The state of Tamil Nadu has the most number of universities in the country with 28 deemed universities. Of these Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science has stood out as one of the foremost providers of technical education. The culture of emphasis on perseverance and quality of delivery was instilled by the founder at the very offset.
If you are planning for a year, sow rice, if you are planning for a decade, plant trees, if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people. This popular Chinese proverb sums up the entire philosophy of the time and life of Dr. K. C. G. Verghese, Founder and Chairman, Hindustan Institute of Science and Technology (HITS). \"The university was started in the year 1985 and was conferred the \"University Status\" from the academic year 2008-09 and under the name HITS (Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science),\" says Prof. S. Ramachandran, Vice Chancellor, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science. Today, HITS is one of the most sought after engineering Institutions in the southern part of the country. Higher Education Review\'s interaction with the university revealed the mechanics behind the machine that enable this conferred establishment to preserve its standard and quality of services.
A testament to an institution\'s success lies in the success of its alumni. After completing his civil engineering in 2009 from Hindustan College of Engineering in Chennai, Varun Sridhar took to his passion for the environment and set up a company to protect nature. His Chennai-based firm Greenvironment offers solutions such as design, execution and real-time monitoring of sewage treatment plants, rainwater harvesting, organic waste composing, industrial effluent treatment, ultra filtration and reverse osmosis. In the financial year 2013 � 14 the company generated revenue of Rs. 38 lakhs. It was a culmination of determination and the training he received from HITS that enabled Varun to build a successful company.
\"Several students who are unaware of their hidden talents come to our notice. We engage them in several activities that help them hone their talent and realize their hidden potential from day one. We do this to make these students industry ready,\" says Prof. Ramachandran. The institute\'s efforts reflect in their placement results, with over 90 percent of the eligible students being placed in multinational companies such as Samsung, Infosys and Wipro. The institute is also visited by several international recruiters such as Al Khalili Group of Companies from Muscat, Oman that hires graduating students from the institute.
In the conundrum of the chaotic Indian job market, how does HITS manage to successfully place its students in reputed companies year after year? A closer look into the institute\'s functioning gave us an idea of what they are doing right.
CENCON � Center for Clean Energy and Nano Convergence Centre, Hindustan University was started in collaboration with QSRC, Dongguk University, Korea with a vision to work towards clean energy solutions incorporating the quintessence of Nanotechnology. The university has setup 15 such centers in STEM disciplines to provide sophisticated analytical equipment to the scientific community for their advanced research at nominal charges. The students of the University have special facilities in several areas to get value addition during their training in the institution. Short courses are offered in several High tech areas, as a result of which the student will achieve a distinctive cutting edge in technological advancements. The students receive training in several areas such as computer technology and automotives.
\"In this age of contention, firms just do not simply go by the marks attained by the applicant. They expect their prospective employees to have an all-round personality � average students who can communicate well, take up challenges, lead a team, complete tasks in given time are preferred over a student with an exemplary classroom record and poor social skills,\" reveals Prof. Ramachandran. In HITS learners are provided with strong fundamentals in their chosen discipline and are encouraged to actively participate in national and international level events. Jayashree Sridhar, Aeronautical Engineering student attended and presented papers at the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) Meeting held in Washington, D.C. U.S.A for three consecutive years (2010, 2011, 2012). She also did research on lunar and planetary science at NASA Johnson Space Centre, Texas. A group of students from HITS participated in the Spirit Global Design Challenge (SGDC) 2012 �designing aircraft project competition, and won the second place, the event was conducted by the Spirit Aerosystems Inc. USA. These symposiums expose them to real-life situations that help them in improving their inter-personal skills. In other words, they assist them to evolve as industry-ready engineers.
In-house Expertise on Call
\"The experience of studying at HITS is made special by our teachers. They encourage us in every step of the way right from our trivial activities, clubs and societies to our research papers,\" says a student from Electrical and Electronics department. The institute has faculty members who are an ideal blend of youth and experience. They focus on concept teaching rather than content transfer. Candidates are screened based on their subject knowledge, communication and attitude to life in general and towards students in particular. The university offers research programs in several areas of engineering and technology for its faculty and students. More than 88 faculty members are PhD degree holders, and they are currently guiding more than fifty PhD students. Many major departments have research funding from various national funding agencies. Faculty members and students have published hundreds of research articles year on year and have tirelessly organized and attended national and international conferences.
Special lectures are arranged on topics related to challenges faced by youth. Experts from organization such as NASSCOM, IBM and VG-TAP India have periodically addressed the students between regular academic activities. Hearing first hand experiences of industry experts helps them in drawing a better picture of the nitty-gritty of the enterprise. The institute has also signed crucial MoUs with Yaskawa-a Japanese manufacturer, to establish a state-of-art center for automation and robotics centre for training of students.
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science has been producing success stories such as Varun who have not only built their own successful companies but are also active alumni members. With such an impressive placement record, notable Industry-Institute connections to support the host of activities and a group of the finest teachers, places HITS on the wish list of many budding engineers.
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Technology Business Incubator is a state of the art facility that has been set up to help facilitate and enable startup companies that have been set up by the students while in University. This venture was setup to develop and promote the entrepreneurial spirit amongst the students. The Business incubator also facilitates students to be mentored by successful entrepreneurs.
� The Hindustan Technology Business Incubator (HTBI) & Hindustan Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre (HEIC) is focused to encourage the innovative talents and spirits of the students.
� The activities to foster the spirit of entrepreneurship and to quicken the pulse in this direction among the students\' steps have been initiated for a long time. But, in its present form a cell for entrepreneurship activities was established in August 2007 in collaboration with National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN).
� Currently there are about 435 student members registered with HTBI & HEIC from different disciplines (as on 22/8/2015).
� HTBI & HEIC has expert mentors, who visit every week and contribute to shaping up innovation and entrepreneurship ideas.
� HTBI & HEIC is also well networked with professional bodies promoting entrepreneurship viz., CII, TIE, MMA, MSME, NEN, etc.
� Out of the 9 seats available for Startups, 7 have been occupied by student startups and are being incubated in the center.
� The flagship event of HTBI � Hindustan Innovation Challenge (HIC) � provides a platform for the student innovators. For the HIC 2015, more than 125 innovative ideas have been submitted by student innovators. The grand finale & HIC Awards ceremony shall be held on September 25, 2015.
Message from the VC, Prof. S. Ramachandran
My Vision is to transform Hindustan University into a top class University. As a young University, the task ahead for us is too great for any individual to accomplish but together as a team we can achieve it. Knowledge generated by research is the basis for progress and economic development. We live with hope and work in faith, united and determined, we can achieve our goal of making Hindustan University a top class University.
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