Engineering colleges pool resources for PIVOT 2010

“Scientists investigate that which already is…engineers create that which has never been." These are lines quoted by Albert Einstein and in the same spirit, engineering colleges in Mumbai are coming together to share resources, mentor new colleges, combine research and work together, following the path trailblased by national institutes such as the Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management.

PIVOT 2010 - a confluence of academia and industry was an initiative taken in order to facilitate a creative change in our educational system.

Organised by Vidyalankar Institute of Technology (VIT), (the college that hosted the first meeting) and sponsored by EMC, Pivot acknowledged the increasing industry demand for cloud computing and also presented an overview of the same. 40 colleges affiliated with the University of Mumbai formed a consortium for resource-sharing by strengthening inter-institute interaction and for effective networking when they came together for their first meeting on November 27, 2010 at Hotel Sea Princess, Juhu, Mumbai. Reputed colleges such as VJTI, VIT and KJ Somaiya Institute of Engineering and associates of Patni Computer Systems participated in the event. It was well-attended by principals, heads of departments and training & placement officers of various institutes.

“With technology developing at such a rapid pace we all need to pool in our resources. From research projects to mentorship, colleges will form a common database which will be useful for all," said Prof Seema Shah, principal, VIT. Mrs Sanjeewani Deshpande, chairperson of the Vidyalankar Dyanpeeth Trust emphasised the need for bridging the gap between academia and industry.

The chief guest of the event was Dr Rajiv Vaishnav, vice-president, member outreach from NASSCOM. In an interactive session, Dr Prasad Ramanathan, associate vice-president, Patni Computer Systems, shared his views on “Cloud Computing & Information Infrastructure - An Industry perspective."

Mr Krishna Kant, senior programme manager, EMC elaborated on Information Management, Cloud Computing and Green IT. He also talked about the availability of various resources like simulators and lab guides on the EMC web site which can be utilised by academicians while teaching the course on cloud computing.

The institute's and especially the principal, Prof Seema Shah's efforts in organising such a unique event were appreciated by all present. This new approach will help us increase awareness on technological updates and develop an interest in happening subjects. So friends, now it's our turn to roll up our sleeves, be at par with global standards and get the most benefit out of it by fulfilling our collective responsibility as engineers by applying our knowledge to improve the lives of people around the world.