Presidents Roundtable on Global Academic Collaboration

Dr. Mrs. Sushma Kulkarni was invited to attend the Presidents Roundtable Discussion at the St. Regis Hotel on February 6, 2025.

The discussion offered valuable insights into global academic collaboration and policy frameworks emphasizing how students from the USA and Indian universities can work together through the Global Immersion Program. It was also discussed how we can scale up education with quality using technology. The exchange of ideas underscored the increasing internationalization of higher education and the need to streamline admission processes to facilitate global mobility.

The event also provided meaningful networking opportunities, allowing for engagement with esteemed leaders from both academia and industry. These interactions highlighted the importance of cross-border collaborations in shaping the future of education.

Training Program on DG Set Operation and Maintenance

The full-day training program, organized to understand DG Set Operation and Maintenance, was attended by the NICMAR University maintenance team on 14th February 2025. The training was organized by M/S Trident Services in collaboration with Cummins Ltd. (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to enhance the team’s skills in handling and maintaining DG sets effectively by providing comprehensive knowledge of DG set operations, training the team for day-to-day preventive and corrective maintenance and improve the team’s capability to troubleshoot and resolve operational issues with the DG sets.

Industry Expert Talk Series:

We hosted an insightful session featuring esteemed industry leaders from Bechtel Corporation on 5th Feb 2025. Mr. Nilesh D. Sapte, Manager - Construction, delivered an inspiring talk on the ‘Key Issues in Managing Major Infrastructure Projects’, while Mr. Lalit Kochar, Project Controls Supervisor, shared valuable insights on ‘Importance of Project Controls in Successful Project Execution’.

Ms. Sheetal Jerath Sharma, Associate Director, People & Culture at Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, delivered an engaging and insightful session on "Professionalism and Its Importance for Career Success" on 29th Jan 2025. She shared her journey in HR and highlighted Grant Thornton's people-centric culture, emphasizing the significance of skills, attitude, and adaptability for long-term career growth. She also underscored key traits such as courage, confidence, ethics, empathy and innovation along with essential skills like networking, negotiation, active listening, and conflict resolution.

Enhancing Safety in Construction: Insights from Industry Experts – A Guest Talk

On February 12, 2025, School of Construction in association with the Pune Construction Engineering Research Foundation (PCERF), successfully organized a guest talk on Construction Safety Management.

The session was delivered by two distinguished speakers from industry - Er. Ramnath Bhat, A.R. Engineers and Consultants, Pune and Er. Satishkumar Nair, Director & Head of Training, Safeskill Safety Services. The event provided a platform for robust discussions on topics such as the integration of technology in safety training and the economic implications of implementing comprehensive safety programs. The collective insights offered a comprehensive understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of construction safety, inspiring participants to champion safety in their future endeavours.

VisiLean Software One-day Workshop

School of Construction, NICMAR University, Pune, organised a one day "hands-on practice workshop on “VisiLean software" for the faculty teaching the course on lean construction management. The workshop was conducted on February 12, 2025 by Mr. Paramjit Lota, Manager - Customer Success, VisiLean Ltd., an innovative cloud-based lean production management software solution serving the construction industry.

Mr. Paramjit explained the basic and advanced features of VisiLean software and gave insight on how digital innovations were becoming essential for effective lean construction management, offering new levels of precision, transparency, and efficiency. The workshop concluded with hands-on practice on the application of VisiLean software for effective planning, monitoring and controlling of construction projects.

Empowering Conversations on STEM and Gender!

Genesis, the Gender Championship Club of NICMAR University, Pune in association with Internal Committee for POSH, organized an insightful invited talk on "STEM Education and Gender", on 17th Feb. 2025, featuring Dr. Vineeta Bal, a distinguished scientist and immunologist currently working as a faculty in IISER, Pune. Dr. Bal was a member of the Prime Minister's task force for Women in Science under the Ministry of Science and Technology and is Chairperson, BOT of Nari Samata Manch, Pune. Dr. Bal, a gender equality expert, discussed the underrepresentation of women in science in India's top institutions. She highlighted the differences between equality, equity, and justice, sparking gender discussions among students, faculty, and staff.

The Genesis Club held a gender equality and inclusivity poster competition to increase engagement. Students used their creativity to express their gender issues and perspectives in a beautiful way.

Advancing Sustainability Through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

School of Energy & Environment successfully held an intensive LCA Workshop on February 15, 2025, bringing together students, faculty, and industry professionals to discuss LCA's role in sustainability. Expert-led sessions illuminated LCA methods, sustainability assessment frameworks, and their role in reducing industry environmental impact. Hands-on training on One Click LCA software allowed participants to apply theory to real-world case studies. Mr. Siddharth Bhagwat (CEO, Sustain & Save), Mrs. Kavita Tikale (LCA & Environmental Expert), Ms. Aditi Chitnis (BD Team Lead, One Click LCA), Mr. Vinay Sarode (Engineering Manager, Centre for Sustainability-Eaton), Mr. Sachin Nande (LCA Consultant-Philips), and Mr. Suraj Shekhar (LCA Consultant) attended the workshop. This workshop improved industry-academia collaboration and gave attendees the skills to make sustainability-focused decisions in their fields.

Enhancing Collaboration: Faculty Team Building Training

Centre of Excellence for Academic Practices successfully organized two outbound training programs of two days’ duration for faculty members of NICMAR University, Pune at Rajputana Trails, Kamshet, Pune on 15th-16th February and 22nd-23rd February 2025. The program aimed to enhance communication, collaboration, and strategic thinking to align with the university’s vision. Participants engaged in various exciting and challenging team games and activities like hill climbing, puzzle solving and raft building to strengthen teamwork and trust. The program followed the Trigonous approach, focusing on three key principles: Know Thyself, Know Why, and Know How. Through these activities, faculty members built stronger professional relationships, pushed their limits, and improved collective collaboration, paving the way for future success and institutional growth.

Celebrating Achievement and Recognition!

Dr. Ramakrishna Nallathiga delivered a Key Note Presentation on "Fiscal health of cities: Issues and reforms" in the Technical Session on "Municipal Fiscal Health" of 73rd National Town and Country Planners Conference on Intelligent, Digital Spatial Planning and Governance held at Thiruvananthapuram on January 10-12, 2025 by the Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI).  He was invited to be a Key Speaker by the ITPI.

He co-chaired two technical sessions of the Second Interational Conference on Infrastructure Development and Sustainability (ICID) held at Adani University, Ahmedabad during December 11-12, 2024 and Sym-Emerge 2025 - International Conference of Symbiosis Institute of  Business Management (SIBM) Pune on January 12, 2025

Dr. Avinash D. Bagul from NICMAR University, Pune, India, was awarded the “Best Oral Presentation Award” at the 6th International Conference on Supply Chain Management (ICSCM 2025) Japan. Held from February 21 to 23, 2025, the conference was organized by the Society of Advanced Information Science and Engineering (SAISE) in collaboration with Hosei University and Fukushima University, Japan. It covered a wide spectrum of areas - Risk Management, Supply Chain Quality, Digitization, Big Data & Data Analytics, and Technology in Supply Chain Management.

Dr. Pradeepta Kumar Samanta from School of Construction was invited as a panelist for the Post-Budget Panel Discussion "Arthashastra 5.0" at Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), Pune on February 14, 2025.