Dr. P V Ramana is the Professor and Head of the Aeronautical Engineering Department at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology (SVIT), Vasad, Gujarat. He has been a part of the educational sector for twenty-five years and has been associated with this institute since its inception in 1997. Presently he is also looking after the Research and Development Cell of the institute as Dean (R&D). During his long professional career, he accomplished numerous achievements to be a mentor and an idol for the students. He has 25 years of experience in Academics and about 10 years in research & industry brings with him a multitude of knowledge to share with the students. He is a dedicated & visionary leader who believes in providing a learning ambiance to the students. Read here what he has to say in his interview:

“There is no loophole to success without hard work and commitment”

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of technology

What are your roles and responsibilities towards the students? 

“Connection with younger minds and inspiring them for better future”

To lead, train, monitor, and manage the academic activities for students & faculty members and to ensure the department achieves the highest possible standards of excellence in all its activities. 

How do you tend to establish healthy relations with the students and fellow faculty? 

“Encouraging Students and Faculty to clear their doubts in the online sessions”

Ensuring all staff has access to the necessary support to enable them to contribute fully and develop their skills and experience through continuous learning Motivating faculty to promote research activities among themselves inter/Intra department, encouraging & guiding faculties to achieve their personal and professional goals, writing and submitting Research Proposals to various research funding agencies such as AICTE, DST, GUJCOST, DRDO, MNRE, etc. Motivate students to take an industrial/real-life problem as a project under the mentorship of our faculty and also experts from industry and other reputed organizations.

How do you make the Course Curriculum industry-oriented?

“To bridge the gap between the practical and theoretical skills of students”

The students are taken on industrial visits to Air Force Stations for familiarization with various aircraft and aero-engine systems, aircraft instruments, communication and navigation systems, scheduled servicing operations, etc., or to any general industry to see the functioning of the industry and various manufacturing processes followed there. Further students have to undergo industrial training during their final year in various Aero organizations like Air India, DRDO labs, Air Force station Kanpur & Koraput, aircraft manufacturing companies like HAL, TAAL, NDC, and private companies. During such training, the students are exposed to activities related to maintenance/ overhaul, design and development, and various manufacturing processes, and related documentation.

What are the best practices offered by the department to the students which help them gain necessary skills? 

“Providing Students with various labs like Aerodynamics Lab, Avionics Lab, Computational fluid dynamics lab, etc”

The Aeronautical Department has an Aerodynamics Lab, Aircraft system lab, Aircraft Structures Lab, Avionics lab, Computational fluid dynamics lab, and Aeromodelling and Design Lab. The Aerodynamics Lab has a wind tunnel with all the required measurement systems, a Hot-Wire Anemometry system, and flow visualization facilities using smoke. The Aircraft system lab is equipped with an SO3 turbojet engine and its system components to demonstrate the insides of the Aircraft engine. The Aircraft Structures Lab has instruments and components and various system diagrams for learning their operation. A computational facility for carrying out fluid flow and structural analysis using commercial software CATIA, CFD ANSYS-Fluent is also available. The Aeromodelling Lab is the one where students carry out the design and fabrication of their projects.

How do you strategize and update the curriculum?

“Providing Students with the updated knowledge at regular intervals”

The curriculum is strategized by the institute and department vision and mission statements and program outcomes, recent technological advancements, industry requirements, etc. The curriculum will be updated after every four years as per affiliating university - Gujarat Technological University (GTU), Ahmedabad. The Department has very good lab facilities with state-of-the-art equipment including a subsonic wind tunnel to carry out Aerodynamic testing of airfoils and wing sections, a Flame visualization test facility, a Turbojet engine, and its’ system components to demonstrate the insides of a jet engine. The special lab courses covered are on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Method (FEM) using ANSYS software. Knowledge of these areas provides a lot of scope for further career development and good placements. 

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How does your department prepare students for Placement and Higher education?

“Providing Students with 100% Placement assistance and higher education opportunities”

Department prepares students for Placement and Higher Education in the following ways:

Career Advancement Cell (CAC) fulfills the Training & Placement and Higher Education needs of SVITIANS. It aims to prepare the students for internships, jobs, higher education, entrepreneurial development, etc. by providing a platform to build their careers.

Key activities for Higher Education catered by International Cell under CAC: 

  • Higher Education / Foreign Education Guidance
  • Training Programs for IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, CAT, GATE, and more
  • Study Abroad Programs
  • Faculty Exchange Programs
  • Student Exchange Programs

How do you help your student to cope up with the competition?

“Guiding the students to revisit and refine the goals as per changing situations”

  • One to one counseling by batch counselors and class coordinators,
  • Goal setting and effective steps/activities to reach the goals, competitive exam guidance,
  • Beyond the syllabus topics, the use of E-learning platforms 
  • Teamwork activities, alumni interactions 
  • National level Technical events/Project expo/Hackathons and inter-college/department activities like Aavishkar, Prakash and SARJAN
  • Providing financial and mentoring support through SSIP Cell SVIT-VASAD for the students who want to work on their innovative ideas, file patents, prototype development, startup, etc.

Do you have any extracurricular programs to enhance the skills of the students?

“We organize extra-curricular activities to expose students to the real-world challenges”

Seminars and workshops on salient topics of Aeronautical Engineering, Aero-modeling, etc. are conducted by the Department. External experts and industry speakers are invited during such occasions. In addition, students take part in the activities on Engineer’s Day, SVIT Vision, Cultural cum Technical Festival Prakash and Project Exhibition SARJAN organized annually on the college campus. FlySky Aeromodelling club established by the department to provide the platform for students to exposure to various modeling activities like Rocketry, Aeromodelling, conceptual design preparation, Develop R C Planes, Gliders, LTA systems, Drones, etc.

What are the challenges you are facing to uplift the quality of education of your department?

“Availability and integration of various resources as per the requirement is challenge task”

Being a multi-disciplinary branch that requires support from each of the engineering disciplines/professionals like Mechanical, Civil, Electronics, Control & Navigation, Structural, Composite Materials, MRO, Technical Writing, Simulations, etc. Availability and integration of these resources as per the requirement is a challenging task. Training of faculty and students on advancements in the field is also very much necessary and we are our level best. Another worrying factor is the variation of students’ quality in a class that attracts additional mentoring. 

What was your vision for college from the start?

“To become a pioneer in the state for engineering education”

Being the founder faculty of the institute since its inception (Estd. 1997), the vision is very clear about achieving academic excellence and becoming a pioneer in the state for Engineering education. We have started within school premises in Vasad with three basic branches Civil, Electrical and Mechanical and now we are one of the top-ranked reputed engineering institutes in the state of Gujarat running various UG & PG courses.

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How does the college enhance the skills of the faculty?

“We prepare faculty according to the industry standards”

The most important factor in the success of an engineering institution is the quality and engagement of its faculty. Our institute provides ample opportunities to faculty by 

  • Promoting Research activities. 
  • Motivating to pursue and complete Doctoral Research
  • Supporting financially for technical paper publications, STTP, Workshops, teachers’ training, MOOCs and many more
  • Emphasizing stronger industry-institute collaborations
  • Encourage innovation and entrepreneurship
  • Industry visits and industrial training at relevant organizations

What are the interventions you bring in apart from the curriculum to train the students?

“My approaches include organizing doubt clearing sessions, soft skill training, and teamwork”

Some of my interventions are as follows:

  • Career goal setting 
  • In work practices to achieve the specific goal/s
  • One to one counseling
  • Doubt clearing sessions
  • Soft skills training
  • Group and teamwork where students discuss a shared task
  • Frequent and relevant use of learning materials beyond the textbook
  • Effective feedback 

What do you see as the department’s greatest strengths and how it can be enhanced? 

“Experienced faculty members, motivated students, lab facilities, and industry-oriented course curriculum are the greatest strengths of the department”

Experienced and enthusiastic faculty members, motivated students, lab facilities, and industry-oriented course curriculum are the greatest strengths of the Aeronautical Engineering Department. Further Industrial visits, industry internships, Job opportunities are available in Airlines, Air Force, Corporate Research Companies, Space Research, Defence Ministry, Helicopter & Drone Companies, Aviation Companies, NASA and many others make it more strengthened. The students are advised to acquire additional skills in solid modeling, simulations, aero modeling, technical writing, 3D printing, IoT Basics & applications, etc.

What advice would you like to the students for them to have a prosperous career ahead?

“Concentrate on your strength and don’t let failure scare you”

  • Some of my advice for the students are as follows:
  • Students should focus on Discipline and Hard work
  • Stay focused & be a team player
  • Think of yourself as a lifelong learner
  • Upgrade skills and knowledge
  • Pursue your passion
  • Find a balance with your personal life
  • Search for the value in feedback

Finally, the 5 Cs one has to focus on for leading a balanced and successful life are Confidence, Creativity, Comparison, Compassion and Criticism.