Who is the Star Student Honored at NIT Rourkela's 24th Annual Convocation?

Celebrating Academic Excellence at NIT Rourkela

Bhubaneswar: The 24th Annual Convocation at NIT Rourkela recently took place, where Manas Nayak, a student from the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering department, was awarded the prestigious ‘Dr Bansidhar Panda Gold Medal’ for the year 2026. The event featured NITI Aayog Member Abhay Karandikar as the chief guest.

Sanjaya Kumar Satapathy, Chief Human Resources Officer of IMFA, praised Nayak for his remarkable achievement, emphasizing that the award highlights academic excellence in the field of metallurgical and materials engineering and motivates aspiring engineers to strive for greatness.

Satapathy noted that this recognition holds special significance as it honors the legacy of Dr. Bansidhar Panda at NIT Rourkela, an institution with which IMFA has a long-standing relationship. He extended his congratulations to Nayak and wished him success in his future pursuits.

Established in 2019 in memory of IMFA's founder, Bansidhar Panda, the gold medal is awarded each year to the top student in the BTech Metallurgical and Materials Engineering program at NIT Rourkela. Panda, who was educated at Harvard University and Michigan Technological University, dedicated his life to advancing technical education and institutional development. He also served as the Chairman of the Board of Governors at NIT Rourkela from 2002 to 2007.

In recognition of his significant contributions to the industry and the metallurgical sector in Odisha, NIT Rourkela awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2015. IMFA created this endowment to continue Panda's legacy of promoting excellence in metallurgy and inspiring future generations of engineers.