Arcot Ramachandran | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 April 1923 [1] Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Died | 29 September 2018 (aged 95) |
| Occupation | Scientist |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Sir M. Visvesvaraya Life Time Achievement Award INAE Life Time Achievement Award World Federation of Engineering Organizations Award Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Gold Medal World Habitat Trophy Heat Transfer Memorial Award |
Arcot Ramachandran (1923-2018) was an Indian scientist, anthropologist, author and a former Under-Secretary General of United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, known for his scholarship on the subjects of heat and mass transfer and environment and his social commitment to the cause of sustainable development. The Government of India honoured him in 2003, with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, for his services to the fields of Science and Engineering. [2]
Born in a Tamil speaking Arcot Mudaliar family in the Indian state of Karnataka,
Arcot Ramachandran graduated from the Madras University and went to the Purdue University, USA, from where he obtained MS degree in Engineering. He continued at the University for his doctoral research and obtained his PhD. [3]
Ramachandran started his career as a faculty member of the Department of Power Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 1950, and, later, rose to the rank of an Assistant Professor. In 1954, he took a break from the teaching career to work as a Research Engineer at Babcock & Wilcox Research and Development Centre, Renfrew, Scotland where he worked for a year. The next year, in 1955, he again went to the US to continue his studies at the post-doctoral level, as post-doctoral research fellow, to Purdue University and, later, at Columbia University. [3] [4]
Ramachandran came back to India, in 1957, did a summer course at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Subsequent to that, IISc invited him to head the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 1965, he was transferred as the Head of the Department of Industrial Management and, two years later, in 1967, he became the Director of IIT Madras. [4] [5]
In 1973, the Government of India established a new Department of Science and Technology and nominated Dr. Ramachandran as the Government Secretary and the Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, in charge of the newly formed department. During his tenure there, he is reported to be able to start several ventures and programs such as: [3]
In 1977, Ramachandran was made the chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development. He was also involved with the UNESCO Expert Group Meeting on Engineering Education, [7] in the capacity of its chairman. U.N. ESCAP Regional Centre for Transfer of Technology Bangalore, started on 16 July 1977, owes its origin to the recommendations of this Expert Group. [8] The next year, he was selected as the Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), headquartered in Nairobi. He also had the additional charge of the Administrator of the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation. In 1993, Dr. Ramachandran retired from the UN. [3]
Ramachandran has participated, as the chairman or as a member, in various advisory and consultative committees [9] under the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources, the Ministry of Urban Affairs and the Department of Ocean Development. [3]
Arcot Ramachandran has made many contributions, both social and educational, during his academic and administrative careers. During his tenure as the Under Secretary General at the UN Centre for Human Settlements, he proposed the introduction of World Habitat Day , which was accepted, leading to observing the first Monday of every October as a special day to remind the world of sustainable progress with regard to environment. [3] [10] He was also instrumental in the proclamation of the year 1987 as the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless, as a part of the Global Strategy for Shelter for the year 1987. [10] It was during his tenure, UN launched the Sustainable Cities Programme in 12 cities, in 1990. [11] [12]
On the academic front, Ramachandran is the founder of a School of Research in Heat and Mass Transfer. [4] He is reported to be successful in launching several programs in Mechanical Engineering, during his stint at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, under his Directorship, is reported to have gained reputation as a Centre of Excellence. [10] [13] During this period, he founded the Indian Society of Heat and Mass Transfer of which he was the first President. He also opened the School of Heat Transfer and the School of Energy Research, under the umbrella of IIT Madras. He is also credited with organising the Regional Centre for Energy, Heat and Mass Transfer for Asia-Pacific. [3]
While he was the Government Secretary, Ramachandran implemented the first Science and Technology Plan, suggested by NCST. His efforts were also reported to be behind the establishment of National Remote Sensing Agency, in Hyderabad. He is also regarded as the architect of the National Program for Research and Development in Renewable Sources of Energy. [10] [13]
Arcot Ramchandran has also contributed to dissemination of information by way of conducting many seminars [14] and by way of keynote addresses and lectures, delivered at various platforms and seminars, a few of which are:
Arcot Ramachandran has been honoured by several prominent educational and research institutions, by way of Fellowships and Honoris Causa Doctoral degrees.
Honorary doctorates
Fellowships
Gopalasamudram Narayanan Ramachandran, or G.N. Ramachandran, FRS was an Indian physicist who was known for his work that led to his creation of the Ramachandran plot for understanding peptide structure. He was the first to propose a triple-helical model for the structure of collagen. He subsequently went on to make other major contributions in biology and physics.
Udupi Ramachandra Rao was an Indian space scientist and former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He was also the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad and Nehru Planetarium at Bengaluru and chancellor of the Indian Institute for Space Science and Technology (IIST) at Thiruvananthapuram. He is known as "The Satellite Man of India". He pioneered India's first satellite launch Aryabhata in 1975.
Anil Kakodkar, is an Indian nuclear physicist and mechanical engineer. He was the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India and the Secretary to the Government of India, he was the Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay from 1996 to 2000. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour, on 26 January 2009.
Ravi B. Grover is an Indian nuclear scientist and a mechanical engineer. He is the founding vice-chancellor of the Homi Bhabha National Institute, a member of the Atomic Energy Commission, chairman of the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and World Academy of Art and Science. He was the president of the Indian Society of Heat and Mass Transfer for the period 2010–2013. He has been awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India in the year 2014.
Srikumar Banerjee was an Indian metallurgical engineer. He retired as the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India (AECI) and the secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) on 30 April 2012. Prior to his stint as DAE chairman, he was the director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) from 30 April 2004 to 19 May 2010. He had also served as a DAE Homi Bhabha Chair Professor at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. He was known as a great physical metallurgist.
