Prof D.K. Gupta has been appointed as the new vice-chancellor of Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University in Lucknow. Prof Gupta will take over the charge from Prof Saroj Chooramani Gopal. Dr. Gupta's appointment was announced by Principal Secretary to governor, GP Patnaik. Gupta is the head of pediatric surgery department at All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The present V-C's term ends on March 7, 2011. However, Dr Gupta's joining date is yet to be confirmed. Dr Gupta has been extensively related with stem cell research. This has given the team here in CSMMU a chance to feel happy. Sharing his views on CSMMU, Gupta said, “This is one of the most revered medical institutions in the world. It has a high place in every medico's heart including me.” Dr Gupta, a known workaholic, is capable of handling many responsibilities simultaneously. “He is into teaching, research, academics, clinical work and innumerable national and internatinal obligations,'' said his daughter Deepika. Dr. Gupta holds the post of president-elect of World Federation of Association of Paediatric Surgeons (the apex body of paediatric surgeons) and editor of Journal of Association of Paediatric Surgeons of India, besides other assignments Dr. Gupta's area of interest lies in the stem cell research which he has been pursuing for past 5-6 years. Dr Gupta hopes to take CSMMU to new heights in the field. “My aim would be to take a lead. But a lot of things depend on the kind of environment that I get,'' he said. But stem cell research would be just one of his focus areas. “I would add other things in the list after meeting faculty, students and staff of CSMMU,'' he said. Asked about the problems that CSMMU faces like private practice, infighting, manpower crunch, he said, “I would like to be positive at the moment. There is no problem which cannot be sorted out.''
UGC to rethink over ban on distance PhD
The University Grants Commission (UGC) will now seek legal opinion on its two-year-old ban on MPhil and PhD courses through distance learning. The decision came after universities have claimed that such a ban is hampering their autonomy. The commission that is facing widespread protests discussed the matter at its last meeting on February 3, 2011 and decided to seek legal opinion on whether its regulations can override powers conferred on the universities by their acts to offer such courses, a source said. The UGC came out with a rule in 2009
From humble cycle, he gives lessons in Queen’s English
He stands in front of his bicycle, which is equipped with a loudspeaker, a microphone, some posters and signboards. “I am sure you would not have come across such an innovative setup for English training,” grins Aditya Kumar, a Lucknow resident. The colorful contraption is for holding his English classes on wheels. Kumar travels to various localities of Lucknow, selects a cool, leafy spot – and the classes begin! “The response I am receiving from the public is quite heartening,” Aditya, 40, a post-graduate in English literature, told IANS. “When people see me conducting classes, they ask me to come to their locality too. Every day I get 15-20 calls for starting the course,” added Kumar, who has also been giving home tuitions in English for the last 15 years. Just four months into this project, Aditya already boasts of 130-odd students, of all age groups. “Children, youths and elders have enrolled themselves for learning English. You would be surprised to know that even some media-persons and executives are my students,” he said. “Most of the people come to me with an urge to attain fluency in English. They say they can read and write in English but have difficulty in speaking. So my training programme primarily aims to enable people learn this art,” he added. So what prompted him to combine Queen's language with the common man's transport? “The idea came to my mind while I was struggling to generate resources for opening an institute for English training. “The entire set-up, you see, has been prepared at just Rs.1,500. Moreover, I don't have to spend anything on the publicity of my course. It is done automatically when I pass through the localities,” he said. The contents of his course include oral grammar, public speaking and vocabulary, among others. “You may ask what's the specialty of my training…One needs to experience it…Just hold this mike and start speaking in English on any topic…Forget about the beginners, I am sure several people fluent in the language would not be able to do it properly when they see people gathering around them and staring at them in curiosity,” he said. “There lies the problem. Several people who know the basic concepts of the language are not able to express themselves in front of an audience. “It's primarily due to hesitation or stage fear. So the best part of my course is that it deals in countering that hesitation, which in turn develops self-confidence in you…Believe me, if you have the self-confidence, half the battle is won,” he added. At present, Kumar holds classes at four localities – Aliganj, Gomti Nagar, Hazratganj and Chowk. His students, meanwhile, are lapping it up. His one-month course is absolutely free, and he charges a meagre amount of Rs.25 for each of the nine sets of notes prepared by him on English fluency. “I love his concept. I am sure his concept would be adopted by several other English training institutes of the city. I have been attending the classes for the last 15 days and, believe me, sir (Kumar) has done a lot to overcome my hesitation,” Zafar Ahmad, a B.Sc student, told IANS. Vikas Chaudhary, a student of KKV Degree College, said: “I am preparing for bank exams. So my objective behind joining this course is to prepare for interviews. I also get personality development tips from Kumar sir.”
Vocational curriculum framework to be in place by May
The Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has said that the country will have its vocational curriculum framework in place by May 2011. The framework will ensure employability to millions of students even if they are not able to continue higher studies. The National Vocational Education Qualifications Framework will be launched in May and the curriculum for the same is now being prepared in consultations with the industry. The proposed vocational training will begin at the school level and will be of 10 levels. Students from Class VIII onwards will be able to take up various vocational courses, like carpentry and para-medical, along with their regular courses till Class XII. “We are in the process of bringing vocational education into the school system. Vocational courses like music, automobile engineering, tourism, hospitality and paramedical will be available for students,” Sibal said, addressing a seminar. He said the HRD Ministry is currently in talks with industries like Telecom, Infrastructure and Automobiles to prepare the curiculum for the vocational course framework. The Ministry had earlier set up a group of State Education Ministers to suggest ways for strengthening vocational education at all levels and develop a broad consensus on the contours of the proposed National Vocational Education Qualifications Framework. India's national skill development policy aims to train 50 crore people by 2022.
US, India working to resolve woes of closed varsity students
US authorities have agreed to work closely with the Indian embassy here for early resolution of the problems faced by hundreds of Indian students affected by the closure of a fraud US university. The agreement was reached during a meeting here between a group of Indian students of the Tri-Valley University (TVU) with Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar with representatives from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Student Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) present. There was a detailed and useful discussion and exchange of information on the manner in which the problems of students at TVU are being addressed, and some of the continuing concerns of the students, the embassy said. “It was agreed that the students and representatives from ICE and SEVP would remain in touch with the Embassy to continue to work together for early resolution of the issue,” The Embassy said it had also been informed by US authorities that more than 50 per cent of the students were at various stages of processing for reinstatement. Other students were advised to contact ICE on their website (www.ice.gov/sevis), or contact their call centre at telephone 703-603-3400 to initiate the consideration of their cases. Nearly 1,500 Indian students face the prospect of deportation unless they can secure admission to another school to maintain their visa status. As many as 18 Indian students were radio tagged to prevent their fleeing. Anklet monitors of 11 of the students have since been removed following the intervention of the Indian consulate in San Francisco. Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had in a Feb 22 letter to Shankar assured her that the State Department is following the case “closely and is working with the Department of Homeland Security and the Government of India to ensure fair and appropriate treatment of the students.” Reiterating the strong commitment to foster educational exchanges with India, Clinton also said, “Indian students make a strong contribution to both our countries and it is among my priorities to ensure that this pillar of our partnership remains strong”.
L’Oreal to award scholarships to woman students
Global cosmetics giant L'Oreal's Indian subsidiary on Thursday said that it was extending its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of sponsoring women science students to the national capital region (NCR). “We are going to extend our program, which currently focuses on just young women's education in science in the state of Maharashtra, to the NCR region,” a senior L'Oreal executive told the sources from Paris. According to the official, the company gave scholarship worth Rs.2.5 lakh to five women students in Maharashtra. The number of scholarships will now be increased to 10, with the addition of five woman students from the NCR. “Around 30 girls from Maharashtra have benefited from this project which was started seven years ago,” the official said, adding that the total cost of the project would be around Rs.25 lakh per year. The company, one of the largest producers and sellers of cosmetics products in the country, also said it was happy that the winner of this year's company sponsored fellowship is an Indian woman. Jyoti Panda, 28, who just completed her Ph.D in biotechnology from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in New Delhi, is one of the 15 recipients of the 'Unesco-L'oreal International Fellowship', which grants $40,000 to young women researchers. “She will be doing her research at School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, in the US,” a company statement said.
Sibal inaugurates E-certificate for UGC-NET qualifying candidates
Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal on Thursday inaugurated the 'e-certificate' for the University Grants Commission – National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) qualified candidates. The minister also released a compendium of UGC schemes. The UGC has initiated steps for online registration of the NET examination so that all the necessary information with regard to the candidates is captured, including their photographs, at the time of registration itself. The information thus captured is proposed to be used for the award of these e-certificates once the results are announced. These e-certificates will cut down the time lag for issuing the certificate from 6-8 months to 6 days. Similarly, whenever an institution writes to UGC for verification of authenticity of the NET Certificate presented by the candidates, the authenticity of the certificate will now be done within a span of 24 hours as against the earlier 4 months. The process of issuing the UGC-NET qualification certificate to successful candidates normally takes around 6-8 months, a cause of concern both to UGC and to the students. Also, institutions wrote to UGC for verifying the authenticity of the NET Certificates being presented by the candidates at the time of admission to Ph.D. or at the time of appointment in a College/University for the teaching assignment. This verification currently takes around 4 months another matter of great concern for all stakeholders. In the compendium, 63 schemes of the UGC have been synoptically profiled, covering the objectives of each scheme, the criteria for becoming eligible to receive financial assistance from the UGC, the operational tenure of the scheme and the process of selection followed in approving the proposals, and finally the quantum of financial assistance that can be provided to execute the scheme. The University Grants Commission conducts the national level test, viz-a-viz the National Eligibility Test (NET) twice in a year; in June and December to determine the eligibility for the recruitment of teachers as Assistant Professors in Institutions of Higher Learning and for the award of Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs). The Test is conducted in 77 subjects at 74 Centres spread across the country. While the examination for the award of JRF is being conducted since 1984, the examination for determining the eligibility for Assistant Professorship is being conducted since 1989. The number of Fellowships under the NET scheme has been increased from 2,000 to 6,400 per annum since 2010. In June, 2010, 10,433 candidates successfully qualified the NET for Assistant Professorship, including JRF.
Global experts at AMU’s conference on chemistry
Hundreds of delegates from India and abroad will gather here for a two-day 'international conference on chemistry' being organized by the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Saturday. The conference is being organized as part of AMU's centenary celebrations. The International Conference on Chemistry: Frontiers and Challenges will see the participation of delegates from the US, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Scientists from India and abroad will also deliver lectures. Around 500 delegates shall present their papers during the conference. The inaugural function will be held at Kennedy auditorium, organizing committee Chairman Syed Ashfaz Nabi said. Padma Vibhushan awardee, former governor and former AMU Chancellor A.R. Kidwai, will be the chief guest.
Prof Pradeep Khosla appointed as Infosys Prize Jury Chair
Professor Pradeep Khosla, Dean of the College of Engineering, and the Philip and Marsha Dowd University Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, USA, has been appointed as the Jury Chair for the Infosys Prize for Engineering and Computer Science. Khosla has taken over the role from from Professor Subra Suresh, who was appointed the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) by the US Senate. Professor Khosla was earlier a jury member for the Infosys Prize for Engineering and Computer Science. He will chair the jury for the Prize year 2011 and will soon select a panel of jury members who will help evaluate applications received in the category. Pradeep K. Khosla is an Indian American computer scientist. He did his B.Tech (Hons) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 1980. After graduating he worked in the area of real-time control with Tata Consulting Engineers and Siemens until 1982.By 1986 he received both an MS and PhD degree from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) where he continued to work as a professor. Professor Khosla is the recipient of several awards including the SiliconIndia Leadership Award for Excellence in Academics and Technology (2000), the ASME Computers in Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award (2009), and the inaugural Pan IIT American Leadership Award for Academic Excellence (2009). On his appointment as the new Jury Chair, Prof Khosla said, “I am honored to chair the Infosys Prize jury for Engineering and Computer Science. This is a great initiative that has been taken up by the Infosys Science Foundation to elevate the prestige of science and research and inspire young scientists. The Infosys Prize acknowledges outstanding contributions to research and I am pleased to be associated with this initiative.” On the occasion. T.V Mohandas Pai, President – Infosys Science Foundation said, “The Jury Chairs for the Infosys Prize comprise of eminent leaders in each of their fields lending credibility to the stature of the Infosys Prize and the respective prize categories. The Jury Chairs are selected carefully and are responsible for evaluating the achievements of the nominees against the standards of international research. We are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Pradeep Khosla as the new Jury Chair for the Infosys Prize for Engineering and Computer Science, and look forward to his guidance and experience that he will bring to the jury.” The Infosys Prize competition endeavors to elevate the prestige of scientific research in India and inspire young Indians to choose a vocation in scientific research. The Infosys Science Foundation, a not-for-profit trust, was set up in February 2009 by the management of Infosys. The Foundation instituted the Infosys Prize, an annual award, to honor outstanding achievements of researchers and scientists across five categories : Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering and Computer Sciences, Mathematical Sciences and Life Sciences, each carrying a prize of rupees 50 Lakh. The award intends to celebrate success in scientific research and stand as a marker of excellence in these fields.
NEWS IGNOU launches interactive online portal
IGNOU has launched a state of the art web portal offering services of various types and at different levels to both students and Partner Institutions (PI). The portal has been jointly developed by the Advanced Centre for Informatics & Innovative Learning (ACIIL) and the International Division of the university in the Electronic and Media Production Centre (EMPC) of IGNOU. “From distance learning, we come to distributed learning,” said Prof. Srivathsan, Pro VC, IGNOU while launching the portal. The portal has a list of programmes currently on offer with all details; support services for registration and evaluation; a query management system and a space for interaction in the form of community blogs and discussion forums. There is also a list of PIs that students access by clicking on the relevant links. It provides support for better programme coordination as well as guidelines for those interested in working with IGNOU and is complimented by a Wiki area that allows PIs to publish information and interact with their students. “IGNOU has been a little traditional, depending upon printed study materials. Its time it also comes ahead in the technical field. Earlier it was in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode but now, it can reach into your pockets through internet. It enables students/ lecturers to go through the online study materials in form of online blocks for each programme and individual course,” Srivathsan said. Talking about the benefits of the portal, Prof. Kusum Sharma, Director, ID, IGNOU, said, “The first phase of this portal is to make updated information available to the international students. It talks about programmes offered to international students, assists them, solves their queries, manages a date calendar for academic activities, offers a blog with respect to programmes and separate categories of PI.” The Pro VC also said that Contemporary and traditional courses like programme on Gandhian Studies can be delivered through online lectures, allowing e-learning and social networking for each course amongst international students.
