News

There are 247 posts filed in News (this is page 16 of 21).

Love for the other language

In today’s competitive world, there is an increasing need to know a foreign language besides your native language. Various institutes and universities are offering a number of courses in languages.

Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) offers one-year certificate and diploma programmes in foreign languages like French, German, Italian, Japanese and Russian besides communicative English . These courses are conducted part-time from 6pm to 8pm in the evenings, and university examinations are conducted at the end of year. Apart from these, an integrated diploma course, which is a combination of certificate and diploma programmes, is provided in Japanese language.

“French and German are the most sought-after languages, while Russian does not have many takers,” says Brinda Bala, HoD, department of English and foreign languages, CUSAT. “We have an Italian from the Italian embassy teaching Italian here and Takako Mulloor is a Japanese interpreter, teaching Japanese in CUSAT,” she adds.

Most people learn a foreign language out of interest. “It feels great to know an additional language and I am learning French out of love for the language and the country. Evening classes at CUSAT make it more convenient,” says Abdul Firoz, a working professional and a student at CUSAT.

Knowing a foreign language is always an additional qualification . Most IT companies and MNCs today make it mandatory for their professionals to learn a foreign language to brighten their onsite prospects. “As long as IT industry and job outsourcing exists, the demand for learning a foreign language will only grow in the coming years,” says Bala.

A course in foreign language provides endless career opportunities in fields like translation and interpretation, teaching and tourism industry.

With foreign dignitaries often visiting the country, government organisations are always in need of translators and interpreters.

ELIGIBILITY:
Students, who have completed their plus two in any stream, can opt for certificate courses in foreign languages. A degree is a must for a PG diploma in communicative English

Courtesy: Educationtimes.com

CUSAT to be upgraded as IIST

CUSAT IIEST

The much-awaited IIT might remain a dream for Kerala, but Keralites are going to be treated with a special gift by the HRD Ministry. Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister of State for HRD, announced that Cusat will be upgraded as Indian Institute of Science and Technology (IIST) in some months. Tharoor was speaking after inaugurating the MLA award ceremony, an initiative taken up by Hibi Eden MLA to honour students who have excelled in academics.

“The hurdles before CUSAT  have been dealt with. The files are moving fast. We hope Cusat will be upgraded to the status of an IIST at the earliest”, he said. “I tried my best to bring an IIT to Kerala. But the Planing Commission prefers to strengthen the existing IITs than start new ones. So Kerala will have to wait for some more time”, he said.

By quoting demographic statistics, Tharoor pointed out that India will become a major economic power, if the potential of the youth is tapped. “By 2020, India will have a vibrant population of working youth. The average age of the Indian population by 2020 will be 29. If this potential is tapped, India can overtake China in terms of economic growth”, he said.

He added that the policy of the UPA government is

to ensure growth and address issues of economic inequality.

Pointing at the remarkable number of girls in the list of achievers, he said that “Women are increasingly becoming visible in the realm of higher education. Kerala tops this trend in India. Women’s education is a significant factor in the development of a society. In India, the entry of women into the public realm can positively influence society.”

He advised students to actively take part in the political process. “These days people with good educational qualifications are entering politics and contributing towards the society’s growth”, he said. The MLA Award 2013 was organised in relation with the MLA’s Reach Out Programme. Hibi Eden MLA, Mayor Tony Chammany, Deputy Mayor B Bhadhra, among others, addressed the gathering.

Congress does not target any social group

Sashi Tharoor said that Congress does not discriminate on the basis of caste or religion. The culture of the Congress is to respect diverse opinions, he said. He was addressing media on the sidelines of a function at St Theresa’s college, Kochi.

When asked about the conflict between NSS and Congress, Tharoor reiterated that Congress does not target any social group. “Most of the controversies are unwanted”, he said. He added that Congress is not worried about Narendra Modi becoming influential in BJP. “People are aware of the track record of Modi and know what happened during the Gujarat riots. We are not worried, as it is an internal matter of BJP. We are confident of facing elections”, he said. Tharoor admitted that “IPL controversy has affected young and aspiring players”. However, he skirted a question on Sreesanth and remarked that legal processes should be respected. 

The New Indian Express

CUSAT students got Selected for Space Related Competition IN USA

juhaim and team

A team from ToH Institute of Science and Technology (TIST) here has been shortlisted to present their project at the
international CanSat Competition in the US. The competition brings together some of the world’s brightest students to showcase space-related systems they have conceptualised and built. It is open to teams from universities and colleges around the world. TIST team is the first ever from Kerala to be selected for this competition.

The five-member TIST team named Tarang comprises B. Tech sixth semester students Arjun Vinod P V, Vivin , Abraham Mathews, Abhishek N, P V Abimanyu Nair and Mohammed Juhaim Ibnu Abdul Jabbar. The team’s faculty advisor is Electronics department assistant professor Kiran George Varghese. The annual design-build-fly event is being held by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA) in association with NASA, Naval Research Laboratory (USA), Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp and PRAXIS Inc, at Burkett, Texas. CanSat gives students an opportunity to be involved in an end-to-end lifecycle of a complex engineering project from conceptual design through integration, test and actual operation of the system.

The purpose of the CanSat is to mimic the functions of an actual satellite, and thus it is an intertwining of various fields of engineering.

The Mission

The mission this year is to simulate the delivery of a sensor payload to a planet’s surface. The students will design a system consisting of a two primary components – the payload (a large egg) and a re-entry container to protect it. It will be deployed from the rocket, the payload released from the container and land safely with the sensor (egg) intact. All operations will be autonomously done by Cansat.