I had a chance to visit our college, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, along with Nikhil Verma and Ramanathan. It was quite a memorable experience. To be frank I was pleasantly surprised when my professors were able to identify me after 3.5 years. Had a chance to chat with Ms. Mala, Mrs. MSB, Mrs. Leela, Dr. SSK and Dr. Hemalatha Theyagarajan. A couple of interesting things came up during the discussions
- Our department is going down in stature mainly because of poor management credited to one single person which most people reading this blog should be aware of already.
- Interaction between students and industry is at a new low. SSK sir suggested that we, alumni, have regular interaction with students.
I'm keeping aside point (1) for the time being, considering that we'll be getting a new director in a year or so and that there is already steps being taken from within college. Also if point (2) is executed well we'll get the necessary trust and faith of our director to take up the issue.
Regarding point (2), discussions have already began in closed circles. The plan is to host one interaction session every month. One or two people would go down to college and handle it personally. Dr. SSK has promised that necessary facilities would be taken care of. In our opinion, we could very well find 9/18 people per calendar year. Topics for the sessions are not finalised. In all likelihood speakers will be given liberty in choosing the topic of their choice.
Our college could set an example by hosting an interaction session with industry experts every month. It helps students better prepare for the industry. The ever widening gap between academia and industry could be reduced as much as possible. You can help us by volunteering to speak for one of the sessions and forwarding this to your friends who would be willing to do so.
A few snaps taken at college:
