Vidya Academy of Science and Technology

Vidya Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), locally also known as Vidya Engineering College or Vidya College or simply Vidya, is a new generation private self-financing engineering college functioning in Thrissur District in Kerala. The college is located in a 30 acre lush green rural campus situated nearly half-way between the legendary temple town of Guruvayoor and Thrissur City, the district head-quarters. The college offers B Tech courses in six branches of engineering - civil, computer science, electrical and electronics, electronics and communication, mechanical, and production - and also the post-graduate course of MCA. The college was established and is administered by Vidya International Charitable Trust [http://vidyaict.com/ (VICT)] , a registered body formed by more than a thousand philanthropic Non-Resident Keralites mostly based in the Arab Gulf states. VAST, with all statutory and quality-ensuring certifications, is a college which has accepted a measure of social control [Guidelines for starting of new colleges [http://kshec.kerala.gov.in/guidelines.htm] (Retrieved on 28 August 208)] especially in matters of admissions and fee structure. It is also a college where a substantial number of students enjoy some form of financial assistance in the form of scholarships instituted by the management. In popular rating this young college has been ranked as one in the top eight engineering colleges in Kerala among colleges having comparable administrative/organizational structures.

This college is a contemporaneous addendum to the growing assemblage of educational institutionsall established inspired by the exhortations of
Sree Narayana Guru a saint-like figure whose profound spiritual teachings and activities had acted as a stimulant for a great social transformation of Kerala.Infobox University
name = Vidya Academy of Science and Technology


image_size=120px
motto = Progress through education
principal = Dr S P Subramanian
dean=Dr P Prathapachandran Nair
director=Dr D Balakrishnan
type = Private self-financing engineering college
established = 2003
city = Thrissur
state = Kerala
country = India
undergrad = 1440
postgrad = 180
faculty = 100
campus = 30 acres in a rural area
website = http://vidyaacademy.ac.in

History

The college was established in the academic year 2003-04 and started functioning from August 2003.Initially the college offered B Tech courses in four branches of engineering, namely, computer science, electrical and electronics, electronics and communication, and mechanical.From the academic year 2006-07 onwards the college began to offer B Tech programmes in civil engineering and production engineering also. In the same academic year the post-graduate programme of Master of Computer Applications (MCA) was also started . Now there are a total of 1440 students and nearly a hundred faculty members in the college.

Anchor|CertificationsCertifications

The college is affiliated to University of Calicut, approved by All India Council for Technical Education and recognized by Government of Kerala (see External links below). It has also secured certification, considered the gold standard for quality assurance.

Vision

Departments and courses

The college has seven engineering departments (including the Department of Computer Applications) and three allied departments. The College runs six B Tech programmes and the MCA programme.

Engineering Departments

# [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/ceinfrastructure.html Department of Civil Engineering]
# [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/cseinfrastructure.html Department of Computer Science and Engineering]
# [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/cseinfrastructure.html Department of Computer Applications]
# [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/eeeinfrastructure.html Department of Electrical Engineering]
# [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/eceinfrastructure.html Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering]
# [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/meinfrastructure.html Department of Mechanical Engineering]
# [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/peinfrastructure.html Department of Production Engineering]

Allied Departments

# [http://mail.vidyaacademy.ac.in/cgi-bin/vidyaweb/deptwiseprofile.pl?dept_name=AS Department of Applied Sciences]
# Department of Humanities
# Department of Training and Placement

Courses

Twinning Programme

VAST has signed an agreement [Chairman's message [http://vidyaict.com/cmessage.html] (Retrieved on 29 July 2008)] with State University of New York at New Paltz [State University of New York at New Paltz home page [http://www.newpaltz.edu/] ] providing for a twinning programme arrangement. This enables students who have successfully completed their first two years of study in VAST to complete the third and fourth years of their study in State University of New York and obtain a US Degree (see also [For an overview of twinning programmes see, for example, [http://www.indoamericanstudies.com/html/smit_twinningprogram.htm] (Retrieved on 08 September 2008)] ).

Library

The college library has two wings: a general library and a reference library. The reference wing is housed in a separate area of 147 m² which functions from 9.00 AM to 7.45 PM. With the two wings together, the library houses a rich collection of more than 12000 books in various branches of engineering, technology and basic sciences. Several national and international journals, including e-journals, are also subscribed. In particular the global e-journal literature relating to engineering and technology can be accessed through [http://j-gate.informindia.co.in/index.asp J-Gate] . There is also a good collection of educational software in the library. The library is fully computerized using an integrated multi-user library management system. For maintaining an institutional repository, the library uses DSpace [Who's using DSpace? [http://www.dspace.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=43&Itemid=46] (Retrieved on 12 July 2008) ] , an open source software for accessing, managing and preserving scholarly works, jointly developed by the MIT Libraries and Hewlett-Packard (HP) . Under a special "Rental Book Scheme" needy students are allowed to keep books taken on loanfor the entire duration of a semester course.

Research and allied activities

The college has a forum in the form of Research Development Extension and Consultancy Cell (RDEC Cell) for promoting research and allied activities. The intellectual capital of the college is effectively harnessed in providing consultancy services. The infrastructure facilities of the college are utilized for formulating and implementing research projects. The laboratories provide the testing facilities. [Home page of VAST RDEC Cell [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/randd.html] (Retrieved on 29 August 2008)]

Institutional Memberships

The College has institutional memberships in the following professional associations::* Computer Society of India (CSI):* [http://www.isteonline.in/ Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE)] :* Institution of Engineers (India):* Nano Science & Technology Consortium [List of institutional members in Nano Science & Technology Consortium [http://www.nstc.in/NSTC_MembersInfo.aspx?Category=Institution] (Retrieved on 28 August 2008)] In addition, there are active student chapters of Computer Society of India, ISTE and Institution of Engineers (India), and also of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) [Home page of IEEE Student Branch [http://ewh.ieee.org/sb/kerala/vast/] (Retrieved on 28 August 2008)] in the college.

Academic Tie-ups

The college has academic tie-ups with some of the giants in the information technology industry.:* Infosys Technologies Limited through their [http://www.campusconnect.infosys.com Campus-Connect programme] :* Tata Consultancy Services Limited :* Cisco Systems through the [http://www.amrita.edu/ase/coimbatore/icts/cisco.htm Cisco Networking Academy at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore]

Placements

There is a vigorous placement cell under the direct supervision of a specially trained dynamicPlacement Officer. During the initial year of its operation, a large number of the students of the college have been placed in major companies. In order to enhance the employability, the students are trained in [http://www.turningpointindia.org Turning Point] [Clientele of Turning Point [http://www.turningpointindia.org/clientele.htm] (Retrieved on 13 July 2008)] programme. This is a programme to develop the inter/intra personal relationship of individuals and to build their confidence, making them comfortable while facing public, interviews, group discussions and so on. A lot of skill development techniques are also incorporated into the programme.

Infrastructure

Basic

Buildings: Only the Central Block of the present college buildings had been completed when the college started functioning. The South Block was added in 2007 and the North Block in 2008. Labs and workshops: The electrical engineering laboratories and workshops are equipped with the [http://www.kirloskar-electric.com/ Kirloskar] brand products. The mechanical/production engineering workshops have a collection of life-size machines. The laboratories of the civil engineering department have, in addition to the traditional equipments, a total station, an optical instrument used in modern surveying which is a combination of an electronic theodolite, an electronic distance meter and a software running on an external computer.

Computing: The student-computer ratio in the campus is nearly 3:1. Even though the college promotes free software products, proprietary software packages like MATLAB and AutoCAD are available. Students are also exposed to more specialised packages like EDWinXP and PSpice.

= Hostels =

There are separate hostels for boys and girls with well-furnished, spacious rooms with round the clock running water and uninterrupted power supply. Common rooms for TV and telephone, reading room, games room and other recreational facilities are provided. There is 24-hours security and a resident warden for each hostel.Since the hostels are situated in the campus itself, the inmates can easily access the library and the computing facilities in the college.

= Canteen =

The college campus canteen and the provision store attached to it cater to the dietary and stationery requirements of the student community. A cafeteria is also functioning in the campus.

Transportation

Situated 2 km away from Kaiparambu, the central point between Thrissur and Guruvayur, the college is easily accessible by bus. To provide further support to the daily commuters, the college has arranged its own bus service from various locations to the campus and back.

Co-operative Stores

The college has a student friendly store that provides text books, engineering drawing equipments and other stationery items to the students at concessional rates.

Bank

An Extension Counter of Indian Overseas Bank functions in the college campus to facilitate easy money transactions for students.

= Campus Life =

There is a lively academic and cultural ambience in the college. The students enthusiastically participate in co-curricular activities outside the campus also [TechTop-2008 : List of projects selected for the final round [http://www.techtop.in/finallist.htm] (Retrieved on 29 July 2008) ] . The various departments of the college are separately organising cultural-cum-technical festivals every year in a competitive spirit.The event organised by the students of the Mechanical Engineering department is christened"Mechmerize" [ For a feel of "Mechmerize" :YouTube|Hz74jtn0W3o | "Mechmerize Feb 2 & 3, 2007", (Retrieved on 11 July 2008)] ; the one by the students of the Computer Science department is known as "Perizia" [ "Perizia" Home Page [http://mail.vidyaacademy.ac.in/perizia/] (Retrieved on 11 Jul 2008)] ,the one by the Electrical Engineering department by "Vidyuth" [Vidyuth'08 in blogspot [http://vidyuth08.blogspot.com/2008/01/vidyuththe-vision.html] (Retrieved on 29 July 2008)] , the one by the Electronics & Communication Engineering department as "Zyron" and the one by the Production Engineering department by "Prodigies". There is also a strong Free-Software community of students (see [ Campaign for Document Freedom [http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Campaign_for_Document_Freedom] (Retrieved on 11 July 2008)] , [ Software Freedom Day Celebrations [http://osdir.com/ml/fsf.india.fsf-friends/2006-09/msg00042.html] (Retrieved on 08 July 2008) ] ) in the college. Above all the authorities arevery strict in enforcing discipline among the students and in taking appropriate action to check any deviant behavior of the students [The Hindu dated 31 October 2007 [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200710311350.htm] (Retrieved on 13 July 2008)] .

Vidya Student Support Cell (VSSC)

The Vidya Student Support Cell is a forum, initiated by the management, to provide additional academic as well as emotional support to needy students. The Cell coordinates and monitors the effective implementation of the ‘group tutor system’ whereby groups of thirty students each are put under the patronage of a faculty member designated as the ‘group tutor’. Every group tutor interacts with the students under his/her care on a regular basis. The Cell is arranging training programs for the prospective as well as serving group tutors periodically. The Cell has also successfully organized an Orientation Programme for the benefit of students who have just completed higher secondary course and who are aspiring for a career in engineering.

National Service Scheme

There are two units of the National Service Scheme (NSS) in the college. The existence of two units in a young college like VAST is itself a testimony to the pioneering selfless service of the NSS volunteers of the college.

Sports

The students have impressive achievements in the area of sports [ Sports achievements [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/studentlife.html] (Retrieved on 13 July 2008)] .

Admissions

For both B Tech and MCA progrmmes, fifty percent of the students are selected by the Government of Kerala from the rank list prepared based on the Common Entrance Examination conducted by the Controller of Entrance Examinations and fifty percent of the students are selected by the management from a list prepared by them.

Administration

Vidya International Charitable Trust, the body which administers the college, is managed by an Executive Council. An Advisory Board of eminent personalities guides the development of the College. A Central Board directs the the day-to-day functioning of the college. There is also an Academic Council to provide leadership to the academic activities in the college.

Executive Council of VICT

The Executive Council of VICT consists of:* Mr. K. Muraleedharan, Chairman :* Mr. A.P. Sadanadan, Vice Chairman:* Dr. V.S. Ajai Kumar, Secretary:* Mr. Samson Checkove, Treasurer:* Mr. Sabu Soumian, Joint Secretaryand six members (for profiles see [ Profiles of members of the Executive Council of VICT [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/executive.html] (Retrieved on 08 September 2008) ] ).

Advisory Board

The Advisory Board of the college comprises of the following distinguished persons(for profiles see [Profiles of Advisory Board members [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/advisory.html] (Retrieved on 08 September 2008)] ) ::* Dr. K. Gopalan, Formerly Vice Chancellor, Cochin University of Science and Technology:* Mr. M.N. Prasad, Formerly Chairman, Railway Board of India:* Mr. A. R. Sankaranarayanan, Formerly Managing Director, Steel Authority of India:* Mr. P.V. Chandran, Managing Editor, [http://www.mathrubhumi.com Mathrubhoomi Printing and Publishing Company] :* Dr. K. R. Rajappan, Director and Senior Plastic Surgeon, [http://www.specialistshospital.com/ Specialists' Hospital, Kochi] :* Prof. Abdul Karim Musaliar, Professor, [http://www.tkmim.org/ TKM Institute of Management, Kollam] :* Dr. N. Balakrishnan Nair, Formerly Chairman, [http://www.kscste.kerala.gov.in/ State Committee on Science, Technology and Environment] :* Mr. P. M. Abraham, Formerly Secretary, [http://morth.nic.in Ministry of Surface Transport, Government of India]

Central Board

The following are the members of the Central Board::* Dr. D. Balakrishnan, Academic Director:* Mr. K.R. Brahmadathan, Executive Director:* Mr. G. Mohanachandran, Honorary Director - Projects

Anchor|ACAcademic Council

The following trimvirate form the Academic Council (for profiles see [ Profiles of Academic Council members [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/academic.html] ] )::* Dr. D. Balakrishnan, Academic Director:* Dr. P. Pratapachandran Nair, Dean:* Dr. S. P. Subraamanin, Principal

Anchor|ScholarshipsScholarships

As part of its philanthropic activity, the Vidya International Charitable Trust,in co-operation with His Highness Sheik Nahiyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, United Arab Emirates, and Mr. Sunny Varkey, founder of "GEMS Education" ["GEMS Education" Home page: [http://www.gemseducation.com/] ] , a consortium of educational institutions in India, the Middle East and Europe, is awarding the following scholarships to the meritorious and needy students [Details of scholarships: [http://www.vidyaacademy.ac.in/newvidya/scholarship2.html] (Retrieved on 13 July 2008) ] .

= Anchor|RankingRanking =

There is no official mechanism to rank the various technical institutions in a state in India.However, the ranks obtained in the Common Entrance Examination by the students admitted last to the various courses in the professional colleges in Kerala give an indication of the popular ranking of the various engineering colleges in Kerala. Considering the ranks of the students last admitted under the State Merit quota during 2007, among the 39 engineering colleges to which students were admitted under this quota, the position of Vidya Academy of Science and Technology varied from the fourth to the eighth [Last rank details after admission to professional degree courses in Kerala in 2007 [http://www.cee-kerala.org/engmed/2007/allot/lrank07.pdf] (Retrieved on 08 July 2008).] .

References

Anchor|ExternalLinksExternal links

Certifications

* [http://www.universityofcalicut.info/affClgs/start.htm Colleges affiliated to University of Calicut]
* [http://www.aicte.ernet.in/ApprovedInstitute.htm Institutes approved by AICTE]
* [http://www.aicte.ernet.in/ApprovInst/Engineering%5CSouth-western%5CKerala.doc Institutes approved by AICTE (old list)] (Retrieved on 29 July 2008)
* [http://www.cee-kerala.org/engmed/ecoldet.html Engineering colleges recognised by Govt of Kerala]
* [http://www.cee-kerala.org/mca/2007/colleges/mca_collist.htm MCA colleges recognised by Govt of Kerala]
* [http://www.cee-kerala.org/ Controller of Entrance Examinations, Kerala]

Home pages

* [http://vidyaacademy.ac.in VAST Home Page]
* [http://vidyaict.com/ Vidya International Charitable Trust Home Page]

Maps

* [http://wikimapia.org/s/#lat=10.62771&lon=76.146251&z=17&l=0&m=a&v=1 Vidya Academy of Science and Technology in Wikimapia]