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VISION IIT

DETAILED PROJECT REPORT

Submitted by

The Vice-Chancellor

To

THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY & HIGHER EDUCATION

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, NEW DELHI

(As per D.O.No. 9-11/2003-T.S.I dtd. May 20, 2005 from the Director,

Ministry of Human Resource Development)

Cochin University of Science and TechnologyKochi - 682 022, Kerala

Phone : 0484-2575396; 0484-2577619

Fax : 0484-2577595; 0484-2575397

e-mail : [email protected]

[email protected]

website : www.cusat.ac.in


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PREFACE

The Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is on the threshold of a

major change in the context of its identification as a promising institution for

upgradation to the level of Indian Institute of Technology. This document contains a

road map to upgradation. This is essentially a three-pronged action plan intended to

improve substantially the academic, administrative and infrastructure facilities of the

present University. Because of its diversified academic curricula and extensive research

background, CUSAT is well placed to undergo this transformation with a tremendous

degree of smoothness.

Re-structuring of the two Engineering Colleges to revamp the engineering education

on par with IIT is given top priority. Other goals set are: achieving 1:10 teacher-student

ratio, re-structuring of courses as well as infrastructure development for various

departments and campuses. It is proposed to construct additional floor space wherever

possible in the existing buildings and build entirely new multi-storied academic blocks

in the main and lake side campuses. Improvement and modernization of laboratories

are essential in most of the present Departments and Schools on an emergency basis.

A science city is planned in the campus. All existing central facilities like Library,Workshops, Instrumentation Centre, Computer Center and Nodal Centre will be

upgraded and expanded. Hostel facilities and staff accommodation in the campus will

be brought to the IIT level.

The CUSAT will establish a new governance model that would be fast, efficient and

transparent. All the steps suggested in this proposal will be taken up and executed as

per clearly laid out schedules.

The hopes and aspirations of the people of Kerala for a National level institution like

the IIT echo in this Project Report. Upgradation of CUSAT to IIT will be a fulfillment

of this long cherished dream of the state.

Kochi - 682 022 Prof. P.K. ABDUL AZIZ

July 21, 2005 VICE CHANCELLOR


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CONTENTS

Page

1. Introduction 1

2. Vision IIT: Road Map to upgradation 6

2.1 Action to be initiated by the Government of Kerala 6

2.2 Action to be taken by the University 9

3 Action Plan for upgradation 13

3.1 Budget estimate 17

4 Detailed Project Proposal 19

4.1 Restructuring of Engineering Education in the University 19

4.2 Details of Proposed upgradation 20

4.2.1 Faculty of Engineering 20

4.2.1.1 Division of Civil Engineering 21

4.2.1.2 Division of Mechanical Engineering 22

4.2.1.3 Division of Electrical Engineering 22

4.2.1.4 Division of Safety Engineering 22

4.2.1.5 Division of Information Technology 23

4.2.1.6 Division of Marine Engineering 23

4.2.1.7 Cochin University College of Engineering, Kuttanadu 24

4.2.1.8 New Departments 24

4.2.2 Faculty of Technology 24

4.2.2.1 Department of Computer Science 24

4.2.2.2 Department of Computer Applications 25

4.2.2.3 Department of Electronics 26

4.2.2.4 Department of Instrumentation 27

4.2.2.5 Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology 28

4.2.2.6 Department of Ship Technology 294.2.2.7 International School of Photonics 30

4.2.3 Faculty of Science 31

4.2.3.1 Department of Applied Chemistry 31

4.2.3.2 Department of Biotechnology 32

4.2.3.3 Department of Mathematics 33

4.2.3.4 Department of Physics 33

4.2.3.5 Department of Statistics 34

4.2.4 Faculty of Marine Sciences 34

4.2.4.1 School of Industrial Fisheries 34

4.2.4.2 School of Marine Sciences 35


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4.2.4.3 Department of Atmospheric Sciences 36

4.2.4.4 Department of Chemical Oceanography 37

4.2.4.5 Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology & Biochemistry 37

4.2.4.6 Department of Marine Geology and Geophysics 38

4.2.4.7 Department of Physical Oceanography. 38

4.2.5 Faculty of Environmental Studies 39

4.2.5.1 School of Environmental Studies 39

4.2.6 Faculty of Social Sciences 40

4.2.6.1 School of Management Studies 40

4.2.6.2 Department of Applied Economics 41

4.2.7 Faculty of Humanities 424.2.7.1 Department of Hindi 42

4.2.7.2 Department of Culture & Heritage 43

4.2.8 Faculty of Law 44

4.2.8.1 School of Legal Studies 44

4.2.8.2 IPR Chair 44

4.2.8.3 Future Plan Perspective 44

4.3 Central Facilities 45

4.3.1 Computer Centre 45

4.3.2 University Library 47

4.3.3 NTMIS 47

4.3.4 CUSAT Science City 48

4.3.5 Physical Infrastructure 49

Page


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LIST OF ANNEXURES

Page

Annexure I : Faculty of Engineering 50

1.1 Department of Civil Engineering

1.2 Department of Mechanical Engineering

1.3 Department of Electrical Engineering

1.4 Department of Fire and Safety Engineering

1.5 Department of Information Technology

1.6 Department of Marine Engineering

1.7 Cochin University College of Engineering, Kuttanad

1.8 New Departments

Annexure II : Faculty of Technology 61

2.1 Department of Computer Science

2.2 Department of Computer Applications

2.3 Department of Electronics

2.4 Department of Instrumentation

2.5 Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology

2.6 Department of Ship Technology

2.7 International School of Photonics

Annexure III : Faculty of Science 73

3.1 Department of Applied Chemistry

3.2 Department of Biotechnology

3.3 Department of Mathematics3.4 Department of Physics

3.5 Department of Statistics

Annexure IV : Faculty of Marine Sciences 81

4.1 School of Marine Sciences

4.2 School of Industrial Fisheries


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4.3 Department of Atmospheric Sciences

4.4 Department of Chemical Oceanography4.5 Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry

4.6 Department of Marine Geology and Geophysics

4.7 Department of Physical Oceanography.

Annexure V : Faculty of Environmental Studies 89

5.1 School of Environmental Studies

Annexure VI : Faculty of Social Sciences 92

6.1 Department of Applied Economics

6.2 School of Management Studies

Annexure VII : Faculty of Humanities 96

7.1 Department of Culture & Heritage

7.2 Department of Hindi

Annexure VIII : Faculty of Law 998.1 School of Legal Studies


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LIST OF TABLES

Page

1. Budget Estimate 18

2. Department of Civil Engineering 101

3. Department of Mechanical Engineering 101

4. Department of Electrical Engineering 102

5. Department of Fire and Safety Engineering 102

6. Department of Information Technology 103

7. Department of Marine Engineering 103

8. Cochin University College of Engineering Kuttanad 104

9. Department of Computer Science 104

10. Department of Computer Applications 105

11. Department of Electronics 105

12. Department of Instrumentation 106

13. Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology 106

14. Department of Ship Technology 107

15. International School of Photonics 107

16. Department of Applied Chemistry 108

17. Department of Biotechnology 10818. Department of Mathematics 109

19. Department of Physics 109

20. Department of Statistics 110

21 School of Marine Sciences 110

22. School of Industrial Fisheries 111

23. Department of Atmospheric Sciences 111

24. Department of Chemical Oceanography 112

25. Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry 112

26. Department of Marine Geology and Geophysics 113

27. Department of Physical Oceanography. 113

28. School of Environmental Studies 114

29 Department of Applied Economics 114

30. School of Management Studies 115

31. Department of Culture and Heritage 115

32. Department of Hindi 116

33. School of Legal Studies 116

34. Central Facilities 117


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LIST OF APPENDICES

1. 1.1 Maintenance, Improvement and Extension of Buildings 118

1.2 New Buildings 118

1.3 Hostels and Apartments 118

2. Self Assessment in the context of upgradation

of Cusat to the level of IIT 119


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1. INTRODUCTION

The University of Cochin came into existence in 1971; this was later converted to

Cochin University of Science & Technology, by an act of the Kerala State

Legislature, namely the Cochin University of Science & Technology Act, 1986 (31

of 1986). The following are the objectives that guided the destiny of the University

in the last 35 years.

i) To prosecute and promote research in applied science, technology, industry,

commerce, management and social science for the advancement of knowledge

and for the betterment of society.

ii) To provide facilities and offer opportunities for graduate and post graduate

education in applied science, technology, industry, commerce, management

and social science by instruction, training, research, development and

extension and by such other means as the University may deem fit.

iii) To device and implement programmes of education in applied science,

technology, industry, commerce, management and social science that arerelevant to the changing needs of society, in terms of breadth of diversity

and depth of specialization

iv) To serve as a centre for fostering cooperation and exchange of ideas between

the academic and research communities on the one hand and industry on the

other

v) To organize exchange programmes with other institutions of repute in India

and abroad with a view to keeping abreast of the latest developments in

relevant areas of teaching and research.

