Father, daughter conferred degrees at UAS convocation

 Nayak called it a coincidence as his PhD was accepted in the same year as his daughter’s graduation.

“I started pursuing the PhD five years back and it is a complete coincidence that it was accepted now. So I’m very happy to get it with my daughter,” he said.

Over 2,000 students were conferred degrees by the Governor Rameshwar Thakur. He also gave away gold medals to PhD, post graduate and under graduate candidates for their academic excellence.

Girls in majority

Thirty gold medals were given away for students who excelled across the different categories and courses offered by the university. A majority of the gold medalists were girls, which led former ISRO Chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Kasturi Rangan, who delivered the convocation address to remark that “women power” was taking over agriculture. He added that the good performance of the girls must offer a “greater challenge to boys”.

Anna Thomas, an undergraduate degree recipient came down all the way from the United States to receive her degree. Anna, who is currently pursuing her Master’s programme in agriculture from Georgia university said “I am elated as I come from a family of agriculture enthusiasts. I intend to pursue a PhD in Extension plant pathology.”
Although a native of Kerala, Anna said she would prefer to work in the dryer regions of Karnataka and Andhra as the challenge was greater.

Meanwhile in his convocation address, Kasturi Rangan commended the students for maintaining a long and rich tradition. He said “The earliest civilisations were established on the basis of a burgeoning agriculture. India too has a long and rich tradition in agriculture.” He added that the knowledge acquired at the university will not only address the intellectual demands of the students but also play a key role in the most vital sector of India’s economy.