We bid adieu to the maiden batch with interesting placements and higher education opportunities in hand. Their farewell was as glorious as it was tearful. On October 23, 2021, SRM University-AP welcomed them back with the intention to aid the current students. In a colourful online ceremony, President Dr P Sathyanarayanan inaugurated the Alumni Connect Programme to help our students stay connected, even after graduation.

In his inaugural speech, Dr P Sathyanarayanan congratulated the graduate students for the rigorous years of studies and the many laurels that they have brought to their alma mater. He further expressed his beliefs that this kind of networking programme will bring the students closer and skillfully aid the existing students in their search for the best jobs, higher studies and other opportunities. “The founding batch has set the bar so high that the following batches will need to strive really hard to make their mark,” asserted Dr Sathyanarayan.

The event progressed with messages from Prof V S Rao, Vice-Chancellor, SRM University-AP and Prof D Narayana Rao, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, SRM University-AP. The eminent dignitaries launched the Alumni Yearbook-2021.

The event sprang to life with the jovial conversations between the alumni and the current students. The current students shared their fears and anxiety with their seniors, while our alumni shared their journey.

Listening to the alumni helped the current students be more confident and focused. The insights shared by the seniors helped the juniors plan their the academic and career trajectories more adequately.

The alumni also reminisced about their time at the University. They guided the current students on making the best use of all the state-of-the-art facilities that the University offers. In addition to that, they taught their juniors about managing academic studies and other activities without compromising with all the fun of college life.

The vigorous event came to an end with the facilitation ceremony by Ms Revathi B, Assistant Director, Student Affairs. Dr Sujith Kalluri, Assistant Director, Alumni Affairs, offered a concluding speech to mark the closing of the event.

“India is moving towards ‘technological self-reliance’ and will emerge as one of the ‘Top 3 scientific superpowers’ through Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020: A Transformative Science and Technology Agenda,” said Dr Sandeep Verma, Secretary of Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), in the thirteenth edition of University Distinguished Lecture Series conducted by SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh on October 30, 2021.

The objectives of the Distinguished Lecture were enumerated by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof D Narayana Rao. He further said that the STIP: 2020 will greatly enhance the scientific contributions of Universities, Institutions and National Laboratories. He said that Universities and Institutions are hubs for innovations.

Dr Verma, a recipient of one of the highest Indian awards in the field of Science, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, is known for his contributions towards experimental medicine by working in the areas of bio-chemical interface. Prof Verma felt that the vision behind STIP: 2020 can only be executed through innovative, collaborative, and open science research that is best implemented in Universities and Educational Institutions like SRM University-AP.

Dr Verma elucidated that the primary idea behind STIP: 2020 is Inclusivity. STIP: 2020 will require an uninhibited and indiscriminate free flow of scientific and innovative ideas between all the people with a scientific interest from the Indian diaspora and from rural India, from all genders, from all age groups ignoring any disability physical or otherwise. “We can’t afford to leave anyone behind”, Dr Verma said referring to India’s quest to become a scientific and technological superpower. Prof Sandeep Verma said that the gross spending of the country on R & D increased 3 times during the last 8 years.

Appreciating the efforts made by SRM University-AP, Dr Verma emphasised the need to have the researchers coming out in the open, solving real-life problems and making every individual Indian life better. “It is our Scientific Social Responsibility to conduct such open forums for scientific communication and understanding,” he said, “As India prepares to grow towards technological self-reliance and indigenisation with the support of various schemes under Atmanirbhar Bharat and develop an ecosystem worthy of global benchmark, STIP: 2020 comes as a landmark innovation policy at this crucial juncture.”

Dr Verma ended his talk with the hopeful note that other Universities would follow the example of SRM University-AP and make such conscientious efforts towards innovation to make lives better. The lecture was attended by Dr S Chandrasekhar, Director, CSIR-IICT and over 2300 members from several premier institutions like IITs, NITs, IISERs, Universities and Institutions, CSIR, DST, DBT, DRDO, DAE, ISRO, NARL, MoES and several others from different parts of the country.

Prof V S Rao, Vice-Chancellor and Prof D Narayana Rao, Pro-Vice-Chancellor felicitated Prof Sandeep Verma and presented him with a memento.

It has been a really good experience being at SRM University-AP. This is a place where dreams transform into reality. I really appreciate the curriculum structure at SRM University-AP that offers us practical knowledge rather than forcing us to memorise theories.

-Sohail Basha Shaik
Computer Science Engineering

Semester Abroad Programme at UC Davis changed my outlook on life. I got the opportunity to cooperate with industrial designers. For practical hands-on experiences, I worked for the UC Davis school of nursing. Besides, UC Davis promotes a variety of student clubs and technical programmes that bring students from all over the world together. The concrete understanding of the subject aided me greatly in learning about real-world problems, and accomplishing this dream of studying a semester abroad.

– Barukula Snehitha Naga Sai
Computer Science Engineering