Indian Institute of Technology Madras is a public technical university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is selected as one of the 8 public Institutes of Eminence of India. As one of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), it is recognized as an Institute of National Importance. IIT Madras is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in India.
G. Madhavan Nair is an Indian space scientist and a former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, and Secretary to the Department of Space, Government of India. He has also been the Chairman of the Space Commission and Chairman of the Governing Body of the Antrix Corporation, Bangalore. He was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology Patna until he stepped down due to his involvement in a controversial deal relating to sale of radio spectrum bandwidth involving Antrix. He was subsequently barred from holding any private position
Senapathy "Kris" Gopalakrishnan is an Indian billionaire businessman who is recognized as a global business and technology thought leader for his role in growing the IT services industry worldwide. He co-founded Infosys, where he served as the chief executive officer and managing director from 2007 to 2011, and as vice chairman from 2011 to 2014. Following his retirement from Infosys, Kris has been very active in promoting the Indian startup ecosystem, and philanthropically supporting research on brain sciences, aging related disorders, and healthcare in India. He has also been on the board of trustees for the Infosys Science Foundation from 2009, and currently serves as the President of the Board. According to Forbes,He has an estimated net worth of US$4.60 Billion as of December,2021 making him one of the richest people in India.
Koppillil Radhakrishnan is an Indian space scientist who headed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) between November 2009 and December 2014 as Chairman of Space Commission, Secretary of the Department of Space and Chairman of ISRO. Prior to this, he was the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (2007-2009) and Director of National Remote Sensing Agency (2005-2008) of the Department of Space. He had a brief stint of five years (2000-2005) in the Ministry of Earth Sciences as Director of Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).
Jayant R. Haritsa is an Indian computer scientist and professor. He is on the faculty of the CDS and CSA departments at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. He works on the design and analysis of Database Systems. In 2009 he won the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize sponsored by CSIR, India. In 2014 he won the Infosys Prize for Engineering.
George Joseph is an Indian space scientist, best known for his contributions to the development of remote sensing technology in India, especially in the field of earth observation sensors. He is a former chairman of the Lunar Mission Study Task Force of the Indian Space Research Organization and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Indian Academy of Sciences and Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 1999.
Dr. A. E. Muthunayagam is a leading space scientist in the Indian Space Research Organisation and the chief architect of rocket propulsion in India. He was responsible for the creation of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre. For his significant contributions to the development of Propulsion Technology in India, he is known as the father of propulsion technology in India's space program. He chose to return to India from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the development of propulsion technology in the Indian Space Research Organisation. He established the Test Stands and Assembly and Integration Facilities in Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Mahendragiri for testing liquid stages of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. He is the founder director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre] and held the position from 30 November 1985 to 14 April 1994. He held the secretary position in the Department of Ocean Development. He worked as an executive vice-president in Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment. He worked as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai from 2005 to 2008. He was appointed under Section 11 of the IIT Act of 1961, which lays down the composition of the Board of Governors for each of the seven Indian Institutes of Technology across India
Palle Rama Rao FREng is an Indian scientist noted for his contribution to the field of Physical and Mechanical Metallurgy. He has collaborated and conducted research activities for over dozen universities and associations all over India and abroad. He has been honoured with the titles of Padma Vibhushan in 2011 by president of India for his contributions to scientific community. He is acting as the chairman, Governing Council, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad.
Malur Ramasamy Srinivasan, is an Indian nuclear scientist and mechanical engineer. He played a key role in the development of India's nuclear power programme and the development of the PHWR. He received the Padma Vibhushan Award.
Prem Shanker Goel is an Indian space scientist, former secretary at the Department of Ocean Development, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India and a former director of Indian Space Research Organization. He was honored by the Government of India, in 2001, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Suhas Pandurang Sukhatme is an Indian scientist, teacher, author and a former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board of the Government of India, known for his expertise in heat transfer and energy technologies. He was honoured by the Government of India, in 2001, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Munirathna Anandakrishnan was an Indian civil engineer, educationist, a chairman of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and a Vice-Chancellor of Anna University. He was also an Advisor to the Government of Tamil Nadu on Information Technology and e-Governance. A winner of the National Order of Scientific Merit (Brazil), he was honored by the Government of India, in 2002, with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Valangiman Subramanian Ramamurthy is an Indian nuclear physicist with a broad range of contributions from basic research to Science and Engineering administration.Prof.Ramamurthy started his career in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai in the year 1963. He made important research contributions in the area of nuclear fission, medium energy heavy ion reactions, statistical and thermodynamic properties of nuclei and low energy accelerator applications. During the period 1995-2006, Prof.Ramamurthy was fully involved in Science administration as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Science and Technology, (DST), New Delhi.Other important assignments held by him include Director, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, (1989-1995), DAE Homi Bhabha Chair in the Inter-University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi (2006-2010), and Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru (2009-2014). He is a former chairman of the Recruitment and Assessment Board of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and has served as a member of the design team of the first Indian nuclear experiment in Pokhran on 18 May 1974. The Government of India awarded him the third highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 2005.
Kailasavadivoo Sivan is an Indian space scientist who served as the Secretary of the Department of Space and chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Space Commission. He has previously served as the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.
Ramadas Panemangalore Shenoy was an Indian defence scientist and writer, known for his contributions in the field of radar technology. He secured a doctoral degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and joined Defence Research and Development Organization in 1961, involving himself with the indigenous development of radar technology till his retirement, as a Distinguished Scientist, in 1989.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
