Notes for MS by Thesis student in the USA

As a student who embarked on the MS by Thesis route in University at Buffalo, I was confused how thesis track worked. How to locate a professor ?How to approach them? What to ask? And when to ask them the questions I had ?

MS education in USA is full of opportunities. Here, students are not tied to the professor or project, which is a common approach elsewhere including many European universities. In the USA, the student is given complete freedom to choose and therefore it is advantageous. Also, it gives an opportunity to speak with multiple professors and get to know their research more, before starting on a rather long, sometimes more than a semester long work with the professor’s research group. Some professors are great in getting together an amazing team of students who work together as a team, just like some startups do. If you are like me, who entered MS in any engineering stream, then it is justified that you get a chance to meet and talk with research team members. Engineering in industry is a group activity. Team work is also a transferable industry skill that can be directly translated into any industry job.

Here are some points I gathered from previous student who did MS by thesis, on their approach. The idea is to find professors and research facilities of interest. There is always an option to do Individual study or project with professors, which can eventually lead to Thesis.

1. Decide 3 profs who will give you recommendation for future jobs or academic applications
2. Check their profiles in google scholar – see for citations, h index
3. Prof could be out of department
4. Keep in touch with prof, make them remember your face, ask Questions in class, sit in front bench, do good work in class, read their research , tell them that u want to do thesis, ask them how to go about it
5. Before meeting a prof get an appointment, read about their latest work, ask questions regarding that
6. Decide if you want PhD
7. If you decide fast , tell prof, they will give longer projects that have funds, that will make PhD an extension of thesis
8. Even if you have not taken a course by prof , keep in mind what the prof is teaching in next semester, see if it is interesting. in other departments too. keep interacting
9. Also, you can ask prof if there is any work that u can do in their lab even without funding this will help in mutual evaluation for the research-professor relation and pave way for further works, networks and research collaborations

Continuing education: Short term course on RTL modeling and verification using Verilog

At DOEACC centre, Chennai on 29th, we completed the “Short term course on RTL modeling and verification using Verilog“. I am still surprised not many SC/ST people turned up. They could have availed fee waiver and other benefits for this 2500 rupees course.

For ten days it had been a good learning experience to dwell into digital design and implementation. To understand a new language. To learn and experience the ways in which human beings make the society better so that the world is a better place to live in.

One doesn’t expect much other than the certificate when going for such a course. There is this central government institution in a far place and only few people join p for the course. A not for profit institution has its own drawbacks. But this time it was the people who didn’t join who lost. It was a beautiful class, and fewer population means greater attention. There was freedom to ask a lot of questions, nevertheless silly it got solved. There were individual PCs to try and learn the program, constant encouragement for independent thinking. And serene ambience.

The director a friendly man asked for honest feedbacks. He said that if the course wasn’t useful then they won’t do it again. They aimed at the welfare of the youth, to make them job ready. He even encouraged us to apply for job openings in  DOEACC centres are all over india,and in some places they don’t get talented trainers to conduct classes. There are good hopes to build new labs and conduct independent research in these labs.

We were told that we could approach them for any doubts at any point of time. One advantage materialised in the form of textbook on verilog primer by J Bhasker that they gave us.

Finally, there will be more happiness around if they heard from us that we landed in VLSI job of interest.

Location

http://maps.google.co.in/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=doeacc+center+chennai&fb=1&gl=in&hq=doeacc+center&hnear=0x3a5265ea4f7d3361:0x6e61a70b6863d433,Chennai,+Tamil+Nadu&ei=cEg0Tv3uK4zSrQezhOXLCw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&ved=0CAQQtgM&cid=0,0,5938891513941928259

Teacher’s day

Guru or a teacher is one who removes (ru) darkness (gu:). Removing all the darkness and unknown the Guru enlightens our life. In India we celebrate the teacher’s day on September 5.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarvepalli_Radhakrishnan

There are many a time we see ourselves out of the darkness.  On writing this I cannot but remember all those people who taught me letters, though I have little memory of it.

Teachers are present in every step of one’s life; it need not be the one who is designated to teach us in some institution who teaches us. Often the words we spoke , our behaviour teaches us how to be in a group , be social etc. Even being netizens, or playing with your computer, unravelling the mysteries of linux at home, reading books, gardening and the umpteen other hobbies and crazes that one engages time with teach us a lot.  ” Experience is the best teacher” .

Many suggestions and advices from teachers have lurked in the subconscious to bring the good personality out of us. The teacher’s day is a good opportunity to remember, to celebrate all the goodness bestowed upon us by our teachers.

At school the teacher was everything. But at colleges they have adorned with better names but often bitter attitude.  Seldom do we find teachers , who taught us in college, who are worthy enough to be remembered . It may be because of the gross change in attitude in the part of student or the newly arrived lecturer who has no clue on what to teach and is striving for a living. We abide by the rules. Misstepping may cause some serious collateral damage on both sides during college.  The problems of a grown up and the death of the spirit to excel are far away from us during the golden ages of school days. That is why mostly school days  are the happiest days of ones life.

There are instances where if not for the facilitator we may not have got the certificate, the prize of competition , or escaped from criticism. But all in all the experience enhances our vision empowering us for the better tomorrow.

I would like to add a link a teacher provided me : www.keralaarts.in

No limit to Excel

Once root had told this. The only thing sensible ever told by this root.

There is something to it.

