April 7
IIIT-Bangalore’s Miles4Meals-A Run for a Cause and Fitness
In the early hours of April 7, IIIT-Bangalore laid the groundwork to raise funds in support of midday meals for school children by partnering with the Akshaya Patra Foundation. This initiative was coupled with a focus on promoting physical fitness. The second edition of Miles4Meals featured two categories of runs, 5k and 10k, attracting an enthusiastic turnout of approximately 200 dedicated runners. Among them was 95-year-old celebrity marathon runner, Mr. N S Dattatreya, who not only completed the 5k run but also advocated for the importance of healthy eating and physical fitness.
The event was graced by the presence of IIIT-Bangalore’s Director Prof. Debabrata Das, Commodore SR Sridhar (Retd), Registrar and Sports Officer, Dr. Neha Arora. Ms. Arockia Mary, Assistant General Manager of the Donor Care Team at Akshaya Patra Foundation was the chief guest of the event. They collectively flagged off the event at 6:00 AM. Miles4Meals was a resounding success, demonstrating solidarity, compassion, and collective action. All participants commended the event’s organization.
10K Race: Men’s Category:
- Winner: Santosh Yadav
- Runner Up: Rajesh Kumar
10K Race: Women’s Category:
- Winner: Smitha D R
- Runner Up: Chamdana Kalita
5K Race: Men’s Category:
- Winner: Kunal
- Runner Up: Govind Ras
5K Race: Women’s Category:
- Winner: Rashi
- Runner Up: Jasprit
Miles4Meals Highlights:
- The event featured 5K and 10K races, attracting participants of varying fitness levels and age groups.
- Funds were raised through both donations and registration fees, with all proceeds directly benefiting the Akshaya Patra Foundation.
- The event garnered widespread support from participants, staff, students, and volunteers, showcasing the community’s commitment to addressing food insecurity.
- Participants not only contributed to a charitable cause but also prioritized their physical health by taking part in the races, promoting an active lifestyle.
April 11
Invited Talk by Prof. Arvind Rao
IIIT-Bangalore had the privilege of hosting an enlightening invited talk by none other than Prof. Arvind Rao from the University of Michigan. In his engaging presentation, titled “Machine Learning Approaches to The Interpretation of Spatial Imaging & Transcriptomics for Personalized Medicine,” he delved into the fascinating intersection of machine learning and personalized medicine. With insightful discussions and cutting-edge insights, he shed light on the innovative ways machine learning techniques can be applied to decipher spatial imaging and transcriptomic data, paving the way for tailored healthcare solutions. It was an enriching session that provided attendees with valuable knowledge and sparked new ideas in the realm of healthcare innovation.
April 15
Invited Talk by Prof. Radhakant Padhi
Prof. Radhakant Padhi from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore spoke on ‘Optimal Guidance in India’s Chandrayaan-3 Mission and Beyond’. In his talk, Prof. Radhakant discussed a control-synergetic optimal powered descent guidance algorithm used in India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, achieving precise autonomous landings near the moon’s south pole. These guidance laws are vital for inter-planetary and unmanned aerial vehicle missions, ensuring accuracy in terminal position, velocity, and acceleration, along with thrust vector continuity and recovery from path perturbations. The talk also covered quadcopter experiments conducted for confidence building before the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
April 17
96th Senate Meeting
IIIT-Bangalore convened its 96th Senate Meeting, including Director, Prof. Debabrata Das, faculty members and administrative staff came together to discuss and deliberate on various matters pertaining to the institute’s academic, administrative and developmental aspects ensuring Institute’s continued excellence in education, research and innovation.
April 17
Inauguration of CPE Office Space
On April 17, 2024, Prof. Debabrata Das, the Director of the institute, accompanied by Prof. V Sridhar, marked the inauguration of the new CPE (Continuing Professional Education) office space.
April 17
Inauguration of VLSI Lab
At IIIT-Bangalore, a significant move towards technological advancement was made with the inauguration of a state-of-the-art VLSI laboratory. The new VLSI lab is equipped with advanced hardware and software tools essential for designing, prototyping and testing integrated circuits at various complexity levels. This lab serves as a dynamic platform for students, researchers and faculty members to engage in hands-on experimentation and exploration of VLSI design methodologies, algorithms and techniques.
April 18
Turiya Club Celebrates Ram Navami
An evening that allowed students to get immersed in the tranquility of divinity, it was Ram Navami celebrations IIIT-Bangalore’s Turiya Club had organized. Ramasevaka Prabhu, a revered devotee from ISKCON took the students in a spirituality mode with this valuable insight and spiritual guidance. IIIT-Bangalore’s Music Club joined hands with the initiative and delivered a captivating rendition of the Nama Ramayana.
Students actively participated in chanting the 108 names of Lord Rama by offering holy basil leaves, further deepening the connection to the deity. The evening was also a vibrant exchange of knowledge and devotion. Through an engaging Ramayana quiz, students eagerly participated, their enthusiasm igniting a deeper understanding of the epic.
April 20-21
YMN Conducted by Debate Club
At Yuvamanthan Model United Nations (YMUN), IIIT-Bangalore, dynamic discussions occurred on two crucial agendas: “Strengthening Democracy in the Current National Context” at the AIPPM and “Equity and Justice in Climate Action” at the UNFCCC committees. The participants in both committees referred as delegates debated on political and climate change issues. In the AIPPM, delegates debated democracy’s status, emphasizing transparency and inclusivity. In the UNFCCC, discussions focused on fair policies and sustainable development to address climate change’s unequal impacts. YMUN fostered enriching dialogue and a commitment to drive positive change for a sustainable, equitable future.
April 23
CTRI-DG Meeting
The Center for Technology Research and Innovations for Digital Governance (CTRI-DG) held a meeting on April 23.
April 25
Blood Donation Camp
The Aikyam-NSS, the Social Volunteering Club of IIIT-Bangalore, partnered with Bangalore Medical Services Trust (BMST) to orchestrate a Blood Donation Camp. A commendable total of 107 units of blood were generously contributed by students, faculty, staff, and security personnel from the campus.
April 29
IIIT-B Signs MoU with Ekstep Foundation
IIIT-Bangalore and Ekstep Foundation signed an MOU on 30 April 2024 to collaborate towards the establishment of the Centre for Open Societal Systems. The center is being established with a mission of addressing global and domestic challenges by promoting and utilising open-source digital building blocks that drive societal transformation. Through this Center, IIIT-B as an institution with expertise in the development of DPGs such as MOSIP and its global adoption and the Ekstep Foundation as the creator, implementer, operator and maintainer of several population-scale DPIs/DPGs will come together to contribute to and grow the digital public goods discourse, ecosystem and solutions.