherein students will be given Rs. 10,000 if a paper is delivered at a national conference, Rs. 25,000 at an international conference, and Rs. 40,000 for a summer internship.
Shuichi Torii, Professor in Kumamato University, Japan, who was the chief guest at the convocation, vouched for the MOUs in research. NITK already has an MOU with Kumamato University, and its effect was perceptible with an International Engineering Symposium, organised by the University there, receiving around 50 entries from NITK, he said. A total of 1,303 graduates of various courses at the National Institute of Technology-Karnataka, Surathkal collected their graduation certificates. A total of 652 B. Tech degrees were handed out, along with 456 M. Tech degrees, 75 MCA degrees, 35 MBA degrees, 46 MSc. degrees and 34 Ph.D. degrees.
‘Not the goal’
Stating that graduation was not the goal of one’s life, but the starting point, said Mr. Torii. He urged the graduates to contribute to the immense knowledge pool that had been accrued over centuries. “Those graduating today will have difficulties ahead. If you stay in your comfort zone, you will stay in the same place…in order to climb the escalator that is coming down, you should go twice as fast… People cannot grow if they avoid issues,” he said.
