IIT Roorkee organises session on "Studies and Scholarship Opportunities in the USA”

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, Career Development Cell (CDC) organized an informative session titled "Studies and Scholarship Opportunities in the USA" in collaboration with EducationUSA, United States India Education Foundation (USIEF), and US Embassy on March 18.

The session was held to provide students with valuable insights and information about pursuing higher education in the US and the various scholarship opportunities available to them.

The event was attended by around 240 participants which included faculty, students, and staff members from IIT Roorkee, NIH Roorkee, and CBRI Roorkee.

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The opening session was chaired by Professor Umesh Sharma, Officiating Director, IIT Roorkee and attended by Bhavna Jolly, Senior Program Officer of EducationUSA at USIEF; Aastha Virk Singh, Senior Advisor of EducationUSA at USIEF; Sudarshan Dash, Senior Program Officer of Fulbright Fellowship, a Visa Officer from the US Embassy; Professor Apurbba Kumar Sarma, Dean, Academic Affairs; Professor Vimal Chandra Srivastava,Dean, International Affairs and Professor Rajat Rastogi, Professor In-Charge of CDC.

During the event, Bhavna Jolly spoke about the role of EducationUSA in supporting students pursuing higher education in the US. She also discussed various funding opportunities and higher education programs available to students in the US. Aastha Virk Singh focused on technical skill development and opportunities in US institutions.

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Sudarsan Dash provided insights into the Fulbright Fellowship program and the bilateral exchange of students and researchers between India and the US. He particularly appreciated IIT Roorkee's efforts in facilitating these exchanges at different levels, from undergraduate and postgraduate students to faculty members.

The Consular (Visa) Officer from the US Embassy in India discussed the US visa application process, including different visa types, application procedures, and interview processes.

The event also had two sessions led by EducationUSA and USIEF. In the first session, Bhavna Jolly and Aastha Virk Singh from EducationUSA encouraged students to pursue higher education in the US and guided them through the selection process and funding opportunities available for masters's and PhD studies. The next session by Sudarshan Dash on Fulbright and other scholarships focused on the procedure of obtaining the fellowship and the overall experience of the programme. The event concluded with an interactive question-and-answer round.

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Welcoming the delegates, faculty members, and students to the event Professor Umesh Sharma said, "I congratulate USIEF, EducationUSA representatives, and CDC for organizing this informative session. I commend the CDC for its efforts in organizing various events for skill development and career opportunities like this one."

"The Career Development Cell provides a platform for students to interact with think-tanks of respective industries. All their effort goes into bringing the best of the best to the students so that they can effectively scout the wide range of career possibilities. We are obliged to provide CDC coordination of the technical groups at IIT Roorkee so that they continue to conduct such workshops and institute lectures, providing exposure in a variety of fields," added Professor K K Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee.