Shiv Nadar UniversityE-NEWSPAPER SNU.EDU.INDECEMBER | VOL I.II

By Meghna JoshiCSE, 2nd YEAR

Shiv Nadar University has entered into a one-of –a-kind partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA to offer dual degrees in ‘Electrical and Computer’ and ‘Mechanical Engineering’. The program will have the student spending two year in SNU and two in CMU, along with two semester long internships at the end of which a degree from both Universities will be awarded. The applicant is required to meet both SNU and CMU admission standards separately, in the form of the SNUSAT and the TOEFL and SAT exams. Fee details and precise the precise course structure may be obtained on the SNU website.For Existing SNU Students Since SNU’s Founding Batch has entered its second year and the

program begins from the very first year, many question the benefit the founding batch will receive. Any student of the second batch is free to apply to the program as a fresh student. On doing so, they would be treated on par with all other applicants, having to meet the required

criteria and begin again as a first year student. According to Dr. M. Gopal, Director, SOE, the University is trying to get the students waiver on certain courses that they may already have taken in their two years at SNU. However, this plan is still in

the works and even if it succeeds, the possibility of getting a waiver on all the courses in one semester is slim to none as the course is being restructured to fit the program. Dr. Gopal stated that a student may get two or three subjects waived in a semester, which would then give him or her more time to concentrate on the other subjects, but it would be difficult to get a full semester waived. In his opinion, this could prove beneficial to students –

they would get more time to explore the subjects they were studying and attain a stronger base of knowledge if they used their extra time wisely. In short, the most likely outcome is that the students wishing to pursue the program would have to

do so as any other student applying for the same and for the same duration.

The Final Word Should you apply? Well, for any student fresh out of their 10+2, it’s a fantastic opportunity. Carnegie Mellon is a highly reputed University, and chances of regular admission are very, very small. The SNU CMU program is a unique way for students to experience the best of both worlds – an established, research based University with global exposure, and a new, more flexible University within their home country. For students in their second and first year, it comes down to the amount of time they wish to invest. Four additional years is no joke, but the fact that the SNU CMU degree will be highly coveted is also to be considered. We’d advice any student considering taking it up to at least give their SAT’s and TOEFL before next year as a safety measure, and to keep track of their CGPA.

The SNU CMU DealA Student’s Viewpoint

SNU vs DUWhy SNU should not feel threatened by the 4 year course structure put forth by DU.

By B. DeewangBS Math 1st YEAR

You must have all read about how DU is about to start 4 year courses.It was my friends who showed me this news .For some reason, they felt threatened. They were afraid that they now had DU as a major rival. I’m sure this is one of the feelings the people in the upper echelon of our college have. I ask, why this feeling of insecurity? It’s well known that DU is a prestigious and well established college. That itself becomes one of their shortcomings in their ‘quest’ to introduce 4 yearlong B.S. courses. Since it’s already well-established it will be like trying to make a dent in a sturdy and strong iron pillar. They have made their own tower over the year - the tower of the 3 year courses. But for this 4 year course thing to work they don’t need an extra floor for the tower because what this course is providing is the steel framework to the tower. What they need to do is demolish the already existing tower and build it again from ground up.

contd. on page 6

By Raunak AgarwalEE, 2nd YEAR

Raunak Agarwal(RA) : You have been a professor at Indian Statistical Institute, Founder-Director of India Development Foundation, Advisor to the Union Finance Minister and became the youngest ever secretary to India and many more… what made you opt for SNU? D r . S h u b a s h i s Gangopadhyay(SG): In India, Universities are considered as teaching machines but the concept of SNU with its holistic educational approach, multi-disciplinary ideas and freedom of choice made me opt for SNU. So far it is the only University in India which lays key emphasis on research-led education and I am a researcher, who looks for research areas. The main idea is the more we work together, the more we gain. If we have a problem, discussion would only solve it. SNU works with this philosophy.RA: You recently came up with a course a called ‘Economics and Society’ at SNU. What was your chief objective behind that? How do you think it would benefit students? SG: In India everybody is an economist. It’s everybody’s common sense. And, thus, if one does not follow what the economist is saying,

the economist must be wrong! One must not forget that economics is a discipline and not only a skill. It has its own methodology. The solution to an economic problem cannot be inconsistent in methodology to the solution for another economic problem. The purpose of the course was to make students understand how economists reason when looking at societal problems. For instance, economists are not there for predicting growth rates and inflation.

They are there to understand how individuals take economic decisions and how such decisions, when aggregated, affect everybody. This requires understanding of things like law, culture and sociology as well as economic principles that tell you how the aggregation should, or can, be done. How economic agents strategize to manipulate others’ decisions --- so, some game theory also has to be learnt. This is what the course was all about.

contd. on page 6

The SNU Economist In coversation with Dr Shubhashis Gangopadhyay

Dr Gangopadhyay , Director, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, SNU

Ca

re

erW

ise

1

Dramatics SocietyBy Deepika VirdiECE 2nd YEAR

On 5th October 2012, SNU witnessed its very first skit competition of the semester hosted by the Dramatics Society – Invictus. With newbies brimming with t r e m e n d o u s talent, an o u t s t a n d i n g p e r f o r m a n c e was inevitable. The level of the p e r f o r m a n c e was such that the judges had a very tough time choosing the better team. The varied themes that the participants came up with were highly commendable. The winning team had their skit based on ‘Effects of AIDS in Society’. They struck a chord while depicting the evils of AIDS in families and society. They showcased the glitches encountered during the

marriage of a girl whose mother was an AIDS victim. Ekta Kapoor and Varun Puri were declared the best performers. ‘Yavanika’, the Dramatics Society of Deen Dayal Upadhay

College thrilled SNU with their play ‘Bakri’, a famous comic satire on the socio-political situations prevailing in contemporary times, on 18th October 2012. The play was directed by Mr. Pankaj Tiwari and co-ordinator of the Yavanika team was Dr. Anand Saxena., who were presented tokens of appreciation by Dr. Vaibhav Shrivastava..

