Tag: Professor

Prof. Sudhakar Yedla, Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur is appointed as the Director of NIT Srinagar

Prof. Sudhakar Yedla, an Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur (1996/M.Tech/AG/2000/PhD CE) is appointed as the Director of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar. A Professor at IGIDR and a Former Vice-Chancellor of Dravidian University, Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, India, Prof Yedla is a Civil Engineering graduate from Andhra University who completed his Masters and PhD from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in the area of Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering.

Joined IGIDR in 1999, Prof. Yedla is a Civil Engineer with Masters and PhD in Environmental Engineering from IIT Kharagpur. He is also trained in Environmental Economics and Development Policy from World Bank Institute, USA and International Environmental Law from UN Institute in Switzerland and has served international institutions & universities such as Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan as a Policy Researcher; New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Newark, USA as a Visiting Scholar; University of Ulsan, South Korea as Professor; Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand as Visiting Associate Professor and Professor. He has been serving as international consultant (SDG, GEF and Sustainable Cities) to a number of international and development agencies such as UNDP, Egypt, UNESCAP, UNEP, UNEP-RRC, ADB, World Bank, Sida etc.

Prof. Sudhakar Yedla
Director
National Institute of Technology, Srinagar

For the past 20 years, he has been associated with a number of academic institutions as board member and some important academic bodies such as Academic Senate of NIT Warangal, Executive Council of IGIDR, Academic Council of IGIDR and NIT Warangal. He published extensively in international journals and books and is invited by the peers in India and abroad on more than 125 occasions and participated in another 120 national and international conferences.

Guided 20 graduate students and served in Editorial Boards of a number of International Journals, Prof. Yedla has served as Court Member as the MHRD Nominee for the Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi. As a Vice-Chancellor of a State University of Government of Andhra Pradesh, he is popularly known for his strict, dynamic and reformative administration with a great vision for the University. He works in the areas of Environmental Economics, Valuation of Environment and Pollution, Urban Environmental Policy, Climate Change Mitigation, Sustainable Mobility, Urban Waste Management, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sustainable Cities and Development of Eco-Industrial Parks.

In his first address, Prof. Yedla acknowledged the remarkable legacy of NIT Srinagar, “Throughout its history, this institution has been a beacon of knowledge, a haven for intellectual curiosity, and a catalyst for positive change. Today, as I step into this role, I am fully aware of this responsibility and the immense potential that lies within our NIT Srinagar’s walls. My vision for NIT Srinagar is to make it one of the leading Institutes in the entire country,” he said.

He was chosen twice to evaluate Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) of UNDP India for 2012-17 programme cycle. Prof. Yedla has been advising Department of Urban Development and Environment and Forest on SDGs, and Sustainable Cities and was appointed as Advisor (Head), Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organization, Government of India.

Prof. Yedla said nothing can be achieved without the support of administrative staff, faculty, colleagues, and students. It is a collective effort and we all have to make NIT Srinagar one of the best institutes of this country. My focus will be on fostering an environment that supports the growth and well-being of the NIT Srinagar and not boosts the interests of individuals. When the organization thrives, individuals also get benefits under its shadow.

He has more than 24 years of teaching and research experience with research focus that includes Climate Studies, Urban Environmental Management, Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Mobility, Waste Management, Provision of Urban Services, Valuation of Environmental Services and Assessment of Environmental and Socio-economic Impacts of Development Initiatives.

Prof. Yedla has done his post-doctoral studies (PDF) at Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand and has a diploma in International Environmental Law (DIEL) from UNITAR, Switzerland with a certification from the World Bank Institute in Environmental Economics and Development Policy (CEEDP).

He has worked at several national and international institutions such as the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), in Japan, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Newark, USA and Korean Institute of International Economic Policy (KIEP), South Korea. Before coming to NIT Srinagar, Prof. Yedla served NCERT as the Chairperson for the National Focus Group on Environmental Education for the National Curriculum Framework.

Prof. Yedla was nominated twice by MHRD to the Asian Institute of Technology as the Government of India’s seconded faculty member. He served as Project Director for a major regional research program in climate change (ARRPEEC) funded by SIDA and another multinational research initiative by UN-FAO in the area of ‘Roles of Agriculture’.

He has been widely consulted by international development agencies and think tanks and has worked with UNDP-India, UNDP-Egypt, UNESCAP, UNEP-RRC, UNEP-Regional Office, World Bank, Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations University, DFID, Research Council of UK and IGES, Japan on various consulting assignments.

Prof. Yedla has won eleven prestigious national and international fellowships and also won awards such as Fast Track Young Scientist Research Grant of DST, Government of India; Fellowship for Best Paper from GEF of the World Bank, Alexandria, and Egypt.

By : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

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The Lost Heart

Death is a shout of silent breathe
I shall reside in your airy heath
You will be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday
This journey of life has been a pray
Nothing is hurt and nothing is lost
A brief moment that will soon exhaust
For this is a journey, we all must intake
We shall laugh at the parting ways
For we will meet again
I am the soft star that will remain
And if a tear starts to fall
I shall catch it through it all
I am with you when the times are good
To share a laugh or two
I shall be with you when the times are bad
To reminiscence the memories we once had
Forever may be less for the days we spent together
This life will not be our last adventure

– Poulami Mondal

Bidding adieu to Prof. Debabrata Sen, retired faculty member at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur who served the institution from 1966 until 1986 in a paradigm of portfolios. A survivor of the territorial partition of India, Prof. Sen joined the institute as a professor at the department of Chemistry. He overcame all the hurdles of  life and finally found his roots in Bengal. After having a tryst with destiny in the Partition of Bengal, Prof. Sen finally got his silver lining by pursuing academia. Hailing from a modest family background, his journey of life is an inspiration to all of us to make a life with just the basics. On February 28, 2023, Dr. Debabrata Sen, former professor at IIT Kharagpur, breathed his last at his residence in Kolkata.

