GUWAHATI, Aug 31 � Around 3000-odd aspiring technocrats of Assam and some 20 Nobel laureates of the world will soon have something in common!
As part of a proposed collaboration, students of the National Institute of Technology, Silchar will soon be able to vie for a �Dual Degree� from the University of Illinois (UOI) at Urbana Champaign, USA, which has been the academic home to over 20 Nobel laureates in different fields.
The decks are expected to be cleared for the concept of �Dual Degree� during the first part of 2015, under which students can pursue half the duration of the course in one university and follow it up with the other, said Dr Kishor Chandra Satpathy, Librarian of NIT Silchar, while talking to this reporter.
If things go as planned, NIT Silchar will be the first technical institute of the North East to introduce the concept.
He said, �As part of the proposed exchange programme, top brains of the world would become part of the faculty team for the students of NIT Silchar.�
In fact, a team of the UOI is scheduled to visit NIT Silchar sometime in January next year, said Dr Satpathy.
The University Library and Mortenson Centre for International Library Programme of the UOI at Urbana Champaign, USA, has already signed an MoU with NIT Silchar, which is constructing one of the biggest and costliest academic libraries in the country with one lakh square feet carpet area. The estimated cost of the building is Rs 44 crore.
Nearly 60 per cent of the work has been completed and it will take another year for the entire set up to come up in a full-fledged manner,
�Over 20 individuals associated with the University went on to bag the Nobel Prize for their path-breaking works in their respective fields and it is now set to change the way our students think and work,� said Dr Kishor Chandra Satpathy.
�They would now have access to a library which will be in line with the University library, which is regarded as the best in the world,� said Dr Satpathy.
The main purpose of this MoU is to facilitate the creation of a world-class, innovative, inviting and flexible library system to enhance campus learning, support research, and provide community outreach and service at NIT Silchar, through consultation and collaboration with the University Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA.
