Alternate engineering, anyone?

CHENNAI: Material Science and Engineering started in 2006, this combines the basics of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. It has a mix of various subjects like Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Nanotechnology, Manufacturing, Metallurgy, Smart Materials and Biomaterials. A special feature of the course is that students get exposure to research at the undergraduate level itself. At the College of Engineering, Guindy more than fifty per cent who enroll are women.“Though offered in very few institutions in India, Material Science and Engineering is a prominent course in many universities abroad,” said  Dr L Karunamoorthy, professor and head. “A material science engineer has a lot of scope because today the industry requires a multi-skilled engineer. Selection and development of material has become very important in various industries,” he said.Number of Seats: 40Placement percentage: 80%Prominent recruiters: Renault Nissan, GE, General motors, BHEL, TVSAverage Pay: `3-7 lakhAgricultural and Irrigation EngineeringAgriculture and Irrigation engineers look into the issue of food security, which has become a major challenge for the nation. The students are also trained in food production. The course is new and was started in 2006 in CEG.“Students have opportunities for placement in tractor manufacturing companies or irrigation companies as well as NGOs working on rural development. Our students are qualified for jobs in banks through the Banking Recruitment Board,” said director of Centre for Water Resources, Dr N K Ambujam. “One of our students is placed in Africa and is managing 6,000 hectares of land and some others have been placed in irrigation companies abroad,” she said. There is scope for higher education in Irrigation Water Management and Integrated Water Resources Management.Number of Seats: 40Apparel TechnologyStarted in 2007 in AC Tech, this course is different from those offered in private institutions, because it doesn’t focus on fashion but on fibres, yarn and fabric production, their engineering and technological aspects. Since students study basic science and general engineering aspects in the initial period of the course, the eligibility criteria is PCM background at Plus 2 level. The course deals with certain subjects that are involved in the Textile Technology course. They study performance garments, industrial wear and protective garments.They are picked up by the apparel industry and are involved in direct manufacturing activities. They determine how to make use of men, material and machine in an effective manner. Opportunities are available both in government and private sectors. “During the training period students must consider the salary as stipend. It’s a blue collar job during this period, but after 2 to 3 years of experience in the field it will turn into a white collar job and then the sky is the limit,” said  N Selvakumar, professor and head.Number of seats: 30Prominent recruiters: Intimate Fashions, Madura Garments, Loyal Textiles, Color Plus, Celebrity Fashions and Shahi Exports Pvt. LtdAverage salary: `2.5-3 lakhGeoinformatics EngineeringIt is a combination of Information Technology and Space Technology, dealing with acquisition, processing and application of satellite data as in aerial photography. It has wide applications in the field of agriculture, water resources, disaster management, flood prediction, flood damage assessment, tsunami warning and oceanography. It comprises Geographical Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS). It is mostly related to Information Systems, Surveying and Photogrammetry. This course was started in 1993 in CEG.“This is a very advanced course but awareness needs to be created. The course is almost entirely based on space technology. We teach satellite communication and vehicle tracking. This technology is used for security purposes to assess the movement of troops,” said Dr M Ramalingam, director. “Opportunities are wide in this field as there is a tremendous shortage of manpower,” he said.Number of seats: 40Prominent recruiters: While software firms like TCS have opened GIS divisions, there is a scope for placement also in government organisations like ISRO and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC).Average salary: `5-12 lakhCeramic EngineeringIn the emerging scenario advanced ceramic materials have become increasingly important due to their better properties, longer life and lower costs,” said Dr P Manohar, professor and head. “This programme gives students hands on experience in the industry. The course gives equal weightage to both traditional and advanced ceramics. It was started in 1993 in Alagappa College of Technology (AC Tech). “Research activities are focused on the development of structural ceramics, electronic ceramics, magnetic ceramics and bioceramics,” he said.Many students pursue higher education in foreign universities like Penn State University (USA) and New York State College of Ceramics. They also pursue research in IISc Bangalore, IIT Chennai and IIT Kanpur. Students have been placed in Tata Refractories Ltd, Saint Gobain Glass, Carborundum, Essar Steels Ltd, Hindustan Sanitaryware, Vizag Steel Plant.Industrial BiotechnologyIs industrial biotechnology different from biotechnology? Yes it is, because it’s the manipulation of biological systems that is done through biotechnology. But the application in industries for large-scale production of biomaterials is done through industrial biotechnology. It helps in eco-friendly production and processing of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, materials and bio-energy. It was started in 1992 in CEG. Earlier it was a male dominated stream but now the situation is reversing.It has a wide variety of career opportunities in sales and marketing, research and development, manufacturing and quality control and assurance, even teaching. “Biotechnology is the future. Many industries now use the biological process to produce eco-friendly products. The good thing is that some chemical conversions which were impossible earlier are now possible through the biotechnological processes. This will bring a change in industry,” said professor, director and head Dr K Sankaran. “Opportunities for biotechnology are wide, but higher studies up to the PhD level is a must,” he added.Number of seats: 80Average salary: `6-8 lakh