Indian scientist (1923?2018)
Arcot Ramachandran
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Born
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1923-04-06
)
6 April 1923
[1]
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Died
| 29 September 2018
(2018-09-29)
(aged 95)
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Occupation
| Scientist
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Awards
| Padma Bhushan
Sir M. Visvesvaraya Life Time Achievement Award
INAE Life Time Achievement Award
World Federation of Engineering Organizations Award
Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Gold Medal
World Habitat Trophy
Heat Transfer Memorial Award
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Arcot Ramachandran
(1923-2018) was an Indian scientist,
anthropologist
, author and a former Under-Secretary General of
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
, known for his scholarship on the subjects of
heat and mass transfer
and environment and his social commitment to the cause of sustainable development. The
Government of India
honoured him in 2003, with the
Padma Bhushan
, the third highest civilian award, for his services to the fields of Science and Engineering.
[2]
Life sketch
[
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Born in a Tamil speaking
Arcot Mudaliar
family in the Indian state of
Karnataka
,
Arcot Ramachandran graduated from the
Madras University
and went to the
Purdue University
, USA, from where he obtained MS degree in Engineering. He continued at the University for his doctoral research and obtained his PhD.
[3]
Ramachandran started his career as a faculty member of the Department of
Power Engineering
at the
Indian Institute of Science
, Bangalore, in 1950, and, later, rose to the rank of an Assistant Professor. In 1954, he took a break from the teaching career to work as a Research Engineer at
Babcock & Wilcox
Research and Development Centre,
Renfrew
, Scotland where he worked for a year. The next year, in 1955, he again went to the US to continue his studies at the post-doctoral level, as post-doctoral research fellow, to Purdue University and, later, at Columbia University.
[3]
[4]
Ramachandran came back to India, in 1957, did a summer course at
Indian Institute of Technology
, Madras. Subsequent to that, IISc invited him to head the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 1965, he was transferred as the Head of the Department of Industrial Management and, two years later, in 1967, he became the Director of IIT Madras.
[4]
[5]
In 1973, the Government of India established a new Department of Science and Technology and nominated Dr. Ramachandran as the Government Secretary and the Director-General of the
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
, in charge of the newly formed department. During his tenure there, he is reported to be able to start several ventures and programs such as:
[3]
In 1977, Ramachandran was made the chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the
United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development
. He was also involved with the
UNESCO
Expert Group Meeting on Engineering Education
,
[7]
in the capacity of its chairman.
U.N. ESCAP Regional Centre for Transfer of Technology
Bangalore
, started on 16 July 1977, owes its origin to the recommendations of this Expert Group.
[8]
The next year, he was selected as the Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of the
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat), headquartered in Nairobi. He also had the additional charge of the Administrator of the
United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation
. In 1993, Dr. Ramachandran retired from the UN.
[3]
Ramachandran has participated, as the chairman or as a member, in various advisory and consultative committees
[9]
under the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources, the Ministry of Urban Affairs and the Department of Ocean Development.
[3]
Legacy
[
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]
Arcot Ramachandran has made many contributions, both social and educational, during his academic and administrative careers. During his tenure as the Under Secretary General at the UN Centre for Human Settlements, he proposed the introduction of
World Habitat Day
, which was accepted, leading to observing the first Monday of every October as a special day to remind the world of sustainable progress with regard to environment.
[3]
[10]
He was also instrumental in the proclamation of the year 1987 as the
International Year of Shelter for the Homeless
, as a part of the
Global Strategy for Shelter
for the year 1987.
[10]
It was during his tenure, UN launched the
Sustainable Cities Programme
in 12 cities, in 1990.
[11]
[12]
On the academic front, Ramachandran is the founder of a School of Research in Heat and Mass Transfer.
[4]
He is reported to be successful in launching several programs in Mechanical Engineering, during his stint at the
Indian Institute of Science
, Bangalore. Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, under his Directorship, is reported to have gained reputation as a Centre of Excellence.
[10]
[13]
During this period, he founded the
Indian Society of Heat and Mass Transfer
of which he was the first President. He also opened the
School of Heat Transfer
and the
School of Energy Research
, under the umbrella of IIT Madras. He is also credited with organising the Regional Centre for Energy, Heat and Mass Transfer for Asia-Pacific.
[3]
While he was the Government Secretary, Ramachandran implemented the first Science and Technology Plan, suggested by NCST. His efforts were also reported to be behind the establishment of National Remote Sensing Agency, in Hyderabad. He is also regarded as the architect of the
National Program for Research and Development in Renewable Sources of Energy
.
[10]
[13]
Arcot Ramchandran has also contributed to dissemination of information by way of conducting many seminars
[14]
and by way of keynote addresses and lectures, delivered at various platforms and seminars, a few of which are:
- Keynote address on
Sustainable communities through partnership
at the meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments at Edinburgh, Scotland in October 1997
[3]
- Keynote address on
Science and Technology for Sustainable Development
at the Maharashtra Association for the cultivation of Science, Pune in 1998
[3]
- Keynote Address
on 'Metropolitan Concentrations of knowledge based industries
at the International Conference, Ottawa, Canada, in September 1997
[3]
Positