Dr. R. Nithya has been working as an Associate Professor and as the Head of Civil Engineering Department at School of Engineering, Avinashilingam University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. She has an amazing 21 years of teaching experience. As part of her academics, she has done BE, ME and PhD along with Post Diploma in Design of Concrete Structures. She has guided 21 BE projects & guiding 2 Ph.D scholars, and her areas of interest are Water and Wastewater Treatment Techniques, Water, Soil Pollution & Control and Solid and Hazardous Waste Management. In addition to this, she has presented 10 papers in National and 1 in International conferences and has published 11 research papers in various national and international journals of eminent repute. She has organized multiple seminars, workshops and webinars in the past and was awarded patent on Development of Municipal Solid Waste Prognostic Decision Support Tool for Coimbatore Municipal Corporation, for which Ayngaran Aha Award was given to her. She is a life member of ISTE too.

School Of Engineering, Avinashilingam University

Which latest program are you offering in your department to help students outperform and stand apart from the crowd?

"We are providing full time Integrated BE Degree course with Computer Application"

The Department of Civil Engineering was started in the year 2012 and from 2020 onwards, we have changed the course name from B.E. Civil Engineering to B.E. Civil Engineering with Computer Application. The main aim of this move is to help students to cope with the outside challenging and technically competitive world. And the BE Degree course not only covers the syllabus of Civil Engineering but also incorporates programming based design and analysis of structures. 

Which factors make this program the best for the students to opt?

"The growth opportunities and scope of learning under BE program makes it worth pursuing"

We have developed the curriculum of our department after rigorous analysis of industrial requirements and students academic needs, hence the programs we offer to students are taught with the motive of inculcating analytical, cognitive, creative thinking and managerial skills in them to make them proficient future leaders and entrepreneurs. And the discipline of Civil Engineering offers plenty of job opportunities in state and central government sectors, public sectors and private companies. 

What will you say are the best practices of the courses your department is offering to students?

"We provide employment oriented education to students and best environment to grow"

Our Civil Department works with an objective of going green means we take care of environmental needs while developing projects. And our students in fact develop sustainable products like paver blocks using waste materials, particle boards using plant fibres and organic wastes every year to utilise their skills and strengthen their subject knowledge.

How does this program ensure the future preparedness of students?

"Students will find work opportunities in government projects, public and private industries"

With my past experiences and knowledge, I can firmly say that when Civil Engineers are given the proper training, education and industrial exposure, they end up with a multitude of career opportunities in today's highly competitive global environment. And the government has also opened new doors for them by announcing. prime projects for smart cities and infrastructure development. Additionally, they would have the opportunity to work on interdisciplinary projects using emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things, so the overall future is promising and bright for Civil Engineers in upcoming time.

How did you train your department faculty to deliver programs to students in the best possible way?

"They are trained through FDPs, NPTEL courses and research facilities we provide them"

We train and upskill our faculty members by conducting Faculty Development Programs and Software Training courses and we also keep encouraging them to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies of the industrial world. In addition to this, many of them have completed online courses as per their skills through learning platforms like NPTEL, Coursera and Udemy. Lastly, we have established a research laboratory with a grant received from CSIR to provide finest research facilities to our faculties. 

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How do you build a connectedness between courses of your department and industry demands?

"We have collaborated with eminent industries for curriculum development and placement trainings"

The Civil Engineering Department of our institute has maintained good relationships with eminent industries and industry experts and leaders are involved in curriculum development and placement procedure of college. And we have also signed MOUs with our corporate partners to collaboratively organize guest lectures, hands-on training programs, placement oriented training, internships and industrial visits for brick and block chambers and ready mix concrete plants. Also we have made 1 month internship compulsory for every student to upskill themselves and make them industry ready and during this 1 month time period students progress and performance is closely monitored by our faculty members. 

On what kinds of projects your students are currently working upon under these programs? 

"Our students are working on latest construction projects by using sustainable strategies"

Our students are currently working on a diverse range of projects in areas like sustainable construction materials, water and wastewater treatment, solid waste management, remote sensing and GIS. They have also done mini and main projects using REVIT architecture and ETABS software, design of bridge, optic fibre concrete, landslide assessment, block and tile making using construction and demolition waste and applied nanoparticles for fluoride reduction in water. And we have developed amazing laboratories with all the tools and equipment to assist them for their projects.

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What career options would be available for students after pursuing Civil Engineering courses?

"Tremendous job opportunities are present in both public and private domains"

I firmly believe that job opportunities are limitless because Civil Engineering is a very versatile discipline and consists of specializations like structural engineering, construction management, geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, transportation engineering and water resource engineering. So students after successfully completing Civil Engineering courses from our institute can either join the public service organizations or they can work on construction projects related to roads, railways, skyscrapers, urban establishments and agricultural storage etc. Apart from all this, they can start their own business or can work as a Consultant in reputed companies.