My Experience in SURGE 2008, IIT Kanpur

This article was written by Jyoti Kumar (Civil Engineering, Class of 2009). He was among the two students selected from all branches of NIT Silchar for the prestigious SURGE Programme (2008) of IIT Kanpur. Other being Jyoti Chaubey (Civil Engineering, Class of 2009). This is his personal side of the story, how he overcame all the odds in his life to reach this height of success. Currently, he is working in Mecon Limited ( A public sector undertaking). CES hopes 2nd/3rd year students will be inspired by this story and would take an active interest in UG Research/Industry Exposure and make NIT Silchar and our Dept.’s name  shine nationally and internationally. He can be reached here and details of SURGE Programme are here.

It was 17^th of March 2008 when I came to know that I had got selected for SURGE programme, 2008 at IIT Kanpur. I was among the 26 NITians who were selected for the programme. The feeling that I was going to stay in IITK (which was my dream campus since my school days) for 10 weeks was thrilling from top to bottom for me.

SURGE programme is a 10-week research-oriented programme for 2^nd and 3^rd year students of NITs (Since 2010, it has been opened up to non-NITs too) and IITK. I joined the programme on 15^th may,2008 though it had begun on 5^th of May. I missed the inaugural function which was attended by the Director and other biggies of IIT Kanpur. We were allotted hall 8 for our stay. Next day I started working on my project. I got a PC, complete access to library and computer centre and all the equipments of the lab. A lot of M. Tech students working in the different fields of transportation engineering in the same lab later became very good friends, guided me a lot and helped me throughout my project work. The interest shown by my mentor was very inspiring and forced me to work more than 12 hrs a day to achieve desired results.

The work environment in IITK was so encouraging and perfect that one cannot even think about cheating himself. I can recall one incident when I asked one of the M. Tech students to teach me application of ABAQUAS. She didn’t only teach me basics of ABAQUAS but sometimes stayed up with me till 2:00 of night when an advanced application of it was required. This incident only throws light on the environment of learning in the IITK campus. The ‘Happy Hours’ arranged every Wednesday was one of the most fruitful events of SURGE programme, where we got the chance to hear from the best faculties of IITK about the fields of their specialisation. It was also the time to interact with the students of other NITs and IITK, who were supposedly the best students in their branch in their respective institute and also learn about their campus and academic life.

SURGE Programme was not only about studying and doing project work all the time. There were  a lot of things to do like swimming, participating in almost all the indoor and outdoor games, gliding, learning photography – just to name a few. At first glance, SURGE Programme was a life transforming experience for me and I am still in touch with most of the participants whom I met there. The transformation is in terms of getting a vision and keen interest towards research work and applied civil engineering rather than attending a series of lecture classes and solving numerical problems of subject just to get a good SPI and CPI and a job or two from the institute. The programme provides a wonderful opportunity to peers towards the possible career options through the lecture series given by esteemed faculty of IITK during ‘Happy Hours’ and also from students of IITK. Personally, I acknowledge that this programme has boosted my confidence level both in terms of technical and personal up to the extent that an ordinary village guy like me who has done his 12 years of schooling in a government school in a Hindi medium school of Bihar and also a five pointer at one point of time has started dreaming about doing higher studies from one of the best universities of world. In fact I never wanted to be a civil engineer, but only after staying for 10 weeks in IITK I came to know that still there are a lot of things to be done in the field of civil engineering and now learning basics of civil engineering has become my hobby.

Finally, I conclude with the remark that the prior mentioned ingredients to develop ones interpersonal skills were well included in various activities of SURGE Programme. Only two students from my batch from NITS got chance to be a part of 2008 SURGE Programme at IITK , but with the number of meritorious and talented students increasing year after year in NITS I am pretty sure that this number will increase in near future.

 

Prof. S. Ramamrutham

Prof. S. Ramamrutham is a renowned figure of more than a dozen books in various subjects of Civil Engineering which is followed by thousands of students and practising engineers all over the country. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree from University of Mysore in 1955 and worked as a renowned lecturer in National Institute of Engineering, Mysore. He published many technical papers and has done original work in the analysis of structures.

This Interview appeared in the 2nd edition of our departmental magazine SHRiSHTEE 2010. It was taken by Harish Borah and Manabendra Saharia (CE Class of 2011).

