A tribute to Turing from Bangalore
Worldwide, several events are being held to mark the birth centenary of Alan M. Turing. The scientific community in India too has planned several programmes to keep alive Turing’s legacy. In Bangalore, the Computer Society of India and the Foundation for Advancement of Education and Research (FAER) have come together to conduct a three-day faculty development programme, starting December 18.
The event will include lectures by eminent speakers on Turing, cryptography, computing, algorithms and artificial intelligence. This programme is for those teaching and researching in the fields of mathematics, computer science and engineering, information technology and related fields. The FAER has also called for research papers and project proposals from researchers on these subjects. The project duration, which will be funded by FAER, will be 12 to 15 months.
For details on the event and the projects, email office@faer.ac.in or log on to www.faer.ac.in.
Intel launches science initiative in Karnataka
Intel, leading global chipset manufacturer, announced the launch of its Intel Future Scientist programme in Karnataka. The programme aims at enabling the next generation of innovators build a foundation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is also designed to help science teachers present their curricula from an inquiry-based perspective to help foster a spirit of research and innovation among students, a release from Intel stated.
This initiative will reach out to seven districts across Karnataka, training 500 teachers and 5,000 students. Four specially designed Mobile Science Vans are being sent on a Vigyan Yatra to reach out to all Science Centres through colleges of education in the State. These vehicles, packed with science exhibits, on-board scientists and science material, are expected to tour three days in each district conducting science workshops for students. Bangalore Urban, Belgaum, Chitradurga, Gulbarga, Bagalkot, Mangalore and Mysore will be covered over seven weeks.
Free suite for educational institutes
Software major Microsoft announced that it will make Microsoft Office 365 for Education, a cloud-based suite packed with word processing applications targeted at the education sector, available to all educational institutes free of cost.
A press release from the company said the suite aims at providing educators with powerful tools to create learning opportunities across multiple devices in addition to email, calendars, Microsoft Office Web Apps (these are online companions to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote), video and online meetings.
This also includes advanced document creation features for curriculum planning and student projects.
This announcement is part of the one-year anniversary of Office 365. The release added that the largest worldwide adoption of Microsoft Office 365 for education is by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
