Covid-19 impact: Mumbai University conducts first online viva for engineering student

Mumbai University has conducted its first online viva for a student to defend her PhD thesis. This is the first time ever that a thesis viva has been conducted online. 

 

Mumbai University has announced that it has successfully conducted its first online viva for an engineering student. The student belongs to electronics and telecommunication department and was registered at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, her resource centre.

Rupali Patil has become the first MU student to be conferred the doctorate degree in an online open defence viva during the ongoing nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

On May 27, 2020, Rupali had appeared for the viva in order to defend her PhD thesis in front of examiners from IIT Bombay and Jondhale College of Engineering.

While talking to a media house, she said, " She did not expect that her viva will be conducted through an online platform, however, it went smooth. She was asked around 12-14 questions by the external examiners. It went on for a good one and a half hours.”

Rupali Patil is doing research on ‘Documented Signal retrieval and Identification’ under her guide Ramesh Karandikarfrom, KJ Somaiya College of Engineering.

She has made history for being the first student to have appeared and cleared the viva for PhD.

Her research would be beneficial in weather forecasting and meteorological aspects.

The University said that it followed all the University Grants Commission guideline while conducting the online viva for the student. It also said that it will be conducting viva for eight more subjects in science and technology and also four subjects in anthropology within a few days.

The university has recently cancelled all the semester exams in the state for all batches except last semester in various courses and announced that it will be promoting students based on internal assessment. Candidates are advised to follow the official website of Mumbai University for updates.