Siksha 'o' Anusandhan University (SOA): Latest News, Events, Photos & Campus Reports

Siksha 'o' Anusandhan University (SOA Deemed to be University) is situated in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It has MHRD NIRF India Rankings 2019 - 24th in the University category, 32nd in the Engineering category, 21st in Medical Colleges. Each year, the admission rate is always rising, and each day at the university is quite eventful. Read on to know the latest happenings, events and more!

SOA ONLY UNIVERSITY FROM ODISHA TO FIGURE IN QS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS

Date: June 10, 2021

Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, the city-based Deemed to be University, has figured among 35 selected Indian institutions of higher education included in the 2022 edition of the prestigious QS World University Rankings released recently. These highly-ranked institutions included nine IITs, Indian Institution of Science, Bengaluru, and several other famous Indian universities with SOA figuring in the 801-1000 bracket. SOA is one of the two institutions from Odisha to find place in the list, the other being Indian Institute of Technology-Bhubaneswar. It is one of three Deemed to be Universities in India to be included in the list.

Out of the many analysed institutions, 1300 from across 93 countries have been ranked based on several parameters including academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty student ratio, international faculty and international students. Expressing happiness over the university’s achievement, its Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ashok Mohapatra attributed the success to the encouragement of SOA’s President and dedicated and sincere efforts of the Deans, faculty members and other employees to take the Deemed to be University to a higher level. In spite of the pandemic situation, the faculties ensured that the teaching of the students did not suffer, he said while praising the efforts of the doctors, nurses and paramedics to reach out to thousands of Covid-19 patients with their dedicated service.

IMS AND SUM HOSPITAL FIRST IN ODISHA TO INSTALL ID-NAT MACHINE FOR SAFE BLOOD SCREENING

Date: March 15, 2021

The Post-Graduate Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital here became the first medical institution in Odisha to introduce the most advanced ID-NAT Blood Screening System to ensure the safest possible blood transfusion. The Individual Donor-Nucleic Acid Testing (ID-NAT) machine in the hospital was inaugurated on Friday by Odisha’s minister for health and family welfare, Mr. Naba Kishore Das described it as a highly sensitive method of blood screening which would ensure safety for the recipients of blood. “A new thing has happened by IMS and SUM Hospital acquiring this facility which means it is following the best practices. I am thankful to the hospital,” he said at a function held after the inauguration. Dr. Urmila Mishra, Director, State Blood Transfusion Council, who also addressed the program, said five mandatory blood tests were done by Blood Banks for HIV, Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-C, Malaria and VDRL. “It is difficult to screen the virus in the absence of advanced systems as our focus is on blood safety,” she said.

The meeting was addressed by Prof. Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, Vice- Chancellor of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, who said that the newly installed machine had tremendous potential and would benefit a large number of patients. But efforts have to be made for optimal utilisation of the facility, he said. Prof. Gangadhar Sahoo, Dean, IMS and SUM Hospital, Prof. Pusparaj Samantasinhar, Medical Superintendent of IMS and SUM Hospital, Prof. Bibhudendu Pati, Head of Department of Transfusion Medicine and Dr. Girija Nandini Kanungo, Associate Professor in the Department also spoke. D-NAT can detect even the lowest traces of viruses like HIV, Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C if present in the blood, Mr. Sangeeth Gopala Kini, Vice-President of Hemogenomics Pvt. Ltd., supplier of the machine, said.

SOA’S FACULTY OF DENTAL SCIENCES BECOMES INDIA’S FIRST DENTAL INSTITUTE TO BECOME COCHRANE AFFILIATE

Date: March 15, 2021

Institute of Dental Sciences (IDS), the faculty of dental science of city-based Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA), has become the first and only dental institution in India to get the status of Cochrane Affiliate under Cochrane India Network. Cochrane, established in 1993, is a British non-profit organization involving a global independent network of researchers, health professionals, patients and health related policy makers which aims at providing trusted evidence, enabling informed decisions and ensuring better health of the public.

The organization works on medical and oral health related research findings to facilitate evidence based choices on health interventions. It also maintains an official relationship with the World Health Organization and involves the public through community participation to produce systematic reviews and other outputs.

Rigorous application procedures, infrastructure and support provided by SOA, Deemed to be University, and Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar, enabled IDS to achieve this affiliate status, Prof. Neeta Mohanty, Dean of IDS,said. IDS aims at disseminating high quality and relevant scientific information to health care seekers in their local language which would help the public to receive the best possible health care information and aid them in decision making, she said. Other eminent institutions which are part of the Cochrane India Network include Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, AIIMS, New Delhi, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

ODISHA’S WOMEN ACHIEVERS HONOURED AT GLITTERING EVENT

Date: March 08, 2021

Manasi Bariha, a 19-year-old girl from Khaprakhol block of Odisha’s Balangir district, found herself in a sticky situation when the owner of the brick kiln in Tamil Nadu where she was working refused to let her go home when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. She was not alone. All her family members were among 355 others with her who also worked there as Dadan labourers. They too wanted to return home but were detained forcibly. To add to their misery, they were routinely tortured.

