A Recognition for the Relentless Pursuit towards Excellence

It is true that hard work pays off, especially in education, to be able to learn and help learn is a reward in itself. I am delighted to have been presented the Winner Award in the Category of ‘Academic Excellence- Head of the Department’ at the IEI BLC-FCRIT Research and Academic Excellence Awards 2021, organized by Fr. C. Rodrigues Institute of Technology, Vashi, Mumbai in Association with Institution of Engineers India on 16 January, 2021, in recognition of my contribution in the field of education. 

A Recognition for the Relentless Pursuit towards Excellence - KCT

To tell you about me,  I am  Dr. C. Velmurugan, Professor and Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kumaraguru College of Technology,  who completed my PhD in ‘Metal Matrix composites’ at PSG College of Technology. I am working in Kumaraguru College of Technology since 2002. After many curious days and sleepless nights, I have published 55 research papers in various peer-reviewed International Journals and presented 31 papers in National and International Conferences. In order to share knowledge and bring together people with similar ideologies as mine, I carried out 11 National Level workshops and conferences. To grow every chance I get, I participated in 24 Faculty Development Programs conducted by premier institutions, received funds from AICTE and TNSCST to organize seminars & conferences and completed a DST-SEED Sponsored Project titled ‘Enhancing livelihood of handloom weavers through Technology Upgradation and Training’ in Pollachi. I was presented the ‘NRDC National Societal Innovation Award’ for the year 2019 for the innovation of ‘Low weight modified jacquard for handloom weavers’, by National Research Development Corporation, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, in October 2020.  As a recognized PhD supervisor under Anna University Chennai, I have produced 5 PhDs and guided 8 Research Scholars. I am also a reviewer in the Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Journal of Engineered Fibers and Polymers. I believe that all these efforts collectively brought this award to my hands and I’m glad about that process just as much as the destination. 

An Appreciation that augments my Aspiration

I am happy to share that I have received the CMA-GRD Best Management Faculty award for outstanding contribution in academics. I received the award from Coimbatore Management Association, CMA, during its National Management Day celebrations on Feb. 9, 2021. The award is presented in recognition of the contributions made in my academic profession in terms of research, knowledge, teaching and guiding for students’ development.

An Appreciation that augments my Aspiration KCT

I am Dr. S. Jaisankar, Associate Professor, KCT Business School, a mechanical engineer with an MBA (Operations), who later earned the doctorate in Lean Manufacturing (Anna University, Chennai). Started the career   at PSG industrial Institute, Coimbatore and later entered academics working with PSG Institute of Management, Sri Krishna College of Engineering and currently working with KCT Business School, Coimbatore.

Author of 5 books on Data Analysis, Operations Research and Quality Management and have developed course material for 7 universities that include Bharathiar University, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai and Lovely Professional University and have published 24 research papers in reputed journals. Received grants for research studies on Growth Strategies for Low Performing Khadi Institutions and Work-stress among Software Professionals. A recognised research supervisor for Anna University, Chennai and currently guiding 4 research Scholars. Editor of Journal for Application of Management Research, JAMR, India and a reviewer for the Journal of Operations Management, Inderscience Publishers

Developed management case studies for classroom teaching and developed computer-based games to teach Forecasting and Supply Chain Management.

To simplify the administrative processes an evaluation sheet for mapping CO-PO to the courses, a Data Capturing Sheet, DCS to collect data on faculty contributions and a Mentoring Sheet for ease of monitoring mentee performance were developed.

Won the Best Department Contributor award, Kumaraguru College of Technology, 2019, Second Price for Best Case Presentation, Christ University, Bangalore, 2016

the Best Faculty Award, Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, 2013 Best Paper Award, Research Conference, PSG Institute of Management, 2012. I am a recognised Lean Consultant, EDII, Chennai, a certified professional on “Lean Six Sigma Green Belt” by Juran Academy and a recognized Lean Trainer for Certification for Lean Six Sigma Council, USA.

A Motivating Acknowledgement for years of Academic Endeavour

I am more than thrilled to share with you that I have been presented the ‘Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Excellence Award of Education – 2020’ as a part of the National Education Day 2020, on 28 February 2021 by, Shikshak Kalyaan Foundation.

A Motivating Acknowledgement for years of Academic Endeavour KCT

I am Ms. Abarna S., Tech Associate, Biotech, KCT. I started working 15 years ago and now I am a Technical Associate in the department of Biotechnology, KCT. Throughout my journey I have come across and worked in different labs such as Immunology, Plant tissue culture and animal tissue culture laboratories. I gained new experiences and knowledge along the way that helped me build myself. I am a co-author of 6 research publications under current topics in reputed indexed journals. I successfully organized and conducted a mini Food-Expo on New Product Development at KCT on 14 Mach, 2017. I believe that the results are the best when the work is done in good health. I conducted yoga sessions for KCTians for a period of 5 years from 2005 to 2010. I was also awarded the title ‘Yoga Kalamani’, in the Guinness World Records and Indian, Asian records event for my profound interest and contribution in the field of yoga. I have supported the organizing and carrying-out of a short-term training course on ‘Basic Techniques in Mammalian Cell and Plant Tissue Culture’ at KCT for the benefit of the students and other biotech enthusiasts. I received the ‘I am A star Fit India Monthly Plog Run’ Award in June, 2020. I have helped produce uncountable student projects in every lab I worked and earnt a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ for my 10 years of service in the academic year of 2106 to 2017. I have also provided in the consultancy area for other college students from different regions of Tamil Nadu.

These were some of my draining accomplishments that I would agree were the most enjoyable without a doubt. This award is a huge milestone in my life and I am looking forward to more such milestones along the way.

I want to continue to contribute to education in the following years too but as a teacher. I see myself holding a PhD in the near future and I am now working towards that goal.

Volleyball Tournament

In the Anna University Zone XI Volley Ball Men’s Tournament held at KGISL Institute of Technology on 15 & 16 March, 2021, the volleyball team of KCT called dibs on the 1st place and achieved it. It mustn’t have been an easy goal to conquer especially with 9 more team’s participation. Kumaraguru congratulates them on their success and is delighted to see their hardwork and coordination.

Chess Men’s Tournament

We are proud to publicize that the men’s chess team of KCT participated and secured the highest spot on the podium in the Anna University Zone XI Chess Men’s Tournament held at PPG Institute of Technology on 17 March, 2021. They overtook 5 other teams that participated and won. We appreciate their efforts and encourage them to achieve more in their future.

Chess Women’s Tournament

We take pride in announcing that the women’s chess team of KCT bagged the 1st place in the Anna University Zone XI Chess Women’s Tournament held at PPG Institute of Technology on 17 March, 2021. They effortlessly tore the ribbon with having 4 other teams participate. Let this achievement remain a good memory to them and to KCT

Women’s Badminton Championship

Women’s Badminton Championship We are glad to share with you that the women’s badminton team of KCT secured the 2nd place in the Anna University Zone XI Badminton Women Tournament held at SNS College of Technology on 11 March, 2021. They competed against 3 other teams from various Institutions and managed to mark their names in the event. Let their success resonate to inspire the future sports aspirants.

Fermion 2021

Fermion 2021 was celebrated on 01 March 2021 via MS Teams by the Department of Physics, School of Foundational Sciences, KCT, in commemoration of National Science Day.  This provided an opportunity to bring all young and energetic scientific minds on a single platform to present their ideas to solve the real-time problems in the current society.  Problem statements like e-waste management, reusing of paper for printing, effective water distribution monitoring, sustainable system for municipal waste management, renewable energy awareness and utilization, AI proctored health management system, sustainable environment goals, flood prevention mechanisms, identification of fake news in social media and prevention of malpractice in online exams were given to the participants and they were asked to provide suitable solutions.  Invited lectures from eminent personalities like Dr.Vijayan N, Principal Scientist and Associate Professor (AcSIR), Indian Reference Materials Division, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, and Dr.Rajagopal S, Project Director – Rustom 1, Aeronautical Development Establishment, DRDO, Bengaluru, also served to be a part of the celebrations.  Other events included Oral Presentation and Poster Presentation.

