CSIR lab offers training

Finished engineering and wondering what to do next? The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has introduced a two-year post-graduate research training programme (PGRTP) in various areas of engineering.

The Council, a public-funded R&D organisation, is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

To tackle the shortage of skilled human resource in the area of science and engineering, this programme has been introduced, said Nagesh R. Iyer, director, Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai.

The centre is one of the national laboratories set up by CSIR and it specialises in analysis, design and testing of structures and structural components.

Under this programme, students from all over India would be selected after a multi-stage filtering process. The course was designed by the developers of technologies themselves with a heavy orientation on practical aspects, he said, adding that the intent was to balance the needs of research and that of the industry.

The subjects under this programme are advanced semiconductor electronics; high power microwave devices and systems engineering; advanced instrumentation engineering; mechatronics; materials resource engineering; advanced petroleum science and technology; engineering of structures; and environmental systems modelling and optimisation.

These areas of specialisation will be offered in six centres all over the country; the centre in Pilani will offer two programmes. Structural Engineering Research Centre and National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, will conduct the engineering of structures programme, said Dr. Iyer.

The subjects covered will include instrumentation and sensors for measurement of structures/ structural components, advanced mechanics of materials, computational methods, advanced engineering mathematics, and dynamics of structures.

The selected candidates will be paid a stipend of Rs. 25,000 per month. On completion of the programme with distinction, the candidate will be considered for SERC or NAL as a scientist in Pay Band 3 of the Government of India. The pay will be around Rs. 45,000 per month, said K.R. Sridharan, head, Information/Technology, Transfer/IPR, SERC.

Around 110 to 120 candidates will be selected from all over India, from which around 15 candidates will be chosen for the engineering of structures programme, said Dr. Iyer.

Candidates will be chosen irrespective of the discipline they come from; rather, their own interest will determine the choice of programme, he said.

All engineering graduates with a high first class, with minimum 70 per cent marks or 7.0 GPA, are eligible. A valid GATE score will be an added advantage. Tuition fee is Rs. 48,000 per year and reservation and relaxation will be as per the Government’s rules.

The programme has a voluntary exit policy, said Dr. Iyer. If the candidate chooses to leave after a year, a certificate of completion of a year’s programme will be provided. The idea is to make the person “employable.”

The application form is available at www.csir.res.in and it can be filled and submitted online. Last date for applying is June 30, 2009. The programme will begin in August-September 2009.

Students pursuing a post-graduation in structural engineering anywhere in India could do their project work at SERC, said Dr. Iyer. There are 40 postgraduate students doing projects in the Centre.

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