Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT), Bhubaneswar observed the 65th foundation day of the parent body Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi on 26th September 2007.

At the outset Dr RK Galgali, Senior Most Scientist, delivered the welcome address and introduced the Chief Guest of the Foundation Day Prof. Damodar Acharya, Director, IIT-Kharagpur. Dr GV Rao, Scientist proposed the vote of thanks.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Galgali presented a brief account of the landmark research and innovation by the CSIR laboratories as a whole. He also mentioned important achievements of IMMT in the past one year.

Delivering the Foundation Day lecture on the topic “Revamping engineering education through problem solving, research and innovation focus”, Prof D Acharya put forward the hard truths of education in India with facts and figures. He said that education is loaded with the pressure of the population and wished that the under graduate education should be qualitative. He opined that in order to meet the requirements of global employability, the educational institutions in the field of engineering must introduce a flexible pace of learning and ignite passion for research and innovation in the minds of the students. He advocated that the educational institutions must meet the quality assurance with respect to the standard of teaching, faculty and recognition of their degrees which calls for a fundamental change in education system. He also suggested several short and long term strategies to meet shortage of quality manpower in education sector.

IMMT honoured 12 of its employees who have completed twenty five years of CSIR service. Mementoes were also presented to 9 IMMT employees who superannuated in the previous year. Students of CSIR employees showing high standards at various levels of education were also honoured on the occasion by the Chief Guest.

Fourteen engineering colleges participated in the S&T Model Exposition competition organized to encourage engineering students for research and innovation. Four of the colleges were awarded for best efforts and received prizes. The colleges which received awards from the Chief Guest are:

First Prize – Institute of Advanced Computer & Research (IACR), Raygada for the live model on Industrial Security System; Second Prize – Jagnnath Institure for Technology & management (JITM), Paralakhemundi for the live model on Multipurpose power generator; Third Prize – Koustuv Institute of Self Domain (KISD) Bhubaneswar for the model on scrambling and descrambling of TV channels; Appreciation Prize - National Institute of Science & Technology (NIST), Berhampur for the model on Spy Robots.

Present and past employees of IMMT (formerly RRL), and scientists, teachers and students from local scientific and educational institutions attended the function. A cultural function was also organized by amateur artists of IMMT family.