IIT Jodhpur launches Thar DESIGNS

Under the aegis of the Jodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Cluster,  Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur has launched Thar Desert Ecosystem Sciences Guided by Nature and Selection (DESIGNS).

It is a unique initiative to conserve and restore the Thar desert, its minerals and medicines, and its flora and fauna by carrying out Ecosystem phenomics through transdisciplinary framework of Medical, Engineering, Environmental and Life Sciences.

Thar is a hot desert, unique to the Indian subcontinent and is characterized by high maximum temperature with large diurnal variations, scanty rainfall, extreme aridity, and intense UV radiations. This has been one of the largest natural laboratories for evolving innovative ‘designs’ that, ensures adaptation and survival of its constituent species, their interdependencies and the conservation of the entire ecosystem.

Speaking about the Thar DESIGNS, Professor. Mitali Mukerji, Professor and Head, Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, said: “The aim to disseminate knowledge and encourage participation through a citizen science approach and inculcate design thinking across the entire collaborative network.”

IIMUIC invites AgriTech & FinTech sectors start-ups

The IIM Udaipur's Incubation Center (IIMUIC) announced the fourth cohort Launch-n-Zoom, a three-month accelerator cohort programme designed to provide start-ups with the resources and support they need to grow quickly, test the market, and become viable. The IIMUIC is inviting technology-backed startups (pre-seed, seed, and growth stage) offering solutions to tackle challenges in the AgriTech and FinTech sectors. Start-ups who have their prototype/MVP ready and are in the process of scaling/marketing their products in the AgriTech and Fintech stand eligible for this programme.

The cohort also includes investment opportunities up to `20 lakh for qualified start-ups. The programme is powered by the DST and presented in collaboration with PI Industries and Fidelity Investments.

Kannan Soundararajan, CEO, IIMUIC said, “This edition supported by NIDHI Seed Support is a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to scale and grow their ventures with the help of our mentors, industry experts, and corporate partners. We will try and tailor the programme to your unique needs and help in your venture's growth.”

Career accelerator programme

The Scaler has announced the launch of Forever, a subscription-based upskilling programme for tech professionals. It has has been designed on continuous learning and mentoring principles. The programme provides:

a) Mentoring, guidance and support sessions with leading tech professionals.

b) Career and skill development cohorts that encourage in-depth and high-quality learning.

c) Networking opportunities to an exclusive community of motivated technology professionals.

d) Access to all Scaler masterclasses, hackathons and coding/programming competitions

e) Engagement with industry peers.

upGrad’s new service offering

Focused on solving career challenges at any stage of an individual’s career, upGrad announced the launch of  — upGrad Mentorship on Teacher’s Day. It offers a range of personalised career solutions comprising 1:1 sessions with top seasoned industry experts to enable users to bridge the gap between them and their desired professional opportunities.

Webinar on fashion designing

The Sanskriti University's School of Fashion Designing hosted an insightful Webinar for Fashion Designing students on Indian Crafts as a Future of Design with research and innovation. The purpose of Webinar was to sensitize the students about our heritage and how it can be a lucrative career option for the design students.

Dr Rena Mehta, Associate Professor at IICD, Jaipur was the key speaker of the webinar. During the webinar Sanskriti University Chancellor Sachin Gupta, Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Rana Singh were also present along with several faculty members.

STUDY: Digital education better for student

Digital education leads to efficiencies in teaching and engaging students. Teachers experience more socio-emotional benefits after learning to use technology in education and report greater efficiency through better content access, more effective lesson planning and classroom management. Using digital tools in education also facilitates a range of collateral benefits, from higher student attentiveness to better parent-teacher engagement.

These are some key findings from a large-scale pilot on digital education. The study, titled Equipping, Enabling, and Advancing Digital Education in India was conducted by the Boston Consulting Group in partnership with Schoolnet and Google for Education. The study covers the impact of digital tools on adoption, usage, and effectiveness of digital education across 50,000 teachers in three States, straddling different socio-economic, language and digital familiarity contexts.

Rajah Augustinraj, BCG Director and lead author of the report said: “Digital education unlocks immense benefitsfor both students and teachers. This is abundantly clear from the study.”