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alumnus profile: Rajiv Chilakapudi
School of Computing and Engineering alumnus started multi-million dollar animation company from scratch After graduating from the UMKC School of Computing and Engineering in 1997, Rajiv Chilakapudi spent three successful years with Cerner and Telcordia Technologies. But during his stay in the U.S., Chilakalapudi realized his dreams were taking him in a different direction. After a fair amount of research and contemplation, he decided to leave his job as a software engineer to start an animation company in his native India. In 2001, he started Green Gold Animation with four employees. Today the company has more than 250 employees in various departments of animation. Green Gold is the No. 1 Indian animation company, valued at more than $50 million. The company has also produced six different television series on various children’s channels. “Chhota Bheem” is … Read entire article »
Filed under: News
Why is entrepreneurship important?
An entrepreneur is one who lives with a vision to achieve something big. Entrepreneurs share some common qualities, such as detail-oriented precision and wise decision-making. However, entrepreneurs are distinguished by their attitudes and work ethic, marked by diligence, persistence, positivity and motivation. They find opportunities in every situation. “It’s all about connecting the dots,” said late Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs also said, “Stay hungry and stay foolish.” An entrepreneur knows how to apply his skills in the business. It takes utmost skill in balancing family, work and outside interests. Entrepreneurs have a quest for learning, immense patience and courage and lots of networking. Right from my childhood, I have dreamt of achieving something big. My dad was an electrical engineer who started his company at quite a young age. He influenced my … Read entire article »
Filed under: Opinion
UMKC E-Save event pairs creativity with education and fun
A project known as MySmartSolar.edu, led by E-Save lab team from the UMKC School of Computing and Engineering and funded by Kansas City Power and Light (KCP&L) , aims to educate and increase energy efficiency in urban communities. The goal of E-Save, explained Dr. Vijay Kumar, is to promote wise energy use across the community. Kumar said the project was launched in 2011 thanks to funding from Toyota, USA. With partial funding from a DOE Smart Grid Demonstration project, KCP&L has been working with Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts to install solar panels on the school’s rooftop. KCP&L had a goal to educate the students and community on the use of renewable energy and energy conservation as part of the smart grid project. KCP&L chose the E-Save program at UMKC … Read entire article »
Filed under: News
UMKC entrepreneurs weigh in on Big Kansas City conference
Student entrepreneurs at UMKC listened to experts explain how to improve their businesses at the Big Kansas City Conference last Tuesday through Thursday at the National Airline History Museum at the Downtown Airport Scott Harrison, founder and CEO of Charity:Water, explained that he was able to raise $100 million for Africa by convincing celebrities to give up their birthday gifts and ask that money instead be donated to his organization, which tries to address the problems of contaminated water in Africa. Harrison said one in nine people in the world drink water likely to make them ill. So his organization came up with innovative means for fund raising, such as having people give up their birthdays. Instead of parties or presents, people ask for donations to help charity: water. Singer Justin Bieber … Read entire article »
Filed under: News
Geeking out: Learning and fun unite STEM students at UMKC
Concrete bowling balls, a two-story egg drop and a lecture from an IBM engineer marked this year’s Engineer’s Week at UMKC. While E-Week was celebrated nationwide Feb. 17-23, several events were postponed until the week of March 4 due to inclement weather. The events focused on promoting STEM — the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. E-week brought out a new way of learning and interacting among engineering students at UMKC. E-week kicked off on Feb. 17 with a lecture by Dr. Pradeep Natarajan, an IBM engineer who specializes in database management software. He explained how IBM’s Informix Timeseries software benefits utilities companies, which use the centralized database to track utility consumption over time. Two events were organized by the UMKC Robotics team: the Tesla 500 Race and a soldering tutorial. Named after Nikola Tesla, who … Read entire article »
Filed under: News
Jazz Combos: Conservatory students shake up Grant Hall
One of the hallmarks of live music is where it can take the listener. While the melodic beauty of a classical concerto may gracefully float just above the audience, taking the audience to fantasy realms of beauty and tranquility, jazz will just as easily jump off the stage, run through the isles screaming at the top of it’s lungs, grabbing the listener by the collar and dragging them out the doors and into the yellow-lit streets from wince it came. Live jazz is no more a visceral experience than live classical music is, but it has something that makes the experience somehow much more alive when done right, and the Conservatory Jazz Combos definitely did it right. On Tuesday, March 5, the Conservatory hosted the “Jazz and the Conservatory” performance, a show … Read entire article »
Filed under: Arts & Entertainment
Conservatory: Third ‘Bach’s Lunch’ showcases UMKC talent
A musical ensemble of 14 instruments with a choir of over 50 may not seem a very appropriate accompaniment to a leisurely noon-time lunch, but with the selection performed by the Conservatory, it fitted perfectly. Directed by Gabriel Lewis-O’Connor, the Conservatory performed J.S. Bach’s “Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild, BWV 79”, translated to “God the Lord is sun and shield.” The piece itself was composed in 1725 and was performed for the first time on Oct. 31, Reformation Day, of that same year. Honoring Martin Luther’s nailing of The 95 Theses to the doors of the church and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, Bach employed a set of three sections of sound for this piece, the strings, the timpani and brass, and finally the choir. He formulated each to … Read entire article »
Filed under: News
UMKC students hold Mr.Engineer contest
The 3rd annual Mr. Engineer competition organized by the School Of Computing and Engineering(SCE) as part of the annual E-week event was held at Californos in Westport. In the competition, participants were allowed to showcase their unique talents on stage. Depending on the opinion of the judges and the audience, the winner was selected. The winner of this week’s Mr. Engineer contest is Justin Daugherty, a senior Civil Engineering student of SCE, who performed a rap song on stage. The event was well-attended, mostly by SCE students. skadiyam@unews.com … Read entire article »
Filed under: News
Women’s Basketball: ‘Roos one and done in Summit league tornament with loss to Indianapolis
The women’s basketball team, which last season reached the championship game of the Summit League Championship, this time was knocked out in the first round with a 59-47 loss Saturday to second-seeded IUPUI at Sioux Falls, S.D. This marked the Roos’ third loss this season to the Jaguars and their farewell appearance in the Summit League before starting play in the Western Athletic Conference next season. Kansas City, the tournament’s seventh seed, also lost this season to IUPUI 47-46 at Indianapolis and 47-33 at home. “It was a hard game, this is a team whose style is dramatically different from us, which made it harder for us” said Coach Marsha Frese. “They are a great team, they like to get to the basket and run as much as they can.” Before the tournament … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sports
Player Profile: Courtney Frerichs-Track star keeps running into the record book
Courtney Frerichs never imagined that track and field would be the sport that would make her shine. During her high school years, she was a gifted soccer player before eventually discovering her real talent: long-distance running. “I discovered my long-distance talent in my senior year of high school” Frerichs said, “I decided to run cross country to stay in shape for soccer, and then things started going really well.” At UMKC, she recently set three school records in one week.Frerichs crossed the finish line after a mile in 4:55.56 in South Bend, Ind., at the Alex Wilson Invitational ,and set another school record at 5,000 meters when she crossed the finish line at 16:40:16 in Vermillion, S.D.. On day one of The Summit League Championships, she won the 3,000-meter race with a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sports
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