Two-Day Workshop on Communication Skills Enhancement and Personality Development

The Department of English, School of Foundational Sciences, KCT, conducted a two-day workshop on Communication Skills Enhancement and Personality Development for the academic support staff on 15 and 16 March 2021 in KCT Campus.  The objective of the workshop was to enhance the communication skills and develop the leadership skills, teamwork and improve the confidence level of the participants.  Dr.Mohanraj S.G and Dr.Sreejana S, Assistant Professors, Department of English, KCT, facilitated the sessions giving insights about various soft skills that are essential to be a successful professional.  The workshop also highlighted the importance of English language skills and the necessity to master the same in order to cope up with the current trend.  There were many teambuilding activities in the form of group activities and pair activities to enhance the confidence level of the participants and to make them a good team player.  Individual and common personality traits were explained after each activity and the participants found it to be very interesting and informative.  All these activities provided them a chance to relook at themselves and warranted them to make necessary changes in their lifestyle and behaviour.  The workshop also concentrated on highlighting the simple strategies to use English language effectively in their daily life.  Functional aspects of English were covered during the session and the participants were equipped with the knowledge about the most common errors in English along with the influence of their mother tongue.  Pronunciation practice was provided to overcome their difficulties and simple modifications that are required in their lifestyle were emphasised during the session.

State Level Symposium on Predictor and Recommender Systems using AI and ML

A state level symposium on Predictor and Recommender Systems using AI and ML was conducted by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, KCT, on 13 March 2021 via MS Teams.  The event aimed to bring the professionals, academic researchers and the teaching fraternity together to present and discuss conceptual and experimental work.  It also served to be the best platform for the eminent academicians, technologists, students and researchers to exchange their ideas on the latest developments and the recent trends in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.  A number of projects were presented during the symposium and the participants shared their experiences in the AI and ML fields and exchanged their ideas regarding successful application of the same.  Overall, the symposium helped the participants to know about the key emerging topics for future directions.  The accepted research papers were published as a book with ISBN.

Webinar on Applications of Predictive Analytics across Manufacturing and Customer Value Chain

A webinar on Applications of Predictive Analytics across Manufacturing and Customer Value Chain was conducted by KCT Business School on 10 March 2021 via MS Teams.  Kshitija Joshi, Practice Lead, Financial Services & Commodity Trading at Group Data & Analytics, Aditya Birla Group along with her team Tanmoy Das, Siddharth Jain, Kristi Baishya and Daisy Dharwadkar deliberated the session.  The webinar served to be an expert interactive session for the participants.  There were 100+ participants for the event.

Guest Lecture on Securities Operations in India

A Guest Talk on Securities Operations in India was organised by KCT Business School on 11 and 12 March 2021 via MS Teams.  Dr.Vishnuvajjhala Aditya Srinivas, Chief Operating Officer, BSE Brokers Forum, Mumbai, delivered the lecture to the participants providing information about the various functions of the Front Office, Middle Office and Back Office in securities broking firm.  He also explained about the risks involved and the strategies to manage the same along with the clearing and settlement process.  The lecture started with the introduction to Securities Operations in India and covered the topic of risk management extensively.

Keeping Tabs on ETABS

The Department of Civil Engineering conducted an online event titled Keeping Tabs on ETABS on 18 and 19 March 2021 via MS Teams.  Mr.R.Balraj, Director-Technical, ARRIS CADD Technology, Coimbatore, educated the participants regarding the effective usage of ETABS software and its applications.  There were 100+ participants for the event.

Guest Lecture on Paradigm Shift and Recent Developments in HRM

A Guest Lecture on Paradigm Shift and Recent Developments in HRM was conducted on 15 March 2021 via MS Teams by KCT Business School.  Dr.Kavitha Haldorai, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, US, explained the concepts to the participants.  She shared her expertise in Human Resource Management, Organizational Behaviour, HR Analytics, Psychology, Quantitative Research and Management Education to the participants.  The event provided an opportunity to assess innovation in product and process and its impact on business performance.  There were 150+ participants for the event.

Guest Lecture on Wellness – A Basic Understanding

A Guest Lecture on Wellness – A Basic Understanding was organised by KCT Business School on 18 March 2021 via MS Teams.  Dr.Rajendran G, Chief Cardiologist, PSG Hospitals, Coimbatore, explained the significance of healthy living to the participants.  The participants found the session to be very interesting and informative.

