Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani – Goa Campus
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| Motto | ज्ञानं परम् बलं gyanam paramam balam |
|---|---|
Motto in English | "Knowledge is Power Supreme" |
| Type | Private |
| Established | 2004 |
| Chancellor | Kumar Mangalam Birla |
| Vice-Chancellor | B N Jain (from 1st August 2010)[1] |
| Director | K.E Raman |
| Undergraduates | 2215 |
| Location | , |
| Campus | Semi-urban,188 acres (0.76 km2) |
| Alumni | BITSAA |
| Affiliations | BITS-Pilani University |
| Website | BITS-Pilani, Goa Campus |
| File:Molecule (Sciences), Lotus (Humanities), Rocket (Technology) | |
The Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani - K.K. Birla Goa Campus (Hindi: बिरला प्रौद्योगिकी एवं विज्ञान संस्थान पिलानी- गोवा परिसर) or BITS-Pilani, - Goa Campus ( or more simply, BITS Goa or "BPGC" ) is an all-India technical and science institute for higher education located at Zuarinagar, Mormugao Taluka, Goa, India. The institute offers undergraduate courses in engineering and Majors in the sciences with an accompanying humanities department. Beginning in 2008, it now offers Masters degree in a few technical branches. It is a campus of the BITS-Pilani University. The Institute is privately supported and fully residential.
The institute was founded in 2004 by the wealthy Indian industrialist Dr.Krishna Kumar Birla in response to the explosion in the demand for good engineering education in India. It's campus is located in Goa on the banks of the Zuari River, close to the industrial sprawl of Zuari Industries[2] , and was formally inaugurated [3] on May 5, 2006 by the Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh.
The campus was recently rechristened as Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani - K.K Birla Goa Campus in honor of its founder, Krishna Kumar Birla.
Autonomy and Relation to the BITS Pilani University
The institute was named as a campus as opposed to a separate university, probably to avoid the extremely bureaucratic and lengthy procedure of setting up a greenfield autonomous university in India. It is important to note that the graduating students are awarded degrees from BITS Pilani with no mention of the Goa Campus, as only the parent university has the right to grant degrees. However having a sprawling modern campus with full-time faculty in all departments, the Institute functions, for all practical reasons, as an autonomous university and decisions regarding admission[4] and fee policy are taken jointly by the management at all campuses.
In this sense, the 'BITS Pilani' system is an amalgamation of many campuses. Being so closely associated with each other, there is a regular and unhindered exchange of faculty members between the campuses, with no administrative hurdles, as they are essentially part of the same University.
The history of Pilani campus, as well as the reputation and rankings of the BITS Pilani University can be viewed on the Wikipedia article for BITS Pilani.
Campus
The campus was designed by the Indian arm of the RSP design group, which has its head office at Singapore.[5].
The university campus overlooking the Zuari Estuary is a formal and axial composition with clearly demarcated academic, residential and recreation zones. The academic block forms the focus of the campus whose architectural expression is "institutional" and "timeless". With 2,50,000 sq.ft of academic and administrative blocks, 2000-seat auditorium, 50,000 sq.ft. library, 30,000 sq.ft. computer center, 5,00,000 sq.ft. of hostels and faculty housing, 60,000 sq.ft of support facilities and 1.3 km covered walkways, this campus is one of the largest university campuses in India.[6]
The academic and administrative blocks are centrally air-conditioned, providing an ideal respite from the often humid and scorching weather of Goa. The walkways leading from most hostels to the main buildings are covered, which are of great help to students during the rainy seasons. The fully computerized library is a fast growing one, but older articles and books are notably absent. However, it is an ideal library for undergraduates, as it provides a small, but noteworthy collection of books.[7]
Admission
Admissions to all Integrated first degree programmes of BITS Pilani at Pilani campus, Goa campus and Hyderabad campus are made on the basis of a computer based Online Test conducted by BITS Pilani. The test is called ‘BITS Admission Test’, commonly known as BITSAT.[8] Refer to the Admissions Section in the Wikipedia article on BITS Pilani for details.
Academics
Integrated First Degree
BITS-Pilani, Goa campus offers 4 year first degree programs in B.E.(Hons.) or M.Sc.(Hons.)[9]. Various programs are offered with the degrees and these are classified into 3 groups A (The Engineering Group, resulting in the B.E. (Hons.) degree), B (The Sciences Group, resulting in the M.Sc. (Hons.) degree) & C (The M.Sc. (Tech) degree).
- Group A:
- Chemical Engineering
- Electrical & Electronics Engineering
- Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Computer Science Engineering.
- Group B:
- Group C: Information Systems
Dual Degree Option
One of the most popular flexibilities provided in the institute's educational structure is the dual degree scheme under which it is possible for a student to work for and complete concurrently, two integrated first degrees within a reasonable period of time. All students admitted to Group B programmes are given an opportunity to work under this scheme for one of the Group A or Group B programmes also; assignment being made by competition on their performance during the first year at BITS. Hence, students have an option to take a dual with Engineering and Sciences degrees or with Engineering and other Engineering degrees. This option has given rise to many students studying such diverse combinations as computer science with masters in biological sciences, electronics with masters in physics and so on. This option can be availed by the students with a Group A first degree in special cases of academic excellence in the first two semesters.
Higher Degrees
Besides undergraduate studies, currently BITS Pilani Goa Campus also offers M.E. Programmes in the following fields[10]
- Biotechnology
- Design Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Embedded Systems
- Software Systems
Doctorate and Post-Doctorate Research Programmes are conducted in the individual departments, with the overall supervision being performed by the RC & EDD (Research Consultancy and Educational Development Division).[11] The Higher Degree programmes are offered as both residential and non-residential courses, with the M.E. Programme lasting for a period of 2 years, whereas the research programmes require varying durations depending upon the depth and scope of the research. The Research Scholars are classified as JRFs (Junior Research Fellows) and SRFs (Senior Research Fellows).
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BITS, Pilani K.K.Birla Goa Campus also offers admission to non-residential higher degree programmes o candidates who are normally employed and not in a position to attend the regular residential programmes offered by the institute. Programmes offered are Master of engineering in Embedded Systems and master of engineering in Computer Science. Admissions to the Programmes are based on the performance of the candidates in the written test and interviews conducted by BITS.
Student Life
Students at this scenic campus get to enjoy a pleasant weather all-year long while enjoying the benefits of top-quality education. Also, Goa being a major tourist destination, there are a lot of places one can visit in free time.
For the first two years, all students have almost the same courses. During registration, they can choose which instructors and time slots they wish for the lectures, tutorials and practical sessions of the courses they register for. Although this offers students flexibility in choosing their preferred time to attend classes, they are not offered the freedom to choose which classes until the 4th year.
Attendance is in general not compulsory, although some courses do allot a percentage of marks to attendance, and students are free to choose which classes they wish to attend.
Workshops are regularly organized often with the help of professional teaching agencies, where students get to learn new programming languages, software and other soft skills (like image processing, ethical hacking, networking etc.), build and program robots, work on devices like micro-controllers etc, get guidance for higher education from appropriate agencies, alumni or seniors. Prominent personalities are also invited to give lectures at the campus.
Being a very reputed institute in India, students from all over the country attend this college, creating a diverse student community. This has created a unique environment and culture. Festivals of all kinds are celebrated with much pomp and splendor, with cultural programs being organized by the students.
Almost every Saturday night, a film chosen by the students is aired in the auditorium.
A number of student bodies and clubs operate in the Campus. The clubs are run by student elected representatives and are usually coordinated by a faculty member. Various clubs like Music Society, Dance Club, Drama Club, Literary & Debating Club, Mime Club, ERC (Electronics and Robotics Club), Aerodynamics Club etc are among these organizations. Students manage entire activities and budget of the organization beforehand and plan out events for the entire semester in advance.
After class hours, there still continues to be a lot activity in the campus till late night (sometimes even after midnight) in the campus as clubs, departments and sports teams meet and function.
Campus Festivals
The Cultural Festival: Waves
Waves[12] is the annual cultural festival of the campus. Spanning over 3 days, WAVES has grown from its humble beginnings into a unique showcase of the best performances in dance, music, literature and so forth. Since the first intra-college event in 2005, WAVES has now become a national event attracting hordes of students to its one-of-a-kind workshops and competitions with participants from India and abroad. [1]
The 2010 edition of Waves will be held from 14–16 October 2010.[12]
The Technical Festival: Quark
Quark is the Annual Innovation Festival scheduled in the first fortnight of February every year. It is primarily focused on events based on technology, science and management. Started in 2006, it has steadily grown in size, where in 2009, over 9000 participants competed in the eight Quark event categories. Events include competitions, workshops and guest lectures or seminars focused on- technology, science or management.[13]
This event is sponsored by industrial partners and several innovations in technology are showcased in the 3 days. The festival has helped also develop several university-corporate relations [14]
The Sports Festival : Spree
Spree is the Annual Sports Festival of BITS Pilani K. K. Birla Goa Campus. It has been held in the month of April so far and is conducted normally for three to four days.
The festival features major competitive sports events like Cricket, Football, Basketball, Chess, Carrom, Tennis and Indoor Badminton. Moreover, certain Indian sports competitions such as Kabaddi and Kho-Kho are also conducted. Apart from these events, off beat sports like Futsal, 3 vs 3 volleyball and Pool are also organized. Spree also includes Workshops for the benefit of people wishing to discover new activities like Tai chi, boxing, air rifle shooting, cardio kickboxing or kick volleyball. Participants can enroll for these workshops at the declared charges. At the end of each day of the festival, special nights are hosted which feature various forms entertainment, including movie screenings, performances by artists and college clubs, like the mime, music or drama clubs.
Sports events are organized within the institute campus which features lush cricket and football grounds, besides indoor badminton, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts.
Gallery
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B-Dome, Institute Main Building -
B-Dome from main lawns -
Inside The Main Building -
Sand Art during Waves
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Library @ BITS Goa
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Auditorium, BITS Goa -
Aerial View, BITS Hostel -
BITS Goa Hostel
Other campuses
References
- ^ "BITS Goa SWD Website B N Jain Announcement" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ "Zuari Industries Ltd". Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ^ Raju Nayak (2006-05-06). "BITS Goa Innaug". Indian Express. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
- ^ "BITS Admissions". Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ "RSP Design Group".
- ^ "RSP india office".
- ^ http://www.bits-goa.ac.in/About%20BPGC/Library/library.asp}}
- ^ BITS Pilani Admissions
- ^ "BITS Goa Depts". Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ^ "M.E. Degrees in BPGC". Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ "RCED BITS Pilani Goa Campus". Retrieved 2010-08-02.
- ^ a b "'WAVES'".
- ^ "QUARK".
- ^ Sandpaper - The BITSAA Magazine
External links
