Karnataka - Belgaum   

President Kalam lays emphasis on convergence of technologies

Staff Correspondent

`Information technology combined with biotechnology has led to bio-informatics'

INSPIRING AUDIENCE: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam arriving to deliver the sixth convocation address of Visvesvaraya Technological University in Belgaum on Sunday. With him are VTU Vice-Chancellor K. Balaveera Reddy and Higher Education Minister D.H. Shankarmurthy.

Belgaum: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Sunday laid emphasis on convergence of technologies, even as he saw nanotechnology as the field of future.

"Nanotechnology is knocking at our doors. It is the field of the future that will replace microelectronics and many fields with tremendous application potential in the areas of medicine, electronics and material science," he said.

In his address at the sixth convocation of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) here, he saw "convergence of technologies" as an emerging field and observed that the information technology and communication technology had already converged leading to Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Information technology combined with biotechnology had led to bio-informatics.

New science

He visualised birth of a new science called "Intelligent Bioscience" from the linkage of material convergence and biotechnology, which would lead to disease free, happy and more intelligent human habitat with longevity and high human capabilities.

"Convergence of bio-nano-info technologies could lead to the development of nano robots. Nano robots when they are injected into a patient, my expert friends say, it will diagnose and deliver the treatment exclusively in the affected area and then the nano robot gets digested as it is a DNA based product."

He also observed that convergence of ICT, aerospace and nano technologies would emerge and revolutionise the aerospace industry and electronics leading to nano computing systems.

This technological convergence would enable building of cost effective low weight, high payload, and highly reliable aerospace systems, which could be used for inter-planetary transportation.

Sir M.V. hailed

The President, who paid rich tributes to Sir M. Visvesvaraya and hailed his significant contribution in building of modern India, expressed his appreciation for the state-of-the-art learning and teaching facilities with online examination system and distance education programmes through EDUSAT network.

He observed that a university was judged by the level and extent of the research work it accomplished. This sets in a regenerative cycle of excellence.

Earlier, Minister of Higher Education and Pro-Chancellor of VTU, D.H. Shankarmurthy declared open the convocation and conferred honorary degrees of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) on V.S. Arunachalam, former Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and N. Seshagiri, emeritus scientist and former Director-General of NIC.

He also presented VTU gold medals and endowment gold medals to 83 rank holders who passed out during 2005-06.

The three top performers in the B.E./B.Tech. streams who received medals were Prasanna Kumar of Anjuman (Civil) College of Engineering, Bhatkal, who bagged three endowment gold medals and a VTU gold medal; Vanitha V.M. Prabhu (Electrical & Electronics Engineering) of SJCE, Mysore, who secured three endowment gold medals and one VTU gold medal and a cash prize; Srinivas R. (Mechanical) of PESIT, Bangalore, who bagged three endowment gold medals and one VTU gold medal.

One gold medal each was bagged by Gayatri Bijali of PESIT, Bangalore in MBA; Pankaja Prabhu of PG Studies, Jnana Sangam campus, Belgaum in MBA (Online); Punatar Aakash Dilipukar in MCA and Lester Roland Rozario of MSRIT, Bangalore, in Bachelor of Architecture.

Shantaladevi in M.Tech- Online (Computer Network Engineering) and Sushma B. Katti in M.Tech-Online (VLSI Design & Embedded Systems), who won a gold medal each, are from the Department PG Studies, Jnana Sangam campus, Belgaum.

VTU Vice-Chancellor K. Balaveera Reddy, who welcomed the gathering, introduced Dr. Arunachalam and Dr. Sheshagiri. Prominent among those present on the occasion included Sudha Murthy of Infosys Foundation, Registrar M.S. Shivakumar and Registrar (Evaluation) Balaji.

A life-size portrait in oil paint with a three-dimensional effect was presented to the President on the occasion.

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