Manasi, however, clandestinely took the videos of the torture the labourers were subjected to in her mobile phone and forwarded them to few social workers who urged the administration to act. A special government team which was deputed to Tamil Nadu found as many as 6,750 labourers held hostage by brick kiln operators.

A tribal girl from Balangir district, Swagatika Kuanr broke the glass ceiling when she won the crown in several fashion shows and was even chosen to act in two short films. A student of Political Science, she has traversed the distance from unheralded Balangir to Bollywood. Pramila Krishani, the daughter of an agricultural labourer in Ganjam district, has been able to brush aside poverty to win ten international medals as a weightlifter having represented India in World, Asian and Commonwealth championships.

Manasi, Swagatika and Pramila were among 14 such brave women who were decorated as ‘Women Achievers of Odisha’ (WAO) at a program organised jointly by the Odia daily The Prameya, news channel News7 and Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN) run by Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, a Deemed to be University here ahead of the International Women’s Day.

Others honoured with the WAO trophy and citation included Dr. Debasmita Sahu (Education), Dr. Sushama Sudhishree (Agricultural Research), Ms. Basiran Bibi (Literature), Ms. Himani Sahu (Entrepreneur), Ms. Jayanti Behera (Para athlete), Ms. Mamata Sahu (Loco Pilot), Ms. Silka Selony (Snake Rescuer), Ms. Anuradha Panigrahi (Music), S. Swayamprabha (Dance), Ms. Reetarani Jani (Fashion) and Ms. Isha Purohit (Visual Art and Handicraft). They were chosen by a four-member jury from a list of 64 nominations. The jury members included writer Dr. Bhagyalipi Malla, writer and singer, Ms. Chhanda Mishra, singer, Ms. Sushmita Dash and dancer Ms. Ileana Citaristi.

The jury members said while going through the nominations they were amazed at the huge number of women who had done exceptionally well to merit recognition. “But we could choose only a few from them,” Dr. Malla said. Distinguished personalities who spoke on the occasion included Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate, Mr. Sudhanshu Sarangi, former Indian hockey great Mr. Dilip Tirkey, eminent sculptor Mr. Sudharshan Sahu, celebrated dancer, Dr. Aruna Mohanty, social worker Dr. Shruti Mohapatra and writer Dr. Gayatribala Panda, sportsperson Valena Valentina and actor Barsha Priyadarshini.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sarangi said the police were striving to ensure justice for women subjected to violence. “It is easier to apprehend perpetrators of injustice against women. They are low hanging fruits,” he said. Dr. Mohanty said the Covid-19 pandemic taught people the value of silence as it provided an opportunity to listen to a different kind of music created by the wind, chirping of birds and chatter of babies “which we failed to appreciate earlier.” “We thought only musical instruments like flute and mardal could create music,” the renowned exponent of Odissi dance, said.

Dr. Panda, who also heads the Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN), an arm of SOA, said the organization had been set up to connect students of the Deemed to be University with the country’s roots and work for preservation and restoration of culture and heritage. It was working on digitalization of ancient Odia literature dating back to 1500-1600 AD including the ‘Sarala Mahabharat.’

Ms. Priyadarshini said women should not tolerate injustice in society but should protest. Women should also learn to respect other women while recognizing their own inherent talent, she said. Mr. Gopalkrushna Mohapatra, Group Editor, The Prameya, said the WAO awards would be an annual feature. Mr. Himanshu Hota, Group Director (Prameya and News7), Mr. Sunil Das, CEO, Mr. Debanarayan Sethi, Working Editor, News7 and Mr. Sameer Nanda, CEO (Merchandising) was present.

THROUGH THE EYES OF AN ARTIST’ WINS NEWS7 SHORT FILM AWARD

Date: March 06, 2021

Bhubaneswar, March 6: ‘Through the eyes of an artist’, a short film produced by Kalandi Charan Sahoo, has been adjudged the best film at  ‘Showcase-2020’, a short film contest conducted by the Odia news channel News7. The winning film was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 along with a plaque and certificate at a function held here on Friday. Satya Prakash Sahoo’s ‘Gudia’ bagged the second best film award while  ‘Duhita’ produced by Sabita Nayak walked away with the best film (Peoples’ Choice) award. While ‘Gudia’ won a cash award of Rs. 30,000, ‘Duhita’ was presented at Rs. 20,000. The awards, instituted by Summa Real Media Private Ltd, which runs Odia newspaper The Prameya and news channel News7, were presented in 12 different categories after 37 short movies from 87 entries were shortlisted. The films were reviewed by a jury comprising renowned Odia movie director Subash Das, actor Anu Choudhury and film critic Surya Deo. A short film is an innovative concept which requires a filmmaker to express himself within a few minutes.

Abhisekh Swain won the best director award for ‘Through the eyes of an artist’ while Choudhury Jayprakash Das (Gudia) and Prativa Panda (Abhinetri) were adjudged the best male and female actors respectively. Arya Abhipsa Khuntia (Gudia) won the best child artist award while Mohamed Babloo (Duhita) was adjudged the best supporting actor. The best supporting actor (female) award was won by Kanak Choudhury Dandasena (Bhanga Silata).The special jury award for social message went to ‘The Book’ while the special jury award for artists and concept were bagged by Swati Priyadarshini Sarangi for ‘Apadartha’ and Sandip Ray for ‘Mother Nature’ respectively. All the awards were presented as a cash prize of Rs. 10,000 each besides a plaque and certificate. The occasion was graced by veteran Odia film producer Sabyasachi Mohapatra, Odia film actors Siddhanta Mahapatra, Anu Choudhury, Akash Das Nayak, Munna Khan and singer Lopita Mishra.

Brushing Aside Pandemic, 85% of SOA Engineering Graudates Land Excellent Job Offers

Date: March 04, 2021

The Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), faculty of engineering and technology of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) and acknowledged as Numero Uno among institutions of higher education in Odisha, has staved off the huge worldwide impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure placement of about 85 percent of the total eligible students of the 2021 graduating batch in top-notch companies. Around 30 percent of these students have received job offers during Day Zero dream campus drive involving reputed companies with Amazon proffering the highest package of Rs. 30 lakh per annum with the average annual salary received by the students being Rs. 6.3 lakh.

The companies who have picked up these students include Microsoft, Amazon,Finastra, Robert Bosch, Dell, PWC, Kloudgin, Deloitte, HP Inc, Temenos, Informatica,MAQ Software, NPCI, Salesforce and Rapyuta Robotics. In spite of the pandemic, most of the students have also received multiple job offers.The remaining around 55 per cent of the students have received offers from reputed MNCs and Day-1 and Day-2 recruiters like Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, DXC,Capgemini, Hexaware, HCL, NIIT Technologies, Infogain, Tudip Technologies, V-Construct, L&T Technologies, NCC, Global Edge and several others.Besides, reputed digital marketing corporate, Mediamint, has evinced interest in recruiting a sizeable number of talents from SOA this year based on their Centre of Excellence model which could lead to placement of approximately 95 per cent of the students by end of the campus recruitment season.

More than 90 companies have participated in the campus recruitment drive in ITER this year. Besides, reputed corporates have shown their inclination towards SOA for setting up learning hubs in the campus based on the students’ performance. This would result in the students receiving enormous exposure in the industry domain in the days ahead.Exposed to the excellent facility of training programs in coding, technology, soft skills, aptitude and intermittent counseling, students in SOA are expected to achieve their targets and recognized for their knowledge and skill at all levels.

A six-member team of ITER students, who participated in the Smart India Hackathon 2020 conducted by the Ministry of Education, emerged champions winning the problem statement RK57 (Digital Policing) winning a prize money of Rs. one lakh. Another significant achievement was the performance of the students in the TCS CodeVita Season 9 conducted by Tata Consultancy Services.

Microsoft has extended career opportunities to nine students from SOA which is the highest in eastern India for the second consecutive year while consulting major Deloitte, with offices in USA, has committed for premium category selection with a package of Rs. 7.6 lakh per annum for a significant number of talents. Besides, the joining conversion ratio in Day-1 companies, Cognizant, Wipro and Infosys has received huge appreciation from the said corporates indicating the best conversion ratio in eastern India. SOA’s focus being on investigation and scrutiny, it has set up 13 research centers and 42 research laboratories to boost such activities in 22 identified thrust areas. Work of SOA’s faculty and research scholars get published regularly in reputed peer reviewed international journals. The university has 7261 Scopus Indexed publications to its credit till now with an H-Index of 65. Researchers at SOA have so far filed 299 patents while the number of novel gene sequences submitted is 515. The socially inclusive university has nine institutes under it imparting education in engineering, medicine, dental sciences, management, nursing, hospitality and tourism management, hospital administration, pharmaceutical sciences and biotechnology, law and agriculture. SOA was ranked 20 th in the country by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2020 occupying the first place in Odisha. It has been re-accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with ‘A’ Grade. ITER has since emerged as a centre of quality engineering education in the east for its qualified faculty members, innovative curriculum prepared in consultation with universities of repute in the world, impressive placement and industry interface. Its programs have been accredited by the prestigious Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), an internationally reputed US-based accreditation agency.

END OF WAIT: COVID-19 VACCINATION BEGINS AT IMS AND SUM HOSPITAL

Date: January 20, 2021

An air of happiness and relief prevailed at the Institute of  Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, faculty of medicine of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA), here on Saturday where the inoculation campaign of Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin was launched with SOA’s Vice-Chancellor and eminent neurosurgeon Prof. (Dr.) Ashok  Kumar Mahapatra receiving the first shot.“This is a day for which we have waited for over six months. I am happy to get  vaccinated and it is a matter of satisfaction that our hospital was chosen as a centre for clinical trial of Covaxin,” Prof. Mahapatra told media persons after being vaccinated.

He was kept under mandatory observation for 30 minutes before he came out to meet media persons. Asked how he felt after taking the shot, Prof. Mahapatra said there was no side effect and he was feeling fine. “This is an inactivated virus but effective. No one should be afraid to take the vaccine as it is needed to battle the Corona virus which has hugely impacted our lives,” he said.“The side effect for this vaccine is minimal and there is no reason to be fearful. When we are not afraid to ride bikes and fly though there is every chance of a mishap,why should we be afraid to take the shot,” he said adding he would take the second dose of the vaccine after 28 days.

On the first day, around 100 health workers including doctors, nurses, paramedics and sanitation workers were inoculated at IMS and SUM Hospital, one of the six chosen centres in the capital city where the vaccination had commenced. Two vaccines, Covaxin and Covishield were being administered in Odisha of which only Covaxin was being given at IMS and SUM Hospital. Besides Prof. Mahapatra, several doctors representing IMS and SUM Hospital and SUM Ultimate Medicare were present at the launching of the vaccination campaign. They included Dr. Banamber Ray, Head of the department of Critical Care Medicine at SUM Ultimate Medicare, Prof. Gangadhar Sahu, Dean of IMS and SUM Hospital, Prof. Pushparaj Samantasinghar, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Prof. Ajay Kumar Jena, Additional Dean of the medical college, Dr. Rajesh Lenka, Additional Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Prof. Trilochan Sahu, Head of department of  Community Medicine, Prof. E.Venkat Rao, Principal Investigator of the Covaxin clinical trial at the hospital and Dr. Pradipta Patra, Professor in the department of Immunology and Rheumatology.

Six temporary halls were set up in the hospital for the launch of the vaccine with two halls earmarked for the registration of recipients of the vaccine, two halls for the vaccination and two halls where the recipients would be required to rest for 30 minutes before being allowed to go. Though no problem was anticipated, separate beds and all emergency requirements to deal with any emergency in the aftermath of the vaccination had been put in place. SOA was also in the forefront of the battle against Covid-19 in Odisha as it managed four Covid Hospitals and two Covid Care Centres in collaboration with the state government with more than 2200 beds. The hospitals were set up at Bhubaneswar, Kendrapara, Talcher and Chandpur while the CCCs functioned at Jamujhari and Jatni.

THIRD PHASE HUMAN TRIAL OF COVAXIN TO COMMENCE AT IMS AND SUM HOSPITAL SOON

Date: October 28, 2020

The third phase of the human trial of COVAXIN, the much-awaited indigenous vaccine being developed against Covid-19, will commence at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital here soon.As the number of cases and deaths due to Covid- 19 continues to rise across the country, the battle against the disease through search for a suitable vaccine has almost come to the final stage, Dr. E. Venkata Rao, Principal Investigator in the COVAXIN human trial and Professor in the department of Community Medicine at IMS and SUM Hospital, said on Sunday.

“IMS and SUM Hospital is in the list of 21 medical institutes selected across the country by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) where the third phase trial would be conducted. It is the only institute in Odisha which has been selected for the trial.The indigenous vaccine, being developed by ICMR and Bharat Biotech, has received the approval of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for initiating the third phase trial. After completion of first and second phase of the trial with demonstrable safety profile and immunogenicity, the large scale efficacy trial involving thousands of volunteers has been planned now”, Dr. Rao said.

Dr. Rao, who is the head of the Preventive and Therapeutic Clinical Trial Unit (PTCTU) at IMS and SUM Hospital, said during this phase the age limit and eligibility/ screening criteria would be relaxed and several volunteers who are otherwise apparently healthy would be recruited for the trial. Like the previous phases, half of the volunteers would receive placebo and the remaining half would be administered COVAXIN in this phase. Even health care workers would be recruited for the trial. The volunteers would be followed up over a considerable period of time to look at the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing the development of the Corona disease.

Further, he said that there had been a huge response and enthusiasm among people who had offered themselves to be volunteers for the trial.

SOA NSS CONDUCTS ACTIVITIES ON COVID-19

Date: September 04, 2020

NSS volunteers of the SOA Deemed to be University participated in a plethora of Covid-19 centric activities during the last five months including awareness campaigns,virtual conferences and relief distribution.
As the pandemic took the state in its swirl, the NSS Programme Coordinator Dr. N.K.Sharma and Programme Officers (PO) made efforts to register all volunteers, both regular and self-financing, under the Arogya Setu and Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT). The POs also took part in all webinars and Zoom meetings organised by both the national and state level NSS authorities. Altogether, 31 unit wise webinars were conducted on the theme ‘NSS: Role in Covid-19’ between August 20 and September 1 which turned out to be massive exercises on creating awareness among the volunteers and motivating them to don the role of covid warriors when needed. Over 1300 volunteers, POs, Deans of different institutions and others participated in the webinars.

As many as 14 webinars were held on the World Environment Day. The NSS volunteers also participated in singing ‘Vande Utkal Janani, a statewide programme held recently.The University’s NSS Programme Coordinator Dr. Sharma and Dr. Sovan Pattanaik also took part in the five-day webinar organised by Mahatma Gandhi National Centre for Rural Education.The NSS volunteers undertook relief distribution in ten slums in and around the SOA campus in the third week of April providing the people dry food and masks. They also participated in all national level programmes to promote social distancing norms. A Yoga Week culminating on June 21, the International Yoga Day, also drew over 250 participants who were trained in yoga with the theme

‘Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family’.Besides, a webinar on ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’ was held recently with Prof. Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, SOA Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mahavir Panda and Dr. Bibhu Kalyan Prasad Nayak from NIT, Rourkela, Dr. Jyoti Ranjan Das, SOA’s Dean (Students’ Welfare), Dr. N.K.Sharma and Dr. K.L.Mohanta being the panelists.

The SOA NSS organised ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ programme in collaboration with Abha Gaikwad College of Engineering, Nagpur on in which Prof. Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, Prof.Susmit Pani, former Director, DDCE, Utkal University, Dr. Bhaskar Mishra, Law Officer, Sri Jagannath Temple Administration, Dr. N.K.Sharma, Dr. Jyoti Ranjan Das and Dr. Sovan Pattnaik participated. The activities also included creation of soft resources like video, art, paintings and slogans on Covid-19. Resource persons from SOA were invited as panelists in different TV News Channels on Covid- 19 awareness while Odia articles on various scientific aspects of Coronavirus were published in newspapers.

NIRF Rankings: SOA Placed Among Top 20 Universities in the Country

Date: July 31, 2020

SOA, as the Deemed to be University is known, has been placed 20^th in this year’s ranking in the university category and 38^th among overall institutions in the country as per the list released by Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’​ in a video conference.  Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University here jumped four spots to be ranked among the top 20 universities in the country as the rankings in the different categories by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)  for 2020 were announced by the Union minister for Human Resource Development Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on Thursday.

SOA, as the Deemed to be University is known, has been placed 20^th in this year’s ranking in the university category and 38^th among overall institutions in the country as per the list released by Dr. Pokhriyal in a video conference.With this, SOA, which was conferred with the status of a Deemed to be University by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2007, remained the top institution in the university category in Odisha for the fifth consecutive year obtaining a score of 53.10 this year.

In the Engineering category, SOA was ranked 34^th while in the category for Medical Colleges it was placed 23^rd in the country this year. SOA’s faculty of dental sciences, which entered the ranking process for the first time this year, has been nationally ranked 12^th. As per the new ranking for 2020, the faculties of the university’s medical sciences and dental sciences are the top ranked such institutions in Odisha.

After the NIRF rankings were introduced in 2016, SOA has finished among the top 20 universities in the country for the third time.Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER) is SOA’s faculty of engineering and technology while Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and SUM Hospital and Institute of Dental Sciences (IDS) are the Deemed to be University’s faculty of medical and dental sciences respectively.

Expressing his happiness over the progress made by the university, SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ashok Kumar Mohapatra said the success was the result of the hard work put in by the faculties, researchers and other stakeholders. “I hope all concerned will strive even harder to help SOA rise in the ranking ladder next year,” he said adding the university has come to be known as one of the finest in the country today.”

“The improvement in ranking will certainly motivate all staff members of SOA to achieve greater things in future. I congratulate each of them for this success,” Prof. Manojranjan Nayak, founder President of SOA, said.Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University retained the 24^th position in 2019, it had obtained in 2018 to occupy the top spot in the university category by the Ministry of HRD, India. In the rankings conducted through the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF-2019), SOA was placed 41^st among overall institutions of higher education in the country.

The Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University, counted among the leading higher education institutions of the country, has been ranked among the top 50 in India in the latest QS India University Rankings 2020. The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings is a UK-based annual publication of university rankings comprising the global overall and subject rankings which rank the world’s top universities.SOA has also been ranked 15^th among the top 50 Deemed to be Universities in the country in the latest Outlook-ICARE India University rankings for 2019, making it the highest ranked such university in Odisha.

The department of Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), of SOA, has now become the 4^th institute in the country to get 3 of its programs accredited by the reputed Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), USA. Adding yet another feather to its glowing cap, SOA has been ranked fourth in the country in the Swachh Campus Ranking for 2019 conducted by the HRD ministry.Nine different institutions function under the SOA umbrella offering 95 academic programmes  in engineering and technology, medical sciences, dental sciences, management sciences, hospital administration, pharmaceutical sciences, biotechnology, nursing, hospitality and tourism management, legal studies and agricultural sciences. Around 12,000 students from six different countries study in the university.

IMS and Sum Hospital Chosen by ICMR for India’s First COVID-19 Vaccine Trial

Date: July 30, 2020

Indian Council for Medical Research has selected The Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Faculty of Medical Sciences of the SOA Deemed to be University to conduct clinical trials of the first ever Covid-19 vaccine in India.  So far, IMS and SUM Hospital are among the first institutes in the country and the sole institution in Odisha to have the privilege of conducting the trials. 

The Covid-19 vaccine is the need of the hour and the institute will also be one of the few institutes which are planning to treat Covid-19 patients with convalescent plasma therapy.   In order to commence the trials on a priority basis, the ICMR has recommended the institute to hasten any approvals that are required to begin the process. This is due to the fact that the pandemic is a public health emergency and the trails are an immediate necessary step towards mass vaccination.  

The investigation of the clinical trials will be done by Prof. E. Venkat Rao from the Community Medicine department.The vaccine that will be tested in the trials has been developed in India. The ICMR National Institute of Virology had earlier isolated a strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has now been used to develop the vaccine. The Drug Controller General of India has already given a nod for development of the vaccine, and it has already qualified the first and second phase of clinical trials on human subjects. 

IMS and SUM is among the country’s most infrastructurally advanced medical institutions, featuring a capacity of 1600 beds and housing 40 departments across different subjects in medicine. So far there are only 12 other institutions in India that have been selected to conduct the clinical trials. The trials are now waiting the final approval of the Institutional Ethical Committee (EIC)

History Created! SUM Hospital introduces TET method to remove a tumour

Date: October 17, 2019

The Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, faculty of Medical Sciences of the SOA, deemed to be University has conducted a path-breaking surgery. SUM hospital conducted a surgery on a 39-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital after she complained of swelling in her neck. Later, she was detected with a tumour in her thyroid gland. 

The tumour was removed from the thyroid gland through the woman’s transoral route. Dr. Radhmadhab Sahu, an expert in the ENT skull base said: “This is for the first time that such surgery has been conducted in the state of Odisha”.

Dr Sahu also talked about the traditional method of removing thyroid gland where they made a horizontal incision in the centre of neck and the scar length varied from 4 to 6 centimetre long. While talking about the present method he said “The present method known as Trans-oral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy (TET) is the only scarless procedure based on the principle of natural orifice transluminal surgery. It gives direct access to the thyroid gland and minimum distance to reach the gland with the least complications. 

TET is a feasible procedure which could be the final frontier in endoscopic thyroid surgery. The team of doctors headed by Dr. Sahu had recently performed Endoscopic Trans Oral submandibular gland removal at IMS and SUM Hospital with excellent results and sparing the patient a big scar.

Experts conduct ‘PG Master Class’ for Gynaecology students

Date: September 30, 2019

Prof. Manish Sahu, Chairperson of the workshop, Dr. Tapasi Pati, Coordinator and Dr. Shyama Kanungo, conducted a two-day workshop at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, faculty of medicine of SOA Deemed to be University recently. Renowned gynecologists trained around 75 post-graduate students specializing in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in different medical colleges of Odisha on the new modalities of examination pattern in an ever-changing field of medical education. 

Titled ‘PG Master Class 2019’ the workshop was conducted under the aegis of the Indian Society of Perinatology and Reproductive Biology (ISOPARB). The objective of the workshop was to provide the post-graduate students with a real-time exposure on examination patterns, including how to approach questions, present clinical cases as well as issues concerning facing the viva examination.

Senior faculty from inside and outside Odisha including Prof. Purna Chandra Mohapatra, Prof. Hemant Kumar Deshpande from Pune, Dr. Jaydev Mukherjee from Bihar, Dr. Maya Padhi from SCB Medical College Hospital, Cuttack, Dr. S.K. Rath from KIMS, Dr. Soubhagya Kumar Jena from AIIMS , Dr. Satyabhama Marandi, Dr. Sasmita Das and Dr. Tapan Patnaik from IMS and SUM Hospital interacted with the students. The workshop was inaugurated by Prof. Gangadhar Sahu, Dean, IMS and SUM Hospital in the presence of the Medical Superintendent, Prof. Pusparaj Samantasinhar.

ProQuest honors SOA Chief Librarian with Life Time Achievement Award

Date: September 26, 2019

Dr. D.B. Ramesh, Chief Librarian of the SOA Deemed-to-be University, has been honored with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ for his contributions to Library and Information Science and Industry by ProQuest, a Michigan-based global information-content and technology company at New Delhi recently.

Dr. Ramesh, who worked with CSIR Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology at Bhubaneswar for over three decades, is a recipient of Fulbright Scholar at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA (1992-93), British Council’s Visitorship Programme, UK (1993) and Society for Information Science (SIS) Fellowship Award (1996). With more than 42 years of professional experience and expertise in Library Management and Services, he has edited nine books and published around 110 papers in 45 peer-reviewed journals. He has also edited 65 volumes of seminar proceedings. Apart from this, he has supervised seven Ph.D. scholars under Utkal University in Library and Information Science, while five other scholars are currently doing their research work under his supervision. He is also sought as a Resource Person at different universities as also IGNOU, Bhubaneswar since 2005.

About ProQuest: Established in 1938, ProQuest is committed to empowering researchers and librarians around the world. Its innovative information content and technologies increase the productivity of students, scholars, professionals and the libraries that serve them.

SOA Management Science students receive their degrees

Date: September 21, 2019

Students of 2018 batch passing out of the Institute of Business and Computer Studies (IBCS), faculty of management sciences of the SOA Deemed to be University here, received their degrees at a Graduation Ceremony held in the university campus recently. Around 150 students, who completed their courses in Master in Business Administration (MBA), MBA in Hospital Administration (MHA) and Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA), received their certificates from the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Amit Banerjee, who was the chief guest on occasion.

Congratulating the students on their successful completion of the courses, Prof. Banerjee said that they were walking into a world of opportunities. “The need is to deal with new ideas as the concepts like Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence will govern how we work,” he said.

Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda, SOA’s Dean, Research and Development, also congratulated the students and said success in their careers would be the success of SOA. Prof. Anup Samantaray, Dean of IBCS, said the students would be successful if they were prepared to face the challenges and take risks in a turbulent environment full of ambiguities. 

Rational and Judicious use of available drugs Stressed

Date: September 20, 2019

At a time when new drugs were not coming along, it was essential to rationally, judiciously and scientifically use the available drugs for the treatment of patients, eminent neurosurgeon, Prof. Ashok Kumar Mohapatra said on Friday. “New drugs are difficult to develop, and we should not use available drugs unnecessarily as they are meant for appropriate use,” Prof. Mohapatra, presently Director (Health Programs), SOA Deemed to be University, said while speaking at a two-day national seminar on ‘Drug Repurposing: Challenges and Opportunities’ organised by the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPS), SOA’s faculty of pharmaceutical sciences here.

Prof. Mohapatra stressed on an antibiotic policy saying there was a need for evaluation and change in antibiotics from time to time. Pointing out that 1.2 million people in India suffered from tuberculosis, he said around ten percent of the affected people died because of drug resistance. Urging researchers to seek answers to the problems by discovering new drugs, he said if the research were aimed only for getting patents and publicity, it would not help humanity.

Addressing the inaugural session, Prof. Sudam Chandra Si, Dean of SPS, said the hurdles in discovery and development of new drugs called for alternative approaches including drug repositioning. “Drug repurposing is an important strategy to manage the high cost and poor productivity issues associated with drug research and development. Advances in the field of poly-pharmacology, herbal technology, and formulation have further paved the way for exploring opportunities in drug repurposing,” he said.

Challenges related to clinical validation, regulation and intellectual property protection impacted this strategy, Prof. Si said adding; nevertheless, this strategy provided an opportunity for quick, economic and effective means to find answers to the growing disease burden. Dr. Debasmita P. Alone, Associate Professor, Molecular Genetics and Epigenetics Laboratory at National Institute of Science, Education, and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, Dr. Anshuman Dixit, Scientist-D, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar and Prof. Pratap Kumar Sahu, Deputy Dean, SPS, also spoke at the seminar.

SOA: Graduates in Dental Science and Pharmaceutical Sciences receive their degrees

Date: September 17, 2019

Students of 2018 and 2019 batch graduating in different courses in dental sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, and biotechnology from the SOA University, received their degrees at separate Graduation Day programs held recently. While 93 students of the Institute of Dental Sciences (IDS), pursuing the Bachelor of Dental Sciences (BDS) course, received their degrees, 19 students of Master of Dental Sciences (MDS) were given their certificates at a function graced by the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Amit Banerjee. Over 300 students of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPS) received their certificates for M.Sc. and M.Tech courses in Biotechnology for the two years in another function. Congratulating the graduating students, Prof. Banerjee asked the students to do justice to their profession as they were preparing to step into a world of opportunities. “Hold aloft the name of your institution where you were educated,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor and Prof. Prasanna Kumar Mohanty, eminent ophthalmologist and former Medical Superintendent of the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, who graced the function as the chief guest, gave away the certificates to the BDS and MDS graduates. Prof. Neeta Mohanty, Dean of IDS and Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das, Dean (Students’ Welfare), were also present.

The Vice-Chancellor also graced the second function organised to give away the degrees to students of SPS urging the students to chalk out the plan for their lives and also for the nation. Prof. Sudam Chandra Si, Dean of SPS, said the certificate given to them was their passport into the world where they had to prove their mettle. “Our quest for excellence will continue,” he said.

“Today is the first day of your professional life, and you have to decide what you want to do,” Prof. Das told the students while congratulating them on their success. Forty-nine and 44 students respectively of the 2018 and 2019 batch were presented their degrees for M.Pharm while 29 and 39 students of the 2018 and 2019 batch were given their certificates for M.Sc (Biotechnology). Sixteen students of B.Tech (Biotechnology) and four students of M.Tech (Biotechnology) also received their degrees for 2019. Besides, 100 students of B.Pharm of 2018 batch and 97 students of the 2019 batch also received their degrees on the occasion.

SOA Figures in times world ranking for the first time

Date: September 13, 2019

The Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed-to-be University has figured in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2020 having been placed in the 1001 plus category this year in its first attempt. The rankings were generated from five broad sets of indicators which represented key areas in higher education excellence. The parameters were Teaching (the learning environment), Research (volume, income, and reputation), Citations (research influence), Industry Income (knowledge transfer) and International Outlook (international staff, students and research collaborations).

Several other Indian universities including Amity University, Andhra University, Anna University, Annamalai University, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Delhi Technological University, KIIT University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, University of Mumbai, University of Mysore, Sastra University and SRM Institute of Science and Technology have also been placed in the 1001 plus category along with SOA.

SOA was placed 24^th in the university category in India in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking in 2019 while the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, its faculty of medical sciences, and Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), its faculty of engineering, were placed 21^st and 32^nd respectively. “We have been striving to do better in all areas and the efforts to excel will continue,” Prof. Manojranjan Nayak, President of SOA, said.

International Expert Stresses Awareness about Brest Reconstruction

Date: September 13, 2019

The need for awareness about latest surgical techniques for reconstruction of the female breast, a symbol of femininity for centuries, was stressed by one of the world’s leading plastic surgeons, Dr. Damir Kosutic, at the SOA Deemed to be University here on Thursday.

Women lose a breast, or even both, if affected by cancer as surgical oncologists have to remove the diseased portion which is a part and parcel of the treatment protocol and it often leads to depression in the patient, Dr. Kosutic, senior plastic surgeon at the Christie Hospital at Manchester, United Kingdom, said while delivering a talk on ‘Post-mastectomy Breast Reconstruction’ at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital.

“With the advancement of medical science, breast reconstruction is possible with the help of plastic surgery,” Dr. Kosutic said adding it could be done employing various methods.

“But the most important option is the transplantation of tissues taken from the abdomen through microvascular surgery. It will look like a natural breast and also restore the patient’s psychological well being,” he said.

The need is to create awareness about such surgery so that women are informed about the possibility of restoration of a breast which has been removed, the surgeon said adding “onco-surgeons should play a role by making the patient aware about this option of breast reconstruction while they plan for treatment of breast cancer.”

The talk was organised by the department of Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the IMS and SUM Hospital. Dr. Kosutic was felicitated on the occasion by Prof. Gangadhar Sahoo and Dr. Pusparaj Samantasinhar, Dean and Medical Superintendent respectively of IMS and SUM Hospital. Dr. Jayant Kumar Dash, Head of the Department of Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, also spoke.