CES: Sir, Your journey as a Student, Engineer and Educator…

Prof. S.Ramamrutham: More than half a century ago after passing my B.E. (Civil) examination from the University of Mysore (Karnataka), I started my journey in the profession as a young Lecturer in the National Institute of Engineering, Mysore. It was a very encouraging experience in the class room. That was the time when some senior professors had either resigned or had retired from service. I taught various subjects like Engineering Mechanics, Strength of Materials, Theory of Structures, Reinforced Concrete, Steel structures, Fluid Mechanics and Higher Surveying. I had the opportunity to setup the Hydraulics Laboratory of the college in a new complex. Those were the days when students depended entirely on their lecturers and Professors. I took a lot of interest and collected exhaustive information from various sources and offered them. Those five years I taught at the National Institute of Engineering were a great phase of my life which paved way to success in the teaching Profession. I wrote my first two books- Design of steel structures and Astronomy for Engineers while at NIE Mysore. I have happily and successfully taught for 55years with the confidence I gained during those first five years. It was in 1960, I moved to Delhi and started a new chapter. I felt that in addition, to be an Academician,  I should work in the practical field too. Very soon I established myself as a consulting Engineer. I made exhaustive studies of various types of structures. I took part in discussions and seminars of various organizations. In the year 1966, I wrote the book Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures. Thanks to the suggestions I received from Professors from various colleges of India the book grew to many new editions. The seventeenth Edition of this book has just been released. The response I got from Professors and students prompted me to write more books. I wrote the books- Strength of Materials, Theory of structures, Fluid Mechanics, Steel structures, Prestressed concrete, Engineering Mechanics , Building construction, Construction Materials, Civil Engineering Hand Book ( released by the President Of India-Sri R Venkataraman) etc. I wrote 15 books covering many fields to the needs of Syllabi of various Universities. I have good interaction with engineering students all over the country. Many of the comments, explanations and special notes you find in my books are just the answers to the questions my dear students had asked at various stages. I set up an institution in the Capital to give training to young Engineers in CPWD, CWPC, Delhi Municipal Corporation, Delhi development Authority etc not only in the practical Profession but also in the Academic field. I give my “Lecture Series” for young Engineers to prepare them for the IES Examinations. My old students became Professors at IIT Kanpur and many Engineering Colleges Many of my students have become chief Engineers and Directors. One of my students has recently retired as Director of IIT Chennai.

CES: What difference do you see between college days of your time and today?

Prof. S. Ramamrutham: In the college days of my time we as young students were entirely dependent on the lectures in the classrooms. Books on the subjects were inadequate. Laboratory facilities were not as good as they are in the present days. Besides these, subjects on R.C.C., P.C.C., Theory of structures, Soil Mechanics were not dealt with to the extent they are covered in the present days. These days all these subjects are being taught at a highly advanced level. Today we teach a lot about multistoried structures, Earth wake Resistant Structures, Prestressed Concrete structures, Advanced Fluid Mechanics etc. A large number of books by eminent scholars are available and students refer to them besides learning in the class room. The students these days are very intelligent and industrious. The present day teacher has to be well equipped with all details and information so as to convince and answer any question an intelligent student is likely to ask in the class room. Today a student makes reference to many books and needs to be convinced with satisfactory explanations.

I have gained a lot from my students. My students made me work hard and learn more in various subjects. Finding answers to their questions and clearing their doubts at various stages have enriched my ability as a successful teacher.

CES: What encouraged you to start writing books in the first place?

Prof. S.Ramamrutham: About half a century ago as mentioned earlier we had very few books to refer and students depended entirely on the classroom teaching. As a young student I felt the need for good Reference books and learn the subject in greater detail. Knowledge acquired was just limited to what was done in the classroom in the limited time allotted in the curriculum. This prompted me to start writing books. My first books Design of Steel structures and Astronomy for Engineers were published to provide good and additional information with a large number of numerical examples. These books were well received and this prompted me to write all the other books at a later period.

CES: Your books have a large following among engineering student’s fraternity. Any words for them?

Prof. S.Ramamrutham: I am happy that the students like my books. I wrote the books bearing in mind their need. The innumerable solved examples clarify all doubts related to a variety of situations. Because of my books a large number of students of Engineering all over the country have good interaction with me. They send their questions, ask me to clarify doubts and I respond to them happily. I feel I am living with my books as well as with these loving students. In fact a lot of improvements made in the new Editions of my books are due to the opinions and suggestions I have received from them. I have been a grandpa to all my Engineering students who feel no hesitation to write to me/email me or talk to me on phone. These students in the length and breadth of the country are as precious to me as my books. I offer my blessings to them for a great and brilliant future.

CES: Civil Engineering is at the border of Science and Engineering and offers unparalleled scope for Research. Any words of encouragement for students wishing to take research as a career?

