Birla Institute of Technology and Science

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This article is about the institution commonly abbreviated as BITS, located in Pilani, India. For the institution commonly abbreviated BIT in Ranchi, see Birla Institute of Technology.

Birla Institute of Technology & Science िबरला प्रौद्योिगकी एवं विज्ञान संस्थान िपलानी


Motto:	ज्ञानं परम् बलं gyanam paramam balam "Knowledge is Power Supreme"
Established:	1929
Type:	Private
Chancellor:	K K Birla (Pro Chancellor: Kumar Mangalam Birla)
Vice-Chancellor:	L K Maheshwari
Staff:	347
Undergraduates:	1365 annual intake
Postgraduates:	185 annual intake
Location:	Pilani, India Goa, India Dubai, UAE
Alumni:	BITSAA
Affiliations:	ACU, WACE
Website:	BITS-Pilani, BITS-Goa Campus BITS-Dubai Campus
Molecule (Sciences), Lotus (Humanities), Rocket (Technology)

Birla Institute of Technology & Science,(Hindi:िबरला प्रौद्योिगकी एवं विज्ञान संस्थान िपलानी) Pilani, Rajasthan, India (popularly known as 'BITS Pilani') is the most selective and one of the oldest technology schools of India. In addition to Pilani, BITS has campuses in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Goa, India, an extension center in Bangalore, India, and a fourth campus coming up in 2008 at Hyderabad. The institute is privately supported and fully residential. The Institute plans to set up a B-school in the near future.

1 History
2 Admission
- 2.1 Pilani & Goa Campuses
- 2.2 Dubai Campus
3 Reservation
4 Reputation and rankings
5 Pilani Campus
6 Goa Campus
7 Dubai Campus
8 BITSAA (BITS Alumni Association)
- 8.1 Chapters
- 8.2 Alumni of Note
9 Notes
10 External links

[edit] History

Clock Tower, BITS Pilani

The institute was founded by Ghanshyam Das Birla in 1929 as an intermediate college. During World War II, the Government of India established a technical training center at Pilani for the supply of technicians for defence services and industry. In 1946, it was converted into the Birla Engineering College with degree programmes in electrical and mechanical engineering.^[1]

In 1964, the Birla Colleges of Arts, Commerce, Engineering, Pharmacy and Science were merged to form the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS). In this period of inception (especially during 1964–1970), BITS Pilani received support from the Ford Foundation and benefited from an alliance with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

BITS Pilani started to expand in India and abroad since 2000. New campuses were established in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (2000) and Goa, India (2004), and a fourth campus is to be opened in 2008 at Jawaharnagar (near Hakimpet Air Force station), Hyderabad. BITS also runs a virtual university and an extension center in Bangalore.

[edit] Admission

Pilani

Goa

Hyderabad - Exp 2008-09

Campuses Within India: Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad

[edit] Pilani & Goa Campuses

The admission to these two campuses since 2005 are through revised admission procedure via National Entrance Examination (BITSAT). BITSAT is a test conducted online held between May 1 and June 10 in many cities all over India. The exam tests subject-content in English, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Logical reasoning, and is focused on higher secondary curriculum in India. Prospective students are required to obtain minimum 80% marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in their higher secondary examinations to be eligible for admission.

Toppers of higher secondary examinations of each single board are exempted from taking BITSAT test and are considered admitted. This exemption helps ensure that BITS retain the significant number (about 20) of first rank holders from across the country who join BITS every year.

Acceptance rate in BITS is very low, (Selectivity < 2.08% in 2007)^[2] making it the most selective and one the toughest schools in India to get admission into. For more information, see BITS Admission.

[edit] Dubai Campus

The admission to BITS, Pilani - Dubai is based on the marks secured at the 12th standard qualifying exam. However they are planning to make admissions through the main entrance test for the year 2008 and also they give importance for local rankings to encourage GCC students.