Many believe that being in the middle is the right thing

When you CAN, you probably never do it.
When you WILL, people praise you , overwhelm you with applause. You simply feel great. An act of jealousy for many others. Yet they comply, since they never bother to WILL. And hence they be at their very position, boasting that they can, and will some day.

Being middle class or being in an average level is the safest game to play. A friend of mine ,whose family was in better financial position than mine, told me that he got hurt when I say that he is rich. He wants himself to be placed in the middle position, away from all the glare.

At lab , another friend of mine would suggest that we should not be the last persons to finish our work, its ok if we finish with the majority. Not earlier but never last.

They comply by their self imposed rule.
And they fail, miserably, to bring out the true potential in them.
When majority of the class lie with an average mark a Bell shaped curve results, that is the Gaussian distribution or standard probability distribution. Those at the extremities are either of lower standard or higher standard, both a meager number. What the society needs is for all to excel.

I remember a friend of mine who studies at IIT now. He , at 12th would leave 2-3 questions and grab a 80% and keep quiet. His teacher had scolded him for not attempting all the questions. But he never minded them.

A tendency towards mediocrity and silent compliance fails the whole purpose of formal education and living in general. But one may close his eye against this chronic attitude seeing the lesser beings fighting themselves to see ” who is the most backward”.

Where is OPTIMISM?
Where is the spirit ?
To try, To conquer , To reach the summit
Reach for the sky, There is no limit to excel.

Unleash the indomitable spirit

Inauguration of the Applied Electronics and instrumentation block and the Chemical engineering block at GECK

Inauguration of the Applied Electronics and instrumentation block and the Chemical engineering block at GECK.

The college site has been revamped  http://geckkd.ac.in/. Introducing the e-journal system to access journals.

The applied electronics and instrumentation block has been christened Dept. of Electronics Engineering, a big misnomer.

But due to lack of space, if that can be  an excuse, it has to be like that.

Decorations:

In schools days there won’t be many who didn’t have their name written/scratched on benches. the minister takes it to the next level. Call it inauguration. Engrave the name on granite. Put it at every place he/she goes. Funny. Yet happening.

ABVP unwarranted strike

ABVP called for nation wide college bandh on 12th.Little did they know that they were hampering the already degraded higher educational policy and educationally suffering undergraduates.

Our last university exam of semester 4(that in itself has one semester lag) scheduled to be on 12th was postponed due to strike.Now ,since the university was Calicut they didn’t announce the date of postponement immediately.People rushed to book their tickets to home and packed.Many went for enjoyment such as movie,beach and all kinds of funny stuff.After a day the lady,who picked up the phone at the university, said that the exam was postponed to be held on 15th .Tickets were cancelled,the mood went dull.Many who had already left for home were happy at the news.But ,overall it meant another happiness for the week .The exam was rescheduled to be on 18th.LOL.Now that was bad news.It meant a week full of boredom.And a badly written exam can be foreseen.The surprise may continue.Waiting for 18th.

Excerpt from Doordarshan- debate on Textbook issue, Thursday, 3 July 2008

Thursday, 3 July 2008

Excerpt from Doordarshan- debate on Textbook issue

Textbook issue

There was much hype about the 7th standard textbook.Political parties,the government,the public and even the kids were involved in the following hartal and other stuff.

The problem with the christian priests and the Congress and other people was that

1. The book didn’t have any content to be learned.
2. In spite of having a competent expert, Prof.Khadar as Director of SCERT ,he had no role in preparation of textbook.
3. It is anti-religion and propagating atheism.
4. It didn’t give or propagate the values of religion.
5. Local history is highlighted.
6. Only some part of history is told
7. The text had hidden agenda of propagating the ideology of CPI(M)

The Doordarshan had a debate programme with the Education minister ,Sri M.A.Baby,P.C.Viswanath M.L.A,Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan (Ex Minister and M.L.A),FAther Tholekkat.Prof.Khadar,Ragesh(President,S.F.I),Moderator Asharff Kadakkal.

Prof.Khadar clarified the following:-

1. The book was prepared based on NCF recommendations,using new pedagogic techniques with the objective of the student approaching the lessons in a research and problem solving mode,rather than learn things by-heart.
2. A test was conducted ,by SCERT,for forming a panel of teeachers to prepare the textbook.The entire process was tyransparent.
3. He was actively involved in the preparation of the textbook.

M.A Baby clarified:-

1. There was no intention of propagating atheism.The value of secularism has been highlighted in consanance with the policy of India Govt.Similar approach had been adopted my NCERT textbook.However,it was pointed out in the textbook that al regiligions basically propagate peace and love.A catholic priest who happens to be a school teacher as awell has reported that there was nothing unacceptable in the textbook concerned and has been using it to teach his students.
2. The importance of local history cannot be overruled.the history of a region is made up of many local level actions.However,this does not mean trivialissation of the national level history.Mr.Ragesh intervened at this point and pointed out that there had been no reference to Peer Mohammed in the first war of independence(1857) while Mangal Pandey alone had been lionised in the past,this textbook does justice to the role of a freedom fighter like Peer Mohammed.Ragesh continued and pointed out that local level Muslim congress leaders in Malabar who had contributed handsomely to the freedom movement had been referred to for the first time in a history textbook in this.
3. The approach of SCERT was to conbsider thetext book of all subjects for all standards from first to tenth are to be considered in a sequence.hence it is a specious argument that many parts of history are not included in the concerned textbook.What has not been covered in first standard could be covered in other standards.