IIIT Bangalore hosts its second e-convocation to confer degrees to the class of 2021

IIIT Bangalore hosts its second e-convocation to confer degrees to the class of 2021

Also celebrating the change of guard as Professor Sadagopan hands over the directorship to Dr. Debabrata Das

Bengaluru, India, July 4, 2021: The International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B), today hosted its 21^st annual convocation through an e-ceremony, amidst the ongoing pandemic. Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director, IIT Bombay was the Chief Guest and Mr. Umang Bedi, Co-founder, Dailyhunt was the Guest of Honour. The Ceremony was presided over by the Chairman of the IIIT-B Governing Body Mr Kris Gopalakrishnan, Director of IIIT-B Professor S Sadagopan and the Director Designate of IIIT-B, Dr. Debabrata Das and also marked the official handover of directorship duties to Dr. Das.

The past academic year has been particularly trying for students due to the prolonged virtual learning atmosphere. With remote learning continuing, our final year students have had to work on their research projects without physical access to labs and other facilities at the campus. Even then, the students have surpassed expectations with 322 individuals graduating with the following degrees: 5 PhD degrees, 8 Master of Science by Research degrees, 163 M.Tech. degrees, 16 M.Sc. degrees, 102 dual degrees, and 28 students with sponsored M.Tech. degrees. As tradition goes, 12 exceptional students in academics and extra-curricular activities were also bestowed with medals and recognitions and 1 alumnus was awarded for his entrepreneurial success and contribution to Information Technology through IoT driven products.

Chief guest of the ceremony, Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri, in his address to the students said, “As you are ready to pursue your careers in various fields, I want you to always look for ways to create opportunities for our younger generation, create more wealth for the nation and contribute towards providing better education to the students who might not be as privileged as you are. As proud alumni of this wonderful Institution, you have the responsibility to contribute to your alma mater and the society.”

Guest of Honour, Mr Umang Bedi in his address said, “Reflecting back on my own journey, I want to remind you all that the biggest transformations start with the smallest of ideas. The digital age today gives you the opportunity to solve unsolved problems and build products that could uplift the nation. As vibrant young minds, have faith in your capacity and create a fulfilling future for yourself, your families and the nation.”

This year the ceremony also marks another milestone in the IIITB’s legacy as Professor Sadagopan is taking leave of his directorship at the Institute. Since its inception, Professor Sadagopan has been at the helm and instrumental in leading the Institute towards excellence. His tenure with IIITB marks an entwining legacy that is inseparable from each other. Today, Professor Sadagopan handed over his duties to the Director Designate of IIITB, Dr. Debabrata Das. As the new Director of IIITB, Dr. Das would lead the Institute to achieve greater excellence in academics and innovations in science and technology.

“Today is a special day. The graduation ceremony is the most-awaited and celebrated occasion at IIIT-B and the faculty members and our graduating students pay high regard to it. I took charge as the first director of IIIT-B on June 3, 1999 and have addressed 20 convocations on the same podium since then. I heartily congratulate all outgoing students and wish them success in their chosen fields”, said Professor S. Sadagopan, Director, IIIT Bangalore, speaking about the Institute’s 21^st convocation.

Dr Debabrata Das, Director Designate of IIITB recalled the legacy that Professor Sadagopan has created during his many years of service at the Institute and said, “IIITB as an institute has flourished under the leadership of Professor Sadagopan and this also reflects how our students and alumni have performed in life. On this day, I congratulate our graduating batch of 2021 and wish them motivation and success to innovate and contribute toward technologies that will shape the future.”

Chairman of the IIIT-B Governing Body, Mr Kris Gopalakrishnan, in his address said, “The past year has been challenging for both the students and the faculty. However, all the hardwork and dedication has paid off, as today the students are armed with a degree from the prestigious institution of IIIT-B to shape a bright future. As I congratulate all the students graduating, I also want to leave everyone with a message to contribute to society and help build a nation that is more inclusive, sustainable and innovative.”

Among the graduating students, Mr Aditya Hegde was awarded the Late Sri. N. Rama Rao Medal for Student of the Year. IIIT-B alumnus Mr Nawal Lodha was awarded the Late Sri. N. Rama Rao Medal for Entrepreneur of the Year. With regards to faculty achievements, Dr Debabrata Das has been appointed as the Principal Investigator (PI) for the INR 150 crore Technology Incubation Hub at the IIIT-B campus.

IIIT-B is known as a research based IT institute providing world-class education, entrepreneurship and innovation opportunities to its students. The graduating students of this year will join some of the leading national and international technology giants including xx[1] . Some of the graduates are proceeding to pursue a career in Research by joining PhD programmes in prestigious institutions such as xx.

About IIIT B:

IIIT Bangalore is a premier institute focused on Post-Graduate IT education and research, located in the heart of Electronic City, Bangalore. It contains state of the art infrastructure, world-class faculty, vibrant alumni community, cutting edge research facilities and close industry collaboration. The institute’s specially designed courses make the students cognitive of the current technologies and practices, thereby equipping them with the tools and knowledge to solve contemporary real problems. Since the founding of the Institute in 1998, IIITB has enjoyed 100% placement each year, on account of the strong support of the Industry and the growing base of talented alumni