AU prepares a lot
Andhra University introduced yet another programme, this time a post PG course in M.Tech. petroleum exploration. A lot of effort has been made before introducing the course, probably due to some bad experience AU had faced in the past regarding a few courses which it felt had a lot of relevance and provide job opportunities.
Exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons is one area the world is concentrating since oil and natural gas are the important ingredients to propel a nation's growth. With the Central Government introducing the New Exploration Licensing Policy to allow private companies to take up exploration and exploitation, an immense opportunity has been provided to the trained personnel, points out the Vice-Chancellor L. Venugopal Reddy. With huge reserves of hydrocarbons waiting to be tapped a lot of trained manpower is required and AU is making a bid to fill this gap. At present, postgraduates in geology, geophysics and engineering are being recruited and given on the job training which has some drawbacks.
The response to the course has been good. The candidates are from all over India and there are many who could not get admission. Initially AU made a sort of survey to find out if the students are interested in this course or not, reveals Prof. Venugopal Reddy.
AU, before its Delta Studies Institute (which incidentally is funded by the oil giant ONGC and the Oil Industry Development Board) started the course, made a thorough homework, says the DSI Coordinator D. Rajasekhara Reddy. The preparations are based on providing good institute to study, good faculty, good syllabus and of course intelligent students.
The course was designed by experts from the fields concerned-former Group General Manager of ONGC (KG Basin) S.S. Yelamarthi, a senior professor in chemisty D. Satyanarayana, a retired professor of repute in geophysics I.V. Radhakrishna Murthy, and Prof. Rajasekhara Reddy who himself is a geology professor.
After the course is prepared, its draft has been circulated to the academic experts in the country and to the oil industry. Some dozens of universities in the country have been asked to give their opinion and as many as 150 faculty members of these universities sent their responses which proved to be quite encouraging.
Then the important aspect of help to the course from the industry has been addressed. To the pleasant surprise of DSI, 10 out of 20 industries have readily responded. They consented to provide help to the students during the second year of the course when project work is done. Already 18 of the 23 students who joined the course have been assured of financial help of Rs.10,000 every month during the project work. Prof. Reddy is confident that the assistance to the few remaining students will be received before they enter the second year. DSI has to provide good laboratories, computers with Internet facility, a good library (for which order has been placed for books worth Rs. 4 lakhs), and other facilities. Experts from the oil industry will give lectures to the students.
Hope this course will be a success and AU gains the credit of not only introducing such a course for the first time in an Indian university but also running it successfully.
Course in coal sciences likely
Andhra University is planning to introduce another post-graduate programme in coal sciences, with the help of Coal India. This programme is expected to be launched this year itself but due to some reasons the Coal India could not keep its promise. In the past Prof. Venugopal Reddy met the Coal India officials in Kolkota to seek their help in starting the course. The organisation agreed to the proposal but the course could not take shape due to some problems Coal India had faced, Prof. Reddy said. However, the organisation assured that it was still in favour of supporting the course. M.Sc. (coal sciences) is likely to commence during the next academic year.
Sivathanu Pillai visits campus
The campus witnessed the visit of a distinguished scientist, A. Sivathanu Pillai, who is Chief Controller (R and D) of DRDO and also in-charge of the prestigious BrahMos project.
Dr. Pillai visited the campus to inaugurate the Centre for Nano Technology, a unit started by the AU to catch up with this latest technology. He assured AU of help to develop the centre and research. An assurance also came from the Director of Naval Science and Technology Laboratories, N. Bhujanga Rao, to the effect that NSTL will extend help to AU and take up collaborative research with the university.
Quality Circles
Andhra University is the first university in the country to start Quality Circles to promote quality in academic activities. An Internal Quality Assessment Committee has been formed to ensure proper functioning of the QCs. Recently, an orientation programme for members of QCs in College of Science and Technology was held at which Prof. Venugopal Reddy stressed the need to enhance quality in educational services in the light of rapid changes being witnessed in this sector and the resultant competition which is quite high.
General Manager of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant G.R. Murthy is the chief resource person of the programme.
He made a pertinent point stating that small things matter a lot in achieving greater quality and cited the example of QCs in VSP and the contribution made by the lower cadre employees in bringing turnaround of the plant.
He suggested to AU to hold brainstorming sessions to list out problems of each department.
The problems can be categorised into those that can be solved by the members themselves, solved with cooperation of others and those that needed support from the university administration.
Coop. Society earns profit
The 3,000-member strong AU Staff Cooperative Society, one of the prestigious cooperative bodies in the city, has earned a net profit of Rs. 73 lakhs during 2005-06 and declared a dividend of 10 per cent to its members.
The general body meeting of the society, presided over by its president V. Ratan Kumar, approved a proposal of revenue of Rs. 3.69 crores and expenditure of Rs. 3.28 crores. It was also decided to increase the financial help being given to the family of a member after his or her death from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 50,000 and the retirement fund from Rs. 300 to Rs. 500 up to a maximum or Rs. 20,000. Secretary V. Tata Rao and treasurer P. Viswanadham explained the society's activities.
Hotel management
The local Coromandel Institute of Hotel Management has received affiliation for its three-year degree course in Bachelor of Hotel Management and Catering Technology from the AP State Council of Higher Education and AU from this year.
Hotel management course is gaining popularity in view of the vast job potential in India and abroad. Intermediate is the qualification to join the course.
The Coromandel institute's students are already well placed in the hotel and tourism sectors, says its director Ashutosh Ganju.
Source:http://www.hindu.com/edu/2006/07/31/stories/2006073106130200.htm
