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The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning’s Department of Humanities and Social Sciences conducted a National Workshop on “Macro Stabilisation Policies for India in the post-pandemic era” on August 26, 2023, at Prasanthi Nilayam Campus. The event featured lectures, presentations, and discussions, uniting experts, academicians, policymakers, and students to tackle the complex economic challenges faced by India during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The workshop commenced with traditional rituals, including Vedam chanting and lamp lighting. Dr. G Raghavender Raju, Head, Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences, welcomed attendees and expressed gratitude to the distinguished speakers. Vice-Chancellor Prof. B Raghavendra Prasad highlighted the pandemic’s impact on India’s economy and praised the government’s focus on preserving lives and livelihoods, aligning with India’s values.

Prof. N R Bhanumurthy Vice-Chancellor, Dr. B R Ambedkar School of Economics University stressed the need for an active fiscal policy coupled with an accommodative monetary stance and urged reconsideration of the public debt-to-GDP ratio in his talk.

Dr. Deba Prasad Rath Principal Adviser, Department of Economic and Policy Research at Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Mumbai, emphasized the importance of cohesive fiscal and monetary policies.

Dr. Nadhavael GV, Director of the Division of Reports and Knowledge, Dissemination at the Department of Economic and Policy Research, RBI Central Office, Mumbai policies should enhance productivity, harness technology, and manage human capital strategically.

Prof. Ashima Goyal, Member of the Monetary Policy Committee of RBI, and Emeritus Professor at IGIDR Mumbai emphasized the significance of credible inflation targeting, timely structural reforms, and clear communication in policy implementation.

The workshop also featured student presentations on topics like interest reference rate changes, de-dollarization, central bank digital currency, and non-basmati rice bans, fostering engaging discussions.

Overall, the workshop successfully merged academic knowledge with practical insights, garnering positive feedback.

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Session 1.: https://youtube.com/live/SkIjau6Izsk

Session 2.: https://youtube.com/live/IeopuTCJjYk

CSIR-IMMT, Bhubaneswar in association with the Department of Management and Commerce, SSSIHL, organized a Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights on 28 July 2023 at the Anantapur Campus. The workshop was held as part of the month-long National Intellectual Property Festival promoted by the DSIR-DPIIT, Government of India from 1-31 July 2023.

The Resource persons who addressed the participants were:

• Mrs. Saipriya Balasubramanian, Senior Business Intelligence and IP Analyst with Rapid Alpha. Topic: “Role of IP in Business Strategy”
• Dr. Vijayalakshmi Asthana, Principal Scientist, CSIR – Traditional Knowledge Digital Library Unit. Topic: “Intellectual Property Rights- An Overview”
• Dr. Viswajanani Sattigeri, Head, CSIR – Traditional Knowledge Digital Library Unit. Topic: “Traditional Knowledge: IP and People’s Rights.”

Participants gained valuable knowledge about the significance of intellectual property protection, its legal framework, and ethical considerations. The event fostered a culture of respect for creators’ rights and encouraged innovation while upholding responsible practices in handling intellectual property.

Faculty Members, Research Scholars from various departments of the campus, and 110 students participated in the Workshop that was held in hybrid mode.

Dr. G. Padmavathy, Associate Head of the Department, Dr. (Mrs.) Swetha Thiruchanuru, Asst. Professor, and Dr. C. Jayashree, Assistant Professor, all from the Department of Management & Commerce, SSSIHL, Anantapur campus, coordinated the event.

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The “National Conference on Recent Trends in Mathematical Biology – Theory, Methods, and Applications” was organized by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (DMACS) of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL), A. P. India from July 20-22, 2023 at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus, and was supported by DST SERB, India.

The conference saw scientists, researchers, academicians, and students from over 70 institutions across India, from diverse disciplines, converge and exchange cutting-edge insights, advancements, and applications in the rapidly evolving field of mathematical biology. The conference emphasized interdisciplinary collaboration and the integration of mathematical modeling with biological sciences to address real-world challenges in healthcare, environmental sustainability, and biological systems understanding. Attendees explored innovative theoretical frameworks and methodologies, fostering new research opportunities at the intersection of mathematics and biology.

