National Institute of Technology Karnataka
Encyclopedia
National Institute of Technology Karnataka (Tulu
Tulu language
The Tulu language |?]]]) is a Dravidian language spoken by 1.95 million native speakers mainly in the southwest part of Indian state Karnataka known as Tulu Nadu. In India, 1.72 million people speak it as their mother tongue , increased by 10 percent over the 1991 census...

, ), formerly known as Karnataka Regional Engineering College (KREC), is an autonomous university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

 along the western shores of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It was founded in 1960 is today one of the 30 National Institutes of Technology
National Institutes of Technology
The National Institutes of Technology , are a group of higher education engineering institutes in India. Comprising thirty autonomous institutes, they are located in one each major state/territory of India. On their inception decades ago, all NITs were referred as Regional Engineering Colleges ...

 in India and is recognized as an Institute of National Importance
Institute of National Importance
An Institute of National Importance, in India is defined as one which serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled personnel within the specified region of the country/state. Institutes on the list are usually supported by the Government of India...

. NITK Surathkal has been consistently ranked as one of the top engineering colleges in the country.

History

Karnataka Regional Engineering College began in 1960, through the efforts of U. Srinivas Mallya
U. Srinivas Mallya
Ullal Srinivas Mallya who was also called Malliah in North India or Sheenappa Mallya in Dakshina Kannada is called the architect of modern Dakshina Kannada...

 and V.S.Kudva. The foundation stone was laid on August 6, 1960. KREC began with three under-graduate courses in engineering: Mechanical
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...

, Electrical
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...

, and Civil
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...

, with affiliation to the University of Mysore
University of Mysore
The University of Mysore , is a public university in India. The University founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore, and was conceptualized on the basis of a report on educational progress in the United States and Australia, submitted by Messrs Thomas Denham and...

. 1965 saw the beginning of undergraduate courses in Chemical
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...

 and Metallurgical Engineering.

In 1966, the college started its post-graduate courses with a course in Marine Structures and Industrial Structures, followed by post-graduate courses in Industrial Electronics (1969), Heat Power (1971), Hydraulics and Water Resources (1971), Chemical Plant Design Engineering (1971) and Process Metallurgy (1972).

Further under-graduate engineering courses were added: Electronics and Communication (1971), Mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 (1984), Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...

 (1986) and Information Technology (2000).

KREC came into the jurisdiction of Mangalore University when it was started in 1980. All the under-graduate courses were converted to four year terms (from five years earlier).

On June 26, 2002, KREC was renamed National Institute of Technology, Karnataka and awarded the status of a deemed university
Deemed University
Deemed university is a status of autonomy granted to high performing institutes and departments of various universities in India. This status of ‘Deemed-to-be-University’, is granted by Department of Higher Education, Union Human Resource Development Ministry, on the advice of the University Grants...

 by the University Grants Commission
University Grants Commission (India)
The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...

, in a bid to provide increased autonomy in decision-making.

Campus

Located on National Highway 17
National Highway 17 (India)
National Highway 17, commonly referred to as NH 17, now renamed as NH 66, is a busy National Highway in India that runs roughly north-south along the western coast of India, parallel to western ghats. It connects Panvel, near Mumbai to Kochi, passing through the states of Maharashtra, Goa,...

, by the shores of Arabian Sea, NITK Surathkal is one of the only two universities in the world (the only one in India) with a private beach, including a lighthouse. The campus covers an area of about 295 acres (1.2 km²) and is covered by lush green vegetation in most parts.

Hostels

The institute is a residential engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 college; hence all attending students are required to enroll for hostel accommodation. Students from adjoining areas can commute from home with permission from the institution. There are 12 hostel blocks - ten for undergraduate boys, one for postgraduates and one for girls.

Construction of a new mega-hostel block for boys with three towers spanning six storeys (British Convention) each and housing over 1,500 single rooms has been completed, while construction for a similar mega-hostel complex for women is underway. There are 2,000 undergraduate students, 800 postgraduate students, and 200 female students. Hostels forms the basis of social life at NITK, with parties, sports activities, gym, and other events taking place. Most of the hostels are connected to the college network with optic fiber cables and 1 Gbit/s backbone connections.

Academics

NITK Surathkal offers undergraduate and graduate programs in Engineering, Science and Management. The institute has 14 departments and 11 support centres with about 200 faculty members, 300 support staff, 3300 students and 15,500 alumni worldwide.

Research and industrial consulting

Research in the institute is mainly sponsored by central and state government agencies with grants for the academic year reaching Rs. 100 million. Additionally newly recruited faculty are provided a seed grant of Rs. 5 lakhs for research. Faculty go on sabbaticals at foreign universities to encourage research and teaching interactions. Consulting activities are also conducted through the industry-institute partnership cell.

Undergraduate programs

The B Tech admissions are based on the AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination
All India Engineering Entrance Examination
The All India Engineering Entrance Examination , is an examination organized by the Central Board of Secondary Education in India...

). The exam consists of three sections on Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.

Undergraduate admissions are on reciprocal basis regionwise. 50% of the seats are reserved for students from Karnataka.Till 2007 remaining 50% are distributed over other NIT
National Institutes of Technology
The National Institutes of Technology , are a group of higher education engineering institutes in India. Comprising thirty autonomous institutes, they are located in one each major state/territory of India. On their inception decades ago, all NITs were referred as Regional Engineering Colleges ...

s on a reciprocal basis.But since 2008 batch remeaning 50% was made open i.e. any one from other state can claim seat.

Ten percent of the seats in the undergraduate class are reserved for foreign students under the DASA scheme. The scheme had been implemented at the IITs in the late 1990s before being removed in 2002. Admissions are based on SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...

 scores obtained by prospective students.

Graduate Programs

Graduate students are admitted to the program through the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering is an examination administered and conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institutes of Technologies on behalf of the National Coordination Board – GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development ,...

 (GATE) conducted by the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...

. Postgraduate studies may specialize in fields of their choice. Graduate students are required to complete a minimum number of courses in addition to a thesis or dissertation that entails independent research under the guidance of faculty. Graduate and Doctoral students are also involved in teaching certain undergraduate courses.

All India Ranking

NITK Surathkal has been consistently ranked among the top technical schools in India.
Indian university rankings
2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002
India Today
India Today
India Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...

 – Best Engineering Colleges in India
8 10 11 8 6
Education Times
Education Times
Education Times is a weekly supplement of The Times of India newspaper and was launched in 1995. This newspaper supplement caters to the ever-expanding student community as a career guide, counselor and adviser. The editorial covers exhaustive profiles of mainstream and offbeat careers, prepares...

 – Best Engineering Universities (All India)
9
Outlook India
Outlook (magazine)
Outlook is one of India's four top-selling English weekly newsmagazines. Like many other Indian magazines, it is reluctant to reveal its circulation, but the 2007 National Readership Survey suggested 1.5 million copies...

 – Top Engineering Colleges
14 18 14 16 18
Dataquest
Dataquest
Dataquest is India's oldest IT publication. A fortnightly, Dataquest is published by Cyber Media India Ltd, South Asia's largest specialty media group. The magazine targets senior IT managers in user organizations as well as the IT industry professionals in India.Dataquest has grown with the Indian...

 – India's Best Technology Schools
9 11

Notable alumni

Alumni Class year Profession
1972 Director of Nandi Infrastructure and corridor Enterprise
Director of ORNL
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...

 Computer Science and Mathematics Division
1969 Non-executive chairman of ICICI Bank
ICICI Bank
ICICI Bank Ltd. is India's second largest financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, India. It offers a wide range of banking products and financial services to corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and through its specialised subsidiaries in the areas of...

