Sona College of Technology, HOD - Civil: Dr R Malathy Interview

Dr R Malathy is currently working as HOD - Civil at Sona College of Technology, Salem. With more than 30 years of teaching experience and 15 years in research, she is a recipient of AICTE Visveshvaraya Best Teacher Award, 2020 and received AICTE’s Lilavati Award, 2020, in the sub-theme “Women Entrepreneurship” along with many other awards by various national organizations. She has filed about 13 patents, and has been the principal investigator for various R&D projects (funded by DST, AICTE, IEI, UGC etc. ) worth more than 2 Crores. She is a member of various professional bodies such as IEI, ISTE, ICI, ACI, TNSF, ICI & IEI – Salem Centre. 

What are your roles and responsibilities towards the students?

“Guiding them to become problem solvers”

I take responsibility in coordinating all department activities, technical initiatives and curriculum in order to mould my students as problem solvers to face the real time challenges of the outside world, rather than being mere degree holders. I take a step ahead and network with various professional bodies and cultivate the same in my students, as networking is the greatest tool for success in today’s scenario. The strength of our student relationships makes the difference in translating our passion for teaching into their passion for learning.

How does the department enhance the faculty according to the industry standards?

“Updation with latest technologies and industry training”

Our faculty members constantly elevate their technical knowledge through MOOC courses conducted by NPTEL, Coursera, etc. which help them to disseminate the same to the students. It is mandatory for our faculty to undergo 40 hours of certified industrial training to update themselves on the recent emerging technologies in the field of Civil Engineering. Various faculty development programmes are also organised based on their requirement to enhance their organisational and leadership skills.

How do you tend to establish healthy relations with the students?

“Faculty mentorship and regular counseling”

We do maintain a student – friendly environment, which enables them to approach us anytime for their requirements. We have a faculty mentor for every 15 students, to travel with them for all 4 years, creating a bond between them. Faculty help the students to participate in various competitions, motivate them and also guide them to bring their innovative ideas into reality through projects. Faculty advisors have a separate hour to meet with the students every week inorder to discuss any grievances, identify their problems and counsel them, and provide proper guidance in both personal and professional life.

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What latest program do you offer that helps students outperform?

“Digital transformation courses in the construction industry”

Building Information modeling is the new and latest addition in our department. As the construction industry is transforming digitally, we prepare our students industry-ready by adopting the various emerging technologies like Drone surveying, AR/VR, 3D Printing, IoT, AI as a part of our curriculum. This will add value to the students, equip them with the latest technologies and pave the way for more opportunities in the digital world.

What makes this course the best choice for the students?

“Lot of development leads to growth in construction industry”

The construction industry is the second largest after agriculture with about 75% employment statistics. The economic growth of a country depends on different factors, wherein, Infrastructure Development plays a major role and is one of the prime factors to indicate a country’s development. The opportunity in the field of Civil Engineering is manifold. It has a wide opportunity in government sectors like PWD, Railways, HD, Rural Development, etc. This is the only department that paves a successful path for students to become entrepreneurs. As the government’s initiatives, the need of the hour is to transform the existing urban areas and create new, sustainable smart cities instead.

How do you enhance the skills and expose students to real world challenges?

“Boosting through sports and other academic activities”

Our students are encouraged to participate in various cultural, sports and other non-technical events. Sona has always been a platform to enable the students to excel in their area of interest. Our students organize TED-X every year, this helps them to connect with celebrities, successful entrepreneurs and famous people around the world. Extracurricular activities cultivate time-management and leadership skills, more positive social development, and greater interest in community involvement. Students have excelled in sports and cultural events at the National and District levels. Our management never forgets to honor our students which are the stimulating factor for the active participation of students. We do have a number of activity clubs like NCC, NSS, IQ club, Tremors club, etc. By organizing various continuing education programmes, industry training, industry lectures, hands-on training sessions by industry experts, industry lectures, etc. we help them to stay active and learn daily. 

How is the curriculum of the department set to meet industry standards?

“Industry alliance by signing MoUs and training programs”

We have an integrated curriculum nurturing the industry requirements. Our curriculum is framed by conducting BOS meetings with experts from industries and other leading academic experts, who assess how to incorporate the recent technologies that would enable the students to face real-world challenges. MoUs are key to building partnerships with industries. A number of industrial lectures are organized in the department to keep the students updated with new technologies through MoUs signed. Every semester students are offered skill development programmes through continuing education. Pre-Employment training programmes are also organized in association with industries which helps the students to crack their placements. Continuing education for skill development and various Diploma courses are offered as well. 

What will you say are the best practices in the course you’re offering?

“Encouraging Project-based learning and Project Models Display”

We do believe that project-based learning can kindle the inner spirits of students to come out with new ideas. Our students develop innovative multidisciplinary projects related to their curriculum. Patents are also filed for projects that create solutions to industry-related problems. We organize project expos in the department every year so it serves as a platform for students to explore new projects. We also encourage peer teaching and learning among students. Our students are actively involved in different student chapters like ICI, IEI, ISTE, IGBC. These student chapters kindle their organizing and leadership skills in coordinating various events. Developing leadership skills, fostering strong Industry – Institute collaborations and Project guidance and motivation helps students outperform and achieve success in life. 

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How does your department prepare students for placements?

“Defining the career path with right of the skills”

The department categorizes the students into opting for industry placements in an early stage and starts training them according to the requirements of the company apart from their academics. The students are oriented and categorized to the large variety of verticals available in the civil engineering industry. The skillset required for every vertical is identified and trained through continuing education courses and also through long-term internships with the industry. Companies in the field of site execution, designing, planning, detailing visit the students for the role of graduate engineer for the above fields.

S.KAVYAA, B.E/CIVIL (BATCH: 2017-2020) got "Larsen and Toubro Build India Scholarship*, sponsored for M.Tech in NIT, Trichy with placement as *senior engineer* with salary package about 7.2 Lakh/annum. She is one and only student got scholarship from south region. 

What are the benefits of pursuing this course?

“Large scale specializations and career opportunities”

After pursuing this course, a student will be able to unlock the various opportunities available for civil engineering graduates in industry, higher studies, government sectors and entrepreneurship. A lot of post-graduate programmes are available for civil graduates in Structural & Construction Management, Geotechnical, Transportation, Remote Sensing and GIS, Water resources engineering and so on. Graduates will be able to take up business immediately if the right skills and management quality are inculcated.

What valuable advice would you like to give to the students?

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meets”

The road to success is always under construction and we need to keep constructing ourselves technically with the new technologies and information to stay in tune with the fast-changing world. Students must always be ready and take up as many opportunities as they can. This gives them regular exposure and sometimes the much-awaited break for a dream life.