The Yavanika Team, DDUC

Clubs, Societies and Campus ActivitiesSPIC MACAY

By K. VarshineECE 2nd YEAR

It is not a hidden fact that the present day is a part of an epoch where minutes are measured and success tallied. At this point, the need of the hour is to revive and regenerate the roots of our very being, to induce the spirit of our culture and tradition among the youth. SPIC MACAY does just this, through those forms of art that haven’t failed to affect us since times unknown. Shiv Nadar University is giving its support and contribution to the cause through Spic Macay, SNU Chapter. Spic Macay, SNU Chapter, has organised events with highly esteemed artists and has given out a few spell bound evenings. While the Rajasthani folk music and dance performance by Manganiars and Kalbelia group and the flute recital by Pt.Rajendra Prasanna left the audience craving for more; the recent sitar performance by Pt. Devabrata Chauduri and his elite group of students surpassed it all. The event started off as a small introduction or rather a tutorial to

the basic ragas and taal. Pt. Devabrata Chauduri, a highly renowned guru, performer, author and a legendary musician, enjoyed every second with the audience. His nimble fingers and age-old experience managed to touch every delicate note with ease. His colleague, Pt. Akhram Khan, matched the complex, twisted rhythm on the tabla. The audience comprised of students from Vidyagyan and SNU, faculty and the Admin dept, SNU. The tiny tots from Vidyagyan proved to be no less and put forward some really good questions to the teacher himself. The amount of knowledge that Pt.Debu Chauduri shared with the children was inspiring and a source of perfect guidance. All in all, the evening of 8th October proved to be great learning experience, not just for the Spic Macay Team, but for everybody present. This society is the perfect opportunity for all those who are keen to brush up their cultural ability and gain something from what India is best at!

2

SNU Mess CommitteeBy Pranav Sridhar

ECE, 2nd YEAR

The Mess Committee of 2012-2013 has been elected with a vision. It seeks to provide students with a solution to the repeatedly mentioned promises of “better quality” and “reasonable prices”. Since its creation this year, the committee has sought to change the existing mechanism of student participation and more importantly decision making in matters pertaining to the management of the mess. Although the efforts of the Committee have not yielded any tangible benefits yet, a serious attempt is being made to ensure that a long-term well working system is set-up which serves the SNU family well for the years to come. The major change that the committee seeks to bring as an important solution to most of our problems is that of a competing caterer to the existing one. However,

it must be mentioned that this entire idea is facing a lot of resistance from various forces in the University and therefore it is not proving easy to implement. The committee is trying to work around these constraints and is literally pestering the authorities to bring a change. In addition, students will be kept abreast with all activities of the Committee through the circulation of the minutes of ALL meetings.. A Blog has also been established, where all students can directly pool in their suggestions, complaints and ideas and also get a response on the same. The Committee can be taken to task if a query is not responded to. Lastly, it should be noted that this Committee shall go to any length to ensure an improvement in food quality and prices in its tenure. Therefore it shall use all available means to further its cause and provide the students with what it promised to provide.

Faculty Felicitation EventBy Meghna JoshiCSE, 2nd YEAR

A Faculty Felicitation Event, organized by words.Ink, was held in SNU on Monday, 19th November, 2012 to celebrate the launch of Centurion. Centurion is the third book written by Dr. Pramesh Ratnakar, HOD English at SNU. The event began with a key-note address by Dr. Nikhil Sinha, Vice Chancellor, SNU. Ms. V. Karthika,

Chief Editor at Harper Collins, then spoke about the process of publishing the book and why she felt it was a must read. Dr. Ratnakar proceeded to read choice excerpts of the book while inserting anecdotes about that particular passage. The audience was especially amused by the last passage. Mr. Amrit Mathur, CEO Delhi Daredevils, then addressed the audience. He spoke about the book and of his personal association with Dr. Ratnakar and the world of cricket. There was a question answer

session with Dr. Ratnakar and Ms Sharda Ugra, Senior Editor, ESPN CricInfo, in which she asked him about various aspects of the novel’s theme. The rapid fire session entertained everyone, and Ms. Urga asked most of the questions that had been in the audience’s minds. The event concluded with a short interactive session with the audience, after which Dr. Ratnakar was presented with a token of appreciation by his SNU family. Dr Ratnakar with Ms Ugra at his book

launch

Phot

o cr

edits

: D

ines

h D

on

Phot

o cr

edits

: D

r Am

ber H

abib

words.InkBy Meghna JoshiCSE, 2nd YEAR

To start with, words.Ink has launched their blog, which can be found at www.words-ink.jux.com. Aside from updating you about the latest happenings, the blog aims to be a platform for SNU to express itself. Come forward with views, opinions or random thoughts and we’ll make sure they’re heard. With the help of Dr. Samarendra Singh, we also arranged a storytelling session with Michal Malinowski, a storyteller, folklorist, writer and graphic artist. Mr. Malinowski aims to combine the rich tradition of storytelling with modern technology and techniques in his Museum of Storytelling, Poland. The audience was treated to some Polish folklore as well as an interactive session with Mr. Malinowski, where he talked about the importance of the spoken

word and how he was using advanced virtual reality systems and human stimulations to propagate storytelling. Next was a film screening event. Two short films were screened for the audience, who were then asked to write their thoughts about what they’d seen. The responses made for a great read, and some were put on the blog. An online essay competition was also conducted, which saw some thought provoking essays come in. The coming event planned are a face-off between all the books in a mega-popular book series [can you guess which?]. People can come forward to discuss, debate and prove that the book of their choice is indeed ‘The Best Book of the Series’. It will be an informal discussion, giving members the chance to interact and exchange ideas. If you’re up for some healthy argument and want to meet people who share your opinion, come along. Details will be announced soon.