, Chairman of Infosys
Infosys
Infosys Limited, formerly Infosys Technologies Limited is a global technology services company headquartered in Bangalore, India. It is the second largest IT exporter in India with 133,560 employees as of March 2011. It has offices in 33 countries and development centers in India, China,...

1990 Dean of The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Filmmaker with a focus on LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...

 subjects.
Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society India Program & Leading Tiger expert
1997 Director, GKB Hi-Tech

Student activities

While weekdays are spent in classrooms and labs, weekends are often spent indulging in activities organized by the college clubs.

The two most famous annual events are Engineer (a national level technical symposium) and Incident (a cultural festival). These events are planned, organized and managed by the students themselves - from fund collecting drives to the final events. The intra-college events are organized by the students' activity clubs.

The biggest intra-college event is called the Crescendo, which is a cultural festival organized by the Reading Room Committee. Students vie with other years in literary, personality, art and music competitions. Crescendo has been an annual tradition for three decades.

Local chapters of the Indian Society for Technical Education, the Institution of Engineers, the Rotaract Club, the Computer Society of India, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) organize events during the academic year. These include blood donation camps, cloth donation drives, coastal cleanup camps, and events conducted by the National Service Scheme (NSS) chapter of NITK.

The Rotaract Club conducts social, cultural and technical events for the students and club members alike.

One of the prominent club related to automobiles Society of Automotive Engineers has an active chapter here which conducts good number of events like How stuff works, Under the hood, Can you fix it and Vintage Auto Expo.

NITK also had its racing team which participates in SAE BAJA.Last year its sister team NITK Racing FSAE participated in FSAE Michigan US 2011,the toughest circuit In the FSAE calendar .The only team from India to Participate.

There are technical clubs like WEB enthusiastic club. NITK has a Linux Users Group, which promotes free and open source Linux technology. The Robotics Club at NITK is a technical society that aims to create a robotics culture in the institute. The club aims to provide adequate tools, equipment and guidance so that projects can be successful.

Dance Dramatics and Fashion Club (DDFC) organises the annual Spandan fest which provides students a platform to showcase their talent at dance and theatre.

The Engineers' Forum for Entrepreneurship Awareness (E-FOREA) encourages entrepreneurial ideas from students and promotes leadership and entrepreneurship on campus. E-Pitch is their flagship business idea competition which attracts participation from all over the country.

The NITK Music Club organizes music shows generally called Musical Night and play popular music at the outdoor auditoriums. A variety of styles are on display at these events, from Indian classical music to fusion to rock.

The NITK Films Club screens movies at the Student's Activity Centre every Friday during the semester. Apart from English and Hindi releases, regional films are shown as well.

The Mangalore chapter of the Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Among Youth (SPICMACAY) is centered at NITK and is one of the biggest and acknowledged chapters in the country. It organizes concerts and lectures by masters of Indian classical art forms and strives to raise awareness of Indian culture in the surrounding regions through lectures, orientations and conventions.

The NITK Photography Club captures photos and videos of events happening in NITK. It promotes photography as a hobby among the young engineers. It conducts "Expose", which is a national level photography contest organized yearly during Incident, the annual cultural fest. The club contributes to the official yearbook, The Vitruvian.

The amateur astronomy Star Gazing Club conducts night shows for the students and the faculty. It runs workshops for school students in the region. It has recently acquired a radio telescope setup from Radio Jove, and this affords the students some great opportunities in learning astronomy beyond the visible spectrum.

Literary, Stage and Debating Society (LSD) is the apex literary forum of the institute. The club holds debates, organizes plays and mainly conducts quizzes. LSD was formed in 2004 from the quiz club to cater to literary events other than quizzes. LSD is one of the best quiz clubs in India, having produced quizzers who have won competitions nationwide. Members of the club also contribute to the NITK Quiz blog, that has been active since 2008.