We are grateful to all the guest speakers for making the conference a great success:

1. Prof. Arni S R Srinivasa Rao, Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Theory and Mathematical Modelling, Medical College of Georgia, USA
2. Prof. B V Ratish Kumar, Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, IIT Kanpur
3. Dr. Prashant Kumar Srivastava, Associate Professor and Head, the Department of Mathematics, IIT Patna
4. Dr. Ritesh Kumar Dubey, Research Associate Professor Department of Mathematics, SRMIST, Chennai
5. Dr. S RV Prasad Bhuvanagiri, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, School of Advanced Sciences, VIT Vellore
6. Dr. Nitu Kumari, an Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics, IIT Mandi
7. Dr. Jai Prakash Tripathi, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, Central University of Rajasthan
8. Dr. Bapan Ghosh, Assistant Professor, IIT lndore
9. Dr. P. Muthu, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, NIT Warangal
10. Prof. Mini Ghosh, Professor at the School of Advanced Sciences at the Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai Campus
11. Prof. Sandip Banerjee, Professor, Department of Mathematics, IIT Roorkee
12. Dr. Mohit Kumar Jolly, Assistant Professor from Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE), IISc Bangalore

Best Research Paper Awards: The conference also saw several participants presenting their research papers. The selection was based on the problem’s relevance in the current world scenario, delivery efficiency of the person, clarity of thoughts on their topic, presentation skills, and overall audience appeal. The jury consisted of Dr. P Muthu (NIT Warangal), Dr. B S R V Prasad (VIT Vellore), and Dr. BVK Bhardwaj (SSSIHL). The following were the winners of this competition:

• 1^st prize -Mr. Ritwik Chandra Pandey, SSSIHL
• 2^nd prize- Mr. Viney Kumar, Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence
• 3^rd prize – Ms. Priyanka N C, NIT, Tiruchirappalli

The event helped harness the power of mathematics and its applications in biology, furthering our understanding of living systems and opening new horizons for addressing critical societal challenges.

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View Book of Abstracts: https://www.sssihl.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NCRTMBTMA-Book-of-Abstracts.pdf

View Schedule https://www.sssihl.edu.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NCRTMBTMA-Schedule-Final.pdf

View Recording:

Day 1- Morning: https://www.youtube.com/live/aAgZCY-mzk0?si=YS4NuADP-jR4wqvc

Day 1- Afternoon: https://www.youtube.com/live/T4b7qpd2HV4?si=mLZgTHptkkPYfmtd

Day 2- Morning: https://www.youtube.com/live/C31Q2di3G5w?si=8Mx3xoGM71k_iSte

Day 2- Afternoon: https://www.youtube.com/live/WKAIM9JXi1c?si=4hX1dgG6HP9oUIq4

Day 3: https://www.youtube.com/live/fuwXPX8k7BE?si=gDPpW7WKJaFO7xLe

Students from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences participated in the International Conference on Public Health and Dietary Lifestyle (Virtual) held on May 10 -11, 2023, and won three awards for their presentations, from over 127 oral and poster presentations made in multiple breakout sessions on the two days. The details are as below:

Ms. B. Sowjanya, a final year PG student received the Best Oral Presentation award for her paper titled, “Formulation, Development and Acceptability Attributes of Composite Millet Flour-Based Gluten Free Crackers with Amaranth as Value Addition for Post-COVID Era”.

Ms. A. Srinidhi, a final year PG student received the Best Oral Presentation award for her paper titled, “Evaluation of Physical, Nutritional and Sensorial Attributes of Flax Seed Incorporated Composite Millet Flour Cookies”.

Ms. Amrita Shaw, a research scholar, received the Best Poster Presentation award for her poster titled “Different Fat Profiling Techniques Used for Food Quality Evaluation: A Review”.

Ms. B. Sowjanya and Ms. A. Srinidhi (2021-2023 batch) carried out the above-mentioned research work under the guidance of Dr. M. Meera as part of their M.Sc. Dissertation. Miss Amrita Shaw joined the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences as a Ph.D. scholar in September 2022 and is currently working in the area of Food Quality and Safety, under the supervision of Dr. Jhinuk Gupta.

The conference was organized by the Universal Society of Food and Nutrition (USFN) in virtual mode on May 10 -11, 2023, on the theme Food, Diet & Obesity. USFN is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to food and nutrition research and actively helps to build up a network amongst researchers and academicians globally. The conference was attended by professionals from different genres like health care providers (doctors, nurses, dietitians), Professors and Students

SSSIHL Congratulates the students for the above achievements and for making the University and department proud.

Ms. S Sai Dharshini, a research scholar, and Prof. B. Andallu, both from the Dept. of Food and Nutritional Sciences, participated and presented at the “7^th International Diabetes Summit” organised by the Chellaram’s Diabetes Institute, Pune on 10^th-12^th March 2023.

Ms. S Sai Dharshini was conferred a ‘Special Recognition Award’, for her oral presentation titled “Formulation and Assessment of Millet-based Gluten-free Snack Box for Diabetes Management – A Response Surface Analysis” which is also a part of her doctoral research work, conducted under the able guidance of Asst. Prof (Dr.) M. Meera.