Freshers’ PartyBy Meghna JoshiCSE, 2nd YEAR

They’ve been held multiple times - some selective, some not so - but the official SNU Fresher’s Party was held on campus grounds on the 7th of September . Organized by the senior batch as a welcome-to-campus gesture, albeit a little late, the party saw a great turnout. The first year batch was given a chance to showcase their talent in an ice-breakers round, which saw a variety of dance and music performances – a great way to scour fresh talent. After a short break for dinner, SNU saw some great competition for its first Mr and Ms. Fresher’s title. The judges were the winners and runners-up of Mr. and Ms. SNU, who had their own fun

with some of the contestants. Being asked to sing, dance and flirt with strangers probably wasn’t as easy as the sporting contestants made it look. DJ Sushant, who graciously agreed to host the event at the last moment, kept everyone entertained while the results were tallied. Finally, Vinith Johnson and Bhargavi were crowned Mr. and Ms. Fresher, 2012. The dance floor was opened up with an invitation to dance till you dropped – literally. The organizers managed to get permission to continue the party all night – we’d love to know how they convinced the wardens. With many students taking the invitation to heart, the part continued till four am, because the DJ was ready to drop. First years, it’s on you now – we’re looking forward to something even better for the next batches.

Password HackBy Shantam D. Mogali

& Meghna Joshi2nd YEAR

On October 9th, a mass email hack was executed on campus with the help of key loggers installed in certain library and lab computers. A total of over 100 Gmail, yahoo, Facebook and other ids were hacked; the compiled list of ids and passwords was displayed on a blog. This blog was subsequently banned from SNU servers and the post

removed the next week. Although no account appears to have been misused, it was still a cause of embarrassment for the owners of some of the more ‘creative’ passwords. The group of hackers later announced on the blog that it was just a prank to show off their skills. Not really funny, to be honest. The hackers have, till now, escaped detection and the chances of knowing the identity of the hackers are slim to none. Our only advice to you – Constant Vigilance.

3

biZZare Creations By Meghna JoshiCSE, 2nd YEAR

It is the first entrepreneurial venture of SNU second year student, Kartik Arora. Started in 2011 as a vent for his creativity and a means to get away from the tension of college admissions and counselling, it aimed at providing cutting edge e-Commerce, technological and design solutions to ideas. No seed capital was required to start the company; being internet based, all that was needed was interest and knowledge of how to design and sell websites. Initially, the internet was the only source of guidance for the biZZare team, but now Mr. Pramod Joshi (IITian and Project Manager, SNU) is part of their official advisory board. Started as a one-man venture, the company’s continuous growth made it difficult for Kartik to handle the operations alone. After joining college, Kartik expanded the team by bringing in tech-geeks he met on campus and then creating a formal application process for various new posts. Even after that, the biggest challenge for him remains balancing his academics with work, without compromising on the quality of either. It wasn’t easy at the start – having no work to show and being fresh out of school, it took a lot of convincing for people to take the company seriously. It was only after they got their initial projects and built up a portfolio that more clients started coming in. At present, biZZare is involved with website designing, ecommerce, Android and iOS Applications and Graphic Designing, obsessed with online marketing and branding design, Facebook applications, Logo Designing, letterhead designing and all of their illustration agency challenges as well. Being a company run by college students, biZZare has some unique challenges to face, aside from the usual stiff-as-nails competition. During the semester, the revenue drops to about twenty per cent of what it is in the vacations. To deal with this, biZZare has altered its strategy – they

bring in new clients in the vacations and continue with them during the semester. Their primary aim is to be a company you can trust to translate your dreams into brand-building promotional tools and to offer college students a chance to experience every aspect of running a business. They even offer free websites to start-ups with certain terms and conditions. For Kartik, being an entrepreneur has taught him one important lesson – there are no failures, it’s all part of the learning experience. According to him, one of the main reasons for biZZare’s success is its team; they are all college students free to work at whatever time that suits them with no liabilities. Living in one hostel makes their work a lot easier and they get to discuss about it round the clock. In short, the hostels provide them the privileges of a commercial office. Also, biZZare has gained foothold in colleges via other college entrepreneurs and fests, leading to a unique and valuable clientele that some of the bigger companies may lose out on. The biZZare team, in just a year, has managed to clock a six-figure revenue with over 30 clients from India, United Kingdom and United States. They have partnered with many events in the past . They were the winners of Showcase your start up by Convergence 2012 at Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business (SSCBS), Delhi University. Kartik has also been recognized as one of the Fabulous Fourteen entrepreneurs by Gold Nib Fellowship. Soon they plan to begin sales of the first biZZare product i.e. biZZare Primary School Management System (bPSMS). They also plan to expand the operations of biZZare in other cities of the country by 2013 – students in those cities will get an opportunity to manage their respective branches. Any college student can pick up great tips from Kartik and others like him – it’s okay to chase your dream. You might succeed but even if you don’t, you won’t fail; you’ll just know better for next time. So be inspired, be biZZare.

SNUBSBy Aakriti MittalCSE, 1nd YEAR

All of us know how the elections took place and what the results were but the best part was that the participants were all sportive and supportive towards their respective SRs. The next day, all the SRs had a meeting with the Deans, Student Welfare, who expressed their prime concerns and issues regarding the council and its powers and the responsibilities of the SRs. They also discussed which essential committees they wanted to be formed in specific. The committees were the Anti-Ragging, Anti-Sexual Harassment, Safety and Caution, Hostel and the Mess committees. The details related to the formation of these committees were to be decided by the SRs. And then the first official meeting of the SRs was held after a few days. Many committees and their heads were formed. 1.Chairperson, SNUBS - K. Kirithigaa2.Secretary, SNUBS - Aditi Seth3.Cultural Committee Head - Boya Aniketh Reddy4.Financial Committee Head - Aishwarya Lakshmi5.Academic Committee Head - S. Shyamala6.Sports Committee Head - Nobin Jose7.Anti Ragging Committee8.Gender Sensitization Committee Heads - Gaganpreet Khosla and Rajalakshmi A.9.Safety & Caution CommitteeMostly issues related to the finance, cultural, sports and academic committees are discussed in the SRs’

meetings. And each committee has its own separate meetings where they join their minds and produce solutions for various subjects of concern. It was decided that the Mess and the Hostel committees would be autonomous bodies formed from the students other than the SRs. The students interested in these committees had to put in a mail, deliver a short speech on what they intend to do if they got selected for the respective committee and then, the SRs voted for the interested candidates. The academic committee’s basic goal is to deal with various academic problems and provide solutions which are long lasting and effective for the students. It wants to create an academic atmosphere which is beneficial for the students and faculty. As for the financial committee, they keep their records updated and if anyone wants to know the details of these records, they can approach any committee member at any instance of time and get their required information. Most of this seems a little like government functioning, right? But thinking about everyone, the consequences and the practicalities of our decisions, I guess, requires quite such a deliberation. As for college fests, the cultural committee is trying that the students participate in many of them without affecting their attendance. They try to talk to the Dean and the Director for such participations. But it isn’t easy to arrange transportation, accommodation, etc. and especially the attendance is proving to be a big bush in the way. Let’s hope they succeed!

DJ Night at Freshers’ Party, SNU

Phot

o Cr

edits

S

hant

am D

. Mog

ali

It rained throughout the night. The grasses were so fresh next morning, some pale, some dark, some fluorescent even. Alice opened her shoes, her feet craving for the soft touch of the grasses. The field was warm and soft. The rhythm of the wind was charming. It carried the most beautiful smell, the smell of wet earth, the rain. She slowly stepped her right foot on the grass and rubbed it softly against them, the pleasure- inexplicable. She moved forward, plunging her feet into the lucid grass. They were dew-damp. The sunshine did the partial drying up. The grasses were full of warmth, wet warmth. The tangible sun rays poured through the clouds. It created a lovely charm- the sun rays, its heat, squeezing through the flowery trees, making it all the more enchanting. Alice looked down, her demoted vision pointed towards the beautiful shrubs and bushes, clinging the tall trees and the side walls of the periphery of the field. Her head instantly clicked into a new genre of

mind games, she would read each shrub, completely unaware of their names. She started the game- the first one was bushy, small bunched, yellowish green in color. She searched for the right words in her mind for few moments, and she got them- cheerful, charming but insecure. The next one was a red leafy one. The color of the bush was not red exactly; it had a tint of black too. Her mind supplied her with the words instantly- jealous, selfish, cruel but powerful. There were many shrubs that she saw. The last one was a huge bush with soft green thorny leaves. Alice echoed the words in her mind- strong and self-protective, but altruistic; with a heart of benevolence. A very isolated sort indeed, she thought. Some small trees had beautiful flowers, some as fiery as Gul-Mohur, some as soft and purple as lavender. The warm wet wind carried the enchanting fragrance of the flowers, making my mind enliven and my soul reincarnate in the same host.

In Her WonderlandBy Indranjan BanerjeeBA English, 1st YEAR

InternshipsBy Meghna JoshiCSE, 2nd YEAR

They’re a great way of gaining field experience and figuring out the type of work profile you’d have after graduating. SNU will be offering a select number of internships to its students at the end of their third year – the

internships could come in the form of projects within the campus or as the result of tie-ups with industries. However, given the limited number of offers, it’s advisable to keep your own options ready.

4

Sometimes I have these fleeting thoughts,Can’t tell if they’re even real or not,

I think of a place in tomorrow’s world, It’s a place that makes me feel at ease,

A place I find my comfort in, Because you see,

It tolerates my blundering.

There’re no words, no noise, No pretence, no poise,

There’s no sign of expectation, No endless complication,

No promises to keep,Not a thing to make me weak.

A small amount of emptiness,A scattering of common sense, The enduring sound of silence,

And the secrets that it hides within,A heap or two of my mistakes,

Is what it takes to make this place.

But alas, The moment has passed,

The fleeting thoughts have come and gone, This place of mine, I have not found.

Back to the world of present day, The din I cannot keep at bay, It follows me where ‘ere I go,

With hurtful words I’d rather not know.

The cages that have been made for me, The definitions of who I must be,

Back to this world of strange confines, Where the stage is set, but the lines aren’t mine.

And in this world I will exist,Play all my parts, without a hitch.

Art Review

POEM

Internships can be taken in the winter break (15 day) or during the summer vacations (4-6 week). You can start in the first year, but it’s better to wait till at least the second year; you’ll have a better understanding of your subject and it’ll help in ascertaining the University Wide Electives and CCCs you can take in the next year. As a part of engineering curriculum a training of around four to six weeks is mandatory, generally done after the third year to help in gaining insights into working of the industry. It provides a platform to students to put to use their theoretical knowledge. This compulsory internship will not be fully arranged by the University. As mentioned earlier, they’ll be offering limited projects and internships and CGPA will be the primary method of selection. Also, they may not bring in the firm you wish to work for. So don’t depend on the University – keep yourself informed and ready. The fifteen day internships provide more of an overview of the company and processes than any detailed knowledge. The four to six week duration internships are a good opportunity to learn to ins and outs of an industry, as well as to participate in projects and develop soft skills, provided you’re interested enough.

One way is through collaborations forged by the University; SNU is in talks with various companies to provide internships to students from the third year. They will be offered in the summer break after the third year. Another way, if you want to start earlier, is to directly approach companies. Talk to faculty members, friends, relatives; you’re sure to find some contacts within industries you’re interested in. Use those to obtain internships. Alternately, visit sites of particular companies and post your resumes – some are sure to get back to you. You could also try checking out websites of other colleges; the IITs in particular always offer summer internships. The University does not, as of now, have any mechanism in place to aid students who have initiated talks with companies they are interested in, but Dr. Gopal states that if such students were to come forward, the process would be developed for them.

The base selection criterion for any internship is CGPA. It’s advisable to maintain a minimum CGPA of seven, as most companies do not go into further detail if the CGPA criteria are not met. After that the CV, along with a recommendation letter from a faculty member, comes into play. You should start building your CV as early as possible, as you need to present it for any sort of academic selections. A CV provides a brief overview of a person’s qualifications and achievements; make a good enough CV and it’ll help in brushing over average grades. It shouldhighlight any projects done along with extra-curricular achievements. Projects are something you need to do on your own – pick up a basic piece of hardware and design it yourself, write code fragments, put together small machines. Take the guidance of faculty members and start; they help in scoring internships and also in job interviews.

The work given to an intern varies from firm to firm. There are some places that don’t assign any work at all – they’ll give you a tour on the first day and working is optional; in these type of places, it’s up to you. If you want to actually pick up some experience, interns are given anything from clerical work to assignments within an on-going project, aided by supervisors within the firm. Basic knowledge of Excel helps when compiling data and mak-ing reports, but no particular skill set is asked for when assisting in a proj-ect; it’s mostly a learning experience. However, having sound knowledge of all you’ve studied along with general information about de-velopments in the field certainly gives you an edge.

WHERE YOU CAN APPLY

WHEN YOU CAN TAKE THEM

WHAT YOU’LL DO

SELECTION CRITERIA

Useful LinksResume Writing

Internship Offers

Types of Internships

9 Kinds of Interns

Project Ideas

A PlaceBy Meghna JoshiCSE, 2nd YEAR

Ca

re

erW

ise

5

Yashaswi Singh: What was the aim of this course? What did you wish to impart to the students through this course? Dr. N. Sukumar: What are drugs? Why do drugs work? What causes side effects? Why are drugs addictive? These are some questions that I aimed to answer through this course. Social, political, ethical and economic issues related to drugs are also addressed.YS: How is this particular course beneficial for engineering students? NS: The course consisted of interactive teaching methods, such as presentations along with the regular lectures. Giving presentations in class made the students more confident. Also, students were given assignments and thus had to search efficiently through all the available material and sort out what is important and what is not. This is particularly important especially for higher education when one has to do a lot of research and go

through a lot of material. Group work was another skill that was promoted through the course as many group assignments were given.YS: Do you feel the aim for this course was accomplished? NS: Yes, I largely feel that the aim was accomplished. However, there were some disappointments as well. For example, if a student had a test in the afternoon, then they would not attend the class in the morning. This practice of missing classes for preparing for tests should be discouraged.YS: What changes can we expect in this course in the future? NS: I have decided to include some topics afresh which have gained importance after the Noble Prizes. Also, there will be a more mixture of online as well as class quizzes. YS: What new courses can we expect in the future? NS: Next semester, I will be offering a UWE (University Wide

Elective) in Chemistry of Colour and Art in which students would be given an opportunity to go and see paintings of different artists with an emphasis o n how they used colour in them.

Sometime next year there would probably be a CCC course on

Molecules of Murder.

Meghna Joshi: What was the purpose of the Mathematics in India Course? Dr. Amber Habib: Everyone agrees that Mathematics is unique among disciplines, but the descriptions of this uniqueness vary. Typically, we study maths as a certain set of achievements. We do not study how they came about, or the human and social impulses that motivated and enabled them. The story of mathematics in ancient and medieval India is a fascinating one. To begin with there are exceptional achievements, such as the creation of zero and the decimal place value system. Even more, the Indian notion of the nature of mathematics appears to have been quite different from the classic Greek model based on deductive logic. So the study of mathematics in India offers many exciting possibilities for a better understanding of mathematics.MJ: What did you wish to impart to the students? AH: I didn’t wish to “impart” anything! I believe that a teacher’s fundamental task is to ask “have you thought of this” or to suggest “you could try thinking about this” often enough. In this particular course,

my hope was that I could provide a starting point from which students could:

1.Explore possible connections between developments in India and elsewhere2.Look at societal aspects.3.Investigate views of “What is Mathematics” and their impact on the development of the subject

MJ: Why should students think of taking this course? AH: From my experiences with engineering education in India, I conclude that the human side of engineering is missing. If students can appreciate this lack in mathematics education, perhaps they will proceed to appreciate it in other parts of their curriculum too. MJ: Do you think students made the most of this course? AH:I think the job of the course was half-done. The story of how mathematics evolved in India did get told, and some of the extra-mathematical factors were discussed. But we should have done much more of the latter. MJ: Will you be making any changes next time?

Dru

gs and

Natu

ral Rem

edies D

rugs an

d N

atural R

emed

ies

Mathematics In India Mathematics In India Mathematics In India Mathematics In India Mathematics

AH:The assessment scheme will evolve. It is difficult to know how to evaluate a student in a course such as this. Probably the student presentations will get better-defined so that the

roles and contributions of individuals are well demarcated. Another issue is the quality of the references used by students. Purely internet-based research will likely be banned!

Yashaswi Singh: What did you wish to impart to the students through this course? Dr. Deepak Sehgal: Through this course, I wanted to familiarise students with modern biology and molecular biology. I wanted them to know terms such as PCR, DNA and recombinant techniques that are commonly used in their daily lives. Knowledge of some basic diseases was also given, like what to do in case of common cold; difference between a bacterial and a viral disease etc. YS: How is this particular course beneficial for engineering students? DS: This course contains the basics of biology and terms that we hear in everyday life. DNA is a term which is used a lot these days, something like inflation. Even if a student is going for a management course, these are terms that can be asked in the interview. YS: Do you feel the aim for this course was accomplished? DS: Yes, I feel that the aim for this course was largley accomplished. Moreover, students wereable to score marks,whichshows they have largely understood whateverwas taught in the class. No one had to be given grace marks to be passed. I was also

quite happy with the class performance.

YS: What changes can we expect in this course in the future? DS: The only change that is required is that I have to teach more basics. One learns from experience and what I found was that some students were unable to grasp the topics quickly as their basics were not clear.YS: What new courses can we expect in the future? DS: A course on cancer as we have strong faculty expertise in that field. I would also like to offer a course on IPR i.e. International Patent Rights. This is a course that would be useful for everyone who would do research in the future.

Gen

etic

En

gin

eeri

ng

Gen

etic

En

gin

eeri

ng G

enet

ic E

ngi

nee

rin

g

Aishwarya Sharma: What difference do you wish to see amongst students after they have completed the course? Charu Sharma: I just want the students to appreciate the beauty of numbers and how we use them so extensively in our day-to-day life.AS: How do you find it different from other subjects? CS: I guess it being a CCC course, I have tried to make it as flexible as I could. Some topics were predetermined and some are entirely based on the interest of the class.AS: Have you come across anything that was shocking or amusing for you during the course? CS: I myself studied some of these concepts in greater depth for the very first time while preparing for this course. And I was amazed to see some of these applications in real world, especially applications of golden ratio and Fibonacci sequence.AS: The best thing about the course?

