Prof. Arun Sreekumar, Charles C Bell Jr. Endowed Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas and Visiting Faculty, Dept. of Biosciences, SSSIHL, an expert on Cancer Biology delivered a keynote lecture on Re-wired Metabolism Drives Breast Cancer at SSSIHL on 22 Jan 2020.
Re-wired Metabolism Drives Breast Cancer
The talk focused on how breast cancer modifies its metabolism to escape host immune response and become aggressive (metastatic). The mechanism underpinnings that drive this immune escape was determined. The potential translation of these findings to develop treatment strategies for patients was discussed.
#SSSIHL #SSSIHLResearch #SSSIHLChemistry #cancerbiology#breastcancerresearch.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Mrs. G Madhavi, Partner, CAS & Associates, and alumnus, SSSIHL gave a series of lectures on the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility at the individual level to M.B.A. students in January. She stressed on the sense of accountability that each professional must employ, and how the maxim, Develop oneself to develop the economy, is a good moral compass to have.
Organizations use many strategies for this too. For example, a Vigil (Whistle Blower) Mechanism that provides a channel to the employees and Directors to report to the management concerns about unethical behavior, actual or suspected fraud, or violation of the Codes of conduct or policy.
She also lectured on topics such as Cross Border Mergers and Insider Trading. She used industry-oriented examples to increase the visibility of its applications. The concepts taught were linked with spirituality, thereby highlighting its importance in work and life.
#SSSIHLManagementCommerce #SSSIHL
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Mental Models
Redefine your model of the world!
Students of the M.B.A. programme participated in a self-analytical workshop, Mental Models, conducted by Ms. Shradha S Jaitly, GM (Finance), International Trade & Risk Management, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL).
They participated in two activities, left and right-hand column activity, as well as a debate between union and management, that enabled them to analyze their model of the world — thoughts, feelings, actions and results. The activities helped them identify their preconceived notions and deeply held beliefs and assumptions that come in the way of clarity, effective decision making and actions.
As a result, students gained a deeper understanding of their thoughts and feelings and learned techniques on how to release them. They were empowered to meet personal and professional challenges that come their way by adjusting the view of the problem at hand.
After all, not every dilemma is presented to us in the same way, nor can it be decided from the same vantage point. As a wise man once rightly said, two heads are better than one, and four heads are better than two.
#SSSIHLManagementCommerce #SSSIHL
Dr. S Panchanathan to be the Director of the National Science Foundation
Dr. S “Panch” Panchanathan
Dr. S Panchanathan, a devotee of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and Adjunct Faculty, Dept. of Mathematics & Computer Science, SSSIHL has been nominated as the next President of The National Science Foundation (NSF), USA by President Trump.
Dr. S Panchanathan (or “Panch”) currently serves as the Executive Vice President and the Chief Research and Innovation Officer at Arizona State University (ASU).
The NSF is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defence…” It has a directive to fund (with a budget of approximately US$ 8 Billion) almost a quarter of all federally supported basic research conducted by the United States’ colleges and universities in fields such as Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, and the Social Sciences.
“For five years, Panchanathan has been a bold, energizing presence on the National Science Board and he was a leader in every sense of the word in the research community prior to that,” said NSF Director France Córdova in a statement. “Panch has the character and knowledge that make him an ideal fit for the job.”
“He is the best kind of disruptor, one who understands that the best way to predict the future is to invent it,” said Diane Souvaine, chair of the National Science Board in Alexandria, Virginia, in a statement.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/…/president-donald-j-trump-anno…/
M.B.A. Students – Industrial Visits (Men) – 2019
A unique aspect of the SSSIHL MBA programme is to determine how the management concepts learnt in the classroom can be applied to help alleviate some of the problems that the villagers of India face in their daily lives.
On 18 December 2019, the I MBA students (Prasanthi Nilayam Campus) visited villages in the Anekal Taluk of Karnataka adopted by Srinivasan Services Trust (SST), the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of the TVS Group.
The TVS Group has partnered with the Bosch India Foundation to enable the transformation of 5000 rural communities and urban slums by empowering people to achieve sustainable development. To this end, it has committed (at least) 2% of its yearly net profits.
Students were privy to several programmes during their visit. Some of these included the Dress Craft and embroidery design programme (which helps village folks sell their products with decent margins in the marketplace), the Self-Employment Training Programme (a three-month course for women aimed to give them financial independence by becoming entrepreneurs) and the ‘Balwadi’ programme, designed for the upkeep, education and engagement of children.
They experienced firsthand how these villages are growing in stature, the standard of living and confidence. It made them realize how we can make such a big difference in the lives of so many when we believe and take it upon ourselves to serve and give back to society.
Students also visited GE Healthcare, Times of India and TVS Motors in Bangalore, Karnataka & Hosur, Tamil Nadu, 17-18 Sep 2019.
Leadership in Challenging Times
Increasingly, in the current state-of-play, it is difficult for values-based leadership to thrive. In these challenging times, it is therefore crucial that we practise the fundamental principles of leadership.
On 17 August 2019, Mr. Gopal Rao, Managing Director (India) and Operations Manager, Landmark Education, and an alumnus of SSSIHL, conducted a one-day workshop at the Dept. of Management & Commerce, to address this.
His first observation was that whatever others throw at us, it has no impact on us unless we make it impactful. In all undertakings, more than keeping an eye on the content, it is essential to see the context, since context is the background that colours situations.
He then spoke about the importance of relationships and the human connection as a measure of the quality of one’s life. He stressed on the importance of listening as a paramount component of communication. Sadly, he said, we engage with the speaker who talks to us through agreeing or disagreeing, only to confirm our own point of view. This hinders the achievement of meaningful communication.
The most noteworthy issue that Mr. Gopal Rao touched upon was integrity. He described integrity as the state of being whole, complete and unimpaired, which is created in us when we honour our word given to ourselves and others. He said we must be willing to see that an incomplete task — even if it was left unfinished for a good excuse — is still a task not done and we must be willing to take ownership for it being so.
Finally, he encouraged students to follow three fundamental principles:
- First, if they wish to play the game (i.e., make the best of their studies here), they must decide to accept and align with every rule of the Institute.
- Secondly, they must live up to the values that define them as students of SSSIHL and identify themselves with them. They must be willing to be responsible for them.
- Thirdly, students must keep the promises that they make to themselves and others. They need to be true to themselves. “Your word is you” he quipped, “not anything else. So keep it!”
“Mastery” he added, “is being above what is occurring automatically.”
M.B.A. Students – Industrial Visits (Women) – 2019
A unique aspect of the SSSIHL M.B.A. programme is to determine how the management concepts learnt in the classroom can be applied to help alleviate some of the problems that the villagers of India face in their daily lives.
Similar to the trip that the M.B.A. men students made, the I M.B.A. women students visited Anekal, Karnataka and Bangalore, 15-16 Dec 2019. The organizations visited included the Sai Vishram Business Hotel and Srinivasan Services Trust (SST). The trip included villages adopted by SST for inclusive development.
On 29 December, 2019, students also visited the Rural development and self-employment Training Institute (RUDSETI), Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.
#SSSIHL
Excellence at the Workplace
Increasingly, spirituality and ethics play an important role in organizations worldwide. Responsible business ethics, employee job satisfaction and a wholesome approach to individual and organizational behaviour are not just presentations in classrooms and research papers, but are being actively sought by mindful organizations.
In November, the Dept. of Management & Commerce conducted a one-day Management Development Program, Excellence @ Workplace – The Indian Ethos Way, to address some of these issues.
Led by Dr. N Sivakumar (Head of the Department) and Dr. G S Srirangarajan (Associate Professor), the programme took the participants on an introspective journey though reflection, exercises, talks and discussions on the profound messages from the ancient Indian texts and scriptures that are most relevant to current business practices and how they can be disseminated to the corporate world in a suitable manner.
From Karma Yoga to Dharma, executives from leading organizations discussed how to bring about greater engagement and satisfaction at the workplace in the process of achieving business goals.