It is gratifying to note that CUSAT has been identified as a University with potential

to be upgraded and converted into an Indian Institute of Technology, the only

institution identified from the State of Kerala for this coveted position.

1


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An IIT is a long cherished dream of the people of Kerala. Prof. S.K. Joshi

Committee initially short listed 40 institutions from a total of 200 Government

Institutions/Universities across the country based on a number of bench-mark

parameters that were used to assess the average status of existing IITs in the country.

Out of the 40 institutions so identified, the committee went into greater details

regarding these institutions and finally identified 7 institutions/Universities for

upgradation. CUSAT is one among them. The whole University family is proud

of this distinction and all efforts would be made for the realization of this goal to

be an IIT.

During its three and a half decades of existence, the Cochin University of Scienceand Technology had followed a unique evolutionary path, quite distinct from such

other institutions in the state of Kerala. Within the framework of a totally

democratic environment, successive Governments in the state patronized the

University all along. CUSAT now possesses a commendable academic culture and

a passion for excellence in an inimitable way. CUSAT has always been an

Institution, which is national in character, but international in outlook and

attainments.

1.1. MHRD Initiative:

The Ministry of Human Resources Development had convened a meeting on May

3, 2005 at the Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi to further consider the recommendation

of Prof. S.K. Joshi Committee for upgradation of selected institutions to IIT. The

self- assessment report submitted to MHRD by CUSAT is given in Appendix-I.

The meeting with MHRD officials was very fruitful. The Additional Secretary,

Department of Secondary and Higher Education, MHRD has in a communication

to CUSAT urged the University to prepare a vision document. The institutions

selected are called upon to bear the following aspects in mind while finalizing the

vision document.

The Vision Document needs to be drawn within a specified timeframe by

each institute in consultation with their BOG (Board of Governors) or

Academic Council as the case may be, indicating a total perspective plan as


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to what they want to achieve in the next 10 years. This may be done in the

form of a Project Report.

Institutions should work towards accepting an all-India level of examination

such as JEE, AIEEE etc. for induction of students, or the State examinations

that are non-discriminatory to the students from outside the state.

There should be no ban on recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff,

recruitment should be on an all-India basis. The State Governments may be

involved in the process of decision making to this effect.

The institutes should have their own websites that should be regularly

updated. All teaching posts should be essentially put on the website as is

done by the IITs so as to attract suitable faculty. Information about the

institute should also be available for the benefit of the students.

Institute must have adequate autonomy in decision-making.

There should be a system in place for inter-institute faculty collaboration.

Integration of Social Science courses with other programmes internally or

even in collaboration with other institutes or Universities should be

encouraged such as Engineering with Economics, etc. Even IITs have

embarked upon the course of such integration. Further, credit-based

programmes may be developed.

Elective courses may be offered on intellectual property. Efforts will bemade by the Ministry to establish chairs in institutions in this field.

The Additional Secretary also urged the University to complete the exercise as

early as possible and then approach the Ministry so that concrete decision could be

taken to finalize the quantum of grants to the institutes after necessary inspection.

He stressed that sooner the institutes work it out, the better it would be. The

Additional Secretary also informed that the institutes that were not on TEQUIP


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could be considered for being brought under it.

Besides the above, the additional Secretary stressed the following points:

Change the status of the University from a State entity to a National entity.

This needs to be supported by the State Government.

The University should achieve a teacher-student ratio of 1:10.The University

should evolve a programme to encourage all the existing faculty members to

take Ph.D. degrees within a time frame.

Qualifications for teaching posts should be identical to that of IITs.

Infrastructure facilities in the University should be improved on par with

that of IIT campus. Basically, 100% of the faculty and student population

should be provided with residential accommodation in the campus itself.

50% of the non-teaching staff should also be provided accommodation in

the University Campus. Other facilities like power supply, water supply,

stadium, play ground, parks, cultural complex, road network, super markets,canteen, etc. should be provided within the IIT township.

Sufficient additional land near the CUSAT campus for upgradation to IIT.

Prof. Joshi Committee has proposed 500 acres of Land to be at the IIT level.

1.2. Initiative at the University level:

The Syndicate, which is the Supreme Executive Body of the University at its 485thmeeting held on 20.4.2005, authorized the Vice-Chancellor to take all steps needed

to get CUSAT recognized as IIT. The Syndicate at its 486th meeting held on 7.5.2005

appointed a sub-committee to expedite the formalities needed for upgradation and

consult with the State Government to speed up government level actions.

The Vice-Chancellor has constituted a Deans Committee to prepare a Detailed

Project Report (DPR) containing a perspective plan for upgradation. The University


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has taken special care to ensure the participation of all the faculty members in the

University for the formulation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR.) for submission

to MHRD. The following were the steps followed.

At the primary level, the Heads of Department held detailed discussion

with all the teachers in the concerned department for the formulation of a

Departmental DPR.

At the second level, the proposals received from the Departments were

reviewed by the concerned Deans of Faculties who drafted a Faculty-wise

DPR.

At the third level, the Deans Committee under the Chairmanship of the Vice-

Chancellor held several sittings to review and finalize the draft DPR. for the


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University.

At the final step, the Syndicate of the University at a Special Sitting held on

July 9, 2005 approved this DPR. for submission to the Government of Kerala

and the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

2. VISION IIT: ROAD MAP TO UPGRADATION.

2.1. Action to be initiated by the Government of Kerala :

The Government of Kerala has in principle offered all support for the upgradation

of CUSAT in to an IIT. Following are the actual inputs needed.

2.1.1. Consent of the Government of Kerala

A letter of consent addressed to the Ministry of Human Resources Development,

Government of India to the effect that, the Government of Kerala agree to change

the status of the University from a State entity to a National entity is expected. The

Government of Kerala will have to pass a legislation to this effect.

2.1.2. Additional land

Joshi Committee has suggested that it is desirable to have 500 acres of land for an

IIT. CUSAT needs around 300 acres of land in its immediate vicinity. In principle

this has been agreed to by the Government of Kerala. It is expected that the state

government will acquire and hand over about 300 acres of land.

From the University side, the following locations are suggested as potential sites

for acquisition of the required additional land.

i) The land under the possession of HMT: This site is close to the University

campus. The HMT(Hindustan Machine Tools, Bangalore) property is just

300 metres away from the existing campus of the Cochin University. HMT

has about 440 acres of land. The layout of the land available is shown in

Figure 1. If acquired, a corridor can be established and the Campus can be


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made a contiguous one. Single campus is a character of IITs.

ii) The land under the possession of KINFRA near HMT: The total land

available with KINFRA is 240 acres. This land is contiguous with the HMT

land mentioned above. The Area is under the Department of Industries,

Government of Kerala.

iii) The Naval Armament Depot area: This is around 3-4 Kms. away from the

present University Campus.

Considering the merits of the three sites, CUSAT prefers to have the land acquired

from the HMT site.

2.1.3. Government Notification

To realize the goal of upgradation, the University may be permitted to implement

the following. Necessary Government notification be issued in this regard.

i) To Permit creation of enough number of teaching positions in the University

to achieve a teacher student ratio of 1:10 and to agree that there would be no

ban on recruitment of staff in the University in its effort to adopt the pattern

of qualification, experience etc. as stipulated in the IITs for filling up of

various teaching positions.

ii) To establish a fast track administrative mechanism to implement the various

programmes under upgradation with a definite time frame to move to the IIT

system.

iii) To authorise the University to take all actions needed to convert CUSAT to

IIT


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CLICK FOR CUSAT MAP
http://cusat_map.jpg/http://cusat_map.jpg/


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2.2. Action to be taken by the University :

2.2.1Autonomous Character

The University already enjoys autonomy identical to that of IITs; within the

framework of the Act and Statutes, CUSAT is a fully autonomous institution. It is

governed by the Syndicate, which is the chief executive body having powers to

manage the University (a body equivalent to the B.O.D of IITs). The Academic

council is the supreme statutory body to advise the Syndicate on all academic

matters. The academic autonomy enjoyed by the University is total and absolute.

The University prescribes courses of study, sets qualification for admission of

students, standards of evaluation, qualification of teachers and decides the nature

and type of degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions, that should be

awarded. In the present context when CUSAT is aspiring to become an IIT, this

autonomy only needs to be tailored to suit the pattern identical to that of IITs.

2.2.2Common Admission Test (CAT)

The Institution has already established an All India Admission Policy, through itsCommon Admission Test (CAT) which is totally non-discriminatory to the students

from outside the state. Notified in national newspapers as well as on CUSAT

website, students from across the country appear for the test at different centers.

The evaluation, ranking, counseling and admissions are totally transparent through

computerized processes. All notifications of dates and procedures are announced

through the web also. The rate of admission to the undergraduate engineering

programmes is 5% of the applicants. Admission to M.Tech. programmes is through

a ranking based on the GATE score, the actual admission ranging from 10 to 15%.

About 30% of the students for these programmes are from outside the state. The

University admission system is thus already identical to those of IITs in India.

2.2.3 De-bundling of Recognized Institutions

The CUSAT is basically a Unitary University without having to have affiliated

colleges. Because of the demand for more opportunity for technical education in


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the state, the Government of Kerala encouraged private institutions in this sector.

The University also, in that context, granted Recognized Institution status to a

number of colleges in the private and government sector.

The Government of Kerala has, in principle, decided to bring all the Engineering

Colleges in the state under the umbrella of a Technical University. A Special Officer,

appointed for the purpose has already submitted his report to the Government.

CUSAT has 25 Engineering Colleges from across Kerala which have been granted

the status Recognized Institution based on the approval of the AICTE.

The new Technical University will enable CUSAT to de-link all these institutions

from its fold. If it gets delayed, the Government will be requested to shift these

recognized institution from under CUSAT and affiliate them with other Universities

in the state suitably. Basically, the University agrees to de-link their colleges with

in a period of one to two years.

2.2.4 Quality Improvement Programme

The University has to put in place a quality improvement programme that wouldenable 100% of the Faculty acquire Ph.D. degrees within a time frame. A sub

committee of the Syndicate has gone into it in detail and a plan of action worked

out. The effort is to enable all incumbents to acquire Ph.D., by the year 2010. A

QIP Centre is also proposed to cater to the needs in specific disciplines.

2.2.5 Teacher-student Ratio

The teacher-student ratio at the Departments of the University varies depending on

the level of the courses and the nature of their specializations. At the PG level

with specializations at the cutting edge of technology, the ratio is less than 1:10,

while it is around 1:15 in the case of UG programmes. It is intended to review the

scenario and to create faculty positions wherever needed, so as to achieve a ratio

of 1:10. While being selective in offering new academic programme, the priorities

had always been decided by demand and acceptability in the industry. The teacher-

student ratio of 1:10 will be achieved within a period of two years.


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2.2.6 Recruitment Policy

Already, the University follows a transparent and open-ended policy with respect

to recruitment of faculty. All faculty positions are filled through notifications at

the national level, by following the reservation policy of the state government.

The University Website, in operation since 1996, with a good hit rate can notify

vacancies at the international level. The University will put in place a recruitment

policy identical to that of IIT and place the notifications on the University Website.

2.2.7 Restructuring of Engineering Colleges and Departments

The two engineering colleges of the University will be totally re-structured under

the upgradation project. All the Divisions under these colleges will be made

independent Departments of this University. Wherever University has

corresponding P.G. Departments, the UG Departments in the colleges will be merged

with them. All Departments will be allowed to grow independently, identical to

similar Departments in the IITs.

2.2.8 Modernization and Removal of obsolescence

The laboratories and infrastructure in most of the PG departments compare well

with that at IITs. But there are cases, which need modernization and removal of

obsolescence. A number of new laboratories are planned. All the engineering

departments will be upgraded on par with the departments at IITs.

2.2.9 Campus connectivity

CUSAT was one of the first institutions in this region to have a campus wide

computer network with a fibre optic back bone and arterial links to the several

buildings in the campus connected in a hierarchical star structure. This was

commissioned in 1996, through the efforts of the Universitys Computer Science

department, with funding from the Royal Government of the Netherlands.

Connectivity is provided by VSNL, the current bandwidth being 1mbps. Further

upgradation is envisaged under the upgradation proposal.


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2.2.10 Infrastructure and Campus Development

Infrastructure facilities in the University need to be improved on par with that of

IIT campuses. Basically, 100% of the faculty and student population should be

provided with residential accommodation in the campus itself. 50% of the non-

teaching staff should also be provided accommodation in the University Campus.

Other facilities like power supply, water supply, stadium, play ground, parks, cultural

complex, road network, hospitals, super markets, canteen, etc. need to be provided.

A self- contained township is envisaged.


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3. ACTION PLAN FOR UPGRADATION : SUMMARY STATEMENT

CUSAT looks forward to achieving an added value to its recognition as a center of

academic excellence in the country and to enhance its reputation abroad. CUSAT

is to be an irresistible destination for students aspiring to pursue specialized higher

education. Efforts are on to upgrade academic facilities and to provide a congenial

environment. Some of the measures in this direction are listed below. A summary

of the estimated budget is given in Table-1.

i) Strengthening of Existing academic programmes

One of the important tasks to be taken up on a priority basis is to strengthen

the existing programmes of B.Tech in the eleven branches and the other

ongoing programmes in different disciplines. Although infrastructure built

up is capable of catering to the academic requirements as per the curriculum,

it is felt that the quality of infrastructure needs improvement and updating.

The existing laboratories are to be modernized and equipment refurbished.

Some additional laboratories are to be built considering the student

population. The projected expenditure includes the filling up of sanctionedposts of teaching and technical staff, modernization and removal of

obsolescence in respect of equipments/Laboratories and adding space.

ii) Maintenance and improvements of buildings

The departments of Cochin University of Science and Technology are housed

in several buildings, which are scattered across the campus. These buildings

have been built during different points of time. These buildings need complete

maintenance and improvement. This is expected to be done in a period of

two to three years. The student hostels which are existing now, need a face

lift.

iii) New buildings

Considering the overall space requirements, the position of built up space in


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the campus is not comfortable. New buildings with modern amenities for

several Departments are to be constructed. Multi-storied buildings with

modern amenities are proposed in the Main Campus as well as in the Lakeside

and Pulinkunnu Campuses. New student hostels and housing for faculty

and administrative/support staff are to be constructed.

iv) New academic programmes

Several new courses at B.Tech and M.Tech levels are in the pipeline.

Additional courses have been proposed in several disciplines. This would

require additional staff positions, additional space, equipment and other

infrastructure.

v) Advanced Research Laboratories

Additional research facilities are to be created in new and emerging areas.

Several proposals from post graduate departments are under process.

vi) Conference Complex

Cochin University of Science and Technology has the record of conducting

and hosting several conferences/seminars/workshops at the National and

International level. A central facility that would support such events is

needed. An auditorium to house around 2000 students would also be

necessary.

vii) Central Facilities

Upgradation of central facilities like Computer Centre, University Library ,

Centre for NTMIS etc are to be taken up. The University library though

unique in terms of services with electronic access to journals in Engineering

and Technology disciplines, needs further improvement. Electronic Delivery

of documents, e-publishing, Electronic thesis and Dissertations are some of

the services to be augmented. The University library has all the capability to


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function as a mirror site of any of the repositories available nationally.

A Central Instrumentation Workshop, Design Centre and a Patent Centre

are to be developed to cater to the needs of all the departments in the campus.

A Central Marine Instrumentation and Service Laboratory is proposed to be

set up at the Lake Side Campus. The Science Park built by Centre for

Science in Society, has its focus on extension activities for the benefit of

Society. This is proposed to be upgraded to a Science City to cater to a

extended target group.

viii) ICT infrastructure

The ICT infrastructure, though reasonably good by present standards needs

improvement by enhancing the connectivity bandwidth and increasing the

access points. Wi-Fi network is also to be introduced. Bulletin boards for

electronic display of notices and messages, information kiosks with touch

screen display etc. are to be set up. Video conferencing also can be

implemented.

ix) e-learning

The CUSAT intranet has an e-learning server which is accessible from all

departments. Some exercises on content creation are in progress; this activity

is to be toned up.

x) EDUSAT

CUSAT has already enrolled for access of learning materials through the

EDUSAT programme of UGC. The expertise in CUSAT can be utilized for

providing learning material to be transmitted through EDUSAT.

xi) Electrical Power Supply

One of the problems currently faced is the occasional disruption of electrical


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power supply. At present substations are available in the campus with the

total capacity of 400 KVA. They are supported by standby generators of

capacity 250KVA. A detailed study of existing load conditions has been

carried out. Additional substations are proposed to be built up. The power

supply position in the three campuses are to be improved.

xii) Landscaping & Roads

The Cochin University of Science and Technology campus, though serene

and conducive to learning, lacks a good appeal in appearance. Some amount

of landscaping is to be done with some of the roads to be relocated for a

more impressive layout. This is being taken up in the three campuses.

xiii) Campus Amenities

A close scrutiny of the co-curricular and extra curricular facility available to

the students indicates a need to set up the following facilities on a high

priority.

i) Health Centre

ii) Gymkhana

iii) Canteen

iv) Cafeteria

v) Sports Complex with facility for Indoor and Outdoor games.

vi) Swimming Pool

xiv) Quality Improvement

One of the problems faced by the Engineering Departments at the research

front is the scarcity of full time research scholars. One reason is the lack of

adequate fellowships for research. This is to be alleviated through increased

number of research projects and fellowships. More teachers with research

qualification are required. This would augment research output.


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3.1 BUDGET ESTIMATE

Provision is to be made for existing teachers to acquire research degrees

through quality improvement programmes. Fresh teachers without Post

Graduate qualification are also there in the Engineering faculty. They are to

be afforded opportunities to acquire higher qualifications. A QIP Centre is

intended to be set up. Support from the TEQUIP programme of MHRD is

sought for this.

The student-teacher ratio at present is about 1:15. In order to improve the

quality of teaching and research, this has to be brought down to 1:10.

Additional faculty positions at the appropriate level would be created for

this.

xv) Solid waste Treatment

The School of Environmental Studies has proposed a facility by which the

entire waste materials in the campus would be disposed off in an environment

friendly manner.

xvi) Logistics

Services like Printing, Telecom, Transport, Vehicles etc. are to be

strengthened.

xvii) Modernisation of Administration

The Administrative set up in the University is to be modernized with new

cubicles, furniture and new office equipments with computerised processes.

The total projected expenditure to implement the upgradation proposal,

indicated over a period of five years is shown in Table I.


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StrengtheningofexistingA

cademicprogrammes

(MODROBS/equipment)

6003

4186

3049

356

56

13650

2

Maintenance,improvement&extensionofBuildings

500

600

600

230

200

2130

3

Newbuildings

6500

4000

4000

1600

1000

17100

4

NewHostelsandApartments

230

500

500

500

500

2230

5

NewAcademicprogrammes(Newposts)

260

690

800

800

850

3400

6

AdditionalResearchLaboratories

500

500

500

500

500

2500

7

ConferenceComplex

200

200

150

150

--

700

8

Centralfacilities

830

230

130

130

30

1350

9

ICTinfrastructure

125

115

15

15

15

285

10

e-learning

25

115

15

15

15

185

11

EDUSAT

15

15

15

15

15

75

12

AugmentationofElectricalPowerSupply

200

200

200

40

40

680

13

Landscaping&Roads

50

50

50

50

50

250

14

CampusAmenities

200

200

200

200

200

1000

15

QualityImprovement

50

50

50

50

50

250

16

Logistics

50

100

50

50

50

300

17

ModernizationofAdministration

200

50

50

25

25

350

18

NewDepartments&Centre

s

15

25

--

--

--

40

19

Land

TobeacquiredbytheStateGovernment

TO

TAL

15953

11826

1037

4

4726

3596

46475

TABLE-1

EstimatedBudg

etforUpgradation

No.

Item

Rs.inl

akhs/year

Total

1

2

3

4

5

*Amountsshownhavebeenroundedup

.

(Salar

y,allowancesofexistingstaffan

droutinerecurringandnon-recurri

ngexpensesnotincluded)


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4. DETAILED PROJECT PROPOSAL

4.1. Restructuring of Engineering education in the University:

The university intends to restructure its engineering education in a substantial

manner in order to provide state of the art facilities for teaching and training. The

present structure wherein the B.Tech programmes conducted under the cost sharing

scheme are organized under the umbrella of the School of Engineering (SOE) at

the main campus and the Cochin University College of Engineering Kuttanad

(CUCEK) at Pulinkunnu will be reorganized. Presently there are separate Divisions

in the SOE to administer the respective branches of B.Tech programmes. These

Divisions will be amalgamated and merged with the corresponding P.G Departments

in the University. Divisions having no corresponding PG departments will be made

independent Departments, providing full potential to grow on their own. All the

courses now offered at CUCEK, Pulinkunnu will be continued under the supervision

of the concerned Departments at Thrikkakara campus. The CUCEK campus will

be developed on par with an IIT campus.

Accordingly, the following will be the nomenclature of the new Departments:

1. Department of Civil Engineering (Faculty of Engineering)

2. Department of Mechanical Engineering (Faculty of Engineering)

3. Department of Fire and Electrical Engineering (Faculty of Engineering)

4. Department of Safety Engineering (Faculty of Engineering)

5. Department of Information Technology (Faculty of Engineering)

6. Department of Marine Engineering (Faculty of Engineering)

7. Department of Computer Science and Engineering (Faculty of Technology)

8. Department of Electronics and Communication (Faculty of Technology)

9. Department of Computer Applications (Faculty of Technology)

UG and PG programmes as well as Ph.D will be offered under each of these

departments. The laboratory infrastructure in all the branches will be modernized

and upgraded. The focus of the Vision IIT is to strengthen the Engineering


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programmes so as to make it competitive like the programmes offered in the science,

humanities, law and social sciences.

4.2. Details of Proposed Upgradation :

The existing Departments/Schools of the University are organised into nine

Faculties. A brief account of eight of these Faculties and the Departments/Schools

under them are given below followed by budgetary proposals for upgradation shown

in separate tables in respect of each of the departments. The upgradation measures

have been grouped into two for the purpose of budgetary projection; one in respect

of human resource and the other in respect of infrastructure. The human resource

component comprises teaching positions to match the 1:10 ratio and technical staff

positions to support the laboratories. The infrastructure component comprises

modernization of existing laboratories/equipment, new equipment to be acquired

and addition to existing space/buildings. A projection for five years is shown in

each such table with provision to start new courses from the third year only. It is

expected that the overall quality of the departments/schools would rise to a

sustainable level within a period of two to three years. A comprehensive listing of

the existing academic programmes, new programme proposed, staff pattern, details

of laboratories etc., with respect to each department are shown as annexures..

The Central facilities in the University are briefly described at the end of this

chapter. The budgetary proposals for improving the level of service is given in

Table 3, 4.

4.2.1 Faculty of Engineering

Faculty of Engineering is one of the earliest faculties in this University and it has

made valuable contribution for the promotion of engineering education in this

region. Several PG programmes were offered to cater to the needs of the practicing

professionals from the industry, through part time courses. The School of

Technology started in the year 1978 was responsible to conduct these courses. The

courses were offered in a modular mode, with each module entrusted to a team of

qualified professional from the industry. Institute-industry interaction was a guiding


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theme in the faculty. The School has been running M.Tech. programmes for the

last 23 years and Ph.D. programmes for last 19 years, with support from sister

departments of the University. In the year 1996, the School initiated several B.Tech

programmes which were highly patronized. Several new branches like Information

technology, Safety and Fire Engineering have their origin in this faculty. All thecourses offered have the approval of the AICTE. The university also offers a 5-

year integrated MSc programme in Software Engineering. With an all India pattern

of admission identical to that of the IITs, the university has rightly earned a

reputation in the field of engineering education. The School has one of the best

placement records in the state with many of its alumni occupying covetable positions

in the country as well as abroad.

4.2.1.1 Division of Civil Engineering

(Proposed new name: Department of Civil Engineering)

This will be an independent Department of the University under the restructured

framework offering both UG and PG courses in Civil Engineering. Started in 1978,

the division has highly qualified faculty. Keeping the strengths of the Division in

view viz. the competence of faculty, the experience gained over the years in R & D

activities and the infrastructure built up for research in certain areas with largescale research grants from central and state governments, and the need to improve

the employment potential of Civil Engineering, several new initiatives were made

during the last 10 years. The B.Tech programme offered by the Division has

emphasis on Habitat Engineering. Collaboration with the Builders Association

enables students to have field training during the semesters. The newly organized

Department proposes to offer the following new M.Tech. courses within the next

four academic years.

1. Structural and Earthquake Engineering

2. Geotechnical Engineering

3. Building Technology & Construction Management

4. Environmental Engineering and Management

5. Water Resources Engineering

Details of the upgradation programme are shown in Annexure - 1. Estimated

budget for upgradation is given in Table - 2..


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4.2.1.2. Division of Mechanical Engineering:

(Proposed new name: Department of Mechanical Engineering)

The School of Engineering initiated several new branches for study to meet the

demands in industry. The B.Tech in the branch of Mechanical Engineering was

started with emphasis in CAD/CAM. This programme will be strengthened under

the restructured department. Already, the faculty is strong with several teachers

involved in active research through projects supported by external agencies. There

is an active Students association that arranges periodic seminars and other activities

for the personal empowerment of the students. The placement record of the Division

is fairly good; several graduates occupy covetable positions. The department needsto be modernized and strengthened in the next two years. More laboratories are to

be set up in order to make the Department self-supporting and to impart quality

training to its students.

Outline of the upgradation proposal is given in Annexure I. Detailed budget is

given in Table 3.

4.2.1.3 Division of Electrical Engineering:

(Proposed new name: Department of Electrical Engineering)

Started in the year 2002 to offer the B.Tech programme in Electrical Engineering,

this division will be reorganized as part of the upgradation. Additional staff and

facilities are needed. Proposals for additional space, setting up of new laboratories

and creating faculty positions are included in this perspective plan (see Annexure

I). Estimated budget is given in Table - 4

4.2.1.4 Division of Safety Engineering

(Proposed new name: Department of Fire and Safety Engineering)

The School of Engineering of Cochin University of Science and Technology

introduced a B.Tech course in Safety and Fire Engineering, the first of its kind in

the country, in 1996 to meet the growing demand of well qualified Safety and Fire

Engineers for the industry.


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With the recent paradigm shift towards an integrated approach towards Health,

Environment and Safety (HES) Management in industries all over the world, the

Safety and Fire Engineering graduates from Cochin University of Science and

Technology will be in an advantageous position. The Division of Safety and Fire

Engineering will be reorganized as a new Department with all modern amenities.

M.Tech programme in HES Management is already under consideration of the the

Academic Council of the University. The research and development also will be

strengthened . Detailed action plan is envisaged in Annexure I and estimated budget

is given in Table 5.

4.2.1.5 Division of Information Technology:(Proposed new name: Department of Information Technology)

The idea of separate branch of Information Technology for the B.Tech Programme

has its genesis at CUSAT. The Department of Computer Science along with the

School of Engineering proposed a new curriculum giving emphasis to

Communication and Internet Technology based on the developing scenario in the

area of Information Technology. The course has since received wide acceptance

and has now become very popular in almost all new institutions in Kerala. The

Division will be reorganized as a new Department, several new electives will be

offered, all of them at the cutting edge of technology. The graduates of this B.Tech

programme are well placed with a good percentage getting placement during their

course work. Proposals to improve the level of infrastructure as well as to offer

PG programmes are indicated in Annexure I and the estimated budget is given in

Table-6

4.2.1.6 Division of Marine Engineering

(Proposed new name: Department of Marine Engineering)

A B.Tech programme in the branch of Marine Engineering was started in the year

2002. The programme is one of the most sought after courses offered by CUSAT.

Specialised facility for training as well as physical fitness is being set up, much

more remains to be done. The standards prescribed by the Director General of

Shipping will be met as regards the infrastructure; steps have been initiated to


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establish a Ship in Campus in order to provide hands on training to the students.

A separate hostel as per prescribed norms for sailors is to be made ready. Detailed

Proposals for establishing a new Department has been outlined in Annexure I and

the estimated budget is given in Table-7.

4.2.17 Cochin University College of Engineering, Kuttanadu

The Kuttanadu Campus offers B.Tech Programmes and an MCA Programme with

approval of the AICTE. This Campus is in a rural area with potential for overall

development of the area. More details are given in Annexure 1 and the budget for

upgradation is given in Table 8.

4.2.1.8 New Departments

The Syndicate of the University has decided to start new Departments as follows

during 2004-05.

1. Department of Desalination Engineering

2. Department of Petroleum Engineering

3. Department of Town and Country Planning Architecture

Detailed proposals are under preparation. A token estimate is provided in the general

Budget.

4.2.2. Faculty of Technolgy

The Faculty of Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology consists

of 6 Departments and one School. Of these, 5 Departments and the School offer

Post Graduate programmes and all the 7 offer Ph.D. programmes. Many of these

Departments/School are known internationally for their research achievements in

advanced and highly specialized frontier areas. Annexure II gives the short-term

and long-term needs of each department as part of the DPR. DPR for the individual

departments are given below. All the Departments/School require additionalbuilding space, teaching and technical staff and modernization of laboratories. The

immediate fund requirement for upgrading the Departments/School are given under

the respective sections.

4.2.2.1 Department of Computer Science

(Proposed new name:

Department of Computer Science and Engineering)

With a view to contributing towards India emerging as the IT superpower, the


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Department of Computer Science has been in the forefront in offering innovative

academic programs, right from its inception in 1984. The department has

successfully implemented several projects, supported by the MHRD, The UGC,

The DRDO , the DST, and the AICTE. Two research projects are currently under

operation with support from the ISRO.

The Department can claim many firsts in Kerala. In 1984, the department started

the M.Tech in Computer & Information Science. In 1986 the department was

identified by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) to offer

the M.Sc in Computer Software. In 1996 the department gave leadership in

designing the B.Tech course in Information Technology. In 1999 the departmentbecame a pioneer by starting the first M.Tech. Course in Software Engineering.

The department has always strived to secure projects and to set up state of the art

Computing infrastructure. In 1989, the Mainframe Computer was commissioned

in the campus. In 1996, the department secured a project from the Department of

Science & Technology, Government of India for establishing the first high-end

Computing platform in Kerala. A land mark event was the commissioning of the

first intranet in Kerala in 1998. This was done with support of the MHO programme

of the Royal Government of Netherlands. CUSAT has its own e-mail system and

web-server in the campus, managed by the staff of the department.

The Computer Laboratories in the Department, provided with PCs with LCD

Monitors other software, and conduct research in the areas of Computer Science,

such as Artificial Intelligence, Computer Networks and Information Systems

Engineering with an output of about 150 publications and 5 Ph.Ds. The alumni of

the department occupy enviable positions in several parts of the world. Budgetaryproposal for the upgradation of this Department is shown in Table-9. Details of

proposals for upgradation are given in Annexure -II.

4.2.2.2 Department of Computer Applications

The Department offers an MCA from the year 1994 onwards with an annual intake

of 60 students and also a Ph.D. program. UGC, in the year 1990, jointly with the

Department of Electronics, Government of India, sanctioned the MCA program


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for Cochin University of Science & Technology. Currently, the department is

offering MCA program with an annual intake of 60 students and also offers a Ph.D.

program. MCA being a three year program, the strength of the students in the

department is 180 and Ph.D. students account for another 10 to 15. The MCA

program of the department is well appreciated by the industry and public alike.

