Engineering: Connecting Cosmos & Consciousness - Groep T

Prof. Mohan Kumar
from the Manipal
Center for Information
Science (India).
Prof. Charaporn Sudhamasapa,
Associate Professor of
Sukhotai Thammathirat Open
University (Thailand).
Guest lecturer in the spotlight
Professors from India and
Thailand teach at GROUP T
GROUP T – Leuven Engineering College receives guests from abroad regularly. Guest lecturers are commonly
invited in the framework of the cooperation programs entered into with various foreign universities. As
such, Professors Mohan Kumar J. from Manipal University (India) and Cheraporn Sudhamasapa from
Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (Thailand) were staying at GROUP T as a guest lecturer over the
past few months. Of course, we also like to host foreign students who are on a European study trip and
offer them a study program that is adapted to meet their specific needs.
Prof. Mohan Kumar’s lectureship is a first
result of the intensive contacts a GROUP T
delegation led by President and Chief executive
Prof. Johan De Graeve established with
Manipal University. This university was established in
1953 and with its 20,000 students, it is considered one
of the most important institutes of higher education
in India. Manipal principally offers programs in the
medical and technological sectors, which includes
engineering. It is, of course, mainly at that level that
possibilities of cooperation between Manipal University
and GROUP T present itself.
Network technology
Prof. Mohan Kumar is affiliated with the Manipal
Centre for Information Science (MCIS), one of the 20
institutes that form part of this university. The MCIS
was established in 1998 and specialized in, among
other areas, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration),
Embedded Systems and Software Development for
the Medical Sector. “This link to the medical sector is
not a coincidence,” says Prof. Mohan. “Manipal University
was founded by Dr. Tonse Madhava Anantha
Pai who had taken up the plan to bring health-care
and a number of other essential services closer to the
population of India’s West Coast. He started his project
with the establishment of the Faculty of Medicine,
adding the Engineering program four years
later.” This university is special not only because of
its size and the vision of its founder, but also because
the choice of location is exceptional to say the least.
Prof. Mohan: “Manipal University was built on a plateau
in the middle of the wilderness. Where before
there was an inaccessible jungle, there is now a complete
university campus with all possible facilities.”
Prof. Mohan’s specialty is wireless network technology
and he gave guest lectures on that topic from
late April to early July 2011 to the master’s students
at GROUP T. “I find it important to share my knowledge
with colleagues and students, also outside
India. I want to stimulate the international exchange,
in particular. That is why I make use of this opportunity
to explore the possible cooperation between
GROUP T and my university.” When it comes to
international student exchange he is no novice. He
actively participates in IAESTE (International Association
for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience),
a global not-for-profit organization that on
the one hand provides access to relevant technical
experiences for students of higher education and,
on the other hand, offers companies qualified and
motivated interns. This cooperation with companies
is also high on the list of the Manipal Centre for
Information Science. The center anticipates industry
demand and this way establishes the link between
students and their future labor market. Although
there are differences between Manipal University
and GROUP T, he mainly looks for a common base
of cooperation in the likenesses, that is, a practiceoriented
program and the presence of a significant
number of foreign students.
European culture
Recently, Manipal University, with the impulse and
the support of the European Union, saw the addition
of an institute for European Studies (Manipal
Centre for European Studies - MCES). Its purpose is
to develop and strengthen the relations between
India and Europe by gathering mutual knowledge.
A group of professors and students from this center’s
MA in European Studies and Management visited
GROUP T on 20 June 2011 and such in the framework
of a study trip that led them through several
countries of the European Union. Prof. Neeta Imamdar,
head of the Centre stated: “We want to impart
a thorough knowledge of Europe and of the European
culture to our students so that after their studies,
they can bridge the gap between Europe and
India within the business world. The long study trip
we are now on is an important part of the program.
What they learned about Europe from their syllabus
is now checked against reality.” At GROUP T, the
students, after a tour of Campus Vesalius, attended
a presentation by Director General Prof. Patrick De
Ryck. Following on this presentation, the participants
exchanged ideas on the cooperation potential
between GROUP T and MCES. The center has already
established structural cooperation with the University
of Bremen and would like to extend its network
in Europe. Subsequently, Mr. Louis Delcart, Director
Internationalization and Innovation at VOKA, provided
a much appreciated exposition on the Belgian
and European economy and the importance played
by small- and medium-sized companies in this economy.
The afternoon was reserved for European culture
with a guided tour of the permanent exhibit of
Museum M and a discussion on the role companies
and governments (among which also the EU) play in
stimulating the creation of contemporary art.
Management game
Prof. Cheraporn Sudhamasapa is Associate Professor
at the School of Management Science of the Sukhotai
Thammathirat Open University of Thailand.
She stayed at GROUP T from 26 April until 26 May
2011 in the framework of the cooperation agreement
between GROUP T and STOU, an agreement
that focuses on the exchange of students and lecturers.
She was mainly interested in the International
Postgraduate Program in Entreprising and the ‘Management
Game’ that is part of the program. STOU is
an ‘open university’, comparable to the Open University
in the European context, and offers distance
learning. The students work through the course
material individually and at their own pace. A number
of contact moments are provided however and
every student, before graduating, must participate
in a seminar. Prof. Cheraporn: “As of fall, I would
like to integrate the Management Game that was
introduced to me at GROUP T into the mandatory
seminar.” Two GROUP T lecturers will assist her in
this locally and in this way take a new step in the
exchange of lecturers.
Jan Jaspers
GROUP T - LEUVEN ENGINEERING COLLEGE
7
jg. 20, nr. 3, 16 augustus 2011
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