Prof. S.Ramamrutham: Engineering Profession at the site and Engineering Research are two great inter related fields. Studies, tests and experiments are made in the research field to develop economical, safer, environment friendly and purposeful Designs. A lot of development has taken place in the analysis of multistoried structures. Earthquake Resistant structures etc. A good amount of research, useful tests and experiments have been made in Hydraulic Research stations. Young Engineers can join the research line and can make their contributions in various fields of Research.

CES: What do you enjoy most? Teaching students in class or writing books for them.

Prof. S.Ramamrutham:I have enjoyed my life as a teacher. The class room is the environment that pleases me. My best times have always been in the classrooms. Spending time with students makes me feel young (I am only 78 years young). Though it is a long time since I dispensed with the courtesy of the comb industry, I feel young due to my proximity with the students. In 1955 when I was in the classroom as a Lecturer I was in the company of youngsters and even today in 2010 when I am in the classroom I am again in the company of youngsters and so feel young.

I write books for the students. It is a service I love to offer. I make them happy through my books. My books have gone to many places I have not gone, but have brought many thousands of students close to me. To tell you the truth my books constitute the link between me and the Engineering students in the country. I enjoy writing books as much as I enjoy teaching in the classroom. My prayer to God is “My Lord, Let me again be born as a Teacher to engineering Students and an Author of books for them”.

CES: Any interesting life incident that you would like to share?

Prof. S.Ramamrutham: In the Mahabharata we have heard of Ekalavya who learnt from Dronacharya. Similarly I would like to say I learnt from the great Professor S B Junnarkar.  Prof. Junnarkar created History by writing the two volumes of Mechanics of Structures. When I was a student of IIIrd year B.E. and when we were desperately feeling the need for good books Prof Junnarkar’s books appeared as a powerful streak of light in a dark sky. He really created history with his books. I learnt everything on the subject from his books. Once I wrote to him a letter requesting him to solve a certain problem. Promptly he wrote to me giving the solution to the problem. Everything I know and everything I have written in my books on Strength of Materials and Theory of Structures is out of what I learnt from the books of this Guru. This great teacher though physically far away made a great impact on my life as a teacher and I have a feeling that I am walking just on his footprints. I know the mentor has blessed me.

CES: With your tremendous teaching experience what are the qualities you think makes a student successful?

Prof. S.Ramamrutham: A student has to be thorough with the basics or fundamentals. Knowing a formula is not enough and one should know its limitations and applicability. He should have good patience in repeatedly going through a topic which may appear difficult to grasp. He should have good interaction with his competing classmates. He must take advantage of the teachers to enhance his knowledge. Other activities should not come in the way of studies. A student should not take a course forcefully under peer pressure but should choose a course in which he has interest and confidence. Good attention in the classroom, ambition to learn more, good interaction with teachers and application of knowledge contribute to make a student successful in his studies.

CES: What is your view on the present state of Engineering Education I India especially on the obsolete course work in many Universities?

Prof. S.Ramamrutham: Personally I would not like to comment on this. Good and committed Engineering professors should formulate and prepare a purposeful course work. In some cases unrelated subjects or topics are forced in the course work. With the extent of specialization and advancement going on in various subjects, Course work must be carefully planned to be really purposeful.

CES: Do you think the knowledge delivery system in Indian Universities is yet to make a transition from being teaching-based to learning-based?

Prof. S.Ramamrutham: No doubt in the preliminary stage of studying teaching the topics in the classroom is essential. As studies progress students must be trained and encouraged to seek information by wide ranging resources like reference books, internet, Engineering Journals and project works.

I am happy CES of NIT Silchar has contacted me. I offer my best wishes to SRiSHTEE and through it I offer my best wishes and blessings to the students of the National Institute of Technology Silchar.

 

IISc Research Internship – My experience in 2009

IISc Bangalore is always envisaged as an epitome of learning; churning the so-called ‘best brains’ of India. As a part of the college curriculum, I was selected as a research intern in the Electrical and Communication Dept., IISc Bangalore for a period of two months (June-July 2009). I worked in the field of wireless communication as a part of DRDO-IISc Joint Mathematical Program. The icing on the top was a two-month stipend waiting for me at the end of the project. Life never seemed so beautiful to me.

A big scoop of black carrent in the Baskin-Robbins just outside the Bangalore airport greeted me; and I devoured it whole-heartedly. The year 1999 was when I visited the city last; and 10 years hence, zealous was the city in greeting me. Boarded a cab to Lalbagh, I committed myself I would make this summer a memorable one.

