Civil house - Akshaye

Akshaye, 2013-2017 batch was the guest today for the fifth session in the series Civil House. Akshaye is currently working in Australia as Junior Project Manager. He started off the session by sharing the experience of working in a construction industry after graduating from FISAT. Working here instilled in him a desire to learn and get exposure and it eventually prompted him to explore the possibilities outside India. He stressed on the reasons for doing a through research before finalising on what to study and which university to choose from. 

According to him, agencies which help students getting admission abroad tend to market only certain universities. It is important to explore beyond those. He also shared some thoughts about identifying good universities in Australia - the "Group of Eight" and the benefits of choosing from this league. Akshay also shared his learning experience and the marked differences in the way in which the course is delivered and evaluated. He also stressed on developing good communication skills, it helps a lot, not just for getting admission but also for networking and getting a good job. Another key aspect is developing a good personality.

His one hour session touched upon all the aspects of getting an admission to choosing the course to part time works to getting a job to managing the fee to getting a PR. He patiently answered the queries posed by the students. 

Thank you Akshaye for sharing your time, it means to a lot. Wish you all the very best in your future endeavours. 

New batch, new aspirations!

One thing which every engineering student remembers is their first day of college. A day, with mixed feelings - new space, new friends, new teachers, new things to learn and a bag full of dreams and resolutions. Today marks the first day for another batch of budding engineers. It was a joy to meet the new students who have joined the civil engineering department with hopes and excitement. The 'masked' batch was seated in the department seminar hall for a small introductory session. The session started at 9:30am with the Head of Department Dr. Jiji Antony addressing the freshers. Further, the faculty members and students had an interactive session - just to make the new entrants acquainted with each other. A fun activity was also included as an ice breaker. 

The department wishes the very best to the 2021-2025 batch in their four year long journey to become a professional Civil Engineer. Welcome to FISAT, Great days awaits you, make the best out of it!! 

--

Rinu J Achison, Asst. Prof.

Back to life! Aarambham 2021

The campus is back to life. The students union celebrated Ethnic Day - "Aarambham" today (20 Nov 2021). Aarambham marked a new beginning - starting of a new journey in college life for many. 

The south quadrangle has been missing such grand events for a long time. It was so refreshing to see the sprit of FISAT in the south quadrangle. What a way to bring back the celebration of youth.

Words will come short to describe the mood, everyone loved, loved, loved again and rejoiced, the grass too seem to have loved the party. There was flash mob, thiruvathira - in a grand fashion, college band, and the promotion event of the film Micheal's Coffee House - courtesy Dheeraj Denny 2011 graduate. 

The campus yearns for more programs like this!! These snaps can only share a tip of the campus vibe. I am sure, anyone who has been a part of FISAT will easily relate and get a pulse of the zeal. 

Only FISAT can do it in this scale - Kudos!!! 

Get a glimpse in this video

Pathway 2021

 

The annual newsletter of the department was launched on 18 Nov 2021. A great effort by the editorial team lead by Ms. Leena Samuel Panackel, Asst Prof. in compiling the activities in an eloquent way. 

You will be able to read the complete version of the newsletter here

This edition of Pathway includes a detailed look into the various activities hosted by the department, the professional bodies, the achievements of students and staff.

 

Vidyarambam 2021

 “The best way to predict your future is to create it”. 

Fresher induction program is absolutely vital for freshers, this is the first step in transforming them from a formal school life to a college life. This can prove to be a complete life changing event for any student. FISAT arranged the online induction program “VIDYARAMBAM” on 18 November 2021 for the students to help them get acquainted and feel comfortable to the new college environment. The program was hosted online since it is not practicable to host such a large event in campus due to the restrictions imposed by the Pandemic.

The induction program began with the prayer, seeking the blessings of almighty. After which the students were addressed by Dr. Manoj George, the Principal. This year, we had a special person, Dr. Alexander Jacob IPS, Former DGP, Kerala as the chief guest. He enlightened the function with his presence and paved welcoming steps to the new comers. His talk emphasized on the various factors that a student must focus on to achieve a better future and to develop an eminent personality.

During the event, students who excelled in various academic activities were honored by the dignitaries. The governing body members who spoke on the venue shared messages which included universal human values, proficiency modules and motivation. 

The event also witnessed releasing of the proceedings of SECON’21 in Scopus indexed Springer publication “Lecture notes in Civil Engineering”  by Mr. Shimith P R, Chairman, FISAT Governing body. This was followed by the much-awaited launch of SECON’22, the International conference on Structural Engineering and Construction management by the chief guest of the day, Dr. Alexander Jacob IPS. The annual newsletter of the Department of Civil Engineering “Pathway” was also released by the Principal, FISAT.

The induction was the harbinger of the various in-campus and off-campus activities specially designed for the entrants to fill the gap. It was aimed to enhance students’ familiarity with the faculty members, campus, its facilities and a plethora of cultural activities of the Institution. With a fresh exposure of the induction, students were exposed to the milieu of the institution with zeal and enthusiasm. We are awaiting their physical presence from 22 November onwards!!!

--

Leena Samuel Panackel

Asst. Professor

Design of Structures for Wind

Once in a while you get to listen people who are really good in highly technical engineering domain. Today was one such day. The ASCE student chapter hosted Mr. Rahul P S (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-p-s-708b13126/), who is the Director and Technical Head of RWDI India at Thiruvananthapuram (https://www.rwdi.com).  

Rahul is a key member of RWDI’s wind engineering team and has contributed insight and analysis to some of the most notable projects around the world, including the groundbreaking Hudson Yards development in New York City, and the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir, the world’s tallest temple. He ia an experienced Wind Engineering Consultant and offers design guidance to architects, structural engineers and developers in the Asia Pacific region and helps to develop cost-effective building designs that are well adapted to local climates.

Rahuls session was packed with knowledge pertaining to wind loading, its effects on different types of structures, how to estimate the loading and the challenges involved in the design. Using real examples he demonstrated how geometrical design can influence the wind loading on a structure. He took the participants on a world tour - a tour of all the notable structures across the world which were modelled and tested by RWDI. 

The session included videos of wind tunnel testing, behaviour of structures subjected to wind loading, pictures of creating models, terrains for testing, the data acquisition mechanism and many more. It was a fascinating journey through the world of wind tunnel testing of structures, a topic which is normally not discussed in classroom. The session introduced the participants to the wonderful world of wind tunnel testing of structures. Gokul Ajith, S5CE, did a great job of hosting the session.

Congratulations - Campus Placement!!

Congratulations to Ameesha P  Poulose and Nanditha M for getting placed in TCS and muSigma respectively.

Congratulations - Academic Achievement

The department congratulates Ritika Raghu (S1 CE) for securing 10/10 SGPA in the first semester university examinations 2020! KUDOS!!

Alumni Fresher Interactions!

Fresher induction is always special for the department. This year, the admissions were delayed due to several reasons and the classes are yet to start. The department organised a two week online program for the students who took admissions. The program was designed to give the students an insight into engineering as a whole and also the specifics of Civil Engineering education. As part of this program, an alumni interaction was also organised on 5th November. The idea was to bring together our alumni and make them interact with the freshers, share their experiences, both while on campus and after graduating.

Six of our alumni came forward - Athira Thilakan and Linda Baby from the first batch, Alphy Christo from 2014 batch, Abhishek Nair, Achu Konath and Divya Abraham from the 2013 batch. Meeting them was a memorable and enriching experience both for students as well as faculty members. Both Athira and Linda are working in the IT field, they shared the experience of shifting from Civil Engineering to IT Domain. Both of them encouraged students to take advantage of the various placement training programs offered by the college. 

Alphy focussed on the various career options available in the Civil Engineering domain after graduation and how to pursue it. She stressed on the importance of acquiring in depth knowledge in the subjects.Abhishek Nair stressed the importance of balancing college life as well as academics and how it can help in building a career. He shared his fond memories of playing on the college ground!! He is presently working in the Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships. Achu, currently a Structural Design Engineer in Australia, emphasised the importance of focusing on the core subjects.

The last session by Divya Abraham was really inspiring. It was interesting to hear about the challenges and difficulties she had faced when becoming an entrepreneur. She currently owns a design and contracting firm.

--

Anu Roy

Asst. Prof

ASCE Day 2021- Celebrations

5th November marks the foundation of ASCE and this day is celebrated world over in the Civil Engineering community. ASCE Student Chapter FISAT celebrated this day by inviting ASCE President Dr. Dennis D. Traux (https://www.asce.org/about-asce/leadership/dennis-d-truax/) to talk about the "Evolution and impact of ASCE throughout history and how to add value to your education through ASCE Student Chapter". Dr Traux spoke about how civil engineering infrastructure all over the world needs to be aligned with sustainability goals and requires young engineers to drive the change. Prof Traux introduced https://www.futureworldvision.org/ and advised young members to explore the future envisioned by civil professionals. He emphasised how important young professionals play in society and the importance of inculcating leadership. Civil engineering leadership will be needed and we need to be future ready. He concluded by wishing the chapter well and by giving its young leaders the tools for empowering themselves. ASCE Southern Region President Er. Narasimha Chary Poloju and Dr. Jiji Antony, Head of the Department offered felicitations for the session.The hour and half was truly remarkable and memorable. Hope we can strive towards these goals and be an important contributor to a sustainable world.

--

Neeraja Nair

Asst. Prof.

New Leaders at the helm of FISAT!

As we know, every two year, the Federal Bank Officers Association elect their leaders. There will be an election to the Federal Bank Officers' Association Educational Society, which is managing FISAT. The elections to these two bodies were completed during the past two months and we have new leaders for FISAT. Mr. Sachin Jacob Paul is the President, Mr. Shimith P R, the Secretary - who will be the Chairman of FISAT and Mr. Jenib J Kachapilly, the Treasurer. The other management committee members are

> Mr. Paul Mundadan

> Mr. Tom Thomas​

> Mr. Raianarayanan V M

> Mr. Mohammed Ansari P K

> Mr. Raiavarma E K

> Mr. George C Chacko

> Mr. Abdul Nazar M P

> Mr. Aiithkumar K K

> Ms. Jayasree K

The team took charge yesterday, 01 Nov 2021. The Principal and the heads of departments received the leaders on their arrival. FISAT is looking forward to scaling new heights under the new leadership.