Bhubaneswar: As many as 802 students from IIT Bhubaneswar were awarded degrees in the 14th Convocation of the Institute recently. Officials said 96 PhD degrees, 177 MTech degrees, 96 MSc degrees, 102 dual degrees (BTech and MTech) and 325 BTech degrees were awarded for the academic year 2024-25.

Former secretary of department of science and technology and former director of Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar VS Ramamurthy, who addressed the students on the occasion, stressed that excellence is not optional but a commitment. "Whatever you do, do it well" he said urging the passouts to strive to lead and make a mark in their chosen paths.

Speaking on the landmark discovery of the Higgs boson, he highlighted how transformative breakthroughs are built on long-term vision, perseverance and large-scale global collaboration rather than isolated effort. He underscored India's growing role as an equal partner in international scientific missions, noting that the country's contributions today are competitive in both quality and impact.

Ramamurthy also called for a shift in mindset and urged institutions like IITs to move beyond boundaries, embrace global collaboration and adopt 'cooperation while competing' as the defining mantra for advancing research and innovation.

IIT Bhubaneswar director Prof Shreepad Karmalkar presented a detailed report on various efforts and achievements of the Institute. He said the institute continues to strengthen its research footprint, innovation pipeline, industry-academia collaborations and a growing startup ecosystem, alongside key infrastructure and sustainability initiatives.