A research opportunity at IISc was perhaps the best thing I could have in my entire academic career. I worked in a research group comprising a few M.S. students who were pursuing their full-time courses at IISc. It was Performance Analysis Lab aka PAL Lab (as the local guys used to call it) and I was working and analyzing in different methods in improving the performance of IEEE 802.11 WLAN. The lab had a very congenial atmosphere for research. The lab members were encouraged to work in teams of two/three which according to me increased the productivity and induced a sense of accountability. Original and innovative ideas were greatly appreciated. All the possible support was extended to pursue such ideas. People in the lab were highly spirited and always available for discussions on research related queries, and at times.

In the lab, everyone was a few years senior to me and that was a big help because I spent most of the two months clarifying a number of doubts I had. My Prof was very pleasant to me and spared time while he could. Never was I made to feel inferior. Seeing his humble and down-to-earth attitude, I pondered how we guys bask in our past glories and contemplate ourselves as the ‘King Ozymandias of Egypt’. Perhaps, people tend to become modest and self-effacing as they start picturing in their mind’s eye the zenith of their success. I enjoyed every bit of time out there. The whole ambience of IISc semmed to instill in me a positive vibe in my psychological, philosophical, physiological and of courses my academic life. In short, I was happy!

Despite some unexpected health problems, I stuck to my simple things and renewed my research activities at IISc and eventually completed the project. I felt that although, I did not create a big project there, I came out of there with a far better idea of what research life is likely to be.

I conquered finally!!!

PS: For those interested in pursuing summer internships at IISc Bangalore, a piece of information-IISc Bangalore invites internship applications through JNCASR or IAS at the institute level.

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This post was written by Soumyabrata Dev (ECE Class of 2010, NIT Silchar) on his Internship experience in IISc in 2009. Currently he is a Graduate Engineer Trainee in Ericsson. CES thanks him for writing this article  as a part of our MISSION 2015 initiative and hopes that more and more students from NIT Silchar will take an active interest in Undergraduate Research.

Author’s Publications:

[1] Soumyabrata Dev, Ziaul Haque Choudhury, “A randomized cryptographic algorithm and its simulation in C and MATLAB, with its hardware implementation in Verilog HDL”, IEEE Conference on Anti-Counterfeiting, Security and Identification (ASID 2009), August 2009 available in IEEE Explore Digital Library

[2] Soumyabrata Dev, Nischal S, “An efficient partner assignment algorithm for improving the performance of 802.11 WLAN”. The paper is available in the Academy Publishers, Finland’s Digital Library resources forever, is indexed in the major academic databases, including IEE INSPEC, EI (Compendex), Thomson ISI (ISTP), and other indexing services and published in the special issue (during November 2009) of the International Journal of Recent Trends in Engineering [ISSN: 1797-9617] by the Academy Publishers, Finland.

[3] Soumyabrata Dev, Prithviraj Shome, Arijit Upadhaya, Abhijit Deka,”UNIX Simulator with advanced unix features” accepted for poster presentation in IEEE International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering and Technology, India

[4] Soumyabrata Dev, Krishna L. Baishnab, Ziaul Haque Choudhury, “An efficient heap management technique with Minimum Fragmentation and Auto Compaction”, 2010 3rd IEEE International Conference on Computer Science and Information Technology (IEEE ICCSIT 2010), sponsored by IACSIT, IEEE China Council, IEEE Beijing Section, and co-organized by Sichuan Computer Federation, Chinese Institute of Electronics, Peking University, Sichuan Institute of Electronics, Journal of Electronics Science and Technology (JEST), University of Electronics Science and Technology, Northwestern University, and Huazhong Normal University.

CES Archives

INSPIRE Lecture Series in Civil Engineering

1. Prof Jin-Hung Hwang, Dept. of Civil Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan. 10th November, 2010.

Topics: Seismic Capacity Assessment of Sanyi Old Railway Tunnel & A practical reliability-based method for assessing Soil-Liquefaction Potential.

INSPIREmini – For US. By Us

1. Management Studies and CAT preparation. Speaker: Nabanshu Bhattacharjee (ECE Class of 2008, IIM Lucknow Class of 2012), 20th September 2010
2. Email Etiquettes for NIT Silchar Intern & GradSchool Applicants.   Presenter: Manabendra Saharia and Amartya Dey (Dept. of Civil Engg., Class of 2011), 18th October 2010.
3. Internship Apping , Writer: Manabendra Saharia, Harish Borah and Amartya Dey (Dept. of Civil Engg, Class of 2011), November 2010.

INTERNSHIP GUIDES

1. Internship Apping –  A Comprehensive guide on Research and Industry Internships.
2. Sample Resources – Some Sample CVs and SOPs are provided here.
   
3. Civil Engineering Internships Part I
4. Civil Engineering Internships Part II

INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES

1. IIT Guwahati-A CSE Intern’s view, Writer: Pulakesh Upadhaya (Dept. of CSE, Class of 2011)
2. IISc Research Internship – My experience in 2009, Writer: Soumyabrata Dev(ECE Class of 2010)

KOFFEE WITH CES – Interview Series

Distinguished Engineers

1. Prof. S. Ramamrutham, National renowned educator and author of widely popular books in Civil Engineering, including Strength of Materials.

Students’ Kafé

1. Abhishek Sinha, GATE 2010 topper, Electronics and Communication Engineering

Abhishek Sinha

Internship Apping

Finally after months of writing and editing, its here! There has never been a guide for students of NIT Silchar who want to go for high-profile Research and Industry Internships. Internships help in landing great jobs and Graduate School admits. Mostly this knowledge has been passed on to Juniors verbatim and most students miss out on opprtunities of building their profile.

This guide has been titled INTERNSHIP APPING and is intended to help JUNIORS OF ALL BRANCHES. Though the last page is strictly for Civil Engineering students only. Several addendums will be released and the document will be customised for all branches in January 2011.

WRITERS:

1. Manabendra Saharia (Chief Coordinator, MISSION 2015, Class of 2011)
2. Harish Borah (Training and Placement Executive, CE, Class of 2011)
3. Amartya Dey (General Secretary, Civil Engg Society, Class of 2011)
   

A printed copy of this guide will be provided to all students and costs will be borne by Civil Engineering Society for our MISSION 2015 intiative.

Please read in Fullscreen mode

 

View this document on Scribd

Email Etiquettes for NIT Silchar Intern & GradSchool Applicants

In the world of Facebook and SMSes, the greatest casualty of the Tech revolution has been proper functional English. This INSPIREmini Online presentation has been organised by CES to make sure all students are conversant with the basic rules and etiquettes of Email correspondence, something that will become more and more pervasive in our daily life as a corporate/academic career beckons us soon. CES hopes that it will be specially helpful for students who are applying for Internships, Projects and Graduate School. While most students may already be aware of these fundas, this short presentation is to make sure each and every student of NIT Silchar develops at an early stage the soft skills necessary for success in career and life. The best way to view it is in full screen mode.

 

 

This Presentation was designed by Manabendra Saharia and Amartya Dey (Dept. of Civil Engineering, Class of 2011). Please share the guide with whoever you think will benefit from it.

 

 

Management Studies and CAT Preparation

SPEAKER: Mr. Nabanshu Bhattacharjee (NIT Silchar, ECE Class of 2008).

Total Attendees: 230 students, 20th September 2010.

Presently: Pursuing MBA in IIM Lucknow.

Mission 2015 is a comprehensive 5 year initiative by Civil Engineering Society(CES) with innovative programs like INSPIRE Lecture Series in Civil Engineering, INSPIREmini, INSPIRING INTERNS, Koffee with CES.

As a part of our INSPIREmini Series programme CES cordially invited Nabhanshu Bhattacharjee, from IIM Lucknow (NIT Silchar, ECE Class of 2008). He belled the CAT with a score of 99.6 percentile.  Prior to his IIM life, he worked in IBM Bangalore, as an application developer.

The session was organised on 20^th September 2010 in CET hall.  It was expected to be a 1-hr session but was prolonged due to an overwhelming response wherein around 200 students took part.  The session was kick started with a brief introduction of the day’s guest by chief coordinator, Manabendra Saharia.  The General Secretary of the Gymkhana, Sourav Dhal, took the opportunity to acknowledge the civil engineering society for being vibrant and active and wished all the success in its endeavours.  The General Secretary of CES, Amartya Dey, felicitated the guest and extended a hearty welcome on our campus.  The photography secy, Debankur Jana, helped in capturing the moments of the seminar.

The guest chose not to be monotonic, but was keen in having an interactive session.  He first gathered the queries which ranged from preparation perspective of entrances to the life beyond.  Most of the questions seemed to be clustered around the preparation of CAT, as it is of prime importance for 4^th year and 3^rd year students.  The questions also hovered around the necessity of further studies after a Bachelor’s degree.  Though time was a constraint the session was highly productive to the gathering as the guest tried to clear the general cobwebs which a student in a professional college encounters.  He was also generous to offer another visit for an exclusive CAT seminar as he felt that it should be dealt with in depth analysis.

The session was concluded with a memento presentation to Nabanshu Bhattacharjya by general secretary of CES on behalf of the gathering.

This news report was prepared by an enthusiastic first-year student of the Dept. of Civil Engg., NIT Silchar – Praveen Kumar (Civil Engineering, Class of 2014). CES wishes him lots of luck for his career and hopes that more young students will take an interest in the activities of CES.