[edit] Reservation

The institute has been a champion of meritocracy and hence believes that merit should be the only criterion for admission into higher education and unlike government run institutions is not legally obliged to undertake affirmative action. This is seen as a major USP by potential aspirants, teachers and recruiters. In october 2006 some newspapers and TV channels listed BITS Pilani as one of the many deemed universities discussing the controversial reservation issue with the HRD Minister and agreeing to set aside a quota. The institute released a press note stating that it is against reservation in any form.^[3] ^[4]

[edit] Reputation and rankings

Asia Week: According to the Asiaweek magazine's rankings(2000) of Science & Technology schools in the Asia-Pacific region BITS Pilani, Pilani campus was ranked 1st^[5] in Asia and Top 5^[6] in terms of Student Selectivity. (UNESCO Science Report 2005(ISBN 92-3-103967-9) makes use of these rankings).
India Today: Annual rankings of Engineering colleges in India have been published by India Today^[7] magazine since 1997. BITS Pilani was consistently ranked in the Top 5(1997-2004). BITS has opted out of the rankings since 2005 because of a pending court case between BITS and India Today.^[8]^[9]
Business Today: Top 20 Wired Organisations of Asia (Issue: January 18, 2004)
NAAC: Government of India's National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) rated BITS as a five star Institution^[10] for the period ending February 7, 2007. BITS has scored 82.55 out of 100, higher than comparable public universities (with a five star rating and a focus on science and technology) such as Anna University (75.7), Bangalore University (77.05), Jadavpur University (77.35), Mumbai University (75.05), Pune University (78.55) and Roorkee University / IIT Roorkee (77.15).
Washington Accord: Degrees from BITS Pilani and the IITs are internationally recognised (India gets entry into elite tech studies club.)
The Dataquest-IDC^[11] survey have ranked the university in top 20 Technology Universities in India in 2005.
Outlook-Cfore^[12] survey has ranked the university's business program in the 20 Business programs in India in 2005.
Alliances with Universities(Exchange/Distance Learning/Research Collaboration): MIT,^[13] University of Maryland, College Park, University of Otago,^[14] University of Southern California, Kathmandu University,^[15]

[edit] Pilani Campus

BITS, Pilani was established in 1929.

[edit] Highlights

Sky Lawns, BITS Pilani

General
- 328 acre (1.3 km²)[This is the area under BITS. The total area of the Vidya Vihar campus, which houses several other smaller facilities - some of them under the Birla Education Trust- encompasses an area of over 1000 acres)
- Birla Science Museum
- Hostels(known as Bhawans): 12. 11 hostels for boys named after historical Indian characters(Ashok, Bhagirath, Budh, Gandhi,Krishna, Malviya,Ram, Ranapratap, Shankar, Vishwakarma, Vyas) and 1 for girls(Meera).
- Dining Halls(known as Mess): 7. One for every 2 or more hostels(VKB, RB, KG, RPA, SV, MAL, MB)
- Guest House
- Alumni House
- Gym Grounds Sports Facility
- Student Activity Center (SAC) having rooms for student societies to operate and a few indoor sports facilities like badminton, squash, Table Tennis etc.

Saraswati Temple, BITS Pilani

Landmarks^[16]

- Clock Tower
- Saraswati Mandir
- Central Library
- Gliding Club(now defunct)
- Shiv Ganga

Popular Hangouts
- Sky Lawns
- Information Processing Center (IPC)
- C'not(Connaught) Shopping Area
- Shiv Ganga

[edit] Academics

Central Library, BITS Pilani

[edit] Integrated First Degree

BITS Pilani offers 4 year Integrated first degrees B.E. (Hons.), B.Pharm. (Hons.), M.Sc. (Hons.), M.Sc. (Tech.), and M.A. (Hons.). Various programs are offered with the degrees and these are classified into 3 groups A, B & C.

Group A: Chemical, Civil, Electrical & Electronics, Mechanical, Pharmacy, Computer Science, Electronics & Instrumentation.
Group B: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Economics, Mathematics, Physics.
Group C: Information Systems, General Studies, Engineering Technology, Finance.

[edit] Higher Degree

BITS Pilani also offers higher degree programs like M.E., M. Pharm & M.Phil. These are offered in a variety of disciplines like Communication Systems,Electronics and Control, Embedded Systems, Microelectronics, Software Systems, Biotechnology, Manufacturing Systems, Design Engineering, Materials Science & Technology, Transportation engineering, Pharmacy etc.

