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Start date: 2021Subject: search.filters.subject.Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao

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    Ranking and citation rat race is hurting India's academic reputation
    (The Times of India, 2024-01-13) Rao, V. Ramgopal
    The rising obsession of Indian institutions with metrics and rankings is leading to a crisis in academia, with dire consequences for the credibility of research emanating from the country. Academic contributions have been reduced to a numbers game, and institutions are being measured by their publication count or citation scores, not by the originality or real-world impact of their research. In this atmosphere, academic integrity is often the first casualty. Some universities have resorted to dubious practices, including manipulating publication metrics, to climb the Indian and global rankings ladder. A recent article in the journal Science highlights the proliferation of “shoddy commentaries” designed solely to game the metrics system. Researchers demonstrated how some institutions artificially created citation networks to inflate their visibility. The data accompanying the study reveals that some Indian institutions are producing hundreds of low-quality papers annually. This practice not only distorts the true quality of research but also diverts resources and attention away from meaningful academic pursuits.
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    BITS Pilani celebrates convocation 2024, over 15,000 degrees awarded
    (The Times of India, 2024-11-12) The Times of India
    The BITS Pilani convocation marked the graduation of more than 15,000 students, showcasing outstanding academic and research achievements while strengthening its bonds with industry leaders and alumni. n Short More than 15,000 degrees were conferred, including 3,893 to women graduates BITS Pilani achieves 81% national placement rate Alumni pledge USD 6 million to BITS endowment fund BITS Pilani, an esteemed institution for higher education and innovation, held its convocation ceremony at the Pilani campus, awarding degrees to 1,832 students across BE, MSc, ME, and PhD programmes. Across all campuses, BITS Pilani awarded a total of 15,681 degrees this year, including Work Integrated Learning Programmes (WILP). Notably, 3,893 women graduated, emphasising the institute’s commitment to fostering diversity in STEM fields. The ceremony was honoured by prominent dignitaries, including Chief Guest Dr S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, and Guest of Honour Sanjay Mehrotra, President and CEO of Micron Technology. Both emphasised BITS Pilani's crucial role in fostering collaboration between academia and industry. Dr Somanath inspired students, underscoring India’s role as a global technology leader, while Mehrotra encouraged graduates to innovate and pursue inclusive development. PLACEMENT RECORD AT BITS PILANI The institution recorded an impressive national placement rate of 81 percent, with the Pilani campus achieving 80 percent placements. Graduates were placed predominantly in IT, banking, finance, and electronics, with top recruiters like Google, Microsoft, Cisco, and Goldman Sachs. Emerging industries, including high-frequency trading and supply chain management, also featured prominently, with firms like Tower Research Capital and Micron recruiting BITS Pilani talent. BITS Pilani reported growth in PhD enrolments, achieving a compound annual growth rate of over 20 percent over the past five years, with 42 percent female scholars among over 2,050 current candidates. In FY 2023-24, the institute secured 72 research projects totaling ₹81.33 crore and filed 121 patent applications, reaching a cumulative 419 filed and 107 granted patents to date. The event also saw the launch of the BITS Pilani Endowment Fund, with six alumni pledging $1 million each toward the $100 million fund for campus development projects. The institution’s alumni network has significantly contributed to this year’s success, with over 150 alumni-led organisations offering internship placements. The institute celebrated alumni achievements with awards, including the prestigious BITS Ratna Award to Pratul Shroff, and Distinguished Alumnus Awards to accomplished figures across various sectors.
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    Over 1,800 students graduate from BITS Pilani:
    (The Indian Express, 2024-11-12) The Indian Express
    BITS Pilani held its convocation at the Pilani campus, where degrees were conferred across BE, MSc, ME, and PhD programmes to 1,832 students. In total this year, 15,681 degrees have been awarded by the institute including all campuses, programmes, and WILP programmes. Highlighting their focus on diversity in STEM, 3,893 women graduated this year. The event was graced by illustrious dignitaries such as Sanjay Mehrotra, President and CEO of Micron Technology, and Dr S. Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, who awarded degrees, emphasising BITS Pilani’s strong ties to industry and academia. BITS Pilani also reported a growth in PhD enrolment, with a CAGR of over 20 per cent in the last five years, now standing at over 2050, out of which 42 per cent are female scholars. Additionally, during FY 2023-24, the institute approved 72 research projects worth Rs 81.33 crore, demonstrating its commitment to enhancing research competitiveness. Furthermore, BITS Pilani filed 121 new patent applications in the same year, contributing to a total of 419 filed patents and 107 granted patents to date.
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    BITS Pilani dikshant samaroh mein 1483 vidyarthiyon ko di degreeyan
    (Dainik Bhaskar, 2024-11-11) Dainik Bhaskar
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    Placements slowing down but colleges can adapt to new normal
    (The Times of India, 2024-03-31) Rao, V. Ramgopal
    Unemployment among our youth is a burning issue for India. While the ILO data on India’s employment scenario is debatable, there is another statistic that we should take note of. According to the department of economic affairs 2024 review, the employable percentage of pre-final and final year students in India stood at 51%. Given this shortfall and the huge middle-class population, it’s no surprise that for students and parents, choice of a college or even the discipline in India is primarily governed by the quality of placements. In the US and other developed countries, the role of career centres in universities is quite different from our training and placement cells. Career centres in these countries provide awareness about options, beef up resume writing skills, organise industrial meets and career fairs as well help with interview preparation. In India, while the good institutions do all of this, they also take on the responsibility of placing students in industries. Our institutions, therefore, vie with each other in improving their placement scenario and compete on the percentage of students placed. Even rankings in India use placements data for comparing institutions.
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    Semiconductor mission’s great but academia can chip in
    (The Times of India, 2024-03-03) Rao, V. Ramgopal
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    BITS kulpathi Prof. Ramgopal Rao ko mila lifetime achivement award
    (Rajasthan Patrika, 2024-01-12) Rajasthan Patrika