69 rank holders awarded during HITS convocation

CHENNAI: The 15th Convocation of The Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS), held at Chennai on Saturday, saw nearly 1,600 students from over six schools and 150 programmes receive UG, PG degrees and Ph.Ds in multiple streams including engineering, SLAAS, architecture, law, and management. Prizes were also awarded to 69 rank holders.

Sir Andre Konstantin Geim, the Nobel Prize winner renowned for his groundbreaking research in condensed matter physics, including the co-discovery of graphene, was the chief guest. Padma Bhushan Nambi Narayanan, Indian Aerospace Scientist, and Dr P Veeramuthuvel, Project Director of Chandrayaan 3, ISRO, were special guests. The convocation was presided over by HITS Chancellor, Dr Anand Jacob Verghese.

Sir Geim shared anecdotes from his own research journey, highlighting the challenges and rewards of pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. He encouraged the graduates to embrace a spirit of adventure, question the status quo, follow their passions with full determination and embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Veeramuthuvel recounted the various challenges faced in the quest to successfully put a lander on the moon and how these were overcome.

Nambi Narayanan narrated the journey and struggles of a small team of ISRO scientists developing a liquid-fueled rocket engine that powers many of India's space launch missions today.

"The lesson from the story of development of India's Vikas engine is that, if you have passion and give your heart and soul to something, you will definitely succeed, " he said.