Prof. B. Andallu was conferred a ‘Special Recognition Award’ for her two research papers titled ‘Antidiabetic Efficacy of Mulberry (Morus indica L.) Leaves: Mode of Action in Streptozotocin-diabetic rats’ and ‘In vitro and in vivo Evaluation of Coriander Seeds (Coriandrum sativum L.) for Antihyperglycemic, Antioxidant and Hypolipidemic Effects’

The Chellaram’s Diabetes Institute’s International Diabetes Summit is a prestigious and cutting-edge event that brings together leading experts, researchers, and healthcare professionals from around the globe to exchange knowledge and insights on diabetes management and research. The 3-day mega event comprised of a workshop on advances in diagnosing diabetic foot and retinal diseases. There was a special session on diabetes in the young focusing on diet, lifestyle, and type 1 diabetes session with an on-table display and a visual toolkit of diet and these sessions attracted the audience. There were various scientific sessions by expert faculty covering diabetes complications and their management in day-to-day life.

SSSIHL Congratulates Ms. S Sai Dharshini and Prof. B. Andallu on their recognition and wishes them all the very best for their future.

The Actuarial Data Science (ADS) team from SSSIHL, Prasanthi Nilayam had the opportunity to participate in the Global Conference of Actuaries (GCA) from 4th to 6th March 2023 at The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi. Organized by the Institute of Actuaries of India (IAI) the conference featured a diverse range of sessions and workshops, covering topics such as risk management, insurance, pensions, and more. The team leveraged this golden opportunity to engage with other fellow actuaries and learn about the latest developments and trends in the industry through interactive discussions and exchange of ideas.

Sri Satya Sai Mudigonda, Adjunct Professor in Actuarial Science, SSSIHL, Dr. Rohan Yashraj Gupta, Visiting Faculty, SSSIHL, and Phani Krishna Kandala, AVP, Swiss re and Visiting Faculty at SSSIHL made two presentations on 5 March 2023 in the property and casualty session that was well received by the audience.

In the Cultural Segment, the SSSIHL ADS and Rhythmic Energy brass band comprising of current actuarial students and alumni was selected along with 4 other teams from across India to perform at the event. The team won first place with a cash award of Rs. 30,000 for their impressive and soulful performance.

During the visit, the SSSIHL ADS team met the SOA President, John Robinson, and the President IAI, Arunachalam, and discussed the possibilities of more research and collaboration.

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Video clips from the event (Courtesy: Institute of Actuaries of India)

Rhythmic Energy Performance at GCA: https://youtu.be/QI2VrkqduaA
Video clip – Award Ceremony at GCA: https://youtu.be/tHLiHqoYV2c

The Summer Course in Indian Culture & Spirituality serves as an induction programme to all students and teachers of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning with an objective to expose students of the University to the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Bharat. It orients students into Bhagawan Baba’s educational philosophy and gives them deep, first hand insights into how they can directly benefit from this unique institution.

The genesis of the event dates back to the early seventies, when Bhagawan Baba organized Summer Courses in Indian Culture and Spirituality for the benefit of students. The course then was usually three to four weeks long and would typically consist of a series of lectures on Indian culture, the essence of the scriptures and other spiritual topics delivered by learned scholars, senior devotees and men of esteem. The highlight however was the daily discourse by Baba Himself, delivered typically in the evening.

In 2011, Bhagawan willed that the Summer Course be reinitiated in a shorter format of two-and-a-half days and which is now an annual event at SSSIHL in the beginning of each academic year that the Students and Teachers of the University eagerly look forward to participate, experience and learn.

The Summer Course was and is an effective way to inspire young minds to follow a life of good values and character. The event also marked the beginning of the academic year for students and teachers of all the four campuses of SSSIHL.

View a brief report along with pictures from the Summer Course 2023, held at each of the four campuses below:

SSSIHL Anantapur Campus

Report & Pics | Schedule

SSSIHL Brindavan Campus

Report & Pics | Schedule

SSSIHL Muddenahalli Campus

Report & Pics | Schedule

SSSIHL Prasanthi Nilayam Campus

Report & Pics | Schedule

The Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) and AICTE organized a five-day ‘Innovation, Design Thinking, and Entrepreneurship (IDE) Bootcamp’ at 6 Universities across India, from 22-26 June 2023, to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in India.

Participating in the IDE Bootcamp held at IIT Bhubaneswar on 26 June, Team SAI (Service Association Individual), represented by our MBA students from the Anantapur Campus, Ms. Kota Apoorva Havisha and Ms. Himika Piduri presented the idea of “Hand to Help – Promoting Individual Social Responsibility“.

Of the 79 teams that presented, Team SAI’s idea made it to the top 6 before going on to win the First Prize at the event.

