The initiative called BITSConnect 2.0 will connect all campuses of BITS Pilani, making travelling across campuses redundant
Panaji: Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, one of India’s premier universities launched a multi-million dollar cross-campus technology initiative named BITSConnect 2.0.
The initiative has been launched with the help from BITSAA (BITS Alumni Association) and presents a unique model of multi-campus in the country.
The initiative comprises Immersive Telepresence, High-definition Video Conferencing and Live Streaming technologies through which all campuses of the BITS ,Pilani will be connected.
This University-Alumni initiative was launched simultaneously at Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad campuses, while being connected to Cisco’s offices in San Jose and Boston, jointly by BITS Pilani Vice Chancellor Bijendra Nath Jain and Raju Reddy, Chairman, BITSAA.
BITS Pilani became one of the first Indian universities to set up IP Telephony, Gigabit Ethernet and Wireless accessibility on campus with BITSConnect 1.0 in 2003.
With this latest initiative, the university has taken a giant leap forward in using technology for education. By bridging the geographical distance across campuses and global knowledge centers, this platform will facilitate collaboration among its faculty, students, industry partners and alumni, for education, research and mentorship.
The BITS Pilani Chancellor Kumar Mangalam Birla said, “The launch of BITSConnect 2.0 from its three campuses in India signals a significant step forward that extends the boundaries of technology-enabled learning. The Telepresence system provides avenues for research collaboration and knowledge sharing among BITS’ faculty and students, and for face-to-face communication between members of BITS’ leadership.”
This semester, BITS Pilani will offer more than 14 specialized electives to 1000s of students across its campuses by professors working from any of its campuses.
To collaborate, faculty and staff no longer need to travel. Academicians from across the world will be able to collaborate with and mentor research projects in BITS via Immersive Telepresence.
BITSConnect 2.0 is a joint initiative of BITS Pilani and BITSAA that was conceived during the BITSAA Global Meet 2011. Many alumni have contributed significant funds for this project.
