Chennai's Hindustan Institute of Technology & Science (HITS) celebrated its 12th annual convocation on March 5 where Dr Grace Akello, Uganda Ambassador to India, was one of the key guest speakers. A total of 2,214 graduands, comprising UG, PG, PhD and Diploma courses, were awarded degrees and 70 rank holders were honoured with prizes for their meritorious performance. The convocation was held in person and was live-streamed on the HITS YouTube channel.
In her special address to the graduating students, Dr Akello spoke on the importance of female empowerment around the world. She emphasised the need for love and empathy to build a better society. Highlighting the strong diplomatic relations that India and Uganda have had for over a hundred years, she thanked India for the support it extended to Uganda in times of crisis.
Dr Akello also inaugurated the Texas Instruments Innovation Centre (TIIC), formed in association with Edgate Technologies, which is aimed at bridging the gap between industry experts and academia by providing students with a hands-on learning experience.
Kris Gopalakrishnan, Co-Founder of Infosys, was the chief guest of the event. He said reminded students that the right use of technology makes a long-term impact on society. He urged the students to lend a helping hand to each other as the world has been enduring tough times for the past two years due to the pandemic and now due to the ongoing war in Europe. He also asked the students to constantly be in sync with current trends and developments to bring a wave of change in the coming years.
Gopalakrishnan inaugurated the WK Kellogg Food Analysis Laboratory, which aims to provide practical and theoretical training on the conversion of raw agricultural produce into processed, packaged, shelf-stable food products and intermediate raw materials, and also helps in the establishment, maintenance and assurance of food quality.
Meanwhile, Dr Peter Koenig, Professor & Head, Institute for Automotive Technology, Trier University of Applied Sciences, Germany inaugurated OKINAWA – HITS Skill Next Centre, which aims to make students competent in the EV market. As the automobile industry is facing a shortage of talented and skilled engineers needed for the transition to electric vehicles, this centre was set up to fill that gap and gain an edge through industry-ready curriculum design.
HITS Chancellor Dr Elizabeth Verghese, Pro-Chancellor Dr Anand Jacob Verghese, Vice-Chancellor Dr SN Sridhara, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr RW Alexander Jesudasan, Director Dr Aby Sam and Director Ashok Verghese were also present at the event. Post convocation, the guests and dignitaries were involved in planting saplings and inaugurated labs on campus.