Executives included directors, consultants and managers from Hexagon Wealth Advisors, SimplyFISoftTech India, Siemens Technology and Services, Point Analytics & Business Consulting, Future Generali India Insurance, GE Health Care, Tata Consultancy Services, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Mentor Graphics, Al Shaya India Ltd., Capital One India, SimplyFISofTech India and Titan Company.
#SSSIHL #SSSIHLIntegralEducation #SSSIHLManagementCommerce#values
National Nutrition Week Celebrations – The Health Happy Week
National Nutrition Week Celebrations – The Health Happy Week
1-7 Sep 2019
“Take in only simple, pure, clean food – what is called sattvic food by the sages – that is to say, food that will not arouse the impulses and emotions, sharpen the passions, upset the equanimity, or hamper health. Food offered to God is free from the evil vibrations that injure the individual in subtle ways. Food offered to the hungry and then also eaten has the same beneficial quality. Since food has a subtle impact on the feelings and thoughts of man, you have to be ever vigilant.”
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
The National Nutrition Week, an initiative by The Ministry of Health, Govt. of India, is aimed to address several major health issues in India, such as malnutrition, awareness of a proper diet and nutrition and their positive benefits on people’s well-being.
The Dept. of Food & Nutritional Sciences, SSSIHL celebrated this week by designing a nine-code initiative, The Health Happy Week. The nine codes included daily walking, pranayama and yogasanas/exercises, bhajans/meditation/relaxation with music, care of plants, laughter session, avoiding caffeine (tea/coffee) and sugar, and consuming a bowl of salt and vegetables.
The Doctoral Research Scholars spread the awareness of this with posters and information sessions. The sessions also included presentations on how to incorporate the five human values in nutrition: The truth about food, Dharmic perspectives from farm to fork, Cultivating peace through food, Love in action through food banking, and the value of vegetarianism and a plant-based diet.
#SSSIHLFoodNutritionalSciences #SSSIHL
#SSSIHL #SSSIHLResearch
Periodic Table @ 150
The #periodictable of elements – the backbone of Chemistry – turns 150! Back then, a Russian Chemist and inventor, Dmitri Mendeleev, formulated the Periodic Law, and his farsighted version brought us the Periodic Table. Most of us have fond (or in many cases, not so fond) memories of trying to memorize this table when we were in school.
As part of this celebration, the Department of Chemistry, SSSIHL arranged a talk by Prof. V Chandrasekhar, Centre Director, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad, on 8 August 2019. He spoke on the topic, Periodic Table @150: Some Stories.
He started with historical anecdotes of Mendeleev and his contributions to the development of the periodic table. He elaborated on why we need a periodic table and why (at all) do we need to establish a relationship between the elements? The answer lies in the fact that we use many — if not all the elements — as part of our daily lives.
Pluto stated that all matter is made of elements (earth, fire, air, water and space), and thus began the journey of science. Chemistry, on the other hand, began with the alchemist’s search for the philosopher’s stone to convert base metals into gold. In this regard, there were many alchemists, such as Henning Brand (who discovered Phosphorus – flask glowing in the dark), Robert Boyle (who gave the gas laws) and Lavoisier (who quantified science by coming up with the law of mass conservation).
In time, there were many elements and a growing number of attempts on finding a relationship between the elements, starting with Dobereiner triads, Newland’s octave and finally Mendeleev. Against all the odds, he completed his education and went on to develop a periodic table that was first arranged, based on the atomic mass of elements. He not only arranged the elements into a table but also predicted the possibility of the discovery of new elements by proposing gaps between the existing elements. Then, Lord Rayleigh and Sir William Ramsay discovered the noble gases and Chadwick discovered the isotopes.
The final piece of the puzzle in the periodic table, as we know of today, was solved by Henry Moseley, who arranged the periodic table by atomic number and then several gaps were filled later by the discovery of more elements of the periodic table by scientists such as Seaborg. The talk looked at the development of the periodic table from the layman’s perspective, offering a fusion of science and history. It was delightful, insightful and invigorating.
#SSSIHLChemistry #SSSIHL