NEWSLETTER

A House  Journal of

IEEE Kerala Section

Volume 9 Number 4

October - December 2000

 

 

 

 

YEAR 2000 
Chairman's Message 

Dear Enginieeer 

The activities for the year are drawing to a close. Looking back, I feel  the satisfaction of having been with a very cheerful group of volunteers who demonstrated the power of teamwork in creating outstanding results. The mid-year annual seminar, as against the usual year-end event, relieved the section of considerable work in the second half of the year,  allowing the office bearers to pursue new activities and ideas. The Society  Chapters and Student branches also performed very well during the year. I  thank and congratulate all Chairs, Secretaries and members for their  valuable contributions. 

Being the Silver Jubilee Year, it is our desire to have with us,  in all the events, our pioneering leaders - Dr.FC Kohli, Mr. KPP Nambiar,  Dr. DS Rane and Mr. RM Vasagam - who were instrumental in starting the  section 25 years ago. Dr. FC Kohli delivered the Silver Jubilee lecture  in February on the 25th formation Day function presided over by Dr.  Rane. Mr.KPP Nambiar addressed the members at the function organised to  honour the Millennium Medal winners. Our efforts to have Mr. RM Vasagam with us for the annual seminar did not fructify as he had more pressing commitments. 

This year we introduced two new Chairs in the Executive Committee - IEEE  & Society Chair (Mr.PM Sasi) and IEEE & Women Chair (Mrs Shyama ).  Sasi  initiated a new programme to increase IEEE’s participation in the  Society. The Internet class for school children organised jointly with  Computer Society of India (CSI) and Internet Society was well received  and attended. 

We have also intiated an IEEE Kerala e-Group over the internet,  ieeekerala@egroups.com., which turned to be an effective  medium for  communication among the members. I urge every IEEE Kerala Section member  to join this egroup by sending a blank mail to  ieeekerala-subscribe@egroups.com. 

The Section’s prime event of the year, the Annual Seminar, TECON 2000 on  “Technology Convergence for Global Communication” was a great success in  terms of participation, quality of papers and speakers, and financial  performance. The web-based on line registration of delegates, introduced  for the first time, had to be closed much before the event. The  proceedings of the seminar is also made available on-line. The  organising Committee Chair Mr. Philip John and Secretary Mr. Simon  Zachariah have set a new standard for our annual seminar.  The three society Chapters - IAS&IES Chapter, PES Chapter and CS Chapter-  and the ten Student Branches within the Kerala Section, performed very  well during the year. I thank and congratulate all the Chairs  and Secretaries. 

The vital event of the joint Chapter of Industrial Applications and  Industrial Electronics Societies was a one-day Workshop on “Latest Trends  in Power Electronics”. Dr.Madhu Mangal and Mr.Sudeep Kumar have  successfully ensured a very active year for the Chapter. The Power  Engineering Society, Chaired by Prof.Chandramohanan, is a new Chapter in  the Section. Mr.PV Simon, the Chapter Secretary took initiative to  organise technical talks and an industrial visit. He also attended the  PES Chapter Congress in Washington, in July 2000. The Computer Society  Chapter too had a very hectic year under the able leadership of Mr.Philip  John and Dr.Kesavasamy. The Student Congress at Kottayam, “Elixir” was a very good  show. The Staff Counseller, Mr.Anil Kumar, Student Branch Chairman,  Mr.Amit Raj Nair and members of the Student Branch of Chengannur  Engineering College, who organised the event deserve our special  congratulations and appreciation for organising a highly effective event. 

IEEE Kerala Newsletter was redesigned and has been well appreciated  by the readers. The Newsletter Editor Mr. K.Gopalan Nair deserves full  credit for his commendable service in bringing out the newsletter  regularly, with good coverage of all the section activities. Likewise,  the Section web-site http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r10/kerala has been  maintained well by Mr. Ajayaghosh. The website is updated o include current news and events of the Section. A very special appreciation to  Ajay. 

The Section continued to benefit from the support of its members-at-large, who actively participated in the various activities. I  thank all seniors for their advice and guidance. 
Before concluding this message for the last quarter of the year, let me  place on record my very special and heart-felt thanks to all members of  the Executive Committee, particularly Mr.R Narayanan, Mr.Unnikrishnan and  Mr.Sunil Kumar. I was immensely fortunate to have worked with such a  wonderful team. 
   
 
K G satheeshkumar 

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Diary of Events 

04-10-2000 “Vacuum Dewatered Concrete” - R. Subash Chandra Bose, Retd S.E, PWD. 
11-10-2000 “Role of Professional Societies in the Information Age”- 
N.T. Nair, Vice President, CMS Computers, Trivandrum. 
13 to 15-10-2000 15th National Convention of Computer Engineers, organised by IE(I), Kerala Centre. Theme: “e-governance - Challenges and Prospects” 
24-10-2000 “Optical Networks” - R.Muraleedharan, OSS Systems (I) Pvt Ltd, Mumbai (under IEEE Computer Society India Distinguished Visitors Programme). 
31-10-2000 “IT Education - Challenges Ahead” - Dr. S.Sasikumaran, 
Prof: Computer Applications, IMG, organised in connection with AGM of IE(I), Kerala State Centre. 
01-11-2000 “Embedded Systems - Revolutionizing the Internet Scene”- Er. N.T.Nair, CMS Computers Ltd, Trivandrum. 
08-11-2000 “Non-Destructive Evaluation of Solid Motors”- Er. P.J. Abraham, Project manager, SMG, VSSC, Trivandrum. 
10 & 11 -11-2000 “Elixir” All Kerala IEEE Students Congress 2000 
at Mammen Mappilai Hall, Kottayam. 
15-11-2000 “Saving an Architectural Masterpiece” - Er. S.S. Kaimal, Former Chief Technical Adviser to United Nations and Chief Engineer, Govt. of India. 
21-11-2000 Seventh Executive Meeting of IEEE Kerala Section at 18.30 hrs, at Harmonieee. 
22-11-2000 “Data Warehousing, Data Mining & Knowledge Management” - Er. Parthasarathy, Engineer, VSSC. 
24-11-2000 “Distribution Automation using Autoreclosures” - 
K. Balakrishnan Nair, Senior Manager, Design & Development, Alind Switchgear Division, Mannar, organised by IEEE Power Engineering Society. 
02-12-2000 Concluding meeting of the Organising Committee of TECON 2000 at Hotel South Park at 19.00 hrs. 
06-12-2000 “Active Power Factor Compensation” - Dr. Madhu Mangal, M.D, Peldrive Power Control Pvt. Ltd, Trivandrum. 
09-12-2000 “Trends-2000” one day seminar on Internet-Server side Technologies, organised at Priyadarsini Auditorium, Science and Technology Museum, Trivandrum, co-sponsored by IEEE. 
12-12-2000 “Highlights of American Convention on Training” - R.R.Nair, Advisor-Organisation Development, Hindustan Lever Limited, Bangalore. 
13-12-2000 “IT is still not late to Revive and Renew Trivandrum City” - Er. Thomas Poulose, Former Chairman, IE(I), KSC. 
15 to 17-12-2000 ACE 2000 - Software Challenges Ahead, at Mumbai. 
20-12-2000 “Evolution of Quality Systems for Aerospace Applications” - Er. K.Ramachandran, Associate Project Director, PSLV, VSSC. 
26-12-2000 Eighth and final Executive Meeting of IEEE Kerala Section 18:30 hrs at Heritage Point, AIR Road, Vazhuthacaud, Tvm. 

Forthcoming Events 

03-01-2001 “Virtual University” - Dr. B. Narayanan Nair, Director, Prathibha Soft Pvt. Ltd., Trivandrum. 
13-01-2001 Annual General Meeting (AGM-2000) of IEEE, Kerala Section at 6.30 pm at Hotel Horizon, Trivandrum. 
01 to 04-03-2001 Student Branch National Congress of IEEE India. at Mumbai. 
 

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Section Activities 

SMART STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS 

A talk on  Smart Structural Systems was held on 2000-09-06 by Dr.A.R.Acharya. According to him man has been eagerly following the wonders of nature to accomplish most of the innovative tasks set forth by himself viz, the idea of a flying machine, i.e. air craft, came from flying birds, sleek ship hulls from fish features and control stabilisers or air planes from the vulture. The concept of the smart systems especially their adaptability to environmental influences, and self repair are derived from the living beings. With the recent high tech advances in material science, the micro miniaturisation of electronic and electromechanical systems and ability of large scale computation using microprocessors, the realisation of the dream of development of the smart concepts in to performing systems has been becoming clearer and a total reality in the near future. The ultimate goal envisage to smart systems is that an ‘inert structure’ will be performing like a ‘living animal’. This implies a first step, the material/structures should sense the change in environment, diagnose it appropriately and act accordingly. The next step will be to build in the ability to self repair. 

With the growth in support technology areas primarily in the area of electronics/ microprocessors and materials-metallic, composite ceramic and polymers-scientists have taken a step forward to mimic the best smart (as well as intelligent) animal - the man. The human body, for that matter any living plant/animal can adapt itself to the loading and environment by reorienting cells in the muscular /tissues, bone or generally in the cellular system and is very much capable of healing - or self repairing. The goal is extremely difficult. However one can ‘take living’ materials and structures as a means to study and learn. 

He concluded with the statement  we expect that many feature of smart structures/systems shall  enable to have many features  and capabilities of living beings. 

CREATIVITY IN REJUVENATING, THE RETIRED 

On 27-09-2000 Dr. N.N.Panicker delivered a speech on the topic “Creativity in Rejuvenating the Retired”. According to him, creativity can enable rejuvenation of the retired.  One of the techniques is to cultivate and nurture creativity itself.  Creative problem solving techniques can generate ideas for bringing back and keeping youthful vigour and attitude.  One approach is to join with youth in complementary activities.  Another is to cultivate youth like interest and attitudes.  Creativity is the expression of our existence, intrinsic motivation involving range of skill and breadth of knowledge and to liberate hidden creativity.  He concluded with the remark that rejuvenation applies not only to physical aging but also aging in professional outlooks. 

VACUUM DEWATERED CONCRETE 

Er.Subash Chandra Bose, MIE, Retd S.E, P.W.D presented a talk on   “Vacuum Dewatered Concrete” on 04-10-2000. He started his speech with the invention of cement in the middle of the 19th century to the latest trends in the concrete technology to produce best forms. In his presentation he used a simple style in explaining  the principle behind vacuum dewatered concrete and how to produce it. 
He continued that a vacuum processing is required in the process of manufacturing after mixing, laying and vibrating the materials. He has also highlighted various superior properties of the new product with suitability for various applications. He concluded the speech by stating that the newly constructed railway platforms at Trivandrum railway station are done with this system and also the consultants including ‘RITES’ have approved this method which follows German National Standards and promoted by A.B. Tremix of Sweeden. 

CURRENT TRENDS IN NOISE AND  
NOISE CONTROL 

On 18-10-2000 Er. K.L.Handoo delivered  a talk on “Current Trends in Noise and Noise Control”.  He pointed out that main attention was focussed on “Acoustics” in aerospace area. He also remarked that a number of specialists such as audiologist, musicians, musical instrument makers, engineers, law makers, regulators etc. are associated with this field. 

Propulsion noise from power plants such as air craft engines and rocket motors and aerodynamic noise are two  main sources of acoustic noise in aerospace vehicles.  Prediction methods for determining the noise field include empirical techniques and measurements made during actual or scale model tests.  Responses are obtained using model superposition techniques and statistical energy analysis method. A great deal of reliance is placed on actual acoustic tests.  Methods of attenuating either the acoustic field or its influence on the systems include use of water injection to reduce propulsion noise at launch vehicle take off, acoustic blankets to reduce fairing interior noise level and acoustic treatment to aircraft interior.  All these are passive methods. 

He continued that currently, active control technology is being applied to noise control in aerospace vehicles.  There are two active control methodologies available - active cancellation and active system modification. Active cancellation is based on Young’s and Huygen’s principle which states that noise cancellation can be achieved through use of a set of noise generators which provide out of phase signal for cancellation.  The active system modification is achieved through classical control theory. For both these approaches the methodologies available are feedback and feed forward control design.  Efficacy of active control technology is well demonstrated. 

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS - REVOLUTIONIZING THE INTERNET SCENE 

The topic presented by Er.N.T.Nair on 01-11-2000 was “Embedded Systems - Revolutionizing the Internet Scene”. He opined that the advent of microprocessors (Computer-on-a-Chip) made revolutionary changes in computing scene, paving way for the birth of Personal Computers (PCs) which came within reach of common man - from cost & operational - easiness angles. 

Microprocessors then set their eyes on items of daily use like Motor Cars, Washing Machines, TVs, Music Systems, telephones etc., to lend them computing power, to enhance their capabilities.  Thus ‘a new breed called “Embedded Systems” was born, which is now invading every home and business, making life and work easier day by day’, he added. 

NON-DESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION OF  
SOLID MOTORS 

On 08-11-2000, Er. P.J.Abraham delivered a talk on “Non-destructive Evaluation of Solid Motors”. Non-destructive evaluation (NDT) is one of the most extensive tools used presently assess the health of the solid motor subsystems.  The integrity of the interfaces and soundness of the solid propellant system is determined by radiograph whether it is a 5 kg. propellant igniter grain or a 200 tonne large solid motor.  The NDT plan and exposure procedures for different motors are to be suitably generated so as to get the full information with minimum effort.  This requires a thorough knowledge of various defects likely to appear in motor subsystems as well as at the interfaces. 

Non-destructive evaluation procedures followed in large solid motors and assessment of criticality of various defects were highlighted in this paper.  More emphasis was made on the solid motors currently under production in ISRO. 

SAVING AN ARCHITECTURAL MASTER PIECE 

A talk on “Saving an Architectural Master piece” was held  on 25-11-2000  by Er.S.S.Kaimal. He started his speech on the house called “Falling water” in Pennsylvania, USA which is considered as the masterpiece of Frank Lloyd Wright.  Built in 1937 its large living room cantilevers over a water fall in 1991, the American Institute of Architects voted it the best work ever produced by an American architect.  More than two million tourists have visited it and stared in awe at the building’s concrete terraces hanging over a clear swift running stream. 

In recent years it was notices that the deflections of the cantilevers have reached dangerous magnitudes and there was a real risk of an eventual collapse. 

In 1995, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which owns the building now, engaged an engineering firm to study the structural problems and suggest remedies.  He concluded by stating that it has now been decided to strengthen the cantilever beams by post-tensioning and carry out other repairs so that its architectural masterpiece can be  preserved for posterity. 
 

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For Your Knowledge Bank 

WORLD’S LARGEST  
IEEE STUDENT BRANCH 

The World’s ever largest IEEE Student Branch in the PICT (Pune Institute of Computer Technology) with 857 student members. This is because of the collective efforts of the IEEE Volunteer Officers and Student branch volunteers, creating an awareness among the students on the advantages and benefits of IEEE membership. Always IEEE will provide help to remain on top with publications, International Conferences, Life long learning publications, etc. 
 

Students Corner 

ACTIVITIES 

ELIXIR 

All Kerala IEEE Students Congress 2000 (ELIXIR) organised by IEEE Student Branch, College of Engineering, Chengannur was held on November 10th and 11th 2000 at Mammen Mappilai Hall, Kottayam. 

ZEST 

The student branch of Adoor Engineering College has organised its first major technical activity called ‘ZEST’ on 2nd December 2000. Er. S.Gopakumar, Chairman, Membership Development activities of IEEE Kerala Section participated in the programme and presented talks on ‘IEEE’, ‘Technology Trends’ and ‘Real time system concepts’. 

Other programmes like Quiz competition, etc were also organised in connection with this event. The students branch of College of Engineering, Adoor is the eleventh student branch of IEEE Kerala Section 

IAS AWARD - INDIAN STUDENTS WIN STUDENT DESIGN AWARD 

The news have been included in the last issue of the Newsletter of IEEE Kerala Section (page 10 under the head Announcements). The student members have to view it  seriously with the following remark sent by the Chairman, IA & IE Societies Chapter. 

“While on this subject, Kerala Section conducts, the Isac Muckadayil Student Paper Contest every year, the response very poor. This year only three papers were received and none of them qualified for the award of any prize. I understand that there are more than thirty Engineering institutions in the State and about 500 IEEE student members. Still, we could not produce even a single paper worth for an award even at the State level. Some of the engineering institutions in the State were among the top institutions in the country a few years ago. What  happened to them? I request the students of the State to see the example set by the Coimbatore students and take more interest in their subject and to send papers to seminars and competitions. The staff concerned should take some effort in motivating the students to participate in such contests”. 

Er. Madhu Mangal 
Chairman, IA & IE Societies Chapter 

ATTENTION TO IEEE MEMBERS 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

It is proposed to hold the Annual General Meeting of IEEE Kerala Section at  Hotel Horizon,  Trivandrum at 18.30 hrs on Saturday 13th January 2001. Kindly make it convenient to attend the function.  

From 18.30 to 19.00 hrs Election of new Office bearers for 2001 (Admission to Corporate Members only) 

19.00 hrs Annual General Meeting as per Agenda 

Agenda 

: Silent Prayer 
: Pledge - Code of Ethics 
: Welcome 
: Annual Report 
: Financial Report 
: Chapter Reports 
: Student Branches Report 
: Introduction of Office Bearers for 2001 
: Felicitations 
: Address by New Chairman  
: Future Activities 
: General Discussions 
: Vote of Thanks 
: Dinner 

Secretary 
  

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Chapter News 

IA & IE SOCIETIES 

A REPORT ON ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR 2000 

The joint chapter of Industry Applications and Industrial Electronics Societies of IEEE, Kerala Section has organized the following events for the year 2000. 

1. Workshop on “Latest Trends in Power Electronics ” 

A one-day workshop on “Latest Trends in Power Electronics” was organized at the Electronics was Research and Development centre of India, Thiruvananthapuram.  (ER & DCI(T)) on 24th August, 2000.  The workshop was Co-sponsored by Electronics Research and Development centre of India, Thiruvananthapuram (ER&DCI(T)) and Keptech Power Controls (P) Ltd, New Delhi.  Technical papers were presented by experts from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, ER & DCI, Thiruvananthapuram and Energy Management Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.  Around 30 delegates from various industries, Research institutes and Academic institutions attended the workshop. 

Mr.K.G.Satheesh Kumar, Chairman IEEE Kerala Section presided over the function and Mr.P.C.Rajan Babu, Chief Electrical Inspector, Govt. of Kerala inaugurated the workshop.  The following papers were presented in the technical sessions. 

• “Power Electronics and Energy Management” 
 Prof.V.K.Damodaran, Energy Management Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. 
• “Switched Mode Power Conversion” 
 Prof.V.Ramanarayanan, IISc, Bangalore. 
• “Power Electronic controller for Electric Vehicle Propulsion” 
 Dr.Z.V.Lakaparampil, ER&DCI, Thiruvananthapuram. 
• “Sensorless AC Drive” 
 Gautam Poddar, ER & DCI, Thiruvananthapuram. 

2. Issac Muckadayil Memorial Student    Paper Contest 

The technical papers were invited from IEEE student members the 14 Engineering Colleges in Kerala for the annual Issac Muckadayil Memorial Student paper contest 2000.  Three technical papers were received collectively from College of Engineering, Trichur and College of Engineering, Palghat.  A Technical Committee evaluated the papers and found that the papers have not qualified for any prize. It was opined by the committee that papers to qualify for getting prize under IEEE should have some minimum standard and should be based on the original work of the student.  In view of the above, it was decided not to award any prize this year. 

3. Technical Talks 

A talk on “Energy Management” by Prof. V.K.Damodaran, Director, Energy Management Centre, Thiruvananthapuram was organised at the Institute of Engineers’ Hall, Thiruvananthapuram on 7th June, 2000. 

A talk on “Custom Power “ by Mrs.K.A.Fathima, Additional Director, Power  Electronics, ER&DCI, Thiruvananthapuram was organised at the Institute of Engineers’ Hall, Thiruvananthapuram on 21st June, 2000. 

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Editorial  

We are now witnessing the commencement of the new millennium with  rapid explosion of  IT revolution, liberating abundant possibilities of entirely different and better life style especially for the young generation as well as the mankind as a whole. Our conventional beliefs and traditions are radically changing from the old economy which looked upon the agricultural and industrial yields to the new one which is enrooting and dominating globally in the recent years, ie,   the knowledge economy. We know how the old economy had affected to their yields by the increased population which became a liability on it. On the other hand, in the new one, by creating a large number ofhighly skilled knowledge workers, the old concept of liability is being converted into an asset. 

In this context, we have to look upon for different aspects related to it especially a number of questions which focus on the revamping of old economy to the new.  How is it possible to attain a knowledge economy?  Who are the people in the knowledge society? How can we create a knowledge society? How do we educate and train for skilled knowledge workers? From which level we have to start with? How we tap with this huge power house of latent talent to suit modern economy? Who will play important role in this process?  Any quick panaceas to this transformation? and so on. Though many of these questions are very familiar to those who are in the field, still we have to look into it all the different perspectives. 

In the transitional role  of old economy to the new one, the roles that are to be  played  are seems to be individual, organisational and at governmental. Of these the individuals have to invest time, effort and money in increasing their future-focussed skills. A type of re-skilling is also needed to accelerate this transformation at this level in conjunction with the changes in the technology. At the same time, the organisation has to utilise the knowledge for reaping the competitive advantages by manufacturing improved and innovative products and adopting better business practices. Besides,  the government have to tackle various major issues, out of which three are innevitable  to be considered in this context. 

While the first issue closely associated with significant improvement in infrastructure, simplification of  related rules and international access facility at lower costs, providing accreditation to industrially relevant new areas appeared on the technology and business, is the second.  And lastly, investment of all possible resources  in the Knowledge Society to bring the knowledge to its meaningful and affordable form for the betterment of a large segment of our population. 

To cope up with this drastic change, the concepts like e-commerce, e-learning, and the other imilar ‘e’s are very important factors. The relevance of the point of discussion of e-learning is substantial as it figures the current range and prime factor in formulating a knowledge economy. And also its peculiarity in ‘anytime-anywhere’ learning facility (one can access web globally), ‘not text book oriented’ (e-books and e-magazines in its place) and ‘the absence of the class room’ in its environment (no problems like hours to work, classroom facilities, teacher-learner ratio, etc). The learner can go for twinning programmes, dual or multiple degrees without any restriction from the e-Universities. But we are still a few years behind in this field comparing with other countries. 

However, we need the role of all the three levels mentioned earlier  in the situation while introducing e-learning system. At the same time, we can’t define their roles with regard to the e-solutions. A judicious combination of industry with educational authorities is the essential criterion towards this direction, to make this newly enhanced relationship successful as what we could see globally. The whole purpose is to keep abreast of new developments and to offer or nurture the best and right kind to the young generation. 

There is definitely a creative side with all of us. Appreciating this, different new schemes are on the pave for introduction of e-learning in the country. Also the schools are fastly waking up towards the indispensability of IT education and trying to contribute their best to make the students computer literate and nourish them for the future. The slogan ‘IT education for everyone’ through Smart Schools can be considered as a stepping stone in the government level. These schools have introduced into its departments the IT integrated  functioning, even for  the elementary and middle-level  students. This is aimed only at building IT professionals right from an early age. In addition to the Smart Schools, a separate project called Class Project is also being implemented to focus on computer education and literacy related work in schools especially in those  which are located in more illiterate areas. These projects will bring only a long run impact on our society and it forms a part of our conventional curriculum. 

Another factor is the implementation of different live projects on Internet based education focussing on wide spectra to form integrated part at global level. They are setting online virtual class rooms with live trainers or teachers. In these courses they offer static content on the Internet, which need to be downloaded or interacted, based on self-learning.  Some systems allow the user to set up a class room on the Net with a live trainer imparting the course, where a VDU acts as a board and supports presentation in different styles. There are provisions to surf faster and download quickly, viewing and listening and even ask questions by the students and thereby get  clarified their doubts. This calls for creativity from teachers and students as well in forging their challenging and satisfying careers. 

Facilities like search for learning specific information, sharing information between learners, discussion forum for learners, learner assessments by tests, finding performance levels, comparison with other learners, identify areas to focus on, etc are available in most cost effective way. The learning and competency assessments are very important. The web revolution worldwide has resulted in the demand for the e-learning system. But still the quality assessment and assurance of the degree or we may call it the ‘level of learning’ should be authentic and recognised for which accreditation standard has to be developed. 

Even then, we have to consider another aspect; whether the e-learning methodology and a virtual class room session will ensure the student full confidence and capability in the field they have learned? No doubt, we have to think creatively and positively on this aspect. On the other hand, the broad array of information on the web is overwhelming and addicting to the learners in later stage. However, the restructuring of learning to e-learning would eventually come within a short span of time exploring the traditional and conceptual barriers. 

We hope the coming days will prove the existence of a foolproof system which can access education delivery and we, the professionals,  have to share the past experience and compare the same with e-learning which ultimately lead to a knowledge society. 

K Gopalan Nair 
 
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FUEL CELL -  
BATTERY HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES 
   Compiled by: Dr. Madhu Mangal 

Center for Energy Research, SPIC Science Foundation, Chennai has developed and  
demonstrated a prototype fuel cell - battery hybrid electric vehicle, for the first time in India.  This electric vehicle (EV) employs a hybrid power source, consisting of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells tacks developed at this Centre and lead-acid batteries. 

Electric vehicles generally employ different types of batteries as the power source.  The battery powered electric vehicles have certain disadvantages, such as limited range and long refueling/recharging time, due to the limitations of the currently available batteries.  In order to over come these limitations, efforts are being made throughout the world to develop fuel cells for electrical vehicles propulsion. 

Centre for Energy Research at SPIC Science Foundation has been working on development of PEM fuel cell stacks since 1989.  Several multi kilowatt stacks have been developed and demonstrated.  Some of the stacks developed at this Centre are also undergoing trails. 

PEM fuel cell mainly consists of an anode and a cathode (electrodes) separated by an electrolyte.  The electrodes contain noble metal catalysts in small quantities and the electrolyte is a proton conducting membrane such as Nation R.  The reactant gases fed to the electrodes (hydrogen to the anode and oxygen/air to cathode) combine electrochemically at the interface between the electrode and electrolyte producing electricity and water.  Unlike a battery, which has limiting charge discharge cycle, fuel cells produce electricity as long as the reactant gases are supplied. 

Scientists at the Centre have developed a hybrid power source integrating the fuel cell stacks and battery bank, which have been installed in a four-wheeler van.  The electric motor’s power requirements to run the vehicle is share by the battery bank and the fuel cell stacks.  A controller that has been developed enables sharing of the power between the two power sources and also has the facility to charge the battery from fuel cell power whenever the vehicle is stopped.  Several safety features have also been incorporated.  The fuel cell-battery hybrid van can seat 6 people.  The hybrid vehicle has recorded an increase of 40 percent in the distance traveled on a single charge compared to the battery powered EV.  Further improvements in fuel cell stack performance, reduction in weight, volume and cost of the stack are being carried out.  These improvements are expected to enhance the EV performance further. 

Elsewhere in the world, developments in this field have advanced even more.  Ford, Daimler-Benz and Ballard announced in December 1999 that they had formed a global Alliance to develop fuel cell technology for future vehicles.  Within the past year, both Toyota and Daimler-Benz have exhibited PEM cell powered automobiles.  The main difficulty with using fuel cells in passenger vehicles is in supplying the hydrogen.  Although the gas can be compressed, companies are worried about safety, should a pressurized hydrogen tank be damaged in an accident.  Toyota’s demonstration car solved the problem by storing the hydrogen in hydrides, compounds that can stockpile hydrogen in a safe, but heavy   and cumbersome, form.  Toyota and Daimler-Benz are also exploring a technique for producing the hydrogen as needed by breaking down a fuel such as methanol, which is far easier to transport and pump into a car. 

 

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Announcements 

Special Awards 

Mr. N.T.Nair and Prof. V.K.Damodaran are selected for a special award of IEEE India Council for their contributions in publishing the Newsletter of India Council without any break for the past 10 years. 

It is noteworthy that Mr. Nair has started the Newsletter by registering it and having published it for four years and his successor, Prof. V.K.D, is continuing the work in an excellent way. 

This was informed by Prof. Aggarwal, Chairman, IEEE India Council. 

(hearty congratulations!) 

Free Membership 

S. Gopakumar has been selected to receive free IEEE membership for the year 2001 for recruiting new members under ‘member get a member’ scheme. 

(go ahead!) 

IEEE Computer Society 
CSIDC 2001 

IEEE Computer Society announced the Student Project Design Competition 2001. The topic is focused on Bluetooth Wireless Technology. All details about the competition are available at the computer org site at CSIDC 2001. 

IEEE Communications Society 

The 2001 IEEE Workshop on High Performance Switching & Routing is proposed to be held at Dallas, Texas. It includes presentations on original research in two parallel tracts and a day on Tutorials. Original papers are invited from authors  so as to send them to: Prof. Thomas Chen. 
e-mail: tchen@seas.smu.edu 

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ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS  
FOR THE YEAR 2001 

NOTIFICATION 

The Nomination Committee consisting of Shri.Muraleemohan Lal as Chairman and Shri.S.Gopakumar and Mr.N.A.P.Thampy  as members was constituted to furnish the slate of office bearers for IEEE Kerala Section for the year 2001.  The Nomination Committee sent the following slate. 

1. CHAIRMAN 
Shri.K.G.Satheesh Kumar (M 169921) Chief Executive Officer, Specialized Global Solutions,Technopark Campus, Kariavattom, Trivandrum - 695 581. 
“Aiswarya”, Nettayam, Kachani P.O, Trivandrum - 695 013. 

2. VICE – CHAIRMAN 
Shri.R.Narayanan (SM 4029899), Vice President, Tata Consultancy Services, Technopark Campus, Kariavattom, Trivandrum - 695 581. 

3. SECRETARY 
Shri. A.K.Unnikrishnan (SM 02960169), Joint Director, Power Electronics Group, ER&DCI, Vellayambalam, Trivandrum-695033 
A4-05, Sastha Nagar, Thirumala P.O, Trivandrum - 695 006. 

4. TREASURER 
Shri. Sasi P.M. (M 40293392), Mission Co-ordinator,  
IT Mission Group, Government of Kerala, Trivandrum - 695010. 
TC 14/1520, Thycaud P.O, Trivandrum - 695 014. 

PETITION CANDIDATES 
Candidate other than those included in the slate can contest the elections as Petition Candidate.  Nomination for a Petition Candidate should be signed by at least 25 members of IEEE Kerala Section and forwarded so as to reach the Secretary, IEEE Kerala Section, Harmonieee TC 25/2696(5), Ambujavilasom Road, Trivandrum - 695 001, on or before 5 PM, 12th January 2000.  The nominee’s willingness, his / her Bio-data and statement of intend should also be enclosed. 

The new Section Executive as per Bylaws will nominate the various subcommittees and their Chairmen. 

Secretary 

 

AK Unnikrishnan, R Narayanan, KG Satheeshkumar

 K G SATHEESHKUMAR 

Shri.Satheesh Kumar is the Chairman of IEEE Kerala Section.  He has served as the Newsletter editor for the section from 1992 to 1994 and Secretary in 1997.  He has been very active in the successful organisation of different Seminars held by the Section for the past few years.  His contribution to the success of Infobahn ’95 deserves special mention.  He was the exhibits Co-chair for the Third International Seminar on High Performance Computing-HiPC’96.  Also, he was the Chairman (Exhibition Committee) of ACE ’99 held form 2-4 December 1999 at Techno- park. 

An Electronics & Communi-cation graduate from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, Shri Satheesh has worked in Alind and Keltron before joining TECHNOPARK in 1990.  Recently he left Technopark and is presently Chief Executive Officer, Specialized Global Solutions, Technopark Campus, Trivandrum. 

R.NARAYANAN 

Narayanan is a gold medalist from Madras University inResearch, Bombay and The Centre for Advanced Studies in Molecular Biophysics and X-ray Crystallography, Madras he joined the Indian Space Research Organisation an held various positions as Head, Computer Division and Head, Software Quality Assurance Division.  He was the Corporate Manager (Training & Education) at Tata Consultancy Services and corrently the Vice President. 

Narayanan had served the Board of Studies in Computer Science in Kerala University.  He has been a Visiting Scientist and Guest Faculty at Concordia University, Montreal, Institute of System Sciences at University of Singapore and IIT, Madras.  He had been a member of the Joint  Policy Committee of the ISRO-IIT (M) Space Technology cell promoting research projects. 

He has published a number of papers on Software Quality Assurance, Formal Specifications and Software Project Management besides popular articles in news papers. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of IEEE Kerala Section. Also, he has been selected for Golden Peacock Award for “Excellence in Training” in the year 2000. 

UNNIKRISHNAN A.K. 

Mr.Unnikrishnan A.K. is presently the Secretary of IEEE Kerala Section and working as Joint Director, Power Electronics Group, ER&DCI, Trivandrum.  He has wide experience as Electrical Engineer in Research and Development and Manufacture of Power Electronics Systems and Products.  He also, intimately associated with R&D and Engineering activities over a period exceeding twenty years.  He leads a group of engineers responsible for design and development of hardware/software and transfer of technology for different units. 

After his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engg for REC, Calicut, he took M.Tech from IIT, Madras with specialization in Control and Instrumentation and also Diploma in Management from IGNOU. He joined Keltron and then ER&DCI and held various  positions.  He is a Senior Member of IEEE. 

His areas of technical expertise are, Power converter design, Formulation of Test Procedures, Inverter design, Technical documentation, Switching power supply design, Processor based controllers, System  Engineering, etc.  He has published a number  
f papers on Power Electronics, Control Systems, etc in National and International Journals. 

SASI P.M. 

Mr.Sasi P.M. had his M.Tech degree in Applied Electronics and Instrumentation from College of Engineering, Trivandrum and B.Sc Engineering in Electronics and Communication from TKM College of Engineering, Kollom. 

He is currently working as Mission Coordinator in the Information Technology Mission Group of Government of Kerala. He was one of the major personalities behind the organisation of IT Kerala 2000 event held at Technopark, Trivandrum from 23rd to 26th November 2000 and the International IT Conference organised as part of the event. Currently he is involved in the standardization of Malayalam keyboard and character encoding as well as formulating GIS data standards for Kerala. 

Earlier he was working as Joint Director in Electronics Research and Development Centre of India (ER&DCI), Trivandrum, which is a Scientific Society of the Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India. While in ER&DC, he was involved in the development of various projects like simulators for Flight Control System and the Cockpit facility of Light Combat Aircraft(LCA), Steering Gear Control System for Indian Naval ships, Interface systems for the weapons in Indian Naval ships etc. Currently he is the chair of IEEE & Society. 

Sasi PM

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STANDARDISATION - 
THE KEY ENABLER OF INTERNET 
N.T.NAIR 

When I ran the statistics on 11 December 2000, there were 33,576,961 domains registered worldwide with 20,291,962 of those beings .COMs.  Every 24 hours the Internet adds : 
•  4,600,000  new pages 
•  86,200,000,000  new bytes of text 
•  1,030,000  new images 

In addition 1,260,000,000,000 bytes of information are changed daily, out of which, on an average, 51.5 million pages are text and 11.6 million are images.  With such a vast amount of new stuff added and changed on a daily basis, you would need 29,2000 people to review the web daily for updates. 

What do all these indicate ?  Internet, in its shortest life span, has emerged as the fastest every growing segment, with no parallels in history.  Obviously, attributes like quick, easy and instant access to information, worldwide reach at lowest cost etc have definitely contributed to its proliferation.  But, a rather, less noticed feature of Internet has played a major role in popularizing this technology of the century, among the elite and the ordinary, alike.  This is standardization. 

Even though electricity has been around for several decades, lack of standardization is still its bane, causing inconvenience and economic losses in its utilization, in a seamless way around the globe.  While US follows the 110 V/60 Hz route, many others are using the 230 V/250 Hz standard in their countries, making interoperability of equipment and the ultimate dream of a universal power grid, difficult propositions. 

Over the years, drawing up standards and meticulously following them have become the norm in engineering field, as the case in most others.  Internet came into being in this era of standardization in almost every sphere of human activity and could readily draw on its advantages, right from its inception.  Any one with a PC (PC itself is a classic case of ultimate in standardization), Internet connection and software could use it in the same way anywhere in the world, without any difference in facilities. 

 The Internet has triggered new ways of doing business - computer-to-computer.  In this environment, the standards are mandatory because: 
a) There is no time for human clarification and the processes and transactions must run in real time. 
b) No company can afford to develop specific business applications for each of its major trading partners. 
c) The emerging business practices call for transactions being developed between trading partners simultaneously. 

All these requirements point to a definite need for total standardization in Internet domain, which luckily does exist.  HTML, the script kind of language enabling the creation of web pages in an easy and simple way using any text editor like Notepad, the emergence of its new avatar XML with advanced capabilities, JAVA, ASP  etc are the lead players responsible for the universalisation of Internet, in such a short span of time.  Let this success story of standardization be a guiding light for all other ventures aiming to go global. 

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SEMINARS 

IT Kerala 2000 

The International IT event, IT Kerala 2000 held at Trivandrum from 23rd to 26th November 2000 was a grand success, according to Government and industry sources. The event, which consisted of an International  IT expo, IT conference and investors' meet was inaugurated by Justice Sukhdev Singh Kang (retd.), His Excellency the Governor of Kerala. Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam, Principal Scientific Advisor to Govt.of India delivered the keynote address. Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Kerala (IIITM-K)was also inaugurated on the occasion. 

The theme of the conference was ‘Crafting a Knowledge Society in the 21st Century’. The topics covered included New Technologies and the Knowledge Society, New Governance Paradigms, Economy in the Knowldege Socciety, New Paradigms in Agriculture, New Paradigms in Industry, emerging services in Health, Education, Media and Entertainment, innovation and entrepreneurship in the Knowledge Society. 

Experts from the world over presented papers on the above topics. The speakers included prof.UR.Rao(member,Space Commission), Mr.Barry Vercoe(Associate Academic Head, MIT Media Labs, USA), Mr.N.Vittal(Central Vigilance Commissioner), Mr.Sitaram Yechuri (noted ecomomist and intellectual), Mr.Subbiah Arunachalam (MS Swaminathan Research Foundation), Mr.BM Vyas(MD, Gujarath Milk Marketing Federation), Dr.VPBhatkar(Chairman, ETH Research lab), Mr.Avtar Saini(Director, South Asia, Intel Asia Electronics), Mr.Anil Menon(Marketing Director, Citrix Software), Ms Sangita Reddy (Director of operations, Apollo Hospitals Group), Dr.M.Krishnan Nair (Director RCC, Trivandrum),Mr.Ragesh Shaw(Chairman, Online Telemedicine Research Institute),Mr.Mahadev Mani(Exatt Communications), Mr.Ajit Balakrishnan(Chairman, Rediff.com), Dr.Satish Tripathi (Dean, Bourness' College of Engineering and Dr.B.Ekbal(Vice Chancellor, University of Kerala). 
 

TECON 2000  
THE ANNUAL SEMINAR 

The Organising Committee of the Annual Seminar– TECON 2000 met on 02-12-2000 under the chairmanship of Sri. K.G. Satheesh Kumar, Section Chair. The final report of the Seminar was also presented. The seminar was profitable as it generated a surplus fund of Rs 1.3 lakhs. 
In the discussion on the utilisation of the surplus fund various points have been raised from different corners and finally a committee has been constituted to arrive at a final decision. 
Er. Muraleemohan Lal, Er. N.T. Nair and Er. S.Gopakumar are the members of the committee. 
Special credit goes to Er. Philip John, the Chairman and Er. Simon Zachariah, the Secretary of the Organising Committee of TECON 2000 for the successful conduct of the seminar. 

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Printed and published by K.Gopalan Nair, T.C.5/1637, Ambalmukku, Peroorkada,

Trivandrum - 695005  on behalf of IEEE, Kerala Section. Typesetting: Akshara Offset,

Trivandrum. Phone: 471174, 473470

Editor: K. Gopalan Nair  E-mail: kgnairs@eth.net phone: 437449

  
Author: TS Ajayghosh (t.s.ajayghosh@ieee.org)
URL: http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r10/kerala/nlet3.html
(Modified:22 January 2001)

Copyright 2001, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.