Wednesday, October 13, 2021

This HR leader has an engineering degree

hey say there’s gold but I’m

looking for thrills

You can get your hands on

whatever we find
Because I’m only coming

along for the ride

Protima Achaya loves music, but her all-time favourite remains Pink Floyd’s album The Dark Side of the Moon.

Born in Mysuru to an army officer, Protima had been to six schools by the time she was in class 12. She did not have any place to sink her roots into. But this life made her comfortable with change.

Protima was good at studies. She had different ‘what I want to be when I grow up’ answers at different points of time – playback singer, hospitality, businesswoman, chief of staff at Tata Group. Protima finally landed up in the engineering college now known as NIT Surathkal for a BE in electronics and communication.


Being one of the few girls in the college, life was not easy. It was Protima’s first experience in navigating her way in a male dominated world. And she literally rocked. She joined the college band, and became the first girl in the history of the college to perform on stage.

Post college, she worked in an electronics consulting company, and then in the defence research establishment, LRDE, in its digital signal processing lab.


Protima then took a seven-year break from paid work to look after her kid.


Her second innings at paid work was different. She was briefly in an AutoCAD startup, and then she took up a completely unexpected role – as festival coordinator for the Udaipur film festival. She went on to work with the team that created the country’s first ever reality show, Meri Awaz Suno.


In 2000, she had to move to Bengaluru, where she joined Sasken. Here, she burned the midnight oil to learn the ropes of HR. She credits Sasken’s leadership for giving her the opportunity to prove herself. “They appreciated my point of view, which was not grounded in HR theory but more from real-life experiences. So success is not always tied to a degree. I do not hold an HR degree, but that was the start of my HR career, and I have been in it for 21 years,” she says.


After 10 years with Sasken, Protima moved to Cisco, and then to NetApp. She now leads HR and talent acquisition for Apac and India at NetApp. “HR today has to be a lot more agile in responding to the needs and expectations of employees,” she says. 


Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/this-hr-leader-has-an-engineering-degree/articleshowprint/86982239.cms

Raj Reddy: India’s only Turing Award winner, AI pioneer

 

Raj Reddy: India’s only Turing Award winner, AI pioneer

TNN | Oct 13, 2021, 07.25 AM IST
Raj Reddy: India’s only Turing Award winner, AI pioneer
Raj Reddy, professor of computer science and robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, is the first person of Asian origin to receive the Turing Award, often called the Nobel Prize in computer science. He’s still the only Indian to win the award.

Reddy, who comes from a farming family in Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, is an artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer. He’s been researching AI since the 1960s, when few in the world knew much about it. Reddy says AI has transformed the world in the last 10 years in a way that previously seemed would take at least 50 years.

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“I joined the field when the subject was starting off. I was at the right place at the right time. Now we have computers that are a trillion times more powerful, memories that are a trillion times larger. Back then, the first computer had just 4 KB of memory and if you could not fit your programme, you had to recompute. So yes, things have changed exponentially and more so since 2007, when the first smartphone came in, enabling extensive communication,” he says.
Reddy, who is best known for his pioneering work in the field of speech technology, encourages aspiring engineering students to take up computer science as their preferred subject, but cautions them to not limit themselves to the subject. He himself was a civil engineer, before he did a PhD in AI in Stanford University.


“Most of the education in the US has that broad liberal arts focus, where you end up spending just two out of the four years of engineering studying the core subjects. The rest is studying languages, history, philosophy, and, during our times, we would bemoan all the IIT students at Carnegie who had not read or seen a Shakespeare play,” he chuckles.

Reddy says the Indian engineering curriculum should similarly be shrunk to two years, and students should be asked to take up 20 different courses from 20 subjects for the other two. And students, he says, should demonstrate excellence even in these other subjects, and not study them just to get a passing grade.


AI, Reddy says, has made the most striking impact on speech recognition and natural language processing, facilitating automatic translation of different languages. “You speak in Telugu and I speak in Gujarati and both understand each other because the phone is translating it and feeding me the Telugu translation instantly. While that is still some time away, the concept has already been demonstrated by Google and Microsoft for many languages,” he says.


Reddy says speaking to computers and the computer having the ability to understand and process it was something that could not be done even 10 years ago. “It is now possible through deep learning. While it is possible in English, think of a situation when an Indian can speak to the computer in his mother tongue and it can talk back to him. Then, all of a sudden, you are empowering many semi-literate people by expanding their knowledge base,” he says.

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Reading Inspiration Day 2021: e Quiz 1

 


St. Francis Institute of Technology Library & NDLI Club, Borivali, Mumbai organizes Quiz on “READING INSPIRATION DAY OR VAACHAN PRERANA DIWAS 2021”, to commemorate the Birth Anniversary of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on 15th October.


Reading Inspiration Day 2021: Online Book Review Contest

 


Dear SFITians
A Warm Greeting from….
St. Francis Institute of Technology

On the occasion of 'Vaachan Prerana Divas' (15th October), Birth Anniversary of our Former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 

 “NDLI Club” Invites you to participate in an Online Book Review Competition

🗓️ Date: 22nd October 2021 
⏱️ Time: 5:00 pm to 6:00pm

📌Registration is Free
 Registration Link: https://forms.gle/7vdwiRxujn7zEtKT7
 
Last Date for Registration: Friday, 15th October, 2021

Note: 
Registration is mandatory

 Rules and Guidelines: 
Students are required to review book other than textbooks and religious books.
One entry per student
Only SFIT students, faculty and non-teaching staff are allowed to take part in the contest.
The book review must be uploaded in pdf on the Google form itself.
Time allotted is strictly five minutes for presentation..
Medium of presentation English / Hindi /Marathi.
Join the meeting 10 minutes before the given time.
Decision of the Judges will be final and binding.
E-certificate will be provided to all the participants through the NDLI account present for the event.
All the other details will be given on the WhatsApp group from time to time.
 Join the whatsApp group for further information
WhatsApp group Link:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/DxXLUiJ34swKLa17aRrvXz

📌e-certificates will be generated through the NDLI account for all the participants  present for the event.

WISH YOU ALL THE BEST

Best Regards,
Dr. Sincy George
Principal
St. Francis Institute of Technology,
Borivali, Mumbai.

For any query contact:
Viral Soni
8898106479
Paul Fernandes
76660 90565
Chinmayee Bhange
9820336910


IEEE Live Webinar Invitation on World Standards Day: Relevance of IEEE standards in an Engineer's Career Growth

 


Relevance of IEEE standards in an Engineer's Career Growth
 

Dear Sir / Madam,

Greetings from IEEE-EBSCO!

We are glad to invite you for our online webinar on 'Relevance of IEEE standards in an Engineer's Career Growth' on 14th October 2021, from 11:00 AM IST onwards.
 
 Abstract
  • Importance of IEEE Standards for students and faculty in enhancing their career and education
  • Importance of understanding standards as young entrepreneurs and young engineers
  • Importance of standards development and its impact on technology advancement
  • Getting involved in standards development in India
     

    Source: E Mail received from IEEE EBSCO dated 12th October 2021.

    AICTE invites application for PG scholarship for 2021-22; apply before December 31

     AICTE invites online proposals from students and institutes for PG scholarship. Students can apply by December 31.

    AICTE invites application for PG scholarship for 2021-22; apply before December 31AICTE invites application for PG scholarship for 2021-22; apply before December 31
    Tamanna Tamang | Oct 10, 2021 - 1:24 p.m. IST
    Share Via   

    NEW DELHI: All India Council of Technical Education has invited applications for post graduate scholarships for the academic year 2021-22.

     

    The council has invited online proposals from AICTE approved institutions, and the students studying in such institutions or courses that are approved by AICTE. The scholarship will be provided through direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode to the eligible students for this academic year.

    As per the notification issued by AICTE, the last date for creating IDs for the students and submission of forms is December 31. The institute will have to verify the application by January 14, 2022.

     

    The council has instructed the institutes to verify applications of their students immediately after receiving the applications on their respective online portal. “The council has sent the PG scholarship portal login credentials to the institute's email ID,” said a notice from AICTE

     

    The scholarship was introduced by AICTE to ensure development of technical education in India. The council grants the post graduate scholarship of Rs.12,400 per month to full-time GATE/GPAT qualified students studying in AICTE approved post graduate programs in AICTE approved institutions, university departments.

     

    The Scholarship is granted for a period of 24 months or for the duration of the course i.e. from the date of commencement of classes till the date of completion of the classes whichever is lower. The scholarship is not extendable under any circumstances.

     

    Candidates who are eligible for the scheme can visit the official website of .aicte-india.org/ for more information about the scholarship.

    Wednesday, October 6, 2021

    IIT Madras Launches Two Diplomas In Programming And Data Science For Students, Working Professionals& Job Seekers

     IIT Madras Launches Two Diplomas In Programming And Data Science For Students, Working Professionals& Job Seekers

    CHENNAI : Indian Institute of Technology Madras is launching two Diploma Programs in Programming and Data Science. These top-of-the-line diploma programs, carefully designed by leading experts in the field, are the only official diplomas offered by IIT Madras.

    The program structure enables learners of all backgrounds to build the necessary fundamentals, enhance their knowledge, and hone their skills through extensive hands-on training. Learners need not have an engineering or computer science background. The diplomas are open to students, working professionals, and job seekers who have completed at least two years of their undergraduate education in any discipline through any mode.

    The portal for the diploma entry was launched today (4th October 2021) by Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in the presence of Mr. ThirumalaArohi, Senior Vice President, Infosys Limited and Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras.

    The Applications are open for the Diploma entry Qualifier Exam. The Last Date to apply is 15th November 2021. Those interested can apply through https://diploma.iitm.ac.in.

    The Diploma entry qualifier exam is scheduled on 12th December 2021. Applicants must attend the in-person Diploma Qualifier Exam at an exam centre in the applicant’s city of choice. Those who clear this exam will be eligible to join the diploma program.

    Addressing the launch event, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), said, “It is important to have skilled manpower in data science and programming from India to meet the requirements of the global economy. I am happy to see that IIT Madras is launching relevant programs that are on par with the industry requirement.”

    Further, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe said, “Education is a continuous process of learning. Students and working professionals will have to continuously upgrade their knowledge and skills to stay competitive in today’s workplace. I am confident that these diplomas will reach a diverse set of learners who are passionate about building a career in programming or data science.”

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    A learner has to complete eight courses to obtain a diploma, either in programming or data science. One diploma can be completed in as short as eight months. As the content delivery will be in online mode, the program has the flexibility required for working professionals and students.

    With these diplomas, IIT Madras aims to provide the highest-quality education and training to the largest possible audience. With this goal in mind, the program offers significant financial flexibility through its pay as you go model. Basically, the fee paid every term is based on the number of courses registered in that term. In addition, IIT Madras is offering course fee waivers upto 75% based on the socio-economic background of the learners.

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. ThirumalaArohi, Senior Vice President and Head – Education Training and Assessment, Infosys Limited, said, “I am glad to be part of the launch of IIT Madras’ Diploma programs in Programming and Data Science. We are thriving in a world where technology is all pervasive. To navigate through this labyrinth of opportunities, the students and professionals must embrace an attitude of lifelong learning. Therefore, it is both timely and opportune that our premier educational Institution, IIT Madras is offering Diplomas in Programming and Data Science for college students and working professionals. The program structure is a perfect blend of curated best in class self-paced learning, live classes, hands-on activities, assignments and projects. The flexible and affordable nature of the program will help aspiring learners to accelerate their skills enhancement and be ready for the myriad opportunities, across sectors.”

    The diplomas provide a unique opportunity for working professionals to upskill themselves without having to take a break. Even employers who want to upskill their employees can consider this option.

    The courses would be delivered through a comprehensive learning delivery model that competes with a classroom learning experience. The courses include lecture videos, lecture-based activity questions, practice assignments, graded assignments, and mini-projects that reinforce problem-solving skills.

    There are live sessions with course instructors where questions from the learners are answered for every subject. The evaluation would be done through in-person quizzes and end-term examinations, ensuring that this program meets with the same academic rigor of an on-campus program from IIT Madras. This one-of-a-kind combination provides high-quality training that is sought-after by recruiters.

    Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, “We are delighted to offer this program to the students, working professionals, and job seekers who are passionate about building a career in programming and data science. The convenience of online learning combined with in-person assessments makes the program flexible while retaining the academic rigor. With our rich experience in the online education space, we are well-equipped to handle scale, provide an enriching and engaging learning experience.”

    With a blend of high-quality content, continuous mentorship, rigorous hands-on practice, active peer-to-peer support, and prompt feedback, these two official Diplomas from IIT Madras, prepare the learners of all backgrounds to build fundamental knowledge and gain industry-relevant cutting edge skills required for a successful career in Programming and Data Science.

    Source: https://indiaeducationdiary.in/iit-madras-launches-two-diplomas-in-programming-and-data-science-for-students-working-professionals-job-seekers/


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