The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : `Engineering education becoming inter-disciplinary now'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

`Engineering education becoming inter-disciplinary now'

Staff Reporter

Harvard University Dean visits Amrita campus

Coimbatore: Borders between various branches of engineering are disappearing, with research fuelling technological advances at a rapid pace, Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Dean of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, United States, said here on Tuesday.

He observed that science often tried to understand issues at the smallest levels, while engineering attempted to integrate a number of different concepts in order to produce what was desired. Applied research was gaining importance. Engineering was becoming inter-disciplinary and separate disciplines were disappearing.

Prof. Narayanamurti was delivering a lecture on upgrading engineering colleges in India to international levels on the Indo-U.S. Edusat Network at the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Deemed University.

Physicists of the future were likely to develop quantum technology, understand complex systems, apply physics to biology, create new materials, explore the universe and focus on the unifying forces of Nature.

"The emerging frontiers are `Info', `Nano' and `Bio.' Engineering underpins discovery and meets human needs," he said and highlighted the need for engineering colleges to broaden their outlook.

Balaveera Reddy, Vice-Chancellor, Visveswaraiah Technological University (VTU), said that VTU was a pioneer in introducing electronic learning, with all students required to use a laptop computer.

"A laptop is like a pen. It is a tool," he said, noting that all classrooms at the University were digital, with the entire campus equipped with a wireless fidelity (Wi-fi) system for easy and convenient connectivity.

Among those who participated in a panel discussion over the Edusat Network that linked Amrita University with various institutions were A. Bhaskaranarayana, Programme Director, Edusat, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Arabinda Mitra, Executive Director, Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum.

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