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A House Journal of IEEE Kerala Section Volume 11 Number 03 July – September 2002
Dear Educators While addressing professional
groups both in India and overseas I have been asserting that the higher
technical education system in the country, at least in conventional
engineering disciplines is quite robust. It is this strength that the IT
industry has exploited in transforming its new hires into software solution
developers. I have experienced this while coming into contact with more than
10,000 fresh entrants to TCS from a variety of institutions and a variety of
streams. This sentiment had also been echoed by Prof. Paulk of the Software
Engineering Institute when he "verified" the conferment of CMM
level 5 status to a number of
Indian IT companies. Among the three reasons he postulated while confirming
the deserved status, the strength of higher engineering education was the
first. Over the last one or two years, I
sadly see a deterioration in the Engineering Education Standards.
Infrastructural facilities have vastly improved. Best possible efforts are
put in place in attracting great teachers. But the result (as seen from the
proof of the pudding paradigm) does not correlate. Recently (on 3 Oct 2002), I was
interviewing some candidates from Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering,
Electrical & Electronics and Electronics & Communication streams. The
questions directly pertained to the discipline they study. ALL the questions resulted in a blank response. They could not
even utter one keyword associated with the question. The questions did not
even ring a bell of having studied "something" related to the
questions. Even assuming that the set of students I interviewed might have
belonged to the last rung of students the performance is unacceptable. The purpose behind this note is just to give an honest feedback.
The feedback is in terms of effect - you have to figure out the causes. I
have been interviewing engineering students for the last 25 years. To give a
qualitative trend,
Thus a definite decline in the quality of the output from
technical education is certainly visible. I want to share this with you so
that you can introspect and take appropriate measures to preserve the respect
that the Indian Engineering education enjoys among employers.
03-07-2002 “Reliability Aspects of Satellite Launch
Vehicles”, K. Sudhakar Rao, Deputy
Director,
VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram. 06-07-2002
Creativity@Works!
Exploring New alternatives – a seminar by GOLD, IEEE Kerala Section at
Amphitheater, ER&DCI, Thiruvananthapuram. 06-07-2002
Special Executive Committee meeting of IEEE Kerala
Section at Hotel
Horizon, Thiruvananthapuram. 10-07-2002
“Eco-Tourism in Kerala – Thenmala, A Case Study”,
K.G. Mohan Lal, Director, Eco Tourism, Govt. of Kerala. 17-07-2002
“Intelligent Agents”, B. Raveendran Pillai, Deputy
Director, LBS Centre for Science & Technology, Thiruvananthapuram. 24-07-2002
“Liquid Crystalline Polymers”, C.K.S Pillai,
Regional Research Laboratory, Thiruvananthapuram. 25-07-2002 “K-ware 2002”, a National
Conference on Knowledge Management by IEEE Kerala Section at Hotel Residency Tower, Thiruvananthapuram.
26 to 27-07-2002
“AISC 2002”, All India Students Congress 2002 at Hotel Residency
Tower, Thiruvananthapuram. 31-07-2002
“e-waste
- The Eco Problem”, N.T. Nair, Vice President, CMS Computers,
Thiruvananthapuram. 07-08-2002 “Electronic road pricing to combat traffic
congestion”, N.T. Nair, Nair, Vice
President (R&D), CMS Computers Ltd, Thiruvananthapuram. 14-08-2002
“Guidance & Control of Launch Vehicle – An ISRO
perspective”, Dasgupta, Group
Director, VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram. 28-08-2002
“Introduction to Neuro Fuzzy Systems”, Koshy
Vaidyan, TCS, Thiruvananthapuram. 31-08-2002
Fourth Executive Committee meeting of IEEE Kerala
Section.at ‘Harmonieee’,
Thiruvananthapuram. 04-09-2002
“Life-Style Diseases”, Sapna G Nair, Kerala
Pharmacy. 12-09-2002
“Signaling in Telecom Networking”, R. Rajaram,
Lecturer, RTTC, Thiruvananthapuram. 11-09-2002
“New Edition of ISO 9000”, B.C. Bhaumik, Head,
Quality Division, VSSC. 14-09-2002
“IT for Schools”, TCS Quiz IT.com 2002, at AKG Centre Auditorium,
Thiruvananthapuram. 15-09-2002
“Removing Rural – Urban Disparity”, Babu Paul,
Ombudsman, Government of Kerala. 18-09-2002 “Constructional aspects of
protection against lightning in high rise buildings in Kerala”
19-09-2002 “Magnets – Movers of modern Society”, A.K. Sinha,
Project Leader,
MMP/VSSC. 24-09-2002
“High Reliability Power System Design”, a tutorial
organized by PES, IEEE
Kerala Section, at Hotel Horizon, Thiruvananthapuram. 25-09-2002
“IPR – Issues under the New Regime”, One Day Workshop
organized by IE Thiruvananthapuram. 03-10-2002 “Efficiency and Energy
Audit of Electrical Power Distribution System”, R.K. Hegde, CPRI, ERC,
Thiruvananthapuram. 4 to 5-10-2002 “Emerging Trends in Electronics & Communication
Technologies”, a
National convention organized by IE(I), Cochin. 09-10-2002
“Technology for Enhanced Quality of Life”, Ramesh.
C. Dutt, President & CEO, Intsyx Tech Resources, Thiruvananthapuram. 16-10-2002
“Quaternary Geology & its implications for
Kerala Develoment”, K.M. Nair, Former Director, CESS, Thiruvananthapuram. 23-10-2002
“Data Ware-housing”, K. Parthasarathy, Engineer,
Computer Division, VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram. 31-10-2002
“Awareness on drinking Water Management through
Women”. 29 to 31-10-2002
CSI National Convention. Theme: Harnessing & Managing
Knowledge, at J.N. Tata Auditorium, IISc, Bangalore. For details: 06-11-2002
“Hydrogen Future – the Emerging Energy Scenario”,
N.T. Nadir, Vice – President, C.M.S Computers Ltd, Thiruvananthapuram. 22 to 23-11-2002
“Innovations – 2002”, a National Conference on Scientific
Applications & IT, at Pune. For details: csi_pune@vsnl.com 13 to 14-12-2002
“CONMICRO 2002” a National Conference on Applications of
Microcomputers. Theme: Bio-Informatics, at PMCTM, Thanjavur. 20 to 21-12-2002 “ACE 2002”, 28th Annual
Convention and Exhibition of IEEE India
Council organized by IEEE
Calcutta Section, at Science City, Kolkata. 28 to 31-12-2002 International Workshop on Distributed
Computing (IWDC) organized
by Dept of Computer Science & Engg, University of Calcutta and co-sponsored by IEEE Computer Society Chapter of India Council. Top Keyboard and character Encoding
standards for Malayalam P.M. Sasi delivered a talk on “Keyboard
and Character Encoding standards for Malayalam” on 06-03-2002. He commenced
by stating that the fruits of the breath-taking developments in Information
Technology will reach the common people in Kerala, only if the computer
applications should be available in Malayalam. He continued that so far there
were no commonly accepted standards for keyboard layout and character
encoding in Malayalam. So
applications from different developers used different schemes for keyboard
layout and character encoding. The result is that documents/applications
developed using one Malayalam package cannot be read/executed in another
package. Thus, the users of
Malayalam software packages became captive to the software developers. Today,
plenty of information is available on the Internet in Malayalam, which is
coded, in different encoding schemes.
So we need to have the corresponding encoding scheme in our computer
to use the information. This
makes it very difficult to access Malayalam contents on Internet. The common man should be able to
use any of the Malayalam software packages available and he/she should be
able to use the text/data typed in using one package to be accessed with
another package without any patch.
He should be able to use the various information in Malayalam
available on the Internet without the need to download different encoding
schemes. For this, there has to
be a commonly accepted character encoding scheme for Malayalam, so that
whichever be the software one is using, the characters will be coded and
stored in the same way. He concluded his speech by focusing the details of
the standards for keyboard layout and character encoding in Malayalam,
published by the Government of Kerala. Space Debris On 20-03-2002, V. Adimurthy
presented “Space Debris – A threat to present and future space programs”. The
space age barely started four and a half decades ago. At present there are
about 9000 man-made Earth orbiting objects that are catalogued. Catalogued
objects are regularly tracked and monitored and constitute objects larger
than 10-20 cm size in low Earth orbits, or about a metre in Geo Synchronous
altitudes. Of these 9000 odd
orbiting objects, only about 600 are operational satellites. The rest are space debris. If one considers smaller objects of 1
cm size, which of course cannot be tracked by usual methods, the number of
debris far exceeds 100,000. the
number of mm size space debris is astronomical. Space debris presents a real
threat to present and future space programs. The first confirmed accidental
collision between two catalogued objects occurred in July 1996. the gravity-gradient altitude control
boom of the French Satellite CERISE was damaged when a fragment from an
Ariane rocket body collided with it.
