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BITS Pilani Dubai confers degrees at convocation 2022

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus) hosted the grand 2022 convocation ceremony of its 19th batch of graduating students recently at their Dubai Campus located at Dubai International Academic City.

Held in person, after a period of two years due to the global Covid pandemic, the occasion was graced by the distinguished presence of the chief guest, Sanjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE, together with Prof Souvik Bhattacharayya, vice chancellor of BITS Pilani; Col Soumyabrata Chakraborty, registrar, BITS Pilani; Prof Srinivasan Madapusi, director, BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus; faculty members, graduating students and their families.

During the course of the well-attended ceremony, degrees were conferred to 321 successful students who graduated with PhD, higher degree in business administration, design engineering, electrical engineering, microelectronics, software systems, and first degree in the disciplines of biotechnology, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, electrical and electronics engineering, electronics and communication engineering, and mechanical engineering.

Living up to its long and illustrious reputation of successfully placing its students with the world’s top companies, to date, 30 per cent more students of the current academic year at BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus have received placement confirmation, compared to last year, with more than 100 reputed companies keen to hire the present academic year’s batch. A mechanical engineering student of the Dubai Campus has clinched the highest placement salary.

In his eagerly-awaited convocation address, Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE congratulated the graduating students, in addition to their families and the BITS Pilani fraternity, while also noting that the UAE has always shown the world how to overcome adversity, such as the pandemic.

Highlighting the fact that BITS Pilani is one of India’s most revered higher education institutions Sudhir said the objective of education should not only focus on seeking employment, but also creating job opportunities for others; thereby supporting livelihoods and society in general.

He also added that while it is necessary for the graduating students to be cognisant of global trends and find their role in global society they could always rely on the strong foundation of their BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus experience to guide them on the right path.

Dr Kumar Mangalam Birla, chancellor, BITS Pilani, addressed the graduating students remotely, urging them to continue their knowledge acquisition and use the superpower of knowledge to succeed in an ever-changing and chaotic world.

In his welcome address, Prof Bhattacharayya, vice chancellor of BITS Pilani, said: “During the disruptive Covid-19 years, BITS Pilani demonstrated admirable resilience in ensuring a smooth functioning of the teaching-learning processes, research and other functions of the University. Our administration, faculty, staff, and students remained steadfast, focused and creative in their response to the pandemic. BITSians across the globe came forward generously to support those in need. I believe we all came out of this stronger and wiser.

“BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus has embarked on several initiatives to improve student outcomes. This includes introduction of a service desk portal for IT support, a learning management system, and integrated interactive boards in all classrooms. Expo 2020 Dubai provided an excellent platform for BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus and its alumni to showcase talent in the start-up space. 13 students and alumni start-ups presented their ideas at the innovation hub of the India Pavilion at the Expo. Further, seven students and alumni start-ups participated in the pitch for funding at the ELEVATE series organised by the Innovation Hub. An agreement was also signed between BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus and Dubai SME and Hamdan Innovation Incubator," he added.

Delivering his address, Prof Madapusi, director of BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus, said: “I offer my heartiest congratulations to each one of the graduates for their hard work and achievements. Student achievement has always been the hallmark and feature of BITS Pilani, and the students from our campus have scaled great heights on multiple occasions. He commended the resilience of the students who performed exceptionally well despite facing challenges brought on by the pandemic."

Every convocation of BITS Pilani traditionally features felicitation of distinguished alumni being felicitated for bringing glory and laurels to their alma mater.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award 2021 in Academia and Research was awarded to Prof Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of computational mathematics, while the Distinguished Alumnus Award 2022 in Academia and Research was awarded to Prof Nasir Memon, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of computer science. The Distinguished Services Award 2022 was awarded to M P Sharma in recognition of his outstanding contributions to BITS, and society at large.

Top academic performers of the graduating class were honoured with the chancellor’s medals. The gold medalist Ritik Panda is pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University, USA.

The well-organised convocation ceremony ended with a gala dinner.