The world is battling with coronavirus and finding new ways to cope up with the changes in their new lifestyle, and so are all the clubs in NITK. To pool in the creative spirit and the voice of the various interest groups, Pulse brings to you the “In House” series where we sit with the new leaders of various clubs and get to know their game plan for the year ahead.

To start off with the first edition of ‘In House’, we sat with Anurag Kavista (IEEE con), R V Nikhita (AF con) and Saurabh Dewangan (FARC con) to talk about their ‘new responsibilities’ in the ‘new normal’.

Anurag Kavista – Convenor, IEEE 

-What is in the pipeline for the Club in the upcoming year? Any new projects that you can share with us?

The upcoming year is going to be totally different and something which many of us wouldn’t have imagined! Given the uncertainty of how things will be, we are getting ourselves ready for all the possible challenges. With the possibility of precautionary measures like avoiding mass gatherings, a lot of our events like expert talks, social initiatives, workshops and knowledge sharing sessions will have to be hosted on online platforms. We would like to take up projects addressing the difficulties and problems post COVID-19. We are in the process of getting the project proposals still, not quite sure if I can speak on the specific projects.

We have also planned to take up more interdisciplinary research projects to go beyond the boundary constraints. Although the outcomes and practical applications of these projects will be the final objective, we are aiming more at better learning and understanding of projects. Thus, making the learning more process-oriented rather than result-oriented.

-As a convenor, what are your expectations from the club and what can the IEEE members lookout for? 

Being one of the exclusive technical clubs in NITK, IEEE has always worked on the progress and outcomes of projects. I am sure that we all will strive towards the same and put maximum efforts to bring out the desired outputs. With lesser non-academic events, every one of us will have more time to dedicate to the projects taken up. I would ask everyone to make the best use of the additional time. We hope to see all the members coming up with innovative learning methods and activities.

-What do you feel are your responsibilities in this new position? 

It would be my utmost responsibility to ensure IEEE performs to the expectations of the institute and takes an active part in all the events hosted by NITK. I look up to the smooth functioning of IEEE and all of its events and activities in the coming year. I will try my best to make certain that everyone in the club is working towards a unified goal, everyone is benefited from the club. I will strive to protect everyone’s opinions throughout.

Note:
Virtual Project Expo 2020 is our last event for the academic year 2019-20, a consolidation of all the Annual and Envision projects undertaken by our enthusiastic members. It will be released on 12th July 2020. Right after, we will be beginning with Enlighten, our flagship talk series. It will be a webinar series by industry experts, researchers, professors and our very own alumni. Enlighten series will be evenly spread throughout the year. For the upcoming year we have planned around 25 annual projects for executive members and 20 envision projects for student members.

IEEE NITK in association with Web Enthusiasts’ Club has set the wheels rolling for an exciting Hackathon commencing in the next few weeks. For updates on all events, follow us on our social media handles.

Virtual Project Expo 2020: https://ieee.nitk.ac.in/virtual-expo/
Website: https://ieee.nitk.ac.in/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ieee_nitk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IEEENITK/

RV Nikhita – AF Convenor

-What is the Artist Forum planning for the upcoming year, considering the new ‘normal’? We know how AF is working behind every fest in college so what are the new events that we can look forward to?

The post-COVID-19 phase and the high probability of the next semester being entirely virtual will demand a transformation in how the club as a whole will function. As the first step towards our approach, we plan to launch our own website which will be an art gallery of our members’ artworks, regular blogs written by AF members and a calendar with events that we’d like to potentially organise. The situation also demands a revamp of our social media and an approach towards bettering engagement on the platform, now more than ever. And since using a ton of hashtags alone will not do the trick, We plan to host theme-based online art competitions and potentially even open participation to other colleges or NITs. Maybe, even a three-day art festival?

The club also looks forward to collaborating with other clubs for hosting events. One such successful collaboration was with the NITK spectrum team to celebrate and promote the celebration of Pride month. Artwork depicting what pride meant to our members and see their ideas translate to colours were published throughout the month of June.

 What we are most excited about is the opportunity this semester brings to develop new artistic skills and hone existing ones. For which, club workshops will do just the trick. If the college reopens for the even semester then we’d continue the legacy of Udaan. After the huge success of the SAC reformation, we wish to also scale up the size of our Major project but for that, we will only have to wait and see how the college is adapting to the new normal.

-What do you expect out of the Artist Forum as a club and its members? 

Now more than ever the club members will have to come out with creative ways to showcase the talent of the club. Every club member will have a vital role in increasing the social media outreach of the club. They will have to adapt to the new form of virtual interaction. Our members will be expected to show the same dedication to the events that will be held virtually as they would if they were organised in college which I believe will undoubtedly happen.  It is quite natural to feel less connected to the club with the lack of something tangible, as the only form of interaction will be through social media. I expect that every member will make these interactions as lively and inclusive as they were in person and have mutual respect for the club members and be appreciative of others’ works and efforts. All in all, I believe it is essential to maintain the harmony of the club at times like this.

-What do you feel are your responsibilities as the new AF convenor?

As a convener, the first and foremost responsibility will be to bring the club members together to conduct/host any events, enhance teamwork and team spirit, and address internal issues or problems. I will also hold the position to make choices and recommendations about how the club functions, what events can be hosted, and it’s feasibility. I, and any other core member, should have a preliminary and realistic idea of the time and resources needed for hosting any event/workshops and also secure the necessary resources within the allocated budget. I also have to bridge the gap between the college administration and the club. As a convener, I will also play a pivotal role in any collaborative process with other clubs/committees and will also ensure the satisfaction of all parties involved.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/afnitk?igshid=1ikqblbemh4qr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afnitk

Saurabh Dewangan – FARC Convenor

-What new changes can we see in the FARC and its functioning from last year? 

The club already adopted a complete online solution through Microsoft TEAMS and all the ongoing activities such as meetings, discussions and presentations take place over this. Apart from this, we have ensured that we take complete advantage of the current situation and invest the time in-hand to explore and experiment. Further, there has been a lot of internal restructuring with the positions and responsibilities that has enabled us to communicate better and create new paths to get through the current situation. 

-What expectations would you carry as you step up from the club as a whole? 

I would like to see that every team member remains active and involved in club projects and events. I also hope that they continue the legacy of the previous Con, set new benchmarks, and guide and motivate the team to achieve the goals and milestones set. Consistency and honesty are the foremost things I expect from individuals. As a team, collaboration and team spirit would accelerate the club towards achieving milestones. Apart from these, trust, commitment, responsibility and accountability would form the foundation of the club.

-What do you feel are your responsibilities as the new con for FARC?

Providing a vision for the entire team. Establish an effective structure for the functioning and communication protocol both within and among clubs. Inspire, influence and guide the team to participate in a common effort with effective time management.

-Anything specific that you want to tell the readers?

One of the major upcoming projects from the club is the FARC website which we will be launching soon. Apart from this, we have several mini-projects related to robotics and flying to get started with learning and club activities. So looking forward to a great year.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farcnitk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlyingandRoboticsClubOfficial
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flying-and-robotics-club-nitk