Smaller particles can be a continuous nuisance. Small particle impacts on the Space
Shuttle require replacing on average one of the eight main windows after each
flight. If appropriate measures
are not taken now, the future space programs will be severely affected by the
damage due to space debris.
Recognizing this, all the space-faring nations in the world have taken
up systematic scientific investigations on various aspects of the space
debris problem. The lecture gave an over-review of (a) the causes and growth
of space debris (b) their measurement and modeling and (c) various measures
available to mitigate the impact on present and future space endeavours. Surveying GPS On 03rd April 2002 a talk by
Satheesh Gopi was arranged on “Surveying GPS”. The talk covered on the Global
Positioning System and its details. It is a Satellite – Based Radio
Navigation System provided by the United States Department of Defense. GPS
has become an essential instrument for applications like surveying,
navigation, geodesy, tracking etc. The talk was focused on 1) A brief
introduction to GPS 2) Working principle of GPS 3) Classification of GPS 4)
Land Surveying using GPS 5) Various methods adopted for GPS based surveying
and 6) Other applications of GPS in Engineering field. Radio Frequency Identification N.T. Nair presented the topic
“Radio Frequency Identification – Exciting Possibilities” on 10-04-2002. RFID
(Radio Frequency Identification) is the combination of radio broadcast
technology and radar utilizing advanced electronic techniques like microchips
and antenna to create RFID tags for hundreds of applications like prevention
of shop lifting & theft of automobiles, collecting tolls without
stopping, managing traffic, automating parking, dispensing goods, tracking
library books, anti-counterfeiting bank notes of the future etc. The talk covered the history of
RFID, underlying technologies and the exciting applications unfolding
everyday in this field. Explosive Technologies On 17-04-2002 C.B. Kartha
delivered a talk on “Explosive Technologies for Aerospace Applications”. The
Success of any rocket launch primarily depends of performance of on-board
functions, which are to be accomplished satisfactorily during the
flight. Launch sequence includes
mission Critical functions like ignition of rocket motors, separation of
spent stages, heat shield jettisoning, satellite separation, solar panel and
boom deployment, operation of flow control vales of
satellite-propulsion-system etc.
These are made possible by devices, which utilize energy contained in
explosive charge to carry out desired function. The talk gave details about
explosive classification, explosive initiators and igniters. The functioning of Pyro-mechanical
devices, High explosive devices and systems were described. The speaker also dealt with safety
and arming devices, which prevent premature initiation of, pyrotechnic
devices used in launch vehicles. Road accidents R. Subhash Chandra Bose
presented the topic “Road accident, its mechanics and psychology” on
01-05-2002. He started the presentation by giving a picture on the density of
traffic especially around towns, cities and metros due to increase in
vehicular as well as pedestrian traffic. Accidents on roads are caused mostly
by undisciplined road use by drivers and pedestrians. Bad condition of roads also is a
contributory factor accidents and collisions. An elementary knowledge of the
dynamic of motion of the vehicle and the vital principles of traffic
engineering, help to a large extent in safe driving on roads. The undesirable
mental patterns which are to be overcome to enable one to avoid accidents are
ego, impatience, intolerance, hostile attitude, arrogance, anger, greed,
resentment and the like.
Defiance of rules and regulations must also be avoided. Traffic rules must be enforced along
with the process of educating and crating awareness of all these factors. Semi Solid Processing B.C. Pai on 08-05-2002 gave a
talk on “Semi Solid Processing of Aluminium alloys for automotive
applications”. Stirring it within the freezing range breaks the conventional
dendrite structure of the alloy.
Different methods such as Mechanical stirring, Electro magnetic
stirring, spray casting, stress induced melt activation and melt agitation
are available. All major manufacturers adopt electromagnetic stirring. The nondendrite slurry thus obtained
is cast into ingots of convenient dimensions. The required quantity of the alloy is taken and reheated
and directly die-cast into component.
During die-casting and thixo-forging, the thixotropic properties of
the non-dendrite slurry in semi-solid process offers the advantages of less
shrinkage porosity, lower distortions and thinner cross sections, lower
thermal fatigue for die, higher strength and ductility, avoids entrapped air
porosity and saving in cost Significant weight reduction in automobile parts
is possible. However the initial
investment cost is higher by about 50 to 60 % compared to conventional
methods, the impact of which can be considerably obviated by resorting to
large scale production of components and done by the manufacturers of
automotive products in countries like U.S.A and some in Europe. Metal Foam The topic “Metal Foam” was
presented by R. M. Pillai 15-05-2002. Metal foam can be classified as open
celled or close-celled structure depending on whether most of the cells are
open or closed respectively.
Metal foams are also known as foam metal, porous metal, sponge,
cellular solids and cellular metal.
Metal foams are strong, rigid, fire and impact resistant and light (a
fraction of the weight of their conventional counterpart). Having porous, bone like structures,
metal foam enables designers to make solid components that will float on
water, provide lightweight, EM (electro magnetic) protection and absorb large
amounts of impact energies. They
contain more than 50 % pores and have twice the stiffness per unit weight of
conventional metals. Between the
two methods of production of metal foam, namely liquid metallurgy route and
powder metallurgy route, the former is cheaper, cost-wise Depending on
requirements in application the properties of metal foam can be suitable
tailored. Application of metal form is
increasing rapidly in automotive, aerospace, electronics, buildings and
general engineering. This is due
to its attractive and advantageous combinations of properties, namely, low
mass density + stiffness + crash energy absorption + thermal stability + non-inflammability +
electromagnetic shielding + acoustic protection + decorative surface
+corrosion resistance. In
general, the closed cell structure is favoured for energy absorption
structural application, while the open cell structure for thermal management
(heat exchangers, heat sinks) and other similar areas. They could be used for reducing the
turbulence over aircraft wings. Information and Communication On 17-05-2002, S. Jyothy Sankar
delivered a talk on “Information and Communication Technology for all –
empowering people to cross the Digital Divide”. S. Jyothi Sankar, Dy. General
Manager (Urban), BSNL, Thiruvananthapuram. He narrated on the recent trends
on the development of Information & Communication Technology. The access
to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has not been
equitable. Considering the
enormous power of ICT for socio-economic developments, it is essential that
opportunities to access ICT be given to all those who have been unable to
participate fully in a knowledge-based digital economy. BSNL on its part endeavours to
bring about uplift of the rural areas by cross-subsidising telecommunication
facilities between urban and rural regions. The power of ICT must be used in
such a way that people everywhere can improve their health as well as general
well being on all aspects of personal & social life. Technology Development Balagopal delivered a talk on
“Technology Development in the post WTO context” on 22-05-2002. With overall
economic development in view, during the pre-WTO period, public sector
invested heavily in setting up Research facilities. For the post-WTO context, accelerating R&D efforts is
quite urgent. Investment in
R&D efforts by private sector has begun. In order to upgrade productivity in all spheres, the benefits
of science and technology must reach the work places of the ordinary
people. The motto ought to be:
“science for the people, of the people and by the people”. Dramatic developments in technology
and in the convergence of telecommunication and information technology now
facilitate the latest developments of S&T to be accessed by any one,
anywhere, any time. A Network of
the centers of knowledge in the country must necessarily be created. A new technology paradigm aimed at
creating a scientific temper in our people is a necessary condition to propel
our country to a prosperous future. Car sharing On 29-05-2002 Harold Wilhite
presented the topic “Car sharing practices in western countries”. He
commenced the talk by explaining the idea on ‘what is car sharing?’ Car
sharing is the practice in which people share access to the driver’s seat of
a fleet of automobiles, which is different from car-pooling where car owners
take on passengers. Car Sharing
is rapidly growing in Europe and North America. Car sharing constitutes a major
innovation in ‘auto mobility’. A
fleet of cars is bought or leased by the car share organization and cars are
stationed in different parking lots distributed at different locations in a
city. Members pay a one-time
membership fee, returnable if they resign, a small annual fee, and pay only
when they use the car. In its
advanced form, members are issued a card with a chip, which both starts the
car and transmits start time; finish time and kilometers run to a central
computer. Cars are reserved by
telephone. Lower tech versions
of reporting mileage are also in use, which employ logbooks. Car sharing differs from car
renting in that cars are more accessible and cars can be used on hourly
basis. Studies in European countries show that cars are idle for about 23 out
of 24 hours. From the perspective
of the m embers, they are relieved from the responsibility for insurance
fees, maintenance and are freed form the concern for damage and thefts. Engineers and the future of mankind S.S Kaimal presented the topic
“Engineers and the future of mankind” on 12-06-2002. Human beings have dominated
the earth, overcome barriers of distance, time and gravity and have even
planted flags on other planets.
This has been made possible by the application of technology basically
through engineers. In this
process of progress, growth and “development”, human beings have come to
consume the finite resources of earth limitlessly. There is the serious threat of the earth running out of
its non-renewable resources and of being subjected to deterioration due to
accumulation of wastes. A major role needs to be played
by engineers to invent measures of correction to be applied to save the
situation. Engineers as
revolutionaries must join with alert humanists in this endeavour. Appropriate technology on all spheres
of activities need to be used so as to upkeep ecology in the most health
condition of sustainability. Post September 11 Scenario-Cyber
Security On 19-06-2002, a topic “Post
September 11 Scenario-Cyber Security” was presented by P.R. Chandran. The Sep
11, 2001 attacks in USA exposed the vulnerability of even a technologically
highly advanced country to terrorism.
Surveys conducted after this date have revealed that US is not fully
equipped to prevent or counter similar attacks in future, especially against
vital information infrastructure.
Some incidents of hacking of strategic sites by those who claim to
have done it to highlight the lack of preparedness of US Govt have only
further emphasized this point.
The position in a country like India is no better. The role of the human element in tackling
this problem is highly significant.
The threat to security is to be met with the most suitable
“People-Policy-Technology Model” of approach. Liquid Crystalline Polymers C.K.S. Pillai delivered a talk
on “Liquid Crystalline Polymers” on 24-07-2002. Liquid crystalline polymers
(LCPs) are a new class of materials having unusual properties and represent
on the most exciting developments in high performance materials. They are characterized by the
existence of mesophases that exhibit a pronounced anisotropy in shape. This generates organized fluid phases
either on melting (thermo tropic) or on dissolution (Lytropic). The basic structural unit associated
with liquid crystallinity is the mesogen. Making use of the anisotropy in
processing of LC polymers, it was possible to achieve impressive properties
for the production of high performance (e.g.: high strength, high modulus,
high heat resistance, that are close to theoretical values) fibre, film
etc. Wholly aromatic
hompolysters and polyamides are, although liquid crystalline, intractable and
insoluble in almost all known solvents. So various chemical approaches have
been developed world wide to bring down the melting point to a processable
range without destroying the mesogenic order. A number of LC polymers have
been commercialized. But a
number of problems are facing the industry. EQ Vs IQ On 31-07-2002 B.S Warrier
presented a comparative study on “EQ Vs IQ”. Multiple intelligence theory
classifies Intelligence under different categories s such as Logical
Mathematical intelligence, Linguistic intelligence, Spatial intelligence,
Bodily Kinaesthetic intelligence, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and
Naturalistic intelligence. Until recently considerable emphasis had been
given to the importance of logical thinking, ability to learn efficiently and
memorizing material in determining conventional Intelligence Quotient
(IQ). The strong link between
one’s success in life and one’s Emotional Quotient (EQ) has been very well recognized now. It is essential to understand,
control and manage emotions to take up responsibility and for happiness. This
helps to develop ability to achieve success, empathy, optimism,
self-awareness and social arts.
Emotional Intelligence empowers a person to defuse rage, to overcome
melancholy, to resolve conflicts and to cope with effects of stress in
life. An emotionally intelligent
individual will be poised, outgoing, committed and pleasant. “The
Intelligence is the result of the right combination of EQ & IQ”, he
concluded. Electronic Road Pricing to combat
traffic congestion N. T. Nair 07-08-2002 In the place of the currently
prevalent system of fixed vehicle taxes, the proposed method stipulates payment
for the actual use of the road, payment dependent on the stretch of the road
used (whether a very busy main road or a by-lane) payment based on the time
of the day when a road is used as well as the type of the vehicle. The result is that the vehicle owner
is encouraged to select the least-cost combination of all the above options. This system adopted in Singapore
has caused reduction in traffic volume on important roads during peak
hours. Advantages include
smoother and better flow of traffic, less congestion and reduction in
pollution due to exhause emissions. The vehicle on the road is
monitored electronically and automatically taxed according to the prefixed
rates dependent on the stretch of the road, type of vehicle, time of the day,
etc. High Reliability
Power System Design - A report
The Power Engineering Society Chapter of IEEE Kerala
Section organized a one-day Tutorial on High Reliability Power System Design at
Thiruvananthapuram on 24th October ’02, under the IEEE
Distinguished Lecture Programme with Keene M. Matsuda as the expert. A senior Electrical Engineer in the Design and
Construction group with CH2M HILL, an international consulting company in
California, Matsuda has over 20 years of experience in the design of
electrical power systems for a wide range of projects like cogeneration power
plants, highway and tunnel lighting, mass transit, intelligent transportation
systems, wastewater treatment plants, airport runway and taxiway lighting,
etc. He is a senior member of IEEE and currently serves on the
PES Governing Board as a regional representative for USA and Canada. He is a member of the IEEE/PES
Working Group on Distributed Resources Integration. Reliability of Power System is an essential requirement
for normal life in the modern world.
Without a high degree of reliability and redundancy, continued
operation and safety of personnel and equipment would be at risk. Basic factors for a highly reliable
power system design include the following: ·
Primary power sources – utility ·
Alternate paths of power/redundancy ·
Automatic restoration ·
Backup power sources – standby or emergency In the Tutorial, he discussed each of these concepts as
they apply to real-life projects that had requirements for a highly reliable
power distribution system. In
order to increase reliability, one simplistic approach would be design added
layers of redundancy and alternate paths of power to anticipate for
failures. However, haphazardly
adding power system components simply drives up the initial cost of building
the system. In addition, the
number of contingencies (or coincident failures) should be considered early
on in the design. For instance,
a triple contingency design approach would be to maintain or restore power to
all loads during a single utility outage, while a fault occurs on the
distribution switchgear bus, all while a distribution transformer is down for
maintenance. Generally, an
infinite source of money is usually not available and, therefore, prudent
engineering application of proper design concepts is required in order to
produce a cost-effective and reliable power system. In the brief inaugural programme, N.T.Nair, Editor, IEEE India
Bulletin P.S.Chandramohanan Nair, Chair PES Chapter, Madhu Mangal, Secretary,
Kerala Section and Simon P Varghese, Secretary, PES Chapter spoke. The other places where Matsuda held
lectures were Delhi and Hyderabad, followed by Bombay. -
Simon P Varghese, Secretary, PES Editorial
In this era, the world with e-initiations
(e-commerce, e-business, e-governance, e-learning, e-services, etc.), today,
is the hot news for the mass media.
It is very much concerned with the word ‘security’ as a whole. It also
relates to from the Nation’s security to the safety of citizens in the
society. The hacking, cracking and other similar forms of intrusions against
these measures are on the one side and developing new measures to prevent
this exploitation is on the other. The more complex the measure, the easier
is the way to get out of it. The need for
keeping data secure and to ensure its storage at multiple places for fast
recovery is the basic requirement of the hour consequent to the World Trade
Centre attack last year. We know that nearly five thousand people have lost
their lives and about 1,00,000 users got displaced in that attack. In
addition to the damage caused to the vast area of office spaces, about
3,00,000 switch circuits were gutted and 3.5 million data lines were wrecked.
This has led to the formulation of new models for better storage facilities
and “secured” network environment. However,
engineers have scrapped many old disaster-planning guidelines for enterprise
security. They are aggressively developing new procedures and processes
focusing on redundancy and security. A Global Security Survey was conducted
during 2002 all over the world to mobilize opinion in this regard. Now, the
organizations are trying to plug the loopholes in order to ensure their
survival. Accurate and timely solutions like firewall management, anti-virus
protection, physical security, data encryption, digital signatures, etc.,
have become equally important and taken into consideration for
materialisation. Measures are
being taken against all forms of exploitations and to brace against the
worse, using analogous methods. Banking
transactions on net are the other area facing security problems. The major
drawback here is lack of security mechanisms especially the safety of the
password used by the customers, which can easily be hacked into. Recently, new authenticating
solutions for online fund transfer have been developed and implemented to
face the most spectacular effect of the challenges. Every now and
then, new virus threats are looming large on the horizon. The anti-virus
measures are required to protect and prevent vulnerabilities against high
profile virus attacks for which creation of innovative solutions are
inevitable. A good deal of work
has been done in this regard. Apart from cyber securities, let us
examine the security measures provided to the political leaders in different
countries. New political security tactics have emerged with wide popularity
and that is what we see now a days with political leaders. The politicians
take their security arrangements as a matter of pride and prestige. The more
the security arrangements, the greater are their pride. But a surprising fact
is the lack of security to the common man. Their security is susceptible and unobtrusive. The
incidents, which frequently occur around us, show ample evidence to life
threatening challenges of the common man. Why are we
insecure? Hackers and crackers are more adept than the scholars and
researchers in the IT field. But is there any security to the common man
against attacks? Is it due to the lack of alertness of the rulers? However,
the reality is not far from what is projected by the mass media. One of the
challenging threats is the
deterioration of human values, even though our community has education and
knowledge. A holistic view in developing new techniques in association with
the creation of consciousness and receptiveness against the vulgarisms and
brutalities is the need of the day. Realizing the agonies that prevail the entire
world, we professionals, have to sense the challenges and act on for
ecstasies of mankind besides putting fit-all solution against the havoc upon
the computer world and information superhighway.
Microsoft’s 24-hour
Vision Management Gurus always advocate
that organizations should aim high and work towards it, in line with the
adage that one should aim at the stars and you may reach the moon at least.
Microsoft has never been lacking in lofty dreams, which it has been pursuing
relentlessly so far. If they are at the zenith of software realm today, it
can only be attributed to this incessant drive towards the goals. At this
period of IT meltdown, one company that refuses to accept the downtrend
is Microsoft, judged by
the boldness with which it goes ahead with its R&D plans (US$5.2 billion
of R&D spend for this year) to increase the proportion of the day that
people spend with Microsoft products. The Tablet PC, a portable computer capable of reading
handwriting, seeks to increase the amount of time office workers can use
Microsoft’s software. Once they leave work, the company’s car-based and
mobile products will provide information and entertainment during commutes.
At home, customers will be encouraged to play online against friends using
the Xbox games console, or switch on Microsoft’s Windows Media Center, a
personal computer containing a personal video recorder, a DVD and CD player
and online music. The only part of the 24-hour cycle not covered this way is
sleep. Judging by the past records, it is hard to avoid the suspicion that
Microsoft researchers are somewhere working on that too- to make us sleep
well under the influence of some Microsoft product.
Top
All India Students Congress 2002 A
report The All India Students Congress
2002 organised at Thiruvananthapuram on 26th and 27th
of July ’02 had an overwhelming response from the IEEE Student Branches of
various institutions in India. The
Student Members also had the benefit of attending the one-day National
Conference on Knowledge Management (K-ware 2002) conducted on 25th
July ’02 at the same venue. There was all India
representation, with a total of 39 institutions, 11 Councilors and 121
Student Members participating in the Congress. The inaugural function included
welcome address by S.Gopakumar, Student Activities Chair, IEEE Kerala
Section, presidential address by R.Narayanan, Chairman, IEEE Kerala Section
and finally the inauguration by S. Unnikrishna Pillai, Director, CAPE. S. Gopakumar, Anthony Lobo (TCS,
Mumbai) and B.R.Prabhu, Vice-Chairman, IEEE Bombay Section lead the student
activities training. Meera. S, Chairperson, IEEE
GOLD, Kerala Section made the student delegates aware of the activities they
have to do and the benefits they would get, if they chose to transit to IEEE
GOLD membership after their student membership. The delegates’ enthusiasm was
obvious during the talk on ‘How to Structure a Technical Paper’ by Georgeen
George of TCS, Thiruvananthapuram, where the delegates learnt the tips to
write technical papers effectively. The delegates were keen to know
on how to recruit and retain student members in IEEE. Raghavender V.R., a former Branch
Chair of Shadan College of Engg, Hyderabad who graduated in the year 2001,
threw light on this aspect. On the first day, the various
student branches presented reports on their experiences and activities for
the last one-year. The second day of the AISC began
with a technical talk on Digital Signal Processing by George Varkey,
Additional Director, ER&DC, Thiruvananthapuram. The objectives of the congress was consummated with A.
Salim, Director, TKM Institute of Management, Kollam and an alumni of IIM,
Ahmedabad talking on management. The winning paper titled
Electrical Conduction in DNA in the paper contest conducted as part of the
AISC was by Sugata Bhattacharya, IIT, Bombay, Saurabh Mathur, Jamia Millia
Islamia (JMI), New Delhi, and Mustafa Tura, JMI, New Delhi. Two more papers – Remote Heart Beat
Monitoring System from Sri Ramakrishna Engg College, Coimbatore and CMRA
Algorithm for Radial Basis Function Network Equalizers for Rayleigh Fading
Channel from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engg, Mysore were selected for
presentation. Electrical
Conduction in DNA and Remote Heart Beat Monitoring System were presented at
the congress. Dipu Jose of College of Engg,
Chengannur, shared his experiences from the Region 10 Student Congress at
Singapore. The discussion session saw
various issues being raised by the student branches, which were answered by
S. Gopakumar, B.R. Prabhu and Anthony Lobo. Some of the concerns were the increase in membership fee
and the need for a better communication between Student Branches, Sections, India
Council and the Headquarters. The quizmaster and his team from
TCS made the six finalists and the audience enthralled through questions form
science, technology and business.
The winners were Jacob Iype and Deepak. D of SCT College of Engg,
Trivandrum. The Congress came to a grand
finale with a valediction that included the addresses by E.E. Rajakumar,
Vice-Chairman, IEEE Kerala Section and V.K. Damodaran, IEEE India
Council. The different feedbacks
received later proved that the Congress had achieved its goal. Office bearers of new branches
especially felt relieved and glad to know what and how they need to do things
to make their branches full-fledged.
- A.K. Shiju, Secretary, Organising Committee
Shri Nelson George passed away suddenly on Oct 03, 2002 after a massive heart attack Obituary Shri Nelson George was an active IEEE Volunteer since the inception of IEEE Kerala Section. He served the IEEE Industrial Electronics/ Industrial Applications Joint Chapter, Kerala Section as its founder Chairman for several years. During his tenure the Chapter received the best Small Chapter award from the IEEE President, which he proudly received from the President. He would be remembered as a very dedicated IEEE
volunteer and disciplined engineering professional. Even during his absence
from Kerala, while he was working abroad, he used to contribute to the Kerala
Section by sending creative suggestions and valuable inputs. Many of us used
to receive the email-"Newsletter on Technology Issues" published by
him on behalf of his company Engeel. This newsletter is an example of his
commitment to the engineering profession. It may be a coincidence that he was quiet active
with IEEE programme during the last days. He contacted several of IEEE Kerala
office bearers with suggestions of new activities even during his last days.
His untimely demise is a tremendous loss for IEEE community. IEEE Kerala Section is indebted to Shri Nelson
George for his relentless support since its inception. Let us join his
bereaved family to pray for his soul to rest in peace. Workshop on Group Discussions and Interviews-Build Your Skills A Report IEEE-GOLD
Kerala Section organized a workshop on "Group Discussions and
Interviews-Build Your Skills" on August 17, 2002 at Tata Consultancy
Services, Technopark, Trivandrum. The workshop was conducted for final year
B.Tech students from different disciplines and institutes. The facilitators
of the workshop were Pramod
Chandrasekhar, Head, Human Resources Department, Corporate Training &
Education Centre, Tata Consultancy Services, Trivandrum and Shamala
Padmanabhan, Faculty Member, Corporate Training & Education Centre, Tata
Consultancy Services, Trivandrum. The workshop began at 9:00 am with a welcome speech
by Aju Thomas, (Member IEEE-Gold Kerala Section working at Tata Consultancy
Services, Trivandrum). The first session was on Group Discussions and was
facilitated by Shamala Padmanabhan. She gave the participants Group
Discussion Master Tips and stressed the importance of communication skills,
team skills, situation handling and listening skills. The participants were
provided with handouts on Group Discussions and Interviews. A mock GD session
was held after a short break of refreshment. Some of the topics for the GD
sessions were: ·
Foreign Television Channels are destroying our
culture. ·
Beauty contests degrade womanhood. ·
Religion should not be mixed with politics. ·
Advertising is all glitter and little truth The students were divided into groups and it was an
interactive session where everybody shared their views on different topics.
Feedback was provided to the participants by the facilitators and peers on
their performance in the GD. The mock GD was video recorded and played back
to the participants for review after lunch break. Facilitators and faculty
members did evaluation of the group discussions and the participants were
also provided with evaluation sheets. This gave them an opportunity to get an
idea of their performance and identify their strengths and areas of
improvement. The afternoon session began with a talk on how to
face interviews by Pramod Chandrasekhar. He focused on the purpose of an
interview, the key personality traits, the skills and abilities needed to
face an interview and tips for responding to specific types of questions. He
also emphasized the importance of making good first impressions. After a short tea break, mock interviews were held.
The panel included the facilitators and other faculty members of TCS,
Trivandrum. The participants were provided with feedback from the panel
members. The participants were interactive throughout the
workshop. They cleared their doubts with the facilitators. The programme
ended with a vote of thanks by Meera S (Chairperson, IEEE Gold, Kerala
Section). The participants included a heterogeneous group of
31 students. At the end of the workshop, the feedback received was quite
encouraging. A few participants felt that the duration of the interview
session should have been a little more than half day so that all of them
could participate in the mock interview sessions, which they found very much
relevant to their career development. Many participants felt that the
workshop gave them an opportunity to boost their self-confidence and
communication skills. They felt that it was an opportunity to identify the
leadership skills hidden in each one of them. -
Meera . S 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
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