The placement record of the department is one of the best. The Department

specializes in the following research areas: FUZZY Sets and Logic Applications in

Artificial Intelligence, Computer Assisted Classical Music, Simulation & Pattern

Recognition, Internet-Marketing, E-Commerce and Information Technology. The

Department has taken up a challenging research project Computer Assisted

Classical Music: Analysis, Evaluation & Training, financially supported by AICTE.This year, we have about 3000 applicants for 60 seats. The faculty of the department

are actively engaged in several extension programmes such as giving training to

faculty and personnel of other institutions and industries. Also faculty are engaged

in providing expert services to industries and other academic institutions. Further

details and steps envisaged under upgradation are given in Annexure-II. Estimated

Budgetary proposal for upgradation is given in Table-10

4.2.2.3. Department of Electronics

The University of Cochin established the Department of Electronics in the year

1975. This is envisaged as a postgraduate Department with Masters Degree and

Ph.D programmes in frontier fields of Electronics. The Department was inaugurated

by Prof. M.G.K. Menon in 1975. Realising the growing needs of trained man-

power in various fields of Electronics, the University decided to start teaching

programmes in the Department. Initially, an M.Tech. course was started with astudent strength of 6. Subsequently the number was raised to 20 in the general

category and 5 in the sponsored quota. In 1983, the All India Council for Technical

Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) extended

financial support to the M.Tech. course. The Doctorate Programme in the

Department covers mainly areas in the fields of Underwater Acoustics, Ocean

Electronics, Microwave Propagation & Antennas, Pattern recognition,

Microprocessor Applications, Signal processing and Display Devices. External

agencies like the Department of Science & Technology (Govt. of India), Indian


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Space Research Organisation (ISRO), C.S.I.R., Atomic Energy Commission,

Defence Research and Development Organisation and the State Government are

supporting this Department through various Research projects and Research

Fellowships.

In 1990, the Department started the M.Sc. course in Electronics co-sponsored by

UGC and the Department of Electronics (Govt. of India). In 1988, the University

Grants Commission sanctioned COSIST assistance of Rs.57.86 lakhs to the

Department for development of postgraduate education and research in the areas

of Microprocessor Applications and Microwave Antennas.

In 1993, the Department was selected by UGC for the Departmental Research

Support (DRS) in the field of Ocean Electronics, with a financial assistance of

about 60.00 lakhs for five years. In 1998, an additional financial assistance was

sanctioned for Rs. 33.00 lakhs under DRS scheme for a period of 5 years. Recently

the Department of Science and Technology (Government of India) has sanctioned

Rs.60.00 lakhs under the FIST Programme to this Department. The Department is

poised for further growth and the detailed upgradation measures are outlined under

Annexure II and the estimated budget for upgradation is given in Table -11.

4.2.2.4. Department of Instrumentation

The Department of Instrumentation was established in the University in 1995 by

restructuring the University Science Instrumentation Center (USIC), which was

set up in the year 1978 with support from UGC. The center was established to

provide Instrumentation service to various teaching and research Departments of

the University by way of design, fabrication and maintenance of laboratory

equipments and components. The center has mechanical workshop, carpentry,

electronics workshop, optics workshop and glass blowing section under it. The

center was upgraded to level III USIC in the year 1990 and a few teaching positions

were sanctioned. Subsequently, one Professor, two Readers and three Lecturers

were appointed. Academic programmes (B.Tech. and Ph.D.) were introduced during

this period and the center was restructured as the Department of instrumentation in

1995. The Department now offers B.Tech programme in Instrumentation with an


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intake of 28 and Ph.D programme in the areas of Instrumentation and Applied

Physics. Five batches of students have completed B.Tech. course so far and most

of the students are well placed in Industry/R&D Institutions. Nine students have

completed their Ph.D and several papers were published in reputed journals. One

of the faculty was awarded the prestigious Alexander Von Humboldt foundation

Felllowship for post-doctoral research in Germany. The Department has a very

active research programme in the areas of Instrumentation and Applied Physics.

The Department has implemented research projects sponsored by external funding

agencies like DST, DAE, UGC, AICTE, STEd (Kerala) and Third World Academy

of Scienes (TWAS). It has served as the venue for a number of national symposia

and the faculty have published over 80 research papers pertaining to Instrumentationand allied areas in journals of repute. The Department offers refresher programmes

for teachers as well as for technical/scientific staff of Universities/Colleges. Major

instrumental facilities include Photoacoustic Spectrometer, Ultrasonic

Interferometer, Photothermal Deflection set up etc. The Department needs additional

support for further growth. Details of proposals under upgradation are outlined in

Annexure-II and estimated budget for upgradation is shown in Table-12.

4.2.2.5. Department of Polymer Science & Rubber Technology

Recognizing the importance of natural rubber and its significance in the India

economy, the Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology was instituted

by the University in 1972 in collaboration with the Rubber Research Institute of

India (RRII), Kottayam. The B.Tech course was started in 1972. The M.Tech.

course in Polymer Technology was started in 1985 with assistance from UGC and

AICTE. Professionals belonging to the past batches now adorn various highpositions in polymer industries and research institutions in India as well as abroad.

The Department is also actively engaged in research in the frontier areas of Polymer

Science/Technology.

A series of national seminars on Advances in Polymer Technology (APT) has

been organized by the Department in 1991, 1996 and 1998. Due to the collaboration

between the department and Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands,

2002 and 2004 editions were organized as international conference. The Department


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has undertaken several research programs to date. Five major projects have been

successfully completed with a financial outlay of 50 lakhs supported by DST, MHRD

and Vokswagen foundation, Germany. A major collaboration with the Eindhoven

University of Technology, The Netherlands was initiated in 2001 under the MHO

program of the Dutch government. The department has been identified by DST,

Govt. of India for funding under the FIST program with an outlay of Rs. 55 lakhs.

The faculty members have to their credit about 300 research publications in

internationally reputed journals. More than 50 students have taken their Ph.D

degrees from the Department. Major facilities include Brabender Plasticorder,

Elastograph, UV/VIS/NIR Spectrophotometer, Gelpermeation Chromatograph,

rubber/plastic processing equipments, Atago Abbe Refractometer, K.N. Voltmeteretc. The Department has successfully completed major research projects supported

by UGC, DST, MHRD and the Volkswagen Foundation, Germany. Several new

facilities are needed for upgradation, the proposal for upgradation is presented in

detail in Annexure-II and the estimated budget proposal for upgradation is shown

in Table -13

4.2.2.6 Department of Ship Technology

The Department was established in 1974 with an aim to train graduates in the field

of Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding. The first batch of B.Tech(NA&SB)

commenced in January 1975. Started as a 10 semester course, it was restructured

into a 9 semesters program in 1981 and subsequently to an 8 semester program in

2002. Initial intake was 15 but increased in a phased manner to meet the demands.

The present intake is 39 ( including 12 candidates sponsored by the Indian Navy, 1

seat reserved as sports quota and 2 seats reserved for deserving foreign nationals).The first batch passed out in 1980.

The graduates from the Department are well received by the industry and related

institutions all over the world. The alumni are spread across all the continents. A

total of 435 students (24 batches) have graduated so far with the following placement

statistics (approx.) Indian subcontinent: 54%; Persian Gulf: 26%; Far east: 11%;

US+Europe: 9%. The Department has achieved 100% placement and a lions share

of them are through campus recruitments.


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The Department has a highly qualified and dedicated faculty, an excellent library,

computer center, laboratories and workshops. The faculty have over 100 research

publications to their credit. A landmark in the history of the Department is the

fruitful collaboration with the Wilhem Pieck University of the erstwhile German

Democratic Republic during 1978-1990. At present the Department has an MoU

with the Chosun University of S.Korea. The Royal Institution of Naval Architects,

London, has accredited the course in 1994. A tie up with Indian Navy to train their

cadets as Naval Architects exists since 1987. The Ministry of surface transport,

Govt. of India, has approved this program for the M.O.T Certificate examination

in 1998. The Department needs additional positions and modernization of

laboratories. Upgradation proposals are outlined in Annexure-II and the estimatedbudget proposal for upgradation is shown in Table -14.

4.2.2.7 International School of Photonics

International School of Photonics (ISP) came into existence in 1995 by restructuring

and delinking the laser laboratories along with the faculty members of the laser

group from the Department of Physics at Cochin University of Science and

Technology. Manpower development and establishment of research activities in

Photonics and related fields are the major objectives of ISP. ISP offers a four-

semester M.Tech. course in Optoelectronics and Laser Technology. In 2001 an

M.Phil. course in Photonics was also started with an objective to train teachers in

the area of Photonics. About 25 scholars pursue Ph.D. programme. A B.Tech.

Degree course in Photonics and Optical Engineering has been proposed here as a

future programme under upgradation.

International School of Photonics has set up one of the best laser laboratories in

the country. The research topics span from fundamental to applied fields in Photonics

and related areas like nonlinear optics, optical fiber sensors, nanophotonics, quantum

wells and quantum dots, photo thermal effects, optical neural networks etc. ISP

received substantial international assistance under the Dutch MHO programme. At

present a number of collaborative research activities with various institutions in

India and abroad are in progress. Strong academic ties have been established with

Eindhoven Technological University in the Netherlands. Over 80 research papers


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have been published during the past 5 years in highly rated international journals.

In view of the outstanding achievements of this University in the field of lasers

and related areas, the University Grants Commission in the year 2002, approved a

Centre of Excellence in Lasers and Optoelectronics Sciences (CELOS) in

CUSAT with a financial allotment of Rs.5 crores under the UPE (University with

Potential for Excellence) programme of UGC. This National Centre, which is an

interdisciplinary one with participation of Departments of Physics and Electronics,

is administratively attached to ISP. A five-year integrated M.Sc. Degree course in

Photonics is being conducted by CELOS. The School is poised for significant

upgradation under the IIT proposal. A detailed outline is given in Annexure-II andthe estimated budget proposal for upgradation is shown in Table-15.

4.2.3. Faculty of Science

The Faculty of Science consists of five Basic Science Departments of the University,

viz, Department of Applied Chemistry, Department of Biotechnology, Department

of Mathematics, Department of Physics and Department of Statistics. All these

departments have very good research base and have produced a very large numberof publications in prestigious journals. All of them are conducting Post-graduate

M.Sc. courses and Ph.D. programmes. A few of them offer M.Tech. and M.Phil.

Degree courses. These departments are operating research schemes sanctioned by

various national and international agencies. Some of these departments have to

reorganize themselves to carry out interdisciplinary programmes and courses.

Departments like Mathematics, Physics, Applied Chemistry etc., have to readjust

their course structure to help the B.Tech. and M.Tech. Courses in engineering

subjects. Such a restructuring programme is visualized under this upgradation

proposal. Therefore they require funding to augment the space, modernize and

upgrade the laboratory and library facilities and to appoint more teaching and

technical staff. All these aspects are listed below for each Department.

4.2.3.1 Department of Applied Chemistry

Department of Chemistry is now offering M.Sc. and M.Phil. Degree courses in


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Applied Chemistry and an M.Tech. Degree course in Industrial Catalysis. An

integrated M.Sc. Degree course (Five year) is proposed to be started in the

Department. The Department will also undertake courses in consultation with the

Departments of Biotechnology, Chemical Oceanography and Environmental

Studies. It has also to cater to the chemistry courses of B.Tech programmes. The

Department at present has nine teachers. One teacher has to go on QIP programme

for taking the Ph.D Degree. There is a Lecturer in School of Engineering. To

cater to the needs of all the courses more teachers have to be appointed.

Department of Applied Chemistry is now accommodated in Physical Science Block

1 along with the Department of Physics. The existing laboratories in the buildingwere not designed according to the requirements and specifications for Chemistry

laboratories. In order to acquire international standards and specifications, it is

proposed to have a new building especially for laboratories for the Department of

Applied Chemistry. When CUSAT becomes IIT, new courses have to be started

and new faculty are to be recruited. Hence large-scale expansion has to be

undertaken for satisfactory functioning of the Department. An outline for

upgradation is given in Annexure-III and the estimated budget proposal for

upgradation is summarized in Table 16

4.2.3.2 Department of Biotechnology

This is a comparatively younger Department of CUSAT, but one with great potential

for future growth. The Department of Biotechnology is now conducting a M.Sc.

Degree course and a Ph.D. programme. The research activities of the Department

are presently centred around areas such as microbial technology, cell biology and

plant biotechnology. The Department has established a Centre for Neuroscience,

which has strong collaborative programmes with the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute

of Medical Sciences (Deemed University) and Rajiv Gandhi Institute for

Biotechnology in Trivandrum. It is proposed to start an integrated B.Tech-M.Tech.

programme with an intake of 20 students. It will be of 10 semesters. Additional

staff will be required for this new course. At present the Department has five

teachers and one has to go on QIP for taking Ph.D Degree. Upgradation proposals

are outlined in Annexure-III and the budget proposal for upgradation is shown in

Table 17.


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4.2.3.3 Department of Mathematics

Department of Mathematics now offers two M.Sc. Degree courses in (i)

Mathematics and (ii) Operations Research & Computer A pplications and (iii) an

M.Phil Degree course in Mathematics. It is also having a very vibrant Ph.D.

programme. The department conducts the Regional Mathematics Olympiad every

year and related training programmes for school teachers under the aegis of the

National Board of Higher Mathematics. In the restructured set up, the department

will have to conduct all mathematical courses for B.Tech mooted by various

Engineering Departments. At present the department has seven teachers of whom

one will retire soon. Therefore the three posts lying vacant now (including thepost that will be falling vacant soon, of one Professor and two Lecturers) must be

filled immediately. School of Engineering has now two Lecturers in Mathematics,

one of whom has no Ph.D. Degree. Additional posts of five Lecturers will have to

be created and filled to satisfy the criteria for an IIT. Substantial support is needed

in this regard. Detailed upgradation proposal is given in Annexure-III and estimated

budget proposal for upgradation is shown in Table -18.

4.2.3.4 Department of Physics

Department of Physics is the oldest department in the Faculty of Science. It has a

creditable record of 43 years of glorious performance. In 1995, the Laser Laboratory

of the department has been separated to establish a new department, the International

School of Photonics. The Department is now conducting M.Sc. Degree course in

Physics with different Elective subjects. It also offers M.Phil. and Ph.D.

programmes. These courses need to be strengthened with more Electives. The

department proposes to start Integrated M.Sc. Degree course in Physics (Five year).

At present the department has eleven teachers. If the current courses are considered

along with the additional courses to be offered for various B.Tech courses more

staff need to be appointed. One Physics teacher is available in the School of

Engineering. Additional space for the department can be obtained if the present

Department of Applied Chemistry is shifted to a new building. Present building

has to be modified for the purpose. Upgradation proposals are furnished in

Annexure-III and the estimated budget proposal for upgradation is shown in Table-

19.


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4.2.3.5 Department of Statistics

The Department of Statistics was established by bifurcating the Department of

Mathematical Sciences into Departments of Mathematics and Department of

Statistics. The Department is offering an M.Sc Degree course in Statistics, an

M.Tech. Degree course in Engineering Statistics and a Ph.D. programme. The

department proposes to increase the intake for M.Sc. course from 15 to 20. The

M.Tech. Degree course, at present, is offered only during alternate years. It is

proposed to offer this course every year as there is high demand for the course. A

new five year integrated M.Sc. Degree course in Applied Statistics and Informatics

will be offered. The department has now 7 teachers. One teacher does not have aPh.D. Degree. One post of Professor and one post of Reader, which are now vacant,

have to be filled first. For the courses proposed additional teachers have to be

appointed. Detailed upgradation proposals are indicated in Annexure III and

estimated budget proposal for upgradation is shown in Table-20

4.2.4 Faculty of Marine Sciences

4.2.4.1 The School of Industrial Fisheries

Established in 1976 as Department of Industrial Fisheries under the erstwhile

University of Cochin. The department was elevated to the status of the School in

1995 by recognizing the progress achieved in Teaching, Research and outreach

activities in various facets of Fisheries.

The activities of the School are now carried out under five separate well defined

divisions of (1) Aquaculture & Capture Fisheries, (2) Fishing Craft & Gear

Technology (3) Fish Processing Technology (4) Fisheries Economics and (5)

Fisheries Management.

The School offers post graduation and Ph. D programmes in Fishery Sciences.

Since inception, more than 416 students have taken postgraduate degree in Industrial

Fisheries while the number of Ph.D. completed from this School is around 80.


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A thorough reorganization of the School is now possible to befit the School under

IIT stream of education. Three innovative post M.Tech programmes have been

added to produce man power with gainful and appropriate competency to enable

them in taking up job opportunities in culture and capture fisheries, fish processing

sector, fisheries extension, fishing industry entrepreneurship, secondary and post

secondary teaching, fisheries administration and other specialized areas of fisheries.

Research at the School comprises of individual academic pursuits, collaborative

research projects, sponsored research projects supported by national and

international agencies, and consultancy research activities conducted on behalf of

other government/private institutions.

Details of upgradation proposals are given in Annexure-IV and estimated budget

proposal for upgradation is shown in Table-22

4.2.4.2 The School of Marine Sciences

The School of Marine Sciences (located at the Lakeside campus of the University)

has a long history of over sixty-five years of academic pursuit in Marine Sciences.

Nucleated as a Department of Marine Biology and Fisheries under the erstwhileTravancore University in 1938, the School has grown into the largest academic

facility in Marine Sciences in India. Presently, the School of Marine Sciences

comprises five well established Departments with academic and administrative

autonomy and is involved in several coordinated teaching and research programmes.

It has an excellent library and a research vessel R.V.Anveshika for coastal water

studies. The school has earned the special recognition of the University Grants

Commission under the DRS, COSIST and SAP Programmes. The School has now

completed the Phase-II of the DSA Programme.

The Centre for Integrated Management of Coastal Zones was set up in the School

to offer a P.G.Diploma programme in Coastal Zone Management and to conduct

research in the frontier areas of Coastal Zone Management. This was facilitated

through the MHO programme.


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The School is the only Centre in Marine Sciences in India, which has facilities for

teaching and research in all constituent disciplines of Marine Sciences functioning

under the same roof and which, therefore, offers excellent opportunities for healthy

interdisciplinary interaction. The school has students and staff from all over the

country in its rolls.

The School has academic interaction with the universities in the Netherlands under

the MHO programame of collaboration between CUSAT and the Dutch Government.

Also, the School has collaboration with the Centre for Tropical Ecology, University

of Bremen, Germany.

Details of upgradation proposals are given in Annexure - IV.

Budgetary proposal for upgradation is shown in Table 21

4.2.4.3 Department of Atmospheric Sciences

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences was formed in 1996 by bifurcating the

erstwhile Physical Oceanography and Meteorology Division of the School of Marine

Sciences. The Department started offering a 4-semester M. Sc programme in

Meteorology since 1975 and a 4-semester M. Tech in Atmospheric Science since

1989. Another M. Sc programme in Remote Sensing Applications & GIS is proposed

and will be started by the Department in the near future.

Apart from teaching activities, research works in modeling, diagnostic, theoretical

and observational studies in the field of Meteorology/Atmospheric Sciences are in

full swing. Government of India has identified the Department of Atmospheric

Sciences, CUSAT as one of the Centers of Excellence to carry out research work inthe frontier area Mesospheric Modelling of Monsoon Related Predictions, an

ambitious project under the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership

Initiative (NMITLI), along with other premier national institutes, such as IIT,

Delhi, IISc., Bangalore, NAL, Bangalore, CMMACS, Bangalore, IITM, Pune and

TIFR, Bombay. The Department operates several research programmes funded by

national and international agencies and it is a nodal centre for atmospheric and

monsoon data


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Details of upgradation proposed are given in Annexure-IV and estimated budget

proposal for upgradation is shown in Table 23

4.2.4.4 Department of Chemical Oceanography

Formed in 1984 as a division of the School of Marine Sciences, it was upgraded to

a department in 1996 . With a strong research base it has produced 14 Ph.D s so

far. M.Sc. Hydrochemistry is a unique course, introduced in 1996 to provide the

students sound theoretical basis of the various chemical processes and interactions

that govern the hydrosphere which is essential for evolving management schemes

for the coastal and other aquatic systems. The department has proposed area

M.Tech Programme.


proposal for upgradation is shown in Table-24

4.2.4.5 Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry

The Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry is one of the

first and foremost academic centers in these disciplines in the country. The M.Sc.

programme in Marine Biology was started in 1958. The Department has been

engaged in research right from its inception in 1938 and 93 students have taken

their PhDs in different areas of Marine Biology, Microbiology and biochemistry.

Around 600 research papers have been published. A team of talented teachers,

trained in different areas of Marine Biology, Micro Biology and Biochemistry in

India and abroad constitute the faculty.

The Department has all the essential infrastructure for teaching, training and researchin the basic and applied frontiers of these disciplines. The facilities include a

well-maintained museum, aquarium, laboratories and highly sophisticated analytical

equipments

The Department of Ocean Development has established an OSTC (Ocean Science

and Technology Cell) in the Department to monitor research on Marine benthos. A

wide variety of topics related to biology, ecology and toxicology of fish and other


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organisms in the backwaters and costal zone have been taken up for research.


proposal for upgradation is shown in Table -25.

4.2.4.6 Department of Marine Geology and Geophysics

The Department known originally as the Marine Geology division of the School of

Marine Sciences came in to existence in the year 1976 with the inception of a 2

year M.Sc. Course in Marine Geology. Later in the year 1992, a 3-year M.Sc.

(Tech) programme in Marine Geophysics was instituted. In 2002, the course was

restructured in to a 2 year M.Sc. programme in Marine Geophysics. With the

inception of Marine Geology and Geophysics courses, the Department has become

one of the pioneer institutes providing facility for higher learning and research in

Marine Geology and Geophysics. Besides the postgraduate academic programme,

the Department is actively engaged in research leading to Ph.D. programmes.

The faculty members of the Department have achieved excellence in their field of

specialization and have overseas postdoctoral training in well-known institutions

through the award of DAAD, Commonwealth fellowships, IOI scholarships etc.

More than 100 publications, both in national and international journals and 25

externally funded projects of national agencies are indeed among the achievements

of the Department. The Department has produced more than 24 doctoral theses

and has also hosted more than half a dozen Seminars, Workshops and PAMC Group

Monitoring Meetings during the last 5 years.


proposal for upgradation is shown in Table -26

4.2.4.7. Department of Physical Oceanography

The Department of Physical Oceanography was established in 1996 as part of the

restructuring programme of the University Schools/Departments. It is offering

full-fledged prestigious programmes of study in M Sc Oceanography and M.Tech.

in Ocean Technology. 34 Ph.D.s have graduated since 1976 (year of establishment

of School of Marine Sciences and Physical Oceanography and Meteorology


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Division) and currently 5 students are enrolled for their doctoral research work. .

The thrust areas of research include Coastal Zone Management, Estuarine Dynamics

and Sedimentation, Coastal Hydrodynamics, Climate Change and Wave Modeling,

Environmental Geology and Environmental Conservation. Research publicationsstand at 220 papers and 35 Ph.D.s since 1984. Members of the faculty have been

awarded international fellowships to conduct research abroad under fellowships

such as Commonwealth, Russian Government etc.


proposal for upgradation is shown in Table -27

4.2.5 Faculty of Environmental Studies

The Faculty of Environmental Studies was formed in 1980 in the context of

increasing concern about environmental degradation, and the need to protect and

revive the environment. The Faculty consists of the School of Environmental

Studies.

4.2.5.1 School of Environmental Studies

(Proposed new name:

School of Environment Science and Engineering)

The mandate of the School (SES) is to serve as a prime center of environmental

education, Environmental Impact assessment, and to develop eco-friendly

technologies for environmental management. It is now offering M.Sc degree course

and Ph.D program. The research activities are presently centered around areas

such as Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Biotechnology and Environmen

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