MBA Program: Recently BITS-Pilani has upgraded its reputed 4 year MMS (Master of Management Studies) first degree to a 2 year MBA program to meet the industrial demands. The program is offered in the field of IT Enabled Services and Engineering Technology, which by itself stands out of all other MBA degree. BITS offers these specialization owing to the strong need of technical knowledge for modern managers. A group of highly qualified core faculty, visiting faculty and practitioners imbue the students with contemporary knowledge base, business analysis and information based decision making skills thus spawning illustrious corporate executives, entrepreneurs and academicians world-over in its existence of over three decades. Selection is after an All India Entrance Test comprising of Technical Tests, an Aptitude Test, Group Discussions and a Personal Interview. The first batch of this program itself saw an enormous demand in the corporate world with the highest placement of 20 lakhs by an Australian consulting company.

[edit] Flexibilities, Dual Degree & Transfer Option

BITS Pilani offers a lot of flexibility in the taking overload of courses and electives outside ones' study area. Dual degrees are very common for Group B programs and in some cases Group A & Group C programs also. The dual degree programs take 5 years to complete. There is also the option to Transfer from one program to another. Usually applications are accepted at the end of the first year and transfer to a more sought after degree is reserved for the top students.

[edit] Initiatives

Road to the Institute, BITS Pilani

BITS Pilani student hostel on a foggy day

[edit] BitsConnect

Initiative-1: The Gigabit backbone^[17]^[18] (Completed January 2004)

This was a $1.5 Million project jointly led by BITS Alumni and BITS Pilani resulting in a state-of-the-art campus wide network. This initative provided broadband access, telephones and video conferencing abilities in every room, staff quarters & guest house, as well as wireless access in Sky lawns & the library.

Initiative-2: The Oysters Lab(OLAB)^[19]^[20] Center for VLSI and Embedded design. In the second initiative, BITS Alumni are working with BITS Pilani to create a state-of-the-art VLSI lab. This is to provide the university with advanced computing infrastructure for Very Large Scale Integration(VLSI) and embedded design.

[edit] International Projects

BITS Pilani is a key partner in several international initiatives like the development of JournalServer^[21] open-access digital library, the Project IPV6,^[22] MIT iCampus^[23] initiative, etc.

[edit] Practice Schools

The Practice School Program of BITS takes all its students to the industry for seven and half months as an integral component of the academic curriculum like the medical internship.

Practice School-I: This is a summer internship undertaken or two months at the end of second year for all its campus programmes. The number of industrial participants has grown from 14 stations and 244 students in 1975 to 220 stations and 1376 students in 2007.
Practice School-II: This is the final year internship undertaken for five and a half months. The number of industrial participants has grown from 1 station and 24 students in 1973 to 135 stations & 1092 students in 2005.

[edit] University-Industry Linkage

BITS Pilani is one of the pioneers of university-industry linkage programs in India. The practice school programs ensure a good industry-university linkage with many Industrial participants hiring graduates after the programs. There is a strong collaboration with Broadcom, Magma and Mentor Graphics for OLAB project.

[edit] Off Campus Programs

BITS, Pilani offers various off-campus distance learning and collaborative programs that target the Human Resource Development needs of the industry. The enrollment has grown over the years from 30 in 1979 to over 10000 students in 2005. Off-Campus programs also accommodates industry professionals to pursue PhD whilst being employed. The various programmes offered are First Level Diploma, B.S. , M.Sc(Tech.) , M.E. , M.S. and M.Phil.

[edit] Annual festivals

The following are the academic and cultural festivals conducted yearly.(In Alphabetical Order)

[edit] APOGEE

A Professions Oriented Gathering Over Educational Experience (APOGEE)^[24] is the annual Technical Festival of BITS, Pilani. There are various events including paper presentations, invited lectures, Workshops(Robotics, Digital Film Making, Astro etc.). There is also a project competition which was revamped in 2007, with the introduction of a category based system for categorizing the competing projects.

Few of the events of APOGEE are —

Siddhi - A national level robotics competition conducted by the Mechanical Engineering Association
Cyberfiesta — An innovative software design contest
CodeJam - A programming contest
Blue Print - A national level design competition conducted by the Civil Engineering Association
Brain of BITS (BOB) — A quiz, where the prize is the title of "Brain of BITS"
Over Head transmission(OHT) — A quiz involving teams of 3
The India Quiz - A quiz testing IQ (Indian Quotient)
Treasure Hunt, Bulb, Jeopardy and Wordstock - Fun events organized by the Dept. of Informalz.

A cultural night "MITHALI" is conducted during festival where the students of BITS, Pilani showcase their talents.

[edit] BOSM

One of the most sought after sports festivals in the country is the BITS Open Sports Meet (BOSM). This annual festival of BITS Pilani usually held in the month of September is organised entirely by students. It attracts as many as 1000 participants from all over India.

The sports include Athletics, Badminton, Tennis, Cricket, Chess, Football, Hockey, Table Tennis, Swimming, Volleyball and Weightlifting. Participants are accommodated in the campus during the four day festival.

[edit] CONQUEST

Conquest^[25](Conquest - The Business Challenge) is a unique business event conducted by CEL(Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership). This business-plan competition includes intensive mentoring by industry champions and a rigorous simulation involving real-life start up conditions. The Winners share a prize money of INR 2 lakh and they are offered free incubation in the Technology Business Incubator at BITS Pilani. They are also given an opportunity to pitch their business ideas to some of the best VC forums in the country. Currently, the event is divided into 5 phases: Conquest Camp, Conquest Colander, Conquest Focus, Conquest Finals 1 & 2.

[edit] INTERFACE

Interface^[26] is the annual All India Management convention organised by the Management Association of BITS, Pilani and it encompasses a wide spectrum of activities. The main objective of the convention is to bridge the gap between management theory and practice. This event over its 29 year history is considered as one of India's foremost conventions. The event consists of paper presentations in Marketing, Finance, Human Resources Development, Management Information Systems, Operations Management, E-commerce, Creativity and Entrepreneurship. Other events include invited guest lectures(past lectures include luminaries like Dr. Manmohan Singh and the late Shri Rajesh Pilot), panel discussions, workshops, aptitude tests, business quiz & debates. One of the highlights of this event is the YMOM(Young Manager of the meet). This is a competition to identify the most outstanding manager among the student through various rounds of challenges.

[edit] OASIS

Auditorium Panel Art, Oasis Festival

Oasis^[27] is an all India cultural festival organised entirely by the students of BITS, Pilani. Oasis is usually organised in the month of October. Around 1200 Participants from colleges all over India participate in Oasis. This high budget event is the highlight of the cultural calendar year of the University and is fully student driven from sponsorship, management,art and decoration]]. It features a variety of events that include:

Music Competitions: Tarang(Light Indian music), Fusion(Harmony of Indian and western styles), Aandholika, Western Acoustics Jam, Carnatic & Hindustani.
Dance Events: Razzmataz(Dance Synchronization), Choreo(theme-based narrative dance), Tandav
Blab, Oasis Quiz, Literary, poetry & creative events
Fashion Parade (Fash P)
Theatre Events: Mime, Stage Play, Act & React, Street Plays, Sitcom Fever, Psychedelic Spoofs
Treasure hunt and other fun events are conducted by the Department of Informalz.

[edit] SANGAMAM

This is the annual classical music and dance festival organised by Ragamalika, the classical music and dance club of BITS. It is a 3 day festival usually held in the last weekend of February and features the top classical artistes from all over India.

[edit] Research & Development Centers

Software Development & Educational Technology Unit - SDET
Technology Business Incubator - TBI - A few of the startups supported by the TBI are Mobile MEdics, Steps Ahead, IMConfuzed.com
Centre for Entrepreneurial Leadership - CEL
Center for Robotics and Intelligent Systems - CRIS
Center for Desert Development Technologies - C-DDT
Center for Women Studies - Center for Women Studies
Rain Water Harvesting - BITS-RANA
Professional Development Center - BITS-RIT APEX CENTER
Other Centers Include: iSERC - Software Engineering Research Center (India), Center for Excellence in IBM Visual Age for Java and IBM DB2 UDB, Center for Instructional Software, Center for Material Science & Technology, Center for Research on Educational Innovation & Institutional Development, Center for Renewable Energy and Environment Development, Center for Robotics and Intelligent System, Embedded Controller Application Center, Technology Innovation Center.