Engineering fields undergoing tectonic shifts, says VTU VC

The Vice-Chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) S. Vidyashankar said here on Saturday that the field of engineering and applications was undergoing tectonic shifts and hence graduates should be both adaptable and innovative.

He was delivering the graduation day address of the Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering in the city. Mr. Vidyashankar said fields like Electronics and Communication, Artificial Intelligence, and Energy were part of the shifting trends and advancements and it was imperative to be adaptive to keep pace with the developments.

He said engineers play a crucial role in driving the country’s economic development and urged graduates to harness technology’s potential, particularly Artificial Intelligence, to create new opportunities without fearing job erosion.

Referring to the Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme of the Centre, Mr. Vidyashankar said it fostered industry interaction and empowered engineers to contribute to economic growth through startups.

Similarly, Viksith Bharat scheme had impacted graduate employment and emphasised VTU’s collaborations with industry, including MOUs that support startups in the telecom sector. On the issue of India’s progress in intellectual property, he said that India was now filing patents on par with developed countries like the US and China.

In all, 812 candidates qualified to receive their BE degree for the year 2023-24. Besides, 58 ranks were awarded from seven engineering disciplines. The college topper S. Srinidhi from Computer Science & Engineering discipline received a special award for being the college topper. A. Bhavani, first rank holder from Mechanical Engineering was also the recipient of ‘VVCE- Sarashija Excellence Endowment Award in Mechanical Engineering’.   

Gundappa Gowda, president of Vidyavardhaka Sangha, B. Shivalingappa, vice president P. Vishwanath, secretary of VVS, B. Sadashive Gowda, principal, VVCE, L.J. Sudev, controller of examinations, academic council members and others were present.