IIITH Newsletter – February 2025

The Cultural Wing of Student Life Committee (SLC) of IIIT Hyderabad in coordination with SPIC MACAY screened Making of Mahatma which was followed by an  interactive with the actor Sri. Rajit Kapur on 18 February at  KRB Auditorium. Sri. Rajit Kapur is a famous Indian film and theatre Actor and Director. He is known for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1996 film, The Making of the Mahatma, for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. He is also well known for his lead role in the Byomkesh Bakshi television series (1993–97) created by Basu Chatterjee. […]

The Cultural Wing of Student Life Committee (SLC) organised International Mother Language Day Celebrations on 21 February with talks by Dr. Madri Kakoti, Department of Linguistics, University of Lucknow on Language and Society: Reflections of Reality and Dr. A Giridhar Rao, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru on Biocultural Diversity, Linguistic Human Rights, and Mother-Tongue Medium Education. This was followed by events by The Language Club of IIIT Hyderabad. Dr. Madri Kakoti’s academic expertise spans multiple subfields of linguistics, including general linguistics, sociolinguistics, neurolinguistics, and endangered languages. She has a strong research focus on language documentation and revitalization, particularly of lesser-known and […]

IIIT Hyderabad’s premier techno-cultural fest -Felicity, known for a unique blend of tech events and cultural experiences was held from 14 to 16 February.  Felicity homepage: https://felicity.iiit.ac.in/ February 2025

Campus Life Council organised Saraswati Puja/Basant Panchami was celebrated on 2 February at Bakul Warehouse. This auspicious occasion embraces the arrival of Maa Saraswati, the deity of knowledge, learning, music, art and wisdom. Students, faculty, staff, and their family members participated in the festivities. After the puja a special lunch was organised for all the devotees.   Pictures of – Saraswati Puja 25   February 2025

IIITH Marathon 2025 in categories 5K and 10K was held on 9 February. This year the theme was – Run for the future. Participants of all levels, from beginners to seasoned runners took part in the Marathon. February 2025

Siddhant Gudwani, UG2K24-ECE, was selected to participate virtually in the Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR-2025) held from 14 to 16 February at Harvard University. The theme for HPAIR’s Virtual Harvard Conference 2025 was Generational Transitions: Passing the Torch, Paving the Way. The aim of the conference was to empower and inspire the next generation of leaders to take bold steps in shaping the world. Over the years, HPAIR conferences have hosted prominent global figures, including CEOs of major corporations, government leaders, international celebrities, and Nobel Prize laureates.   February 2025

Students from Electronics and Robotics Club (ERC) secured 1st position in the Maze Explorer Event held at IIT Hyderabad on 23 February. There were six teams in the competition with only three of them managing to reach the destination cell.  The competition was to design and implement a maze-solving robot capable of autonomously navigating through a given 3D maze constructed with rigid walls and open pathways. The robot had to reach a specified destination while avoiding obstacles in the shortest possible time. The competition consisted of two rounds, each with a different destination, and three runs per round. The scoring […]

The Deccan CTF ( 8 – 9 February) The competition was a resounding success, solidifying itself as one of the best CTFs in Hyderabad in terms of problem quality, participant teams, and overall hype. With extensive LinkedIn activity and numerous IIITH tags, the event also served a great publicity. A total of 380 participants joined. The top teams managed to solve 80% of the challenges, while some problems remained unsolved indicating a well-balanced problem set that kept participants engaged until the end. Additionally, some professional teams from the operational security field participated. February 2025

Knightmare on the Board Felicity*The Chess Club (14 February)  This year’s Felicity flagship tournament became the chess club’s largest event yet, with over 100 participants, both internal and external. Notable attendees included U-9 national champion Nidhish Shyamal, his mentor Amitpal Singh, and students from Maestro Chess Academy. The prize distribution was conducted by Arbiter Daya Bethi (HCC), Amitpal Singh, and Srihari (chess club coordinator), marking a successful conclusion to the event. Felicity Smul (16 February)  IIITH’s top 20 chess players faced International Master Ravi Teja in an intense 3-hour simultaneous exhibition on Research Street. The final score stood at 19-1 […]

Dr. G S Raghavendra has joined the Center for Visual Information Technology (CVIT) as an Assistant Professor. Dr. G S Raghavendra obtained his Ph.D from IISc Bangalore. His research interests include scientific visualization, computational topology, topological data analysis, and their applications. Dr. G.S. Raghavendra was a Research Associate at the Visualization and Graphics Lab (VGL), Department of Computer Science and Automation (CSA), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He worked with Prof. Vijay Natarajan. Prior to this, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute (SCI), University of Utah. He completed his Doctorate – PhD and […]

Mr. Raja Prasada Rao Poladi has joined Centre for Digital Technologies in Healthcare (CDiTH) as  Head and Chief Executive. CDiTH@IIITH provides technologies for activities including sensors, algorithms, AI, data analysis, etc. CDiTH collaborates with expert clinicians and other professionals to provide the best solutions to problems;  coordinates and undertakes the required tests, trials, experiments, etc., essential for iterative solution development; facilitates adoption of the solutions for on-the-ground impact through startups, technology transfers, licensing, etc.;  collaborates with other entities in related areas such as public health. CDiTH@IIITH plans to be a leading group that improves healthcare outcomes by creative use of […]