GUWAHATI, Nov 12: “Digital Signal Processing (DSP) has been a prominent field of global research and applications in present era, especially in the aftermath of the development of electronics and nuclear sciences. It has revolutionized audio signal processing, audio compression, digital image processing, video compression, speech processing, speech recognition, digital communications, RADAR, SONAR, seismology and biomedicine”.... said an eminent scientist and educator Dr Vinod K Madan, former senior scientist of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Mumbai), Adjunct Professor of BITS Pilani and several European Universities and presently professor emeritus of Kalasalingam University, Tamilnadu, while delivering the third Bhola Nath Saikia Memorial Lecture at NITS Mirza on November 9 at the BITS Mirza Lecture Theatre.

NITS Mirza instituted the Bhola Nath Saikia Memorial Lecture in 2010 in memory of this illustrious son of Assam, who was not only the first electronics engineer of the State, but also a pioneer in shaping Assam Police Radio Organization (APRO) into a most modern and efficient arm of the Assam Police. His contributions in teaching at Prince of Wales, Jorhat and establishing the Nagaon Polytechnic has also gone a long way in consolidating the polytechnic education capabilities of the State. In recognition to his yeoman services towards the development of this region, NITS Mirza established the Bhola Nath Saikia Centre for Communications Research in 2009 with the generous endowment funds received from his family, where a good number of innovative projects are being carried out by the faculty and students.

The Memorial Lecture program started with an invocation by students of NITS Mirza  and lighting of the ceremonial lamp by Saikia’s wife Bibha Saikia and garlanding of the portrait by the dignitaries. The Principal of NITS Mirza, Dr A K Baruwa, President of North East Technical Education Society (NETES) Dr A K Gogoi, Secretary of NETES Dr A K Misra and son of BN Saikia, Anup Saikia also spoke on the occasion. This was stated in a press release.