The Press Club brings out a fortnightly wall magazine News Wagon, providing a tongue-in-cheek look at life around the campus, besides bringing out the official yearbook, The Vitruvian.

VOICE (Vedic Oasis for Inspiration, Culture and Education) is a youth group run by the students, for the students. Using the principles present in the ancient Vedic scriptures, they train students in a blend of character and competence.

NITK hosted it's first TEDx conference in October 2011, and many influential speakers of the region were invited to talk on socially relevant issues.

Athletics

Sports facilities include the cricket ground, tennis lawns, shuttle badminton and table tennis complex, the basketball and volleyball courts along with a swimming pool.

The Recreation Committee of the institute organizes the recreational activities.RC also hold events like freshers cup,flood light cricket matches which attract many. The much awaited inter-year sports festival Phoenix is organized during the even semester where students battle for gold, silver and bronze medals, and the over-all shield. NITK sports teams participate in events all over the country such as at Inter-NIT sports meet.

Engineer

Engineer (Technical Festival) is the technical symposium of NITK Surathkal. It attracts participants from all over the country. 'ENGI' as it is colloquially called by the students has as it's logo, the Penrose Triangle
Penrose triangle
The Penrose triangle, also known as the Penrose tribar, is an impossible object. It was first created by the Swedish artist Oscar Reutersvärd in 1934. The mathematician Roger Penrose independently devised and popularised it in the 1950s, describing it as "impossibility in its purest form". It is...

, and this theme has been used along with the tag-line, 'Think.. Create.. Engineer..'.

‘Engineer’ in its first edition in 2005 drew tremendous response. Engineer 2006 was planned on an even larger scale, with more innovative events. The events at Engineer 2006 included paper presentation competitions, project presentations, Shrishti, where participants are required to apply engineering for the greater good of society, robotics events (Perfect Machine, Automata), hacking contests, programming contests, design problems, and workshops and seminars. Guest speakers have included Richard Stallman
Richard Stallman
Richard Matthew Stallman , often shortened to rms,"'Richard Stallman' is just my mundane name; you can call me 'rms'"|last= Stallman|first= Richard|date= N.D.|work=Richard Stallman's homepage...

, Bjarne Stroustrup
Bjarne Stroustrup
Bjarne Stroustrup ; born December 30, 1950 in Århus, Denmark) is a Danish computer scientist, most notable for the creation and the development of the widely used C++ programming language...

, Sam Pitroda
Sam Pitroda
Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda popularly known as Sam Pitroda is an inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker. Currently Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations, he is also widely considered to have been responsible for India’s communications revolution...

, Dr. Devi Shetty, Sir Anthony James Leggett, Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick is a British scientist and professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom...

, and Prof. Timothy Poston.

As a forum for interaction between students and industry, Engineer has proved to be successful, with corporates providing sponsorship and conducting workshops and talks during the three day event.

Incident

Incident is the national level cultural festival is a celebration of the multitude of talents and experiences of students. Incident was first conducted in 1980 and has grown over the years to become one of the largest cultural festivals in South India; it attracts student participation in huge numbers.

Held over five days, the festival encompasses a gamut of events, from dance and dramatics to music, painting, fashion and quizzing. In addition, the Incident Pro-Nite features top Indian bands (INCIDENT 2011 featured Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi film songs in Bollywood. She has also recorded songs for Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati films and is credited with over 2000 songs....

;Incident 2010 Golden Edition featured KK, Motherjane, Led Zepplica, DJ Nyk, DJ Oliver Moldan and Dualdrive; Incident 2009 featured DJ Nikhil Chinappa and Kunal Ganjawala; Incident 2008 featured KK; Incident 2007 featured Raghu Dixit and Indian Ocean; Incident 2006 featured Euphoria; Incident 2005 featured Parikrama, Yell-O and Vinapra) and draws crowds from all around India. Events are conducted and judged by professionals. Incident has a heritage of literary events, named QuizFest.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK