The Office of International Affairs and Collaborations, along with the international student organisations of Manipal, hosted MAHE’s International Day, KAIROS, on 9th August. The event took place in Marena and the Dr TMA Pai Auditorium. It celebrated the international student community of Manipal through food, dance, music, and games.  

Dr Raghu Radhakrishnan, the Director for International Collaborations, inaugurated the event with the cutting of a ceremonial ribbon. He then delivered a speech welcoming the international students and thanked the organisers who made the event possible. The interactive event began with an activity called Minute To Share It, where each individual was given a minute to share their thoughts on MAHE and their experience in Manipal so far.

Following that, the attendees were invited to play the amusing game of Human Bingo, consisting of tasks such as inventing a creative handshake with a partner, playing dead, and even the childhood game of Ring a Ring o’ Roses. The next activity was an event known as World Café, coincidentally held in Marena’s Idea Café. The idea was to allow students to open up and connect with their peers through discussions held in small groups, on thought-provoking issues such as the response of the youth to the decriminalisation of Section 377. After the discussions were complete, the organisers invited members from each group to recount their ideas to the rest of the audience.

Adding to the festive atmosphere, stalls, or Country Desks, were arranged inside Marena. Here, students shared their countries’ unique cultures with the help of creative displays and delicious local food items. A variety of mouthwatering flavours were available for the attendees to sample, with foods ranging from Vietnamese Coffee to Iraqi Baklava being offered at the stalls. In order to give international students a taste of Indian food, chaat was provided throughout the event. The presence of students and interns from places all over the world, including Vietnam, Iraq, Tibet, South Africa, Bhutan, Germany, and France,  turned KAIROS into a carnival of culture and tradition. “I didn’t know that there were so many people, from so many different countries, studying here. It was wonderful exposure for me”, exclaimed Harinee, a student from Malaysia. The first session was brought to an end on a high note, with the entire group of students shaking a leg to Bollywood hits in the semi-choreographed performance, Jives.

After the conclusion of events at Marena, the students and MAHE officials assembled in the Dr TMA Pai Auditorium for the formal stage functions. The event commenced with a welcome address by Dr Raghu Radhakrishnan and a brief presentation by the Office of International Affairs and Collaborations (OIAC) on their achievements and developments. The Chief Guest of the event, Dr H Vinod Bhat, and Pro-Chancellor Dr HS Balal were escorted to the stage to witness the ceremonial procession of the international students.

The Vice-Chancellor then inaugurated MAESTRO—Manipal Academic Exchange and Student Traineeship for Research Outreach—an online portal created by the Centre of Software Development, MAHE, to facilitate international exchanges. Pro-Chancellor Dr HS Ballal then launched the OIAC’s Move On, a software designed to streamline the exchange process and manage international partnerships, as well as Aula Magna, a quarterly newsletter published by the OIAC.

The event also included a question-and-answer session with Dr Bhat titled Sharing the Spotlight with the Vice-Chancellor. The session began with him talking about how the international programmes have been paramount in MAHE receiving the tag of Institute of Eminence. He highlighted MAHE’s collaborations with numerous foreign universities which have promoted internationalisation. As he answered questions put forth by the students, he emphasised the importance of student mobility around the world. “Large scale mobility of students across continents would encourage world peace,” he remarked. He also talked about the various centres under MAHE which promote cultural interactions and allow international students to learn new things through the courses offered. After the session, Dr Pradeep G. Kini presented the vote of thanks and concluded the formal event.

Once the Chief Guest and other MAHE officials had left the auditorium, students took charge of the venue and commenced the much-awaited cultural event, starting with a warm welcome in their native languages. The distinctive traditional group dance by the Bhutanese team charmed the audience, and a student from Tanzania stunned the entire crowd with her energetic performance. A couple of soulful songs, presented by the team from Malaysia helped them connect with the audience, cutting across all language barriers. Towards the end of the performances, both Indian and international students came together to sway to a number of Bollywood hits, creating a festive atmosphere. The event concluded with a brief pageant, organised by a group of Malaysian students who flaunted their traditional garbs.

The hosts thanked everyone for their involvement and expressed their delight on the success of the event. Apart from promoting the various programmes in the institute that facilitate student mobility, KAIROS brought people, belonging to different countries, together to share their ideas and showcase snippets of their culture and traditions.

Image Credits: The Photography Club, Manipal

This article is current as of November 2020 and will be updated regularly with new information. If you have any questions, head over to the official Freshers’ Group 2020 on Facebook to have them answered!

MIT Manipal provides its students with international exposure in ways that most engineering institutes in India cannot. The college does this by offering opportunities to various types of internship programs around the world. Besides being an immense learning experience, such exposure also provides an edge to a student’s CV. Universities across the globe providing Masters degree prefer applicants with a decent amount of international training, and this is where MIT, with its global networks, has the edge. Working and learning with people of other nationalities and cultures can make one see the world from their standpoint, honing the important skill of being able to shift perspectives.

There are ample opportunities to get international exposure at MIT. Given below are some of the programs.

Foreign Internships and Volunteering Exchanges

Manipal University has branches of two student-run organisations, namely AIESEC and IAESTE, which provide foreign internship opportunities to students. Several students have been lucky enough to receive scholarships at universities to pursue higher studies or job opportunities in the companies where they worked during their internship.

• IAESTE is an independent, fully supported student-run organisation that provides opportunities for students to enhance their careers by pursuing technical internships abroad. With more than 80 member countries, it is one of the largest organisations of its kind in the world. Students interested in participating in an exchange can register during their membership drive which is conducted every semester. Along with holding its trademark event, conventions and membership drives for outgoing participants, the Manipal Local Committee of IAESTE also hosts foreign interns and events such as the International Cuisine Night and International Evening. Due to the ongoing pandemic, students are eligible only for online exchanges. 
• AIESEC is the world’s biggest non-profit student-run organisation. AIESEC provides non-technical (volunteering) as well as technical internships abroad through their Global Volunteer and Global Talent programs, respectively. Students interested in participating in exchange can contact the Local Committee at MAHE or register on their website. AIESEC also works on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals initiative of the United Nations as one of its causes. With branches spread over 127 countries, they organise local and national conferences for their members to develop leadership abilities in foreign exchange participants. The Local Committee also holds a variety of events throughout the year—Global Village, World Café and World’s Largest Lesson, to name a few. All exchanges are on hold due to the ongoing pandemic. AIESEC is not considering to send any students abroad until the summer of 2021.

An AIESEC Global Volunteer exchange which accomplished the United Nation’s 4th Global Goal, Quality Education

Semester Exchange Programs

This program allows students to complete one or two semesters of their collegiate career abroad, owing to MOUs and tie-ups with foreign institutes. These programs are of two types, the Semester Abroad Program and the Student Exchange Program.

• In the Semester Abroad Program, students can choose to do a semester from a variety of colleges abroad. BTech students are eligible for this in their 5th, 6th, and 7th semester. Students who wish to avail this program must maintain a CGPA above 7 without any backlogs. While the GPA of that semester is not considered in the calculation of CGPA at the end of the B-Tech course at MIT, the University the undergrads choose to study the semester at provides a GPA of its own for that duration. However, the credits obtained at the foreign university may count towards total credit requirements for receiving the degree. 
• Through the Student Exchange Program, students are both sent and received by the college. Credits that are completed in the duration of the program are transferred. Students enrolling in this program often consider it a trial run for a masters degree abroad. One of MIT’s partner universities in France, EPITECH, is well sought after by students owing to their unique system of Problem Based Learning. Rather than the traditional method of teaching, the students are made to sit in offices and collaborate with each other and work together. It focuses on a student’s reflection and reasoning to devise their own learning methods, and this practice is starting to be adopted in leading educational bodies around the world.
  
  
  

  An office at EPITECH

Some of the partner universities are Hochschule Bremen—University for Applied Science in Germany, the Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany, and the Queensland University of Technology in Australia.

The 3+2 Program

A very recent collaboration in this program is a dual-degree offered at the end of the course, meaning applicants get an M-Tech degree instead of a B-Tech. The course is of five years, with three years in MIT and two years abroad. Only the Efrei University in France is currently a part of the program, but expansions are underway with many colleges around the world. A huge benefit of this program is that it significantly increases a student’s chances of getting placed in Europe after the completion of the course.

University of Antwerp, Belgium provided a full scholarship to two students of MIT, Manipal

Other than these, there are a number of different scholarships offered by various universities around the world for doing projects in their college, with all expenses, including the travel costs being covered.

Featured Image Credits: Aishwarya Sunderrajan

Kairos, an event organised jointly by IAESTE, AIESEC, IPSF, and CAM, on International Day, celebrated the spirit of co-operation among countries from all over the world. It was held at the Dr. T.M.A Pai Hall on the 10th of August 2018. Showcasing the beauty of friendship and diversity, Kairos brought students together by the very thing that sets them apart, culture.

The day started off with an event called ‘Quizzing with Kahoot’. The event attracted quite a crowd that almost filled the room. The next event was called the ‘World Café’. People of different nationalities were seated together and were asked to discuss world events. The event saw a lot of important questions being raised such as, “Why are the youth so desperately trying to fit in and experience a sense that they belong somewhere?”, “Why is this becoming a trend nowadays?”, “Why are depression and anxiety so common among young people?”, were a few.

The participants shuffled tables continuously, re-discussing the same questions. This event had a personal touch to it, which made it more gripping. Discussions led to shedding light over topics that are often brushed off, that reflected upon generic problems faced all over the world which are often thought of as endemic. ‘World Café’ was followed by an event called Turncoat. The event created quite a bit of a hustle amongst the hosts as nobody turned up for the event.

The second half of the day started off with a one-on-one conversation between the head of the organisations and the Vice-Chancellor of Manipal, Dr. H. Vinod Bhat. The Vice-Chancellor spoke about the awareness of opportunities and how the narrowing of international boundaries has broadened overall education. The IPSF Head asked an interesting question— “Does internationalisation drive research or vice versa?”, to which the Vice Chancellor answered rather diplomatically saying, ” When likeminded individuals get together, it is natural that it will drive research, and research on a topic brings forth further involvement. It goes both ways.”

NIGERIAN DANCE AND SONG FORM

The last segment of the event was all about vibrant and jolly dance and music performances by a few of the countries. The Nigerian dance group took the entire auditorium by storm with their colourful attire and an extremely energetic dance and song number. The Tibetans showed off their unique dance form that radiated elegance and a sprightly vibe.

In the fashion show, exchange students dressed in traditional attire from different parts of India, portrayed a perfect blend of cultural ethnicity. Chords and Co showcased the artistic soul of Manipal with their enchanting performance. The program ended with a dance performance coined the ’Tadka of Bollywood’, where students of all nations wore beautiful Ghagras and danced to popular dance numbers, setting both fashion and dance standards for the whole of India.

BOLLYWOOD DANCE PERFORMANCE

Manipal’s Local IAESTE Chapter held a technical workshop on 24th and 25th March 2018. Three workshops were conducted simultaneously on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Android App Development, and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design. They were conducted by trainers from HT India Labs, a company that focuses on conducting workshops and providing educational training to college students. The workshops aimed at building the technical skills of the participants. It was IAESTE’s first ‘member benefit’ event, and non-members were required to pay a fee to attend. Certificates were awarded to those who completed both days of the workshop.

On 24th March, the workshops were held from 6 PM to 9 PM, and on the 25th, from 8 AM to 9 PM. Both days of workshops were hosted at NLH. After the distribution of the requisite software, the trainers began by introducing the basic concepts they planned to build upon. At the CFD workshop, the trainers started by giving an overview of the history of fluid dynamics and the different approaches to analyzing fluid dynamics. They then went on to introduce the ANSYS Fluent Workbench software. Participants were taught controls such as meshing, surface association, blocking, and splitting. These guidelines nudged the students in the right direction for their further studies on the subject.