CS: Its an interesting and beautiful blend of theory and IT.AS: Course Highlights (in brief): CS: This course deals with two aspects of numbers. In the first part of the course we will take up some unexplored patterns that exist in nature, study them and understand some of their applications. The second part looks at numbers as carriers of information about our lives. Here we learn how to analyze and present data in ways that help us make sense of our lives. We’ll use the spreadsheet program in Excel to analyze the data in depth. AS: Advice for the students? CS: Just take it easy, appreciate the importance of numbers, don’t take them for granted, and enjoy the course AS: Tricks to score high in the subject ? CS: Assignments on time, quizzes on time, ppt and please try and be little bit innovative.

Art of Numbers Art of Numbers Art of Numbers

oreommomurriculumTheC Section

Meghna Joshi: The Literature, Iden-tity and Theatre course is some-thing a lot of people haven’t ever heard of before. What made you come up with something like that? Dr. Pramesh Ratnakar: We wanted to use the rich resources of theatre combined with literature to get students to forge a distinctive SNU identity. The idea behind the course was to get the students to learn experientially rather than theoretically. We got some very experienced people from NSD and worked out theatre workshop exercises that were meant to get the students to experience and explore certain values which we think the students should have as they move along in their journey through SNU. The idea was to have lots of fun and lots of learning without being preachy about it. MJ: Can you elaborate on one or two particular exercises that you personally found really interesting. PR: We were addressing problems in SNU and creating specific exercises to tackle those. One of the issues was that you get people from all over the country, and they needed to come together as SNU students rather than be different groups. By the end of the first session everyone had interacted, gotten to know the others and were friends. There was a whole session on trust as

well. There’s this tradition of teaching in the theatre circles which we tapped into and it worked very well. MJ: Why should any student from a technical stream take this course? PR: See, once you’re very clear that in today’s world you need communication skills to make a mark and get ahead then you need to think of communication as not just a technical thing. It’s not just a question of learning

how to stand and pronounce certain words in a certain way and all that – to be a good communicator you have to have ideas.MJ: You need to have something to say. PR: Yes and that something will come from the way you’re living life. It’s not as if it’ll come out of the blue or you’ll pick up books and come up with ideas. You have to develop a deeper self-confidence and that will come only when you have aligned the things that are troubling you in a more harmonious way and that is what this course gets you to do. We said that this will help communication and personality but in a more organic way where you work things out within yourself and decide

how you want to live your life. We ended up looking very closely at academic integrity and the whole crux of the matter became that if you want to get maximum value out of SNU then you have to take a call within yourself , whether someone is supervising you or not, that you will not use dishonest practices. If you take shortcuts and you cheat then you will never take on challenges and never maximize your potential as a person. MJ: What else can we look forward to from the English Department? PR: We’ve got a bunch of CCC courses – public speaking, creative writing, communication. We’re offering a UWE on advertising,

which a very senior advertising professional is going to come and teach. One of the key things for new courses is that they must be a lot of fun.MJ: Would you be able to offer some sort of course on resume, CV and other formal writing? It’s a skill which we’ll need a lot in the future. PR: Definitely. There are courses in different kind of writing skills. That’s a major area of concern that student should be able to handle at least functional English. Of course, there’s always the very rich resource of the internet. These are pretty simple things to learn yourselves – you can get templates, try your hand at it.

6

The SNU EconomistContd from page1

RA: Many students from the Engineering stream may want to do a minor in a subject from Humanities. What’s your take on that? SG: Any student from any School may do a minor in Humanities. Opening your skills to other disciplines broadens your mind. You will be more than an engineer only if you know more than an engineer. You have to be adequate to deal with the various issues of the society. So far SNU is the only university in India providing such a platform.RA: How has your journey at SNU been so far? SG: The journey so far has been rough and exciting. You have to come through the village. The railway gate causes delays at times. The best part in all this is that we are not following rules laid down by anybody. This is a University of our dreams. Any mistakes or achievements we make are our responsibility. We have an opportunity

to shape our own university in the way we want.RA: The best thing you like about SNU. SG: I have never taught undergraduate students. I have been teaching students pursuing Post-Graduation, but interaction with Undergraduates is a new experience for me. These are students coming directly from school so I have to take care of my teaching methodology. I like the challenge of this new experience.RA: Is FDI good for India? SG: Yes! If a foreign company would like to invest on us then what’s wrong!!RA: Wouldn’t the small scale shopkeepers be deprived of their livelihood? SG: When colour TV came, black and white TV went out. Did you cry for those who did colour TV? When KFC came, on the other hand, did the dhaba selling tandoori chicken

lose out? So, if the small shop-keeper provides a service that the big stores do not, the small shop-keeper will not be deprived of their livelihood. If, on the other hand, they provide the same thing at a higher price, they will lose out. In that case, we need to find alternative livelihoods for them, not prevent cheaper or better things from coming into the market.RA: Your vision about SNU. SG: Anyone would take pride in their association with Harvard University. I want SNU to be the same. I want this to be a place where students are keen to be admitted and faculty, to be recruited. Then our job is done.RA: Which is the better choice for a course - MBA or M-Tech? SG: Do it because you want to do it! Then you will be successful. You do an MBA with no interest in Business Management but just for the sake of money then you may end up as the poorest man! RA: Your final message.SG: An individual should be free to make choices and decide for oneself.

