“I’ve failed over and over and over again that why I succeeded”-Michael Jordan.

Aspiring young cricketer and second-year BBA student of SRM University-AP, Sai Akhil made to ‘The Newsmakers’ for getting selected into the prestigious Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-19 Team, 2021. Born and raised in Hyderabad, Akhil started playing cricket from the age of 12 in a neighbouring cricket coaching centre called Crick Summer. Department of Student Affairs has scheduled the event for April 26, 2021, at 5 pm.

With constant support from family and well-wishers, Akhil Stepped into his journey of cricket. For three consecutive years, he played for Ramadevi Public School’s National Cricket Tournament. Akhil also played in the Under-16 district tournament for Andhra Pradesh. Sai Akhil informed, “Since my childhood, I have always loved watching and playing cricket. I wanted to pursue my interest in cricket, and thankfully both my family and my university encouraged me towards it”. Accolades and awards did not stop him from concentrating on his goals while focusing on his studies. In his endeavours, Akhil was awarded the “Man of the Match” at Vitopia, the sports and cultural fest organized by the Vellore Institute of Technology-AP. He exclaimed, “I represented SRMAP in finals and was proud to be the part of the moment of victory”.

While speaking of Vinoo Mankad Trophy, Akhil expressed, “We played a district tournament in February this year, and the selected players will perform in the state team. My University offered me huge support during my practice days by reconducting tests and extending the deadline for assignment submissions. Faculty members of my department showed immense trust and encouraged me to do my best”.

This young man has set an example for thousands of enthusiasts who want to follow their passion. With uncompromised practice, perseverance and dedication, one can achieve great things, and Sai Akhil is the best person to convey more about it. Join him on ‘The Newsmakers’ on April 26, 2021, at 5 pm.

Amid Covid-19, when we see high rates of mental duress and a substantial rise in the cases struggling with health concerns, an initiative in the form of discussion is highly obliging. The Department of Student Affairs of the SRM University-AP came forward with an imperative step to hold a two-day webinar on “Flourishing through Stress” with Aayushi Sharma, Student Counsellor, SRM University-AP on April 24 and 25, 2021, from 4 pm to 5 pm.

Mental health and well-being go parallelly, and both interrelate for a healthy livelihood. Everybody caught up in the web of stress, anxiety, and mental issues necessitate counselling to escape through it. With the advent of social media and pop culture narrative, people are open to conversations related to mental health concerns. Youths are the future for a healthier society, laden with a responsibility to understand the mechanism of a complex world. Therefore, a general discussion on self-care and mental health awareness is an effective coping strategy for improving quality of life.

There is very little information disseminated on mental health which led to confusion among people. Individuals often confuse the term mental illness with mental health conversation as there is a profound absence of awareness. Meanwhile, no one confuses a common cold or headache as these illnesses happen on a broad spectrum.

More actions are needed to spread awareness on the spectrum of mental health, especially the common ones such as loneliness and depression, so that an individual can realize these issues and seek medical help or therapy.

Participate in the zoom webinar on April 24 and 25, 2021, at 4 pm to get detailed information on mental health and related topics.

On April 15, 2021, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh, hosted a virtual lecture session with Dr B V N Ramakumar, Professor and HOD, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Dayananda Sagar University, Bangalore. Addressing the Webinar, Dr Lakshmi Sirisha Maganti and Dr Venkata Nori, Faculty, Department of Mechanical Engineering, handed over the podium to Dr Ramakumar. Initiating the discussion with a brief understanding of the background of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Dr Ramakumar described the AI Applications in Space, Civil and Defense industry. Apart from highlighting the overview and functionality of AI Applications in Aerospace Engineering, he outlined the challenges associated with it.

Dr Ramakumar completed his bachelor’s from Ranchi University, and he pursued a master’s from Andhra University. Dr Ramakumar holds a Doctorate Degree from IIT Madras and has years of experience in research, academia and industry. Dr Ramakumar worked for Rolls Royce India Pvt Ltd and Honeywell Solutions Pvt Ltd. With contributions to the Auto Mechanics Industrial Sector, he also worked for the DMR Institute of Technology.

Dr Ramakumar was the visiting faculty at Manipal University. In terms of contribution to the field of engineering, he designed, developed, and analysed components for Boeing 777X, Airbus A350 and Honeywell HTF700 Engine Programme. Dr Ramakumar published papers in reputed National and International journals in addition to two patents to his credit.

Dr Ramakumar elucidated, “Artificial Intelligence is the broad sphere covering machine learning and deep learning as well. Moreover, a technique which mimics human behaviour”. Discussing the key players in the aviation industry, he explained the role of the mini-robots to capture the imagery clips of the inaccessible area in an aircraft. Implementation of the Artificial Reality techniques in the civil aviation industry is needed to reduce manual cost and time. AI applications manage the supply chain by gathering data as a part of the predictive measure. With the inclusion of automated tools, the civil aviation industry efficiently controls and optimises the security parameters.

During Dr Ramkumar’s proceeding, he added, “AI Application in aviation optimises the data related to flight scheduling, seat arrangement, cabin crew shift scheduling along with the management of the route mapping”. Starting from taking off to landing, AI Applications are being used widely in the aviation industry.

He further added that “Emerging as the dynamic technology, AI Applications marked their presence in the military intelligence too. Drones for military operations map the routes and record that in imagery forms to apprehend the nearby geographical location. The information stored in databases are sent and received without any manual meddling”.

Advancing to the next part of the discussion, Dr Ramakumar explained that “Speaking of the satellite link and communication, Robonauts are the new humanoid robots that would replicate the actual human beings by assisting in anything from gathering outer space information to exploring it”. Dr Ramakumar also propounds that “Productivity and Investment are few challenges amongst others that are common and would go hand in hand with the development of AI technology.” The discussion came to an end with an engaging Q&A session with the students followed by a Vote of Thanks by Dr Nori.

The Hindu – Apr 19

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Free Press Journal – Apr 23

Financial Express – Apr 23

Daily Pioneer – Apr 19

Hans India – Apr 19

India Education Diary – Apr 17

Mangalore Mirror – Apr 18

Meditation Affinity – Apr 18

Media Bulletins – Apr 18

Global Greenews – Apr 18

Business News This Week – Apr 18

Andhra Prabha – Apr 19

Vartha – Apr 19

Prajasakthi – Apr 19

Observing the ninth edition of University Distinguished Lecture Series, SRM University, Andhra Pradesh, invited Prof Lakshmi Kantam Mannepalli, the Dr B P Godrej Distinguished Professor of Green Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, to address a captivating speech on “Design and Development of Homogeneous/Heterogeneous Catalysts for Sustainable Chemical Industry”. Prof D Narayana Rao, Pro Vice-chancellor, inaugurated the talk with a welcome speech. The ceremony was attended by Prof VS Rao, Vice-Chancellor SRMAP and Dr S Mannathan, Department of Chemistry. Prof D Narayana Rao expressed that “Industrial collaboration is very much necessary in the context of self-reliant India (Atma Nirbhar Bharat)”.

Advancing with Prof Lakshmi Kanam’s presentation, she added, “Global and Indian chemical industry estimate 5.1 trillion and 108.4 billion USD in 2021. Catalysis is a highly demanded technology for a sustainable society and drives innovation in many other fields. Achieving the high catalytic selectivity is the aim of catalysis science in 21 st century”.

She also stated in her presentation, “The catalysis of organic reactions by homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts remains a diversified field of scientific inquiry. It attracts a large group of scientists with specialities spanning synthetic organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, surface science, material science, reaction engineering and computational modelling”.

Noted personality in the field of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Prof Lakshmi Kantam holds esteemed titles of FNA, FTWAS, FNASc, FRSC. Her fields of expertise are Catalysis, Materials and Process Chemistry. Prof Lakshmi Kantam served as the Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad. Prof. Lakshmi Kantam is Non-Executive Independent Director of Godavari Bio Refineries Ltd, Indo Amines Ltd, Vinati Organics Ltd and several others.