BANGALORE, India : The Cambridge Institute of Technology (CIT) recently celebrated the graduation of its first batch of students in the AI and Coding and Programming courses offered by Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC). The courses, offered by Samsung in the CIT campus as part of their CSR initiative, aims to empower young minds in futuristic technologies and provide access for the students to experiential learning and interaction with technical heads from the very best of the industry.
The objective is to make students not only industry ready but also provide them a platform to nurture their creative talents as well as entrepreneurial skills where they can ideate and come up with independent solutions for issues faced by industry.
SIC, introduced in December 2022, is one of the three programs that Samsung initiated in the campus, with the other two being PRISM (Preparing and Inspiring Students Mind), introduced in 2019 followed by SEED (Student Ecosystem for Engineered Data). CIT incidentally is the first institute and the only one in South India to incorporate all the three programs initiated by Samsung for technical university students. The graduation ceremony also saw the inauguration and welcoming of the first batch of students to the much awaited IoT course offered by SIC.
The event was presided over by Chief Guest, Dr L M Patnaik from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) along with Guests of Honour Sanjeev Prasad, Senior Director, Head of HR Team, SRI-B (Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru) and Manu Prasad, Senior Director, Head of Tech Strategy Team, SRI-B. Also present were Kaushik Das, Director (Principal Architect), IoT Big data Engineering & Analytics and Hariprasad, Solution Architect Samsung’s Smart Things Cloud, who would be the trainers for the IoT course.
Empowering with future proof skills
Welcoming the dignitaries, Dr G Indhumathi, Principal, CIT stated, “The SIC program will play a crucial role in reshaping student’s mindsets, and encourage them to think out the box. It provides a fertile learning environment that is systematic, critical, logical and innovative in approach. The program will also offer immense opportunities to students through its training to secure covetable positions in the global arena.”
Congratulating the graduating students for their successful completion of the AI and Coding and Programming courses, Dr Patnaik commended Samsung for the CSR initiative of setting up SIC which aids in empowering youth with future proof skills. Emphasizing the importance of industry and academic interaction programs, Dr Patnaik applauded CIT for its initiative and dedication to align its curriculum with international standards where the students receive a holistic education that prepares them to face the global stage.
Delivering his lecture on ‘Natural Intelligence and Supervised Learning’, Dr Patnaik drew parallels between the biological functioning of the human brain and the advancements made in AI models such as ChatGPT. He dwelt in detail on how the brain processes information and the principles of supervised learning that underlie AI algorithms. In his vision of the future, technology would revolutionise life and this would result in the emergence of new jobs and industries. Automation in sectors like banking as well as development of AI systems, capable of empathy and emotional quotient were part of Dr Patnaik’s vision for the emerging future.
Hard work is the key to bridge the gaps
Speaking on the importance of incorporating IoT with AI, Manu Prasad encouraged students to realise the potential of emerging technologies and seize the opportunity that was being presented. Comparing India with China and the United States, Prasad pointed that India is still two decades behind China and five decades behind the US when it came to technological advancements. With nearly 50 per cent of the research in computer vision happening currently in China, Prasad called upon the students to work harder and bridge this gap.
Lauding the commitment and efforts of the students to utilize the SIC lab at CIT till the wee hours to learn, he pointed that there is essentially no end to learning. Reassuring the students of the unstinted, dedicated support of SIC, he extended his gratitude to the management of CIT, Chairman DK Mohan and CEO Nithin Mohan for providing all the necessary resources and infrastructure to make the SIC program a resounding success.
Meteoric progress over the years
Acknowledging the efforts of Chairman DK Mohan in nurturing CIT to reach its current status, Nithin Mohan in his Presidential address drew attention to the spectacular progress made by the institute over the years which included startup initiatives and industry projects along with the key futuristic technological programs forged with Samsung. “These have together contributed to the growth and excellence of the institution,” he stated.
Expressing his gratitude to Samsung for providing international standards and unconditional support in shaping student’s future, Mohan added, “Our students possess the potential to make a significant impact in the field they forge into, aiding to shape a better, brighter tomorrow not just for our country, but the world.” He congratulated the 68 students who had successfully completed the AI and Coding and Programming courses, acclaiming their dedication and hard work. He welcomed the new students joining the first batch of IoT and Big data courses provided by SIC.
The event concluded with the release of the course material for the new IoT and Big data courses by Dr Patnaik, Sanjeev Prasad and Manu Prasad along with the certificates to the graduating students. In the forthcoming 2023-24 academic year, CIT will be focusing on training over 300 students through various courses in the Samsung Innovation Campus.
