Karnataka - Bangalore

Engineering education set to get a boost

AN INDO-U.S. Engineering Faculty Institute and an Indo-U.S. Engineering Student Network are in the pipeline to boost the quality of engineering education in both countries. The projects could be the two most fruitful outcomes of the recent action planning forums co-hosted by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the newly formed Indo-U.S. Collaboration for Engineering Education (IUCEE).

The proposed Indo-U.S. Engineering Faculty Institute will have four thrust areas: Curriculum and Delivery, Curriculum and Delivery, Quality and Accreditation, Research and Development, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

This institute is expected to help improve the preparedness of the large number of faculty in engineering colleges in India and in the U.S. to address the needs of the global economy.

The proposed Indo-U.S. Engineering Student Network could facilitate student internships and interactions and provide students access to high quality learning materials. Expectations are that the student network will be linked to the Global Student Forum currently sponsored by ASEE and International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES).

The resulting sustainable collaborations are expected to lead to clear mutual benefits to India and to the U.S. Benefits to India include an increase in the number of qualified engineering faculty, access to better curricular experiences for students, better employability of engineering graduates with skills needed by industry, increase in the research activity, and increase in the production of Ph.Ds. in engineering colleges.

Benefits to the U.S. include opportunities for global experiences for faculty and students, collaborative research, development and entrepreneurship in emerging technologies of global relevance, as well as access for the U.S. universities and companies to more and better prepared engineering graduates.

Hosted recently at the Infosys Mysore campus by Kris Gopalakrishnan, Managing Director and CEO-Designate of Infosys, the action-planning forums saw leaders of engineering education and engineering businesses from the U.S. and India, along with several government dignitaries. Among the 81 participants were several directors, deans of engineering colleges, and vice-chancellors as well as over 25 business representatives.

The preliminary recommendations from the Mysore Forum will be developed further at the second forum to be held at the National Academy of Engineering in Washington DC on August 29 to 31, 2007.

The city’s P.E.S. College of Pharmacy is all geared to host its annual festival “Aspiration 2007” on June 23 and 24 at the PESIT auditorium on 100-Foot Ring Road, Hosakerehalli.

Over 2,000 students from pharmacy colleges throughout the country are expected to turn up for the college fest.On the festival agenda is an exciting array of contests including Dance, Singing, Quiz,

Debate,

Painting and more. For more on the festival and registration details, call 26507428.

The IBAT School of Management is all set to impart yoga, meditation and pranayama to their students. To start with, a 10-day programme was launched recently by Krishna Bhagavan, Director, HR, Symbol Technologies India. Mr. Bhagavan highlighted yoga’s significance in improvement of concentration and control of mind, body and soul.

In his address, HKBK College dean R. Krishnamurti explained how yoga could active one part of the brain which otherwise remains dull.

“In our day-to-day life, we do all sorts of physical exercises but hardly any mental exercise.

For example, the thyroid gland can only be controlled by yogic exercise,” he told the gathering of management students.

RASHEEED KAPPAN

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