Excalibur – Phase II

The Department of Information Technology, KCT, conducted online events titled Linking with Lists and Stack your Skills on 06 and 13 March 2021 as a part of the Phase II – Excalibur via MS Teams.  Mr.Jagan S, Google Summer of Code @Zulip 2020, Department of Information Technology, KCT, and Mr.Krishnan B, Software Engineer, Athenahealth, KCT Alumnus (Batch 2020), trained the participants from a placement perspective.  The sessions helped the participants to equip themselves with the necessary skills required to get placed in leading companies.

Research Forum on Experience Sharing on Publishing in A Star, A and FT50 Journals

A Research Forum on Experience Sharing on Publishing in A Star, A and FT50 Journals was conducted by KCT Business School on 06 March 2021 via MS Teams.  Dr.Bharadhwaj S, Director – Research, Great Lakes Institute of Management, deliberated the session.  He highlighted the nuances of publishing research articles in reputed journals during the session.  Research areas like variety seeking behaviour, impulse buying behaviour, and the effect of other marketing variables and phenomena of these behaviours were explained during the session.  The participants found the session to be informative.

Guest Lecture on The Evolution of World Class Manufacturing toward Industry 4.0

A Guest Lecture on The Evolution of World Class Manufacturing toward Industry 4.0 was organised by KCT Business School on 10 March 2021 via MS Teams.  Mr.Yokkhananth AK, Head – Quality & WCM, Shanthi Gears Limited, Coimbatore, explained the new trends in industry to the participants.  This lecture gave an overview of the current trends in industry and helped the participants to gain knowledge about the same.

Guest Lecture on TQM Implementation – Challenges and Opportunities

A Guest Lecture on TQM Implementation – Challenges and Opportunities was organised by KCT Business School on 19 March 2021 via MS Teams.  Mr.Raguram KS, General Manager – Corporate Quality Management, Roots Group of Companies, Coimbatore, shared his experience about TQM implementation and the various challenges that should be converted into opportunities during the session.

Women’s day celebration

Women Achievers Share their Success Stories to Stimulate the KCTians 

To commemorate International Women’s Day, the Internal Complaints Cell & KCT invited women achievers from different domains to deliver speeches virtually. One of the speakers was Dr. V. R. Lalithambika, ISRO Scientist, Head, India’s First Human Flight Programme, who spoke on ‘Women in Technology’ to support women achievers and gain inspiration from them.  

The talks also included themes that needed to be talked about such as, ‘Yoga and Women health’ by Ms. K. Anna Poorani, Entrepreneur, to care for one’s own well-being, ‘Struggles and success of women travelling through countries’ by Ms. Meenakshi Sai Aravind, MP XPD India and a renowned Traveler, giving a heads up to people who love travelling, ‘Challenges in second careers for women’ by Dr. Saundarya Rajesh founder of Avtar, a very advantageous topic and ‘Women in Defense forces’ by Ms. S. Veda Shraviya, to bring to light the scope and risks in the field. 

An ardent effort by KCLAS & SEA to appreciate the Lady Housekeeping Staff at the Campus 

The Women Empowerment Committee of KCLAS collaborated with SEA and organized activities for women in the department of housekeeping on 10 March, 2021, as a part of the Women’s Day.  A motivational talk on how to empower themselves was delivered during the event and an awareness about the Covid-19 precautions that are to be followed at work and at home were given by Public Health Centre. Many fun activities were conducted including lemon and spoon, filling a water bottle with bare hands, tying as many papers to a thread as possible, dissecting proverbs and open mic. As the adage goes, “it is okay to feel like a child sometimes no matter how old we get,” the participants felt that they were reminded of their childhood when they took part in the event.  

A KIA Initiative to Empower the Women Farmers 

With the purpose of empowering women farmers, KIA in collaboration with MSW & Visual Communication of KCLAS and KCTBS, took 40 women farmers on a visit to Collective Dairy Farm, Pollachi, to introduce them to better ways to practice dairy management, that benefits them and the environment simultaneously. This was a creative yet thoughtful way to empower women and the knowledge and experiences through this trip were well received by the participants.