The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : New B.E. Programs at Anna University Tirunelveli

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Tuesday, Apr 22, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

New B.E. Programs at Anna University Tirunelveli

As a teacher and as an educational administrator, I have been cherishing with the innovative potentials of our youth that have been displayed during my interaction with them. Unfortunately, though not precise but for a considerable size of youth, their hunt for innovation is turned futile during their undergraduate program of engineering studies. The reason for this unfortunate scenario is that the programs and the curriculum are not competitive enough to challenge and gui de them to achieve their aspiration.

The Anna University Tirunelveli, established by a Tamilnadu Government Act 28 of the year 2007 has proposed to introduce new B. E. programs in the ensuing academic year 2008-09, that would attempt to provide the youth the required competitiveness and challenge to explore their excellence.

The sky looking youth always dreamt of the space to venture it and to establish his identity there right from his childhood. Looking from top of a tree or from the terrace of a home at the land, the youth always astonished while seeing the panoramic view of the land. If appropriate academic programs are formulated to challenge them, considering their inherent quest for innovation, certainly there would be fulfilment of aspirations and development.

Bearing these facts in mind the Anna University Tirunelveli is planning to launch the following new B. E. degree programs.

1. B. E. Geomatics Engineering; 2. B. E. Civil and Infrastructure Engineering; 3. B. E. Aerospace Engineering; 4. M. E. Space Sciences and Engineering.

About the Programs:

B. E. Geomatics Engineering: Geomatics engineering is a rapidly developing discipline that focuses on spatial information (i.e. information that has a location). The location is the primary factor used to integrate a very wide range of data for viewing and analysis. Geomatics engineers apply engineering principles to spatial information and implement relational data structures involving measurement sciences, thus using geomatics and acting as spatial information engineers. Geomatics engineers manage local, regional, national and global spatial data infrastructures.

As our societies becomes more complex, information with a spatial position associated with it becomes more critical to decision-making, both from a personal and a business perspective, and also from a community and a large-scale governmental viewpoint.

Therefore, the geomatics engineer can be involved in an extremely wide variety of information gathering activities and applications. Geomatics engineers design, develop, and operate systems for collecting and analyzing spatial information about the land, the oceans, natural resources, and manmade features. Geomatics engineering applications include integrating science and technology from both new and traditional disciplines: Geodesy, also called geodetic science;

Cartography computer and digital mapping; Remote sensing and Photagrammetry (photogrammetric mapping); Land Information System(LIS); Real Property boundary determination; Hydrography, Navigation, topographic and spatial computing; Surveying (including land, cadastral, aerial, mining and engineering surveying); Construction layout, route design; Image understanding and computer aided visualization; Computer Aided Design (CAD); Geographic Information system (GIS), geographic information science, and geoinformatics; Global Positioning System(GPS) or Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS); Applications programming; Project management; Geomatics engineers serve society by collecting, monitoring, archiving, and maintaining diverse spatial data infrastructures.

Geomatics engineers utilize a wide range of technologically advanced tools such as digital theodolite/distance meter total stations, GPS equipment, digital aerial imagery (both satellite and air-borne), and computer-based GIS. These tools enable the geomatics engineer to gather, analyze, and manage spatially related information to solve a wide range of technical and societal problems.

B. E. Civil and Infrastructure Engineering: The program, an undergraduate degree in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering is designed to optimize the life cycle performance of civil infrastructure systems through product innovation and process integration. The primary aim is to generate engineers so as to provide practical solutions and answers to the diverse challenges associated with the creation and operation of civil infrastructure systems such asbuildings, roads, bridges, marine facilities.

B. E. Aerospace Engineering: The degree program gives the student a broad education in engineering by requiring basic courses in aerodynamics and propulsion (collectively referred to as "gas dynamics"), structural mechanics, and flight dynamics and control systems.

These courses cover fundamentals and their application to the analysis, design and construction of aircraft, spacecraft and other vehicular systems and subsystems. Courses in gas dynamics treat fluid and gas flow around bodies and through turbojet engines and rocket nozzles. In courses on structural mechanics, lightweight structures are studied from their strength, elastic, stiffness, stability, and dynamic behavior. Flight dynamics and control systems courses deal with the dynamical behavior of vehicles and systems as a whole, their stability and controllability both by human pilots and as autonomous systems. Integration of all these subjects takes place in the capstone aircraft design course or space system design course that is chosen by the student. The aerospace engineering program offers considerable flexibility through technical and general electives, in which the students have an opportunity to study in greater depth any of the areas mentioned above. In addition, other technical elective areas are available to aerospace engineering students, including aerophysical sciences, environmental studies, computers, person-machine systems, and transportation.

Elective courses in each technical elective area include courses taught both inside and outside the aerospace engineering department.

M. E. Space Science and Engineering: This master level Space Science and Engineering program is primarily focuses on geophysical research and technology. It enables understanding of the atmosphere of Earth, the other planets in our Solar System, and the cosmos.

This program trains the engineers to explore the universe from space and terrestrial-based telescopes, and probe other planets in our solar system, but more often to examine the Earth to gain information and insight into weather, climate, and other aspects of Earth’s global environment. Further it prepares the student to develop new observing tools for spacecraft, aircraft, and ground-based platforms, and to model atmospheric phenomena. We could receive, manage and distribute huge amounts of geophysical data and develop software to visualize and manipulate these data for use by researchers and operational meteorologists all over the world.

This program provides a comprehensive set of courses and training in space-related science and engineering, and the systems approach to design and manage complex space systems. Course elections include: Depth in a main area for example, a student could select dynamics and control, structures or propulsion; Breadth by crossing engineering/science boundaries; Systems engineering; Team design experience

It has been proposed to launch all of the above programs based on the global demand and available local resources and potentials and support expected from research centers. The locally available infrastructure and expertise at the Liquid propulsion centers at Mahendragiri and at Trivandrum and the expertise available at Atomic power plant, Koodankulam are expected to play a major role.

Eligibility:

(i) The minimum qualification required to join M. E. in Space Science and Engineering is “A bachelor’s degree in any branch of engineering” and should have passed GATE or TANCET 2008 or should have a minimum of one year experience in the field of space science and engineering

(ii) The minimum qualification required for B. E. Geomatics Engineering, B. E. Civil and Infrastructure Engineering and B. E. Aerospace Engineering is “A pass in plus two examination with first group subjects Mathematics, Physics and chemistry” and the minimum percentage of marks required is as per Tamilnadu Government guidelines for engineering admissions 2008-09.

Prof. S. Kaliappan,

B. E., M. Tech., Ph. D (Illinois, Tech.)