Team SAI also participated in several interactive lectures on design thinking, innovation, global markets, and other topics during the day-long programme.

Hearty Congratulations to Ms. Kota Apoorva Havisha and Ms. Himika Piduri of Team SAI for the above achievement.

Eight students including an alumnus from the SSSIHL have successfully passed the actuarial exams administered by the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS), USA, as per the results announced by CAS in June 2023.

The CAS exams are considered amongst the most challenging in the Actuarial field and are well known for their level of difficulty. The success of these students is a great source of inspiration for other students and aspirants and a matter of great pride for the department and the Institute. It is indeed a rare accomplishment, as only a few universities around the world attain such levels of success.

Congratulations to the students for successfully passing:

MAS I (Modern Actuarial Statistics I): 1) Kasyap Sathya (II B.Sc.), 2) Saiprasanna G (II B.Sc.), 3) Sumanth Chebrolu (I M.Sc. Math), 4) Srinand N Hegde (I M.Sc. Math), 5) Hursh Gupta (II B.Sc.) and 6) Abhiishek Chugh (alumnus)

MAS II (Modern Actuarial Statistics II): 1) Sathya Sai Sri Charan 2) Arrnav Dutta and 3) Hursh Gupta all students of the II B.Sc. programme.

About SSSIHL Actuarial Data Science:

To date, 60+ students have successfully passed various actuarial exams, since the inception of the Actuarial Data Science programs in 2017 at SSSIHL.

In 2022, SSSIHL was the first Indian Higher Education Institution to have received the 2022 CAS University Award, since the inception of the CAS University Award Program in 2016. SSSIHL is also one of the first HEI, to award a Ph.D. in Actuarial Science in India.

SSSIHL has been offering Actuarial Data Science programs since 2017 and is actively involved in research specifically in the area of fraud detection. It has to its credit about 36 research papers/book chapters, 27 dissertations in the non-life actuarial stream, and 2 PhDs awarded in the area of actuarial data science.

About CAS:

The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) is a leading international organization for credentialing and professional education. Founded in 1914, the CAS is the world’s only actuarial organization focused exclusively on property and casualty risks and serves over 9,100 members worldwide. CAS members are experts in property and casualty insurance, reinsurance, finance, risk management, and enterprise risk management. Professionals educated by the CAS empower businesses and government to make well-informed strategic, financial, and operational decisions.

About SOA

The Society of Actuaries is the largest professional society for actuaries in the world with 31,000 members and 36,000 candidates (those working towards becoming an actuary) in more than 100 countries.

For over a century, SOA has advanced actuaries as leaders in measuring and managing risk to improve financial outcomes for individuals, organizations, and the public. That’s taken the form of cutting-edge research, continuing education, and the fostering of a community of peers supporting each other.

About IAI

The Institute of Actuaries of India (IAI) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, viz. The Actuaries Act, 2006 for regulating the profession of Actuaries in India. The IAI has over 8218 members of which 7409 are students, 569 Fellow, and 231 Associates.

The Dept of Food & Nutritional Sciences, Anantapur, SSSIHL organised a two-day national conference on “Millets-The Superfood”– A Sustainable Path Towards Food and Nutritional Security, on 24-25 March 2023 at their campus.

The eminent speakers at the conference were: Dr. C. V. Ratnavathi, Principal Scientist, ICAR IIMR, Hyderabad, Dr. S. Balasubramanian, Principal Scientist, ICAR CIAE RC, Coimbatore, Dr. Mrs. T. Jyothirmayi, Principal Scientist, CSIR CFTRI RC, Hyderabad, Prof. D. Vijayalakshmi, Emeritus Scientist, ICAR, Dept. of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore, Mrs. Sudha M. L., Principal Technical Officer, CSIR-CFTRI Mysore, Dr. (Mrs.) Anupama, Tahsildar, Sri Sathya Sai District, Puttaparthi, Dr. T. Usha, Founder & Director, TFF Labs Pvt Hyderabad, Prof. Usha Ravindra, Head, Dept. of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore, K Sudha Rani, Subject Matter Specialist (Home Science) and Dr. S.N. Malleshwari Sadhineni, Program Coordinator, both from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Anantapur.

The two days saw the experts discuss and talk on various aspects of the super-food and engage with the students on its impact including, health benefits, advances in technology for processing, entrepreneurship development, its future potential in millet-based baking, and as a viable solution to food and nutrition security. A panel discussion on “Entrepreneurship and startup for millets” gave the audience an understanding of the opportunities and challenges of the markets today.

As part of the 2-day conference, there was also an exhibition showcasing innovative nutritious millet-based products formulated by the UG and PG students of the department.

Detailed Report  |  Pictures  |  Brochure  |  Schedule