The Android Development workshop began on a light note as the trainer shared various anecdotes from his own college life. He gave a brief introduction to the history of Android and the reasons for its popularity. He explained the salient features of Android and also took questions from the participants. He kept the introductory session interactive as he shared his experiences in the corporate world and offered tips that students would find helpful. Over the next day, the participants were introduced to different varieties of apps and created a music app demo at the end of the workshop.

The Printed Circuit Board Design workshop began with the trainer distributing circuit boards to all the participants. He then explained how to use the KiCAD software. He gave them step-by-step instructions on how to input, delete, and manipulate components, as well as on how to create a circuit and footprints, and arrange the final layout. It was later explained how the fabrication and hardware components were to be associated with the software.

All the trainers were very helpful and patiently resolved any doubts and issues that the students had. It is, in general, quite the task to familiarise oneself with new software and learn new subjects. However, this workshop presented a seamless introduction. The participants took back new and useful knowledge with them, along with their certificates of achievement. IAESTE was successful in organizing this intensive workshop and will hopefully, continue to reward its members with such events.

“No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.”
-Alfred North Whitehead

It was with this spirit of gratitude that the Manipal chapter of IAESTE invited over 150 faculty members and officials from various departments across the Manipal Academy of Higher Education to the MIT library auditorium on 15th Jan 2018, for their annual cultural meet, Abhivyakti.

Credits: The Photography Club

The newly appointed director of MIT, Dr.  Srikanth Rao, was the chief guest of the event. Having had an experience of working alongside IAESTE in the organisation’s earlier days, he gave an eloquent speech about the issues that the club faces and their achievements despite these issues. He personally thanked the present faculty members for all their contributions towards the successful working of IAESTE. Despite already having an impressive record of having sent over 450 students abroad for a paid internship in just the past four years, Dr Srikanth Rao aims higher and promised the club every form of support to make sure the students of Manipal are provided with the best of opportunities and experiences. His address was followed by the felicitation of the present faculty members. Esteemed guests including Dr Pragna Rao, the Dean of KMC, Dr BHV Pai, the Joint Director of MIT, and Dr Raveendranath Nayak, the Dean of SOM, were among the others felicitating the faculty members.

Credits: The Photography Club

The involvement of these faculty members in training the incoming interns and the subsequent recognition for these professors is crucial for the development of good relations with other countries thereby promoting a better exchange rate. With 63 students in the working committee striving each day to improve the student exchange programme, the organisation is bound to see the day it has a hundred percent record in terms of candidates successfully placed in technical internships abroad.

On 13th August at Interact Hall, KMC – AIESEC and IAESTE joined hands to celebrate International Students’ Day under one roof. The idea behind the event was, that students studying in Manipal could learn about other countries – their customs, traditions and folklore through the interns that are in Manipal via the two organisations. The day started off at 11 am with an opening speech by Dr Karunaar Kotegar, faculty advisor of AIESEC in Manipal University. A fun-filled jiving session occurred after the speech, where dance enthusiasts took the opportunity to showcase their latent talents. 

The hall was filled with stalls set up by the interns from different countries. A huge hit with everyone present, each stall showcased the unique traits of their respective countries. Everyone got to taste delicious local delicacies, see interns in their traditional clothing, and play fun-filled games, giving them a birds’ eye view of the different parts of the world. Many of the visitors praised France’s ratatouille and Philippines’ delicious dark coffee more than the others. There were also stalls of India set up by members of the Local Committee of AIESEC and IAESTE – one each for North, East, West, and South India respectively. 

The 45-minutes long yoga session where the students stretched every muscle of their body.

After the yoga session conducted by Ms Priya, there was lunchtime. At 1:15 pm, the Band Performance started, where Chords&Co proved their flair for music by their melodious vocals and power-driven instrumentation – mastering popular songs like Despacito, City of Stars, and Riptide. A highlight of the day was an event called ‘Amazing Race’  where contestants had to search for different clues by performing certain tasks. Some of which included clicking selfies with strangers and digging for clues in the turban put up for display. After the event, the Presidents of both the organizations talked about the importance of cross-cultural international exchange.

Offering sweet beverages and a bittersweet cup of dark coffee, the Philippines stall was the most crowded.

The ‘Talent Show‘ from 5 pm gave people the opportunity to manifest their talent. Ranging from street dance to a violin performance, with the crowd cheering on all participants. The event ‘Performances‘ happened after that. The interns performed well-rehearsed songs and dances. They also dressed up in Indian attires from various parts of our country. 

The day of celebrating diversity ended with a speech by the Member Committee of IAESTE. A gathering of people from a variety of nations under one roof is something really special. And despite all the differences, everyone laughed at the same jokes and greeted each other with the same smile. 

The interns were seen bonding with each other through the popular game called cricket.

14^th August 2016 marked Manipal University’s first ever International Students’ Day. The daylong event which was the brain child of the Office of International Affairs and Collaborations, was spearheaded by IAESTE. The day began early with an interactive session held by AIESEC wherein, participating delegates shared stories about themselves, their countries, and their cultures. It was a rousing success, as excited chatter could be heard throughout the hall. The hall was decorated and had stalls filled with food, clothing, and pictures from 10 different countries ranging from China to Tanzania. The stalls were not limited to just the interns that came through IAESTE. Manipal University’s large number of international students also participated with enthusiasm and were an excellent audience as well. Heena, a student of School of Allied Health Sciences (SOAHS), who was at Tanzania’s stall said, “I’m really happy about this event, it gave us the opportunity to talk about our country, to clear misconceptions, and also to give them a part of our culture.” Aviva, the public relations manager of IAESTE, elaborated by saying, “The event was aimed at being a blend of different cultures. We didn’t even know that we had such a large body of international students in the University before organizing this event. It is really nice for them to be able to celebrate their cultures and experience others as well.”

PC: Pranjali Kanchi

The entire event revolved around the spirit of celebrating various cultures and everyone was treated to different cultural activities through the day by students and interns from 25 different countries. From traditional dances to music, the cultural performances were the highlight of the day. Students from MIT also participated as college-based bands, ‘The Empyrean’ and ‘A Team’ put in their performances. The fashion show by ‘Glam n Glitz’ and a dance performance by ‘Showstoppers’ were a complete treat for the audience.  The rest of the day was jam packed with events, including a Yoga Session by a School of Management (SOM) student, Priyanka, who has been practicing yoga for fifteen years.

Countries like Iran, Maldives, Tajikistan, Jamaica, and Australia also gave short presentations about their countries, giving small glimpses into their traditions, food, and culture. The presentations highlighted both the differences and similarities between people all over the word. Aman Bharadwaj, the Vice President of Finance of AIESEC said, “It’s a great occasion for all of us. People from different countries, traditions, and cultures come together under one roof and celebrate International Day.” Celebrating the diversity, IAESTE organized for a series of international movies that were screened in one of the rooms.

IAESTE also organized for both face painting and henna sessions. One could see scores of people with beautiful henna art on their hands and their country’s flag painted across their cheeks as they excitedly posed in the photo booth. The event also served as a prelude to the upcoming ‘Manipal Week’ and can be best summed up by Avimanyu Saini, the Chairperson of IAESTE, who said, “Today was just about nationalities coming together and celebrating each other, on a much larger scale than we’ve ever organized in Manipal before.”

PC : Pranjali Kanchi

Manipal University offers a number of opportunities for students to gain technical experience in harmony with their education. Chief among such initiatives is IAESTE India LC Manipal. IAESTE, short for the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience is an independent organisation, aims at providing quality technical experience to students in the form of internships abroad. IAESTE India LC Manipal is the local chapter of the organisation, now in its 11^th year of functioning. With Manipal being the headquarters of IAESTE India, the local chapter plays a major role in helping students get excellent training opportunities.

IAESTE Manipal recruits members and Local Committee members every year. While members benefit from the internships, the LC members can also work for the organisation while applying for the internship offers. IAESTE, an organisation for the students and by the students, is made up of hardworking and capable students, who leave no stone unturned to help each member realize their dreams. With over 80 countries involved and over 4000 IAESTE trainees each year worldwide, it is the largest organisation of its kind in the world.

Here are a few testimonials from students who benefited from being involved with IAESTE:

“My internship at Argela Development Labs has been a wonderful experience both technically and culturally. I thank IAESTE India MIT and IAESTE Ankara for their help and support at every step during the internship.”
– Raghav Anand, Turkey

“This summer IAESTE gave me an opportunity to not only have an internship abroad but also gave me a chance to make new friends and culturally enrich myself. I had an amazing time in Poland. The warmth and love shown by the Local Committee and other interns was really nice. We all had a really good time together throughout my stay. It was like one big family. For this once in a lifetime opportunity I will always be grateful to IAESTE.”
– Deepan Nandi Majumdar, Poland

IAESTE India LC Manipal is conducting its membership drive exclusively for first year students till 30 July 2016. Later this semester, they will also recruit members for its Local Committee who will then work for the organisation. This is a chance to make friends, gain professional experience, learn about new cultures and above all, broaden your horizons.

International Cuisine Night, organized by IAESTE Manipal, saw the intercultural mingling between the local committees of Manipal and Graz, Austria. The planning for this event has been going on since January. For the first time, this event was hosted in The Department of Culinary Arts, WGSHA, instead of the usual venue, the MIT Cafeteria.

IAESTE Manipal is hosting a delegation of eleven from Graz’s local committee for a period of four days, from the first to the fourth of April. IAESTE Manipal’s chairperson, Abhimanyu Saini, says that “We want to provide a rich cultural experience to our guests from Austria and to strengthen our professional ties with them.”

The evening’s menu featured Indian and Austrian delicacies, prepared by the local committees of both countries and by the faculty of the culinary arts department. For many of the MIT students, it was their first time standing in a kitchen but they took the challenge head on and emerged victorious with an array of dishes to show. From six in the evening to a good two hours after that, the kitchen was abuzz with more than 60 aspiring chefs. The aroma of spices and other ingredients filled the entire floor with an infectious energy, clearly visible by the smiles and the perspiration on everyone’s faces. Sanjana Gupta, a first year student at MIT and a member of Manipal’s local committee, initially started the day thinking she would make Paneer Tikka and pasta in white sauce but ended up making Paneer “Bombs” and Chili Paneer Pizza. It was her first time in the kitchen but she found it “fun to do it in a group.”

Other dishes made by the Indian students were Paan Shots, Gobi Manchurian, Shahi Paneer, Paneer Tikka, Fruit Cream, Gulab Jamun, Dhokla and Shahi Tukda. Of these, the ones worth writing home about were the paan shots, the Shahi Paneer, the Fruit Cream and the Shahi Tukda. These dishes showed innovation, flair, finesse and above all, flavor. Laura, one of the Austrian delegates, was pleasantly surprised by the Indian dishes. She had always thought that Indian cuisine involves “rich and spicy” food, but she realized that this wasn’t the case and said that, “I would love to try out the Indian restaurants back home but I doubt they will be as good.”

The delicacies made by the Austrian delegates resonated with their culture and their homeland. One of the dishes was a Strudel, which is a baked savory potato dish. They put a lot of effort in making it but unfortunately used the wrong kind of flour, making the base of the dish hard and inedible. Veljko, a student from the Technical University of Graz and one of the eleven delegates, was engaged in making Kaiserschmarrn, which is a sweet pancake-based dish from Austria. He said that,” I’m curious to see what we manage to cook by the end of the day.” Speaking on his impression of India, Veljko said that, “This is my first time in India and so far it’s been very interesting and when I go back, I’ll definitely suggest my friends and family to visit India.” Needless to say, the Kaiserschmarrn was a treat for the taste buds with its crunchy texture and its sweet taste. The Austrians also brought chocolates and cold cuts from their country. One of these delectable snacks was a ball of chocolate that had to be dipped in a syrup and then put on fire finally to be consumed, flame and all. Many of the Indian students were afraid of this flaming ball of chocolate but were pleasantly surprised by its rich and creamy texture.

Many dignitaries from Manipal University were also present for this function. Dr. M. V. Kini, Associate Director of Alumni and International Affairs, MIT, Col. MGHS Rajan,the MU Chief Warden and Dr. Karunakar A. Kotegar, Deputy Director of International Affairs and Collaborations had graced the event with their presence. Dr. Kotegar who is also the faculty advisor for IAESTE Manipal was very excited about the evening’s proceedings. He said that this event was “the first of its kind” and he hoped that it would lead to better relations with their Austrian counterparts, paving the way to more active exchange programs. He also expected the students to learn from each other’s cultures and to “become lifelong friends.” He also mentioned how this event would break some of the misconceptions most foreigners have about Indian food, for it being too spicy and rich, and truly enough the Indian dishes of the night did indeed prove that.

After the tasting session of the dishes made by the students was over, dinner was served. The master chefs at DOCA, WGSHA had taken time out of their busy schedules to cook a delicious four course menu for the delegates and the local committee members. The menu featured popular Indian dishes like Butter Chicken, Kadhai Paneer and Gulab Jamun among others. All the local committee members and the delegates ate together at the same table exchanging stories, jokes and recipes.

To sum it up, the International Cuisine Night truly served as a bridge between the cultures of India and Austria. Everyone had a great time working in the kitchen and in tasting each other’s creations. It is true that food is a language that knows no barriers and it is over this language that the students from Manipal and Graz bonded and made some everlasting memories.

The IAESTE Contentions 2016 How To:

Few things are more valuable to a graduate engineer than a provisional internship, and few organizations are able to parse one to you when you are in need. Throughout the years, IAESTE’s forte has always at the forefront of the conveyance of paid internship offers to the interested students and this year too, it is no different when it comes to the flagship event, Contentions. What sets Contentions 16 ahead of the past is the ridiculous ease with which you can now apply for a fully sponsored^* internship.

Contentions 16 is now an online event, in addition to the regular offline mode. Anybody interested in the deliberation of an IAESTE certified internship can now do it at the comfort of their homes. The procedure remains similar to last year

1. Scan a copy of all the necessary documents, uploading them alongside an email to contentions@iaeste.in
2. Wait for the concerned authority to verify the details and the confirmatory email to be delivered.
3. Reply on the earliest when the detailed assessment results come in, once you get through the preliminary procedures, filling out the online forms as soon as possible.
4. All offer updates are periodically revised on manipal.iaeste.in. Frequent the page for details.

Introducing Online Contentions

The new Contentions is improved over the previous system in place, ironing out any cumbersome procedure and making it easier for every member to deal with the tedious operation at hand.

• Environmental Equity

Having people destroy valuable forest resources in the name of an expendable activity is not a commendable thing to speak of; to further the agenda of sustainable living, with the online application paradigm, Contentions eliminates the need to waste paper involved in clerical effort.

• Ease of Access

Anybody anywhere (like your parents with a copy of your certificate in a distant place) can now send a scanned copy of the documents, reducing significantly the burden involved in the logistics of physical transfer. If what stood between you and an offer is time, this year’s Contentions makes sure you are not inconvenienced by anything.

• Stress Free Appointments

Filling out documents with the hand is no longer needed, eliminating hours of manual labor. This is an added plus to the student populace who would have otherwise wasted time waiting in a tirade inside the Innovation Center. Massive queues and bottlenecks at odd hours are a thing of the past now.

IAESTE internships are highly valuable and much of this has to do with how lucrative a paid internship can be; Contentions 16 takes care of presenting your professional self to the wide world, actualizing your desire to do what you have always wanted to, after four years in your preferred under graduate course. Applying for the Contentions event requires that you have an active IAESTE membership. So pause whatever it is you are doing and apply for the event today; there is no wiser decision to be made.

^* Terms and Conditions Apply