Category: Education

** Mangaluru singer Frizzell D’Souza’s latest single ‘Foolish Once Again’, a love ballad

Frizzell D’Souza straddles the worlds of architecture and music. She has been studying the former for the last four years and practising the latter since she was in third grade. She finds a similarity between the two. “It is the process,” she says, “When we work on a design in architecture, we start with a concept. We do a lot of redos and keep going back and forth with it until we get it right. That is a parallel I find in music.”

** NIT-K to introduce B.Tech in Artificial Intelligence

The Department of Information Technology, National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NIT-K), Surathkal, has decided to start a new four-year B.Tech. course in Artificial Intelligence from the academic year 2021-22.

Karanam Uma Maheshwar Rao, Director, NIT-K, said in a release on Thursday that this degree would prepare students for industry or further study by offering specialisations in different areas of AI such as data science, human-centred computing, cyber-physical systems, and robotics.

“Its curriculum will focus on the use of inputs such as video, speech, and big data to make decisions or enhance human capabilities.”

** Two Bengaluru labs among 17 new ones to help with genome sequencing

Amid rising concerns over mutations and a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Centre has added 17 more national labs, including two from Bengaluru, to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG) network. This is to ramp up genome sequencing of the virus and help understand the spread of new variants in the country.

** Volunteers from around the world rally to help tackle COVID-19 in Karnataka

Doctors living across the world — all alumni of the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) from the 1992 batch — have now banded together with a coalition of volunteer groups to offer end-to-end COVID-19 management for patients in Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru.

While the Karnataka COVID-19 Volunteers Team (KCVT), with over 500 members, has set up a helpline (080-47166115) which counsels patients, refers them to doctors for tele-consultation, helps in home management and to find hospital beds, Mercy Mission is operating two COVID-19 care centres and has a tie-up with the HBS Hospital in Shivajinagar for critical care. While the helpline and tele-consultation with doctors is available for patients across the State, other on ground facilities are in the city.

** IISc. vaccine, DRDO drug and OxyCare system are game changers: Sudhakar

Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar reviewed ongoing efforts at Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), which is developing a vaccine for COVID-19, and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that has developed a drug that prevents viral growth and a better oxygen management system. He hailed them as “game changers in the fight against COVID-19”.

Dr. Sudhakar visited DRDO facilities in the city on Friday where scientists appraised him of progress on 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) drug they are developing in collaboration with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), Hyderabad. “Clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence,” DRDO scientists said.

He was also apprised of the OxyCare system, an intelligent oxygen management system that reduces exposure of healthcare providers by eliminating manual adjustments to oxygen flow. The PM-CARES Fund will procure 1.5 lakh units of Oxycare System at a cost of ₹322.5 crore. It will be deployed across the country, DRDO scientists said.

** BLDE varsity V-C passes away

Mallanagouda S Biradar, Vice-Chancellor of the Vijayapura-based BLDE deemed to be university, died of COVID-19-related complications in a private hospital in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Dr. Biradar was recovering from COVID-19 when he suffered a heart attack at his house. He was airlifted to Bengaluru two days ago. But he suffered another heart attack before admission.