By Indranjan BanerjeeBA English, 1st YEAR

Did you ever think that a day would come in your life when you will actually jump around a big room, shouting out gibberish

like crazy and that too in front of a professional from National School of Drama? Well, I didn’t! The Literature, Identity and Theatre classes turned out to be one of those few surprises in SNU’s Pandora’s Box. From drawing to debating, from posture making to free falling, from crazy warm up activities to hardcore acting- they had it all. In this column, I won’t start writing the accounts of all the activities we did in the LIT classes (like the way we did for our portfolios), I can promise you that! Instead, I would write something about the LIT course.I felt the effect of the LIT course on me a few days after the weekly classes for

the course were over, and the change – I have to accept – was pretty evident. From public speaking to social skills, it sure has helped me to hone my abilities in an all-round fashion, and I guess most of us feel that way. Eight classes, eight days, eight weeks - that is all what we had to complete this course. But the effect of it is life-long. Honestly, when I attended the first session, I felt weird doing the exercises given to us, thinking that they were daft and a waste of time. But by the end of the second session, I started enjoying it. Gradually, the once-a-week LIT classes turned out to be the ones I would be waiting for, the entire week. The sessions not only helped as a stress buster after a long week of academics, but it also helped to shape up our personality and our views, perspectives and skills as a person. We learnt to break the clichés and the boundaries, and walk ahead. It aimed at making us a better social man; I guess it did work, at least for most of us. It honed our identity. Understanding the mind of an actor is not an easy task- the

professionals from NSD made us realise that. They made us visualise the broader aspect of drama and acting by summoning us into sessions of acting and theatre art. The activities continuously challenged our creativity, flexibility (both mental and physical) and our alertness and observatory skills. The cherry on the cake, of course, was the hand-outs and the exam based on it. They were about society and our existence and identity in it. Well, the cake came with a second cherry, the portfolio, as they call it! And the general concensous was that it was the low point of the course. Sure, it helped us to keep a record of what we had done in the sessions and our views and feelings about them, but in the end, writing them out was pretty tiresome and added to the hectic factor generally found in academics. I am sure many, or rather most, will agree with this opinion of mine.All in all, the LIT course was pretty unique and effective. It was not mainstream academics, but it was a course worth taking.

STUDENTPEAK

iterature, Identity and Theatre

Contd from page 1 But at SNU, we had already started with this thought. So the tower that we are building, though unfinished, has got the framework. It has also got the required ‘permits’ - the approval of all the students attending and their parents’ as well. In DU, however, this is going to be a problem. History shows us that people don’t accept change easily, that too in something which has been there for years. Another major mistake DU made is giving the option to withdraw after 3 years, which misses the whole point. A 4 year course gives you the upper hand, but since few people know about the advantages of it, many people will end up opting for the 3 year programme. So, on the whole, if DU wants to make this 4 year course programme to work they’ll have to work hard for the next 5-6 years, during which I’m sure, we will have achieved enough for the tables to turn. We will be the threat to DU.

iterature, Identity and Theatre

L

SNU v/s DU

By Aishwarya Sharma,CSE, 2nd YEAR

You know what I am talking about, don’t you? If I am not wrong, you guys have a tendency to keep your secret files and documents in a folder which is inside another folder which is inside another one and the whole thing is kept in the Recycle bin. Don’t you? Guys, you are expected to work smartly. Ever thought of using a BitLocker encryption feature on your laptops? Before you start hunting for BitLocker on your laptop, make sure you use one of the OS mentioned here. BitLocker is actually a full disk encryption feature available with Ultimate and Enterprise Editions of Microsoft’s Windows Vista, Windows7, and the Professional and Enterprise editions of Windows 8 desktop OS, as well as the server platforms, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012. And if your laptop is not

working on any of these, I am afraid, you will have to continue with your own style of keeping you secret files. So, if you have any one of them, follow some simple steps.

Create a Disk Partition on your hard disk. 1.Open Command Prompt Window.2.Type diskmgmt.msc3.This will open Disk Management Console on your screen.4.Enable the graphical View by going under “VIEW” tab 5.Right click an unallocated or free area, and then click new simple volume. This starts the New Simple Volume Wizard.6.Read the welcome page and click Next.7.Specify the minimum and maximum size for the volume in megabytes (MBs) and ‘minimum disk space’ header lets you know the memory you can have under these limits and press Next.8.On the Assign Drive Letter Or Path page, specify whether you want to assign a drive letter or path and then click Next. You will come across 3

following options:i.Assign The Following Drive Letter: By default, Windows 7 selects the lowest available drive letter. So, you don’t have to worry about that!ii.Mount In The Following Empty NTFS Folder This option enables you to mount the partition in an empty NTFS Folder.iii.Do Not Assign A Drive Letter Or Drive Path It enable you to create the partition without assigning a path or a drive letter. Later, if you want the partition to be available for storage, you can assign a drive letter or path at that time.

9. Click Next10. If you want to format the volume, select ‘Format this volume with following settings’.File System: You can choose any of them, preferably, FAT or FAT32.Allocation Unit Size: if you use many small files, you might want to use small cluster size, for eg: 512 bytes or 1024 bytes (This way small files use less disk space).Volume Label: Select a name for your new volume or disk space.11.Select Perform a quick Format.

12.Click Next 13.Confirm your options, click Finish. Now, go through some simple steps to encrypt the disk partition you just made. And now -

How to encrypt this disk? 1.Go to ‘Control Panel’. I am assuming you know how to go to that.2.Click on BitLocker Drive Encryption under the Security header.3.Select the drive you would like to encrypt 4.For that drive click ‘Turn On BitLocker’5.Wait till BitLocker initializes the drive6.Save the recovery password. It is important to do so.7.Click Next.8.On the Encrypt the selected disk volume page, confirm the Run BitLocker System Check check box and then click continue.9.Confirm that you want to restart your computer now, by clicking Restart. You are ready to hide those files from the people around you. But, for people who do not have those OSs, you can definitely install BitLocker Encryption.

Where Do You Hide Those Files?

By Aishwarya SharmaCSE, 2nd YEAR

Aishwarya Sharma: You have interacted with most of the students on campus. Our campus has students from various linguistic backgrounds and you possess good lingual skills. How do you find students in terms of interacting with each other and conveying thoughts despite the language barrier, in short, their efficiency in communicating? T. Nagarajan: It is pretty amazing to see how students at SNU have mingled so fast with each other despite their cultural, regional and linguistic differences; it is really nice to note that as they have grown up together in the past one year, they have started accommodating different cultures into their own which is pretty evident from how all festivals and events are celebrated in high spirit. I frequently see children from different linguistic backgrounds on the same dinner table and the great thing is that they have even started learning each other’s languages. The only thing that is a bit concerning is that when it comes to unity, I often see people from different linguistic groups standing separate. However, I think it is just a matter of some more time and we’ll certainly see more and more children accommodate each other’s background into their own.AS: You take care of the purchases of the University, be it student-related or the university as whole and you

have had work experience in many other places as well. How do you find our university different in terms of monetary liberty (resourcefulness)? TN: This place is certainly different. I have been in organisations and they all seemed to optimize on essential things for monetary savings, but in this place there is always a responsible freedom in using resources and spending money for essential purposes, may it be student-related or university-related but there is always an emphasis on using the best.Even if you see for the students, this is a place where students don’t have to pay for academic workshops and have a great financial liberty while hosting events. We have held a handful of events which had a really high budget and even the clubs which the students formed are getting a high amount of money for their activities. However, it is to note that this does not mean that we waste money on unnecessary things.AS: How much has the university grown since you arrived here? TN: The university has developed a lot within the past one year. The infrastructure has improved, so has the number of people in the institution – may it be students or staff – and the needs have been changing. Earlier we started with an intent to growing infrastructure (as we practically started with nothing) and now we have reached a state where along with that, we are focusing largely on the academic and research front,

the university has recruited experts in every field and they are performing to

their best. In the years ahead, I can see a lot of development, infrastructural and academic, both.AS: The best thing about the SNU Admin? TN: The team at SNU is really working hard towards achieving what they aim for. They are really dedicated and howsoever busy they may be, they always have time for students and student-related activities, We really love the students we work for and those students give us all the support required.AS: Drawbacks of Admin Team (if they exist). TN: The only concern is that most in the team come from a corporate background and no one has been related to a university background, so that sometimes creates a gap between what students convey and how it is

interpreted, but we certainly sort out all the student issues.AS: Scope of improvement in the university. (Not just admin, considering different spheres as well). TN: Though the university is doing all its efforts to grow, yet it lacks in some minor aspects, like there is no coordination between the project teams and the administrative team. Moreover, I feel that being far away from the city, the university lacks some recreational and leisure facilities that it should possess considering its stature.AS: If there would be one thing about the college which you would like to change (can be anything), what would that be? TN: I don’t want to change anything about the college, but certainly I would wish to see some changes in the students. I have observed that though the students are inspired and have matured a lot after coming to this place, but still the academic work is still a bit less, they are not putting in all their efforts and they certainly have much more potential than they are showcasing.AS: Standing in an authoritative position, would you like to share some necessary job ethics, which could be useful for us in future? TN: First of all, learn to be punctual, students here are really very hard working but are not as punctual as they should be, and secondly, learn to take responsibility. I have seen that students do take responsibility, but either don’t live up to it or try to avoid it. Stand for what you choose and take responsibility for whatever you do.

Interview with T. Nagarajan

Mr Nagarajan, Senior Admin Manager, SNU.

Te

chK

no

wC

on

ve

rsa

tio

n7

Alien Car designed by Christopher R. using Computer Aided Design (CAD)

Poem ReviewART

The Golden DesertBy B. Deewang

BS Math 1st YEAR

This life is a desert,The golden sand our abode.

The sand dunes are our challenges,Across this land I rode.Nowhere a soul in sight,

I realised how lonely we are.People come and go,

Some become close, some see us from afar.This sandy terrain is like no other

You thrive and fallOne such thing is the oasis.The oasis tells us how life is.

That everything is an illusion,In the end, nothing matters but to live life as it is

The only thing that matters,On this wretched land as whole.

Is your shadow that never leaves your side,Like true friends which define your soul.

SNU outplayed BIMTECH in a friendly football match. SNU players showcased a perfect display of a strong offense. From the very first minute SNU made its intentions of attacking clear but were not able to hit the required region. It was in the eighth minute when Shantam Bharghav scored the first goal of the match with Nobin Jose assisting him. Just two minutes later Shashank Gupta,Football team Captain, scored the next one with Shantam Bhargav assisting him. Fortunately, the third one was a self-goal. Eventually, at half time the score

was 3-0 in favour of SNU.In the second half, BIMTECH

strengthen its defence but it seemed nothing could stop our players. In the fiftieth minute,Deepak Malhotra struck another goal via incredible passing between Rohil Jain, Shashank Gupta and Prahlad Meyyappan. Hereafter, Nobin Jose scored the final goal. Eventually, the final score was 5-0 in favour of SNU.

This was a very promising effort from our university team and we forward to witness many more in the forthcoming future.

On the eve of seventeenth of September, SNU Basketball players created history. An evening to be cherished and remembered as Shiv Nadar University had registered its first victory on its pages of time. This most awaited moment demanded for immense hard work, patience and could not be denied.

Jamia University, a central university established in 1920 from Delhi, visited SNU for a friendly match. The match was an exceptional thriller with equally matched teams from both the sides. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 14-12 in favour of SNU. It was in the next two quarters where our players utilized

their skills and started dominating the game. The score at the end of third quarter was 48-35 in favour of SNU hereafter a twist followed. With the start of the fourth quarter JU came up with a strong comeback scoring eighteen points which narrowed the score difference. Eventually, the final score was 60-52 in favour of SNU.

The Key players from our side were-

Sajal Malhotra (Captain). Prashant Bhaskaran.

Shaktivel B.N.Amar Ansari.Mayank.Vaman.

25th September, 2012. SNU beat JAYPEE, an epic blowout that continued SNU’s winning streak. As the first quarter started, a lot was expected from the game, going with the reputation of JAYPEE University. Rather things turned out to be different. SNU totally outplayed JAYPEE leading to a score of 22-8(just at the end of first quarter). By the

second quarter, JAYPEE tried to make a comeback but eventually the score was 41-25 in favour of SNU. The final score at the end of four quarters was 79-43 in favour of SNU.

Prashant BP, the maximum point scorer from SNU said,” It was an inexperienced side with very bad co-ordinaton. It was a good practice match.”

The First Victory SNU Outplays BIMTECH

An Epic Blowout

Art Review

POEM

8

SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS

Sports coverage By Raunak Agarwal

EE, 2nd YEAR

Everyone has something that they want to write passionately about, whether it’s a movie or technology review, poems, or the burning questions of life which face us all. Our e-newspaper allows you to do so, your article will be read by all the faculties,students and other members of SNU.To submit your article, review, poem, art work, acheivement etc , simply drop a mail at discover@snu.edu.in

Contribute