Seed funding Fellowships for NMIMS
Two teams from Shri Vile Parle Kelvani Mandal’s (SVKM) Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering were granted Resolution Fellowships by the Social Venture Challenge (SVC) at the Harvard World Model United Nations 2021, held in Tokyo. Under the fellowship programme, the teams received a total funding of $8,150, which will be increased further when the teams achieve their targets.
With an emphasis on learning disabilities, Project Alphabet was founded by Ishita Gupta and Aneesh Kulkarni, to increase awareness about special education, through a platform that would bring together special educators and children in need of their services. The platform has received seed funding of $3,650.
AnalytIQ, which was founded by Naman Doshi and Dhvani Agrawal, focused on financial education for youth, through an innovative visual and practical approach devised by experts that makes the process easy to understand and remember. AnalytIQ, the other fellowship awardee at the Social Venture Challenge, has received $4,500 in seed funding.
To secure the grant, the teams had to meet three challenges as set under the SVC — identifying a problem, conceiving a solution and implementing it.
They had to design and present detailed proposals on how their enterprises would address the specific problems.
Teaching via Tales in curriculum
Khar (Mumbai) School Jasudben ML School (JML), introduces a first-of-its-kind, in-curriculum, storytelling-based value enrichment programme for Classes I to IV.
The year-long programme that builds values like kindness, respect and honesty in students using Indian stories. For this, the school has engaged Amar Chitra Katha to unleash the magic of stories into the classroom.
Damayanti Bhattacharya, principal, JML School said: “Adults underestimate the power of stories and their impact on young minds. The message or moral of an interesting story creates a far greater impression on kids than the usual preaching ever does. Storytelling is a beautiful tool that simultaneously engages various parts of the mind like the cognitive, the creative and the emotional. It allows children to explore their cultural roots, experience diverse thoughts and enables them to empathise with unfamiliar people, places or situations. We are looking forward to introducing this programme with Amar Chitra Katha.”
JGU offers programme on varsity management
OP Jindal Global Institution, Deemed to be University (JGU) has announced University Administrative Service (UAS) programme for its graduates.
This programme will redefine leadership and management services at universities and create a group of talented and qualified individuals who will be fast-tracked into the university’s executive management and leadership teams for the internal governance and administration.
The UAS has the potential to transform the landscape of academic leadership at JGU and will also prove to be an innovative and landmark system to identify, retain and train talent while offering students direct access to a highly recognised and reputed career paths within JGU.
This initiative will be a gamechanger as the higher education institutions (HEIs) need reforms, the heart of which is related to improving internal governance and the quality of administration.
To apply, applicants must not be more than 25 years of age, and have an outstanding academic record. They will need to send in a detailed resume, their academic records and statement of purpose.
The short-listed candidates will undergo a screening test to assess values and ethics, verbal ability, analytical skills, reading comprehension, data interpretation and sufficiency, quantitative ability and general knowledge and current affairs, followed by group discussion and an interview.
Upskilling programmes for teachers
Suraasa, a jobtech platform focused on school teachers’ career growth, has announced the expansion of its physical centers starting from Bengaluru.
While there is a huge demand for skilled teachers in India, there is a dearth of teachers equipped with high-quality pedagogy skills.
The platform is committed to bridging this gap. Not less than 90 per cent of all teachers who have undertaken the programme have already found placements with international schools.
Rishabh Khanna, cognitive scientist and founder, Suraasa said: “Technology has penetrated into every aspect of our lives. We are leveraging these upcoming tech trends and unlocking their potential to revolutionise learning for everyone. Our efforts are paying off and transforming the decades-old archaic education system.”
Advanced technique for Lithium-ion battery
A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, has developed an advanced technique which can precisely estimate one of the most important battery internal states. Known as State of Charge (SOC), it reflects capacity of the battery — how much more charge can be withdrawn from it before it gets fully discharged.
This information helps to optimise battery’s capacity utilisation, prevents overcharging and undercharging of the battery, increases lifespan, reduces cost and ensures battery and the surrounding’s safety.
Lithium ion batteries are widely recognised in various applications due to their low carbon emission, high energy density, low self-discharge rate, and low maintenance cost.
