Bhubaneswar: The 24th Annual Convocation of NIT Rourkela was held recently, with Metallurgical and Materials Engineering student Manas Nayak receiving the ‘Dr Bansidhar Panda Gold Medal’ for 2026. NITI Aayog Member Abhay Karandikar attended the convocation as the chief guest.
Congratulating Nayak on the achievement, IMFA Chief Human Resources Officer Sanjaya Kumar Satapathy said the award recognises academic excellence in metallurgical and materials engineering and encourages young engineers to pursue excellence with purpose.
He said the honour was particularly meaningful in recognising Dr Bansidhar Panda’s legacy at NIT Rourkela, an institution with which IMFA shares a long-standing association. He congratulated Nayak and wished him success in his future endeavours.
The gold medal was instituted in 2019 in memory of IMFA founder Bansidhar Panda and is awarded annually to the topper of the BTech batch in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at NIT Rourkela. A research scientist educated at Harvard University and Michigan Technological University, Panda had a lifelong commitment to technical education and institution-building. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of NIT Rourkela from 2002 to 2007.
In recognition of his contributions to industry and Odisha’s metallurgical sector, NIT Rourkela conferred an honorary doctorate on him in 2015. IMFA established the endowment to carry forward Panda’s commitment to recognising excellence in metallurgy and inspiring future generations of engineers.
