Post-leaks, university tightens screws on attendance

MUMBAI: Following a government resolution, the University of Mumbai has decided to register the attendance of every employee, including professors and heads of departments, through the biometric system. The new method is also likely to help the university keep a tab on its staff's entry and exit times as well as keep an eye on people entering important buildings like the exam house.

Soon attendance of employees, including professors and heads of the departments, at the University of Mumbai will be taken through the biometric system. Following a government resolution, the university will soon be making the attendance compulsory using the biometric machines. It will also help the university to keep track of the officials' entry and exit timings.

For more than 1,500 non-teaching staff and close to 350 teaching staff members in the university's Fort and Kalina campus, marking attendance at their official timing will be a must. "The biometric system will regularize the process and also the university will have ready data on the employees' attendance. The order was issued after the state government made it mandatory for all universities and affiliated colleges to follow the biometric system. It will also regularize entry of people into sensitive zones like the examination house," said an official from the university.

On June 18, the university issued a circular announcing the new system; once the procedure starts, employees will have to inform their departments about their leaves in advance so that officials can keep track of their attendance.

At present, the varsity has 24 machines at its campuses to mark attendance, and the devices will be functional from next week. Officials are currently taking impressions of index fingers of all the staff members. "Initially, we may start with the non-teaching staff and later, extend it to the teaching staff members as well," said the official.

The university did implement the biometric system a few years ago, but the arrangement failed to take off. "With both the campuses being huge and a few machines installed, the system had to be discontinued owing to operational problems. Officials had to travel all the way to the administrative department, register themselves there and then go to their respective departments. Since many of them stopped using it, the machines were rendered ineffective. Now each major and important building will have a machine, so that the employees are not inconvenienced," said a staffer.

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IITians design innovative products for Indian users

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/IITians-design-innovative-products-for-Indian-users/articleshow/14524858.cms

MUMBAI: With the Planning Commission of India all set to include design innovation as a major thrust in the 12th Five Year Plan, the 'Design Degree Show' of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay gets further impetus this year.

The graduating batch of students from IIT-B designed several products for the Indian users that will be put up for exhibition at their Industrial Design Centre's (IDC) annual exhibition.

The list of products designed by them includes a social network for farmers, an interactive tangible tabletop for school children, malaria trackers, and a bed that becomes a work table as well as sofa. The design show which will showcase all these products will be held on June 30 and July 1 at Nehru Centre at Worli.

Designs from four branches — industrial design, visual communication, interaction design, animation and film design and mobility and vehicle design will be showcased. A few of these designs have already won national awards. The show is aimed at creating design awareness in society and simultaneously offering a platform for people to meet, interact and facilitates new ideas to emerge and innovative collaborations to materialise.

While one student worked at standardising mobile bills to design a standardised bill for all service providers. This bill will feature the most frequently called number, internet usage and value-added services. Transformable furniture was designed by the other group that would allow an individual to manipulate the product according to his or her requirements. Another project aims at redesigning Mumbai suburban railway indicators for effective communication with regular commuters as well as new travellers.