Prof. Debabrata Sen, Ph.D, DSc.
Former Professor in Department of Chemistry
(1925-2023)

The journey of Professor Sen from Chittagong, Bangladesh (then part of undivided India) to IIT Kharagpur is a chronicle of how education became the survival tool for a well-settled middle class family which was uprooted and devastated by the Partition of India in 1947. Surviving on scholarships and generous relatives in Kolkata, he completed his doctoral degree from Calcutta University under Professor Priyada Ranjan Roy.

His Post-Doctoral studies took him to the United States of America in 1951 – first to Pennsylvania State University and then on to University of California at Berkeley. He returned to India in 1954 to join the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre at Trombay as one of the early group of scientists to set up India’s Nuclear Programme. In 1958, he joined Jadavpur University to engage in teaching and research.

In 1966, he joined the Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, as a professor and served in various capacities until his retirement in 1986. Professor Sen has been the Head of the Department of Chemistry, Dean of Planning and Coordination and a nominated member of the Board of Governors among the others.

He also headed the Rubber Technology Centre for a brief period during 1981-1982 as the first Head. Professor Sen returned to the United States as a visiting faculty at Brigham Young University, Utah, and was also DAAD Fellow at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

“Prof D. Sen, former professor & first head of Rubber Technology Center has left for his heavenly abode on 1st March, 2023. He was about 97 years. He was a simple and a cordial academician, who was widely respected among his students and colleagues. We pray for eternal peace for the departed soul & also pray Almighty to provide enough strength to overcome this huge loss & void in the lives of his family members, other near & dear ones,” said Prof. Ramgopal Maddali, Dean Faculty & Engineering & Architecture (FoEA).

Professor Sen is survived by his wife Mrs. Sukla Sen, his three sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren, and leaves behind a rich legacy of academic work, students and people who will cherish his memories always.

In remembrance of “The Lost Heart”, IIT KGP fraternity mourns in sadness after hearing the news of his demise. Our sincere condolences to his bereaved family. May almighty give enough strength to his family to bear this irreplaceable loss. We pray for eternal peace of his departed soul. He will always be remembered in our thoughts, prayers and action.

Inputs by: Prof. Dr. Kinsuk Naskar, Professor & Chairperson, Rubber Technology Centre, IIT Kharagpur
Email: knaskar@rtc.iitkgp.ac.in

Edited by : Poulami Mondal, Digital & Creative Media Executive (Creative Writer)
Email: poulami.mondal@iitkgp.ac.in, media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282007

Follow us on: Facebook – IIT Kharagpur; Twitter – @IITKgp;  Instagram – @iit.kgp; LinkedIn – Indian Institute of Technology
For news visit: https://kgpchronicle.iitkgp.ac.in/ 

Alumnus Honours Former Faculty

Who Was Prof. A S Davis?

It was 1965 . . . few pairs of eyes rolled watching a boy being grabbed by his neck from his room D-231 at RK Hall, by a Professor and taken to the laboratory.

The Professor was A S Davis from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Kharagpur. The young boy was Vinod Gupta (B.Tech./AG/1967), now an entrepreneur and philanthropist. Recently, Vinod has donated USD 100,000 to his alma mater IIT Kharagpur to set up a Chair Professorship in the memory of Prof. Davis.

The teacher who won’t let me miss my lessons . . .

It was 1962, when a boy from Rampur Maniharan, a village near UP’s Saharanpur entered the gates of the first IIT. After admission, he was allotted Room No. D-231 in the Radhakrishnan Hall of Residence (RK Hall). There he met Prof. Davis for the first time where the latter was the warden.

Vinod Gupta during his student life at IIT KGP

“I was one among the hundreds of students who knew him and took courses from him. In our times, teachers like Prof. Davis personally saw to it that we learned our courses well. He made sure that we learned the missed lesson, our lab work was done right before we left. He insisted that the answer to every question was done on one page, on the right side, and the left side was for our calculations,” reminisces Vinod who took two courses from him, one in Thermodynamics and the other in air conditioning and refrigeration.

But it was much more than the teachings of a professor influencing a student’s life . . .

“Prof. Davis emphasized that the process was more important than the results. His teachings have influenced my life in a very significant way. But that was one among the several influencing factors he had on me. Prof. Davis used to spend a lot of time in the Hall, mentoring students through long hours of socialization. What inspired me most about him was that, besides being a brilliant teacher and a great communicator, he was an extremely practical human being with a wit equally matching his brilliance,” remarked Vinod in his usual way while remembering his golden moments of the 60s’ at IIT Kharagpur.

Honouring my Professor . . .

“I believe the easiest but the most profound way to influence the world is to uplift the education system. That was my inspiration in setting up a scholarship in my department at IIT Kharagpur within 5 years of my graduation. That remains my inspiration in setting up this endowment, 51 years after my graduation,” he said.

The endowment for Prof. A. S. Davis Chair Professorship will be used to pay a top-up salary to a senior professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the area of Thermodynamics to carry out the state-of-the-art teaching, research and other development in the department.

Vinod Gupta, today synonymous to the introduction of management and legal education in the IIT system. The Vinod Gupta School of Management and the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law are Tier-I schools in areas of business management and law in India. Despite setting up his base in USA, Vin, as he is popularly known at IIT KGP and among fellow alumni, has continued his philanthropic work at IIT KGP and in villages of Uttar Pradesh. Vinod has not only nurtured young talents and the education system but has also saluted those who have inspired him to excel.

Finding that one Prof. Davis of today . . .

I am confident despite the increasing teacher-student ratio, there are teachers who innovate pedagogical methods to augment individual attention and mentorship” hopes Vinod.