The International Conference on "Number Theory and Combinatroics," the fourth in the series, was held at the Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre [SRC], SASTRA at Kumbakonam between 19^th and 22^nd December 2006. This annual event attracted mathematicians and researchers world over because of the relevance of Ramanujan mathematics today and the quality of the proceedings of the conference. This year the $10,000 SASTRA-Ramanujan Award was given to the 31-year old mathematician, Dr. Terence Tao of the University of California, who is considered to be a child prodigy.

      SASTRA University, which is ever responsive to changes especially in curricular innovations, organized a two-day workshop on "Revamping of Curriculum". The workshop, which was attended by a cross-section of students, Deans and senior faculty members proved to be very fruitful and the innovative suggestions that emerged from the deliberations of the workshop will be implemented in the next academic year.

      Shri N. Gopalaswamy, Chief Election Commissioner of India delivered the Second Shri V. Narayanan Memorial Lecture on 6th December 2006, at SRC Kumbakonam. The National Seminar on "Embedded Systems" and the National Seminar on "Intelligent Instrumentation & Control" and Workshop on "Mechatronics and Automation" were the other major events of the quarter.      

     Our Students have won laurels in the Stair-Climber Robotics contest conducted by IIT[m]. The fact that they won

     The International Conference on "Number Theory and Combinatorics", was organized at Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre of SASTRA at Kumbakonam from 19^th to 22^nd December 2006. Shri S. Sathyam, I. A. S. (Retired) Ministry of Human Resources Development, New Delhi inaugurated the conference. In  his inaugural address he said that the need of the hour is good mathematics teachers in specific and good science teachers in general. Shri Sathyam said that students would be encouraged to take up science streams as a subject of study and as their career, provided the teaching is given in the right way.

     He expressed the need for a very relevant curriculum and inspiring pedagogy that would attract young students to enroll themselves into science programmes, since the subject forms the foundation in any advanced field of engineering and medicine.

Shri Sathyam lighting the traditional lamp