The Biggest & One-of-its-Kind ‘Conclave’ Kicks Off at Sahyadri College
Mangaluru : The Biggest, Unique and One-of-its-Kind “Conclave”- a Five-day Science, Technology and Management Conclave which included interaction sessions with Nobel Lauretes, Well-Known Scientists and Industrialists was inaugurated by lighting the traditional lamp at the Sahyadri Engineering College-Adyar-Mangaluru by State minister for higher education Basavaraj Rayareddy, along with Swami Jitakamanandaji, President, Ramakrishna Mission, Mangaluru, also in the august presence of Nobel Laureate Ada E Yonath, Nobel Laureate Serge Haroche, M. R. Seetharam, Hon’ble Minister for Planning, Statistics, Science and Technology, Govt of Karnataka, Dr. Murli Dhar Tiwari, Former Director of IIIT, Allahabad & Dr. Shashikiran Shetty, Founder & Chairman, Allcargo Logistics, Mumbai.
This Conclave which ends after 5-days with a valedictory ceremony planned on January 10, will comprise of a technical exhibition, science project exhibition, air shows, drones, mathematics exhibitions and Vedic science on river bank. The event is being held in association with the government of Karnataka, VTU, Mangalore University, Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bengaluru and other government bodies. The main purpose of this conclave is to popularize science and technology among the masses and create awareness for a sustainable, inclusive development of the nation.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest Swami Jithakamanandaji appreciated Sahyadri for its student-centric and knowledge-centric approaches. He said he admires Chairman, Manjunath Bhandary for his passion to impart knowledge to students, and said that this will enhance the knowledge of the students. Swamiji, urged the gathering to develop one’s mind, intellect and heart to bring out the best from within. Also speaking Basavaraj Rayareddy said, “This Conclave is no doubt a unique one with a innovative theme and over 32 interactive sessions. The development of the country depends on the development of science and technology. This interaction will definitely pave the way for the future of students. I congratulate the institution for bringing together under one roof of Sahyadri, the Nobel Laureates, and Internationally renowned Scientists and Management Experts.” He also shared the importance of Science and Technology and how it has impacted life for better.
M R Seetharam while inaugurating the Project Exhibition shared the success story of Karnataka for its innovative measures to reach the students of both urban as well rural areas of the state. He mentioned of the first initiative – “Mobile Planetarium” which travels to schools & colleges of remote areas and students get an opportunity to view the Galaxy & Planets, which used to be a challenge years ago. He also highlighted the second initiative of the state – Latest 3D Digitalized Stationary Planetarium to be set up in Pilikula, Mangaluru in February this year which is the first in India and notably first in Asia. “Sahyadri has taken big strides in enhancing the quality of technical education. This is a rare opportunity for the students where they get a chance to interact with Nobel laureates and renowned scientists, and it definitely will be a lifetime experience for them.” he added.
Dr. Murli Dhar Tiwari, the Guest of Honour, in his speech, appreciated Chairman, Manjunath Bhandary on how instrumental he was to get this concept of Science Conclave executed at Sahyadri from the time it was proposed to him. He urged students to take interest in the Plenary Sessions, Panel Discussions & Technical sessions planned for the next 4 days and capitalize on the experiences shared by them at Sahyadri.
Dr. Shashikiran Shetty, the Guest of Honour, in his speech referred to the Nobel Laureates & Scientists as a Gift to mankind since the amount of time they spend to research & the passion to achieve is incredible. Apart from discovering, they also share it with the rest of the world. The industrial revolution is the contribution of theirs, yet they stay humble, simple and sincere. He stimulated students to win a Nobel Prize and encouraged them to dream BIG and discover the unique talent in them. He said that the value system is deteriorating in India hence people like the Chairman Mr. Manjunath Bhandary should lead and make a difference to the nation. He further said, “Nobel laureates are a gift to mankind because the amount of time spent by them in research to fulfill their dreams and reach their goals is incredible. Now they are sharing their thoughts with the rest of the world and helping them to excel. You are the most talented and god-gifted, and you are fortunate enough to have discovered it. I challenge the students of Sahyadri to become Nobel laureates in their field.”
Ada E Yonath in her talk, expressed how delighted she was when she received an invite from India as she had great learning experiences from the Giant Scientist – Dr. G N Ramchandran an Indian physicist who was the first to propose a triple-helical model for the structure of collagen. She also shared her wonderful experiences when she visited Chennai for a Conference long ago and appreciated India for its temple. She said she loves India, she loves the science in India and she also loves the scientists of India. “I feel honoured and privileged to be part of this Conclave. I want to focus on one of the great Indian scientists G N Ramachandra who was humble and recognized my research work when I was a student. This inspired me a lot. I visited India in 1970 and I loved the temple here and I still love India.” concluded Ada.
Serge Haroche in his talk, mentioned that to be a scientist is a passion and not a profession. For scientists, pleasure of science is pleasure of discovering things. He urged young talented students to get into science as the challenge is to retain youngsters in science since they are attracted to other streams easily. He said the politicians and policymakers have a huge role to play in overcoming the challenges in the field of science. “there is need to revive interest in basic science as demand for the subject is diminishing, rued 2012 Nobel Laureate and Physicist Serge H.
Dr D L Prabhakara, Director in his presidential address summed up the theme of the conclave as “Save our Planet”. He assured that at the end of the Sahyadri Conclave one can fine-tune his/her dreams and goals. Manjunath Bhandary, Chairman, Bhandary Foundation while addressing the gathering recollected the moment he was invited to IIITA as a guest for the Science Conclave. He said it was a great opportunity to meet the Nobel Laureates at IIITA which made the moment a memorable one for him. Since then, he wanted to create such happy and worthy moments for the students of his place and hence decided to organize Sahyadri Conclave as a social initiative to assist the students of rural areas for their growth and development.
Dr Umesh M Bhushi, Principal welcomed the gathering and Dr. CK Manjunath, Event Coordinator gave the glimpse of the 5-day conclave. Dr Vishal Samartha, Director, Dept of Business Administration compered the inaugural program. As part of the Cultural Programme -Every day 6pm to 8pm Cultural Program depicting the Indian Culture on the themes envisaged for the day on Water, Environment, Energy and Health; Musical fusion of mathematics called ‘LayaLavanya’ by Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma; Magic Show by Kudroli Ganesh; Shadow Play by Tejasvi; and Cultural Extravaganza Students of Sahyadri
Sahyadri conclave is organized in association with – Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India; Karnataka Biotechnology & Information Technology Services – KBITS; Karnataka Science & Technology Promotion Society Govt. of Karnataka – KSTePS; Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India; Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi – VTU; Mangalore University, Mangaluru; and Ramaiah Institutes of Technology, Bengaluru. Sahyadri conclave is supported by All Cargo Logistics Ltd, Canara Bank, Dr. B R Ambedkar Medical College, Bengaluru, DIDAC India and the in-house Start-Ups namely Sams Techno Mech Pvt. Ltd, APTRA Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Research Design Lab – RDL Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Sahyadri Edu Dreamers R&D Pvt. Ltd, Dream Tech Innovations, SAHYAWARE, Caliper Engineering & Lab Pvt. Ltd & FLOTANOMERS.
Renowned Noble Laureates & International Scientists at conclave are: Ada E. Yonath, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2009; Serge Haroche, Nobel Prize in Physics, 2012; Joseph Sifakis, Turing Award in Computer Science, 2007; Robert C Richardson, Scientific Researcher in Robotics, Leeds University, UK; Satish K. Tripathu, President, University of Buffalo, USA; S S Iyengar, Professor, Florida University; Anish Arora Professor, Ohio University, USA; Satya Prakash, Professor, Mcgill University, Canada; Padma Shri Anant Agarwal, CEO at edX MIT, USA; and Anuradha Agarwal, Principal Research Scientist, MIT, USA.
During the Conclave there will be Parallel sessions by specialized resource persons for the Engineering students on their areas of expertise like: Machine Learning & Deep Learning; Artificial Intelligence & Virtual reality; Robotics; Embedded Systems& Other latest Technologies; Internet of Things(IoT); Network Security; Cloud computing; and Data Analytics
Highlights of the event are: Science project exhibition, Planetarium from DST, Karnataka; “BrahMos” Exhibition from DRDO; Indian heritage; “KRADLE”, renewable Energy Exhibitions; Butterfly Exhibitions; Mathematics Exhibition; Air Shows & Drones; VEDIC science on the River Bank.
Valedictory program on January 10, 2018 at 1:00 pm: In the august presence of Ada E. Yonath, Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Serge Haroche, Nobel Prize in Physics; Priyank M. Kharge, Hon’ble Minister for IT, BT and Tourism, Govt. of Karnataka; Gaurav Gupta, IAS, Principal Secretary, IT, BT and Tourism, Govt. of Karnataka; Prof. Karanam Uma Maheshwar Rao, Director – NITK, Surathkal; and Prof. K. Byrappa, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Mangalore University
