PALS program

Upcoming 2-Day Physical Workshop | PALS Initiative - Faculty Development Program on AI for Educators
By Prof. Arun Tangirala, IIT Tirupati
From Chalkboard to Chatbots: AI for Engineering Educators

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming engineering practice, research, and education. For faculty, the question is no longer whether to engage with AI — but how to use it meaningfully in teaching, assessment, research, and curriculum delivery.

AI for Educators is a hands-on, faculty-centric FDP, designed especially for engineering educators — no computer science background required. This program will help faculty confidently and practically integrate AI into their academic roles.

📍 First time in PALS!
🔹 A 2-Day Physical Workshop for Faculty
🔹 To be conducted at multiple locations
🔹 Partner Institutes closer to each location will be invited to register

📢 Coordinators: Please take note and watch out for further communication with detailed schedules and registration information.

📝 PS: We will be reaching out to Partner Institutes interested in hosting the 2-Day FDP.

Stay tuned — exciting learning ahead in the New Year! 🚀

🌟 EDC 360° Conclave 2025 @ IIT Madras
PALS hosted the EDC 360° Conclave on 29 Nov 2025, bringing together 140+ leaders from Partner Institutes across TN, KA, KL, AP & TS. Principals, Deans, EDC Heads, Innovation Centre leads and student teams came together to strengthen the innovation & entrepreneurship ecosystem in engineering institutions.

Opening the session, Krishnamurti R Rao, PALS Champion, reflected on PALS’ 13-year journey—from a small alumni initiative to a strong bridge connecting IITs, industry and institutions across South India and Nepal.

🎙️ Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Chairman – ITEL, delivered an inspiring keynote:
• Talent exists everywhere
• Entrepreneurship needs managerial, financial, legal & leadership skills
• With proper guidance, at least 15% students can sustain the entrepreneurial journey by solving meaningful local problems

💬 The panel discussion anchored by Mr. Mohan Narayanan & Ms. Viji Sankar, featuring Dr C.R. Rene Robin, Dr R. Kumaravelan, Dr J. Arun Kumar, Dr Divyarani M.S., and Mr Sarju S, shared practical insights on:
• Building campus innovation ecosystems
• Academic models (credits, internships, entrepreneurship courses)
• Collaborating with industry & incubators
• Solving ground-level EDC challenges

🎓 Prof. Satyanarayanan Seshadri (IITM) presented a structured 24-step pathway to teach entrepreneurship.

💡 Dr. Shankar Venugopal (Mahindra & Mahindra) shared the innovation triad — Iccha Shakti, Gnana Shakti, Kriya Shakti — and the CREATE method for idea generation.

🚀 Prof. Richa Agrawal (IITM) showcased IITM’s strong student-led innovation culture.
🏢 Mr. Kishore Kumar (AIC–Anna Incubator) highlighted incubation support & expectations from student startups.

🤝 MoUs with Immersive Technology (ITEL) and AIC–Anna Incubator opened new mentorship and incubation avenues.

✨ The Conclave reinforced one message: Innovation grows when academia, industry & students work together with purpose.

🔖

💡 PALS Tinkathon 2025 – Karnataka completed! 💡

PALS Tinkathon was successfully hosted at Presidency University Bangalore 🎉

Tinkathon is a one-day problem-solving workshop and the preliminary qualifier for the PALS Residential Student Workshop. This hands-on event ignites creativity through design, drawing, calculations, lateral thinking, and mini project challenges. The workshop featured an exciting Out-of-the-Box Quiz, engaging Design Thinking sessions, and hands-on projects that inspired participants to think differently and innovate beyond the ordinary. 🚀✨

Students from various institutions were teamed up to collaboratively work on their projects within a short time frame — showcasing impressive teamwork and creative problem-solving skills! 🤝

A total of 98 students from 11 Partner Institutes participated with great enthusiasm.
Adichunchanagiri Institute of Technology
BMS Institute of Technology and Management
Maharaja Institute of Technology
Mysuru Royal Institute of Technology
Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology
Presidency University Bangalore
The National Institute Of Engineering, Mysore
Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering
Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU)

A day filled with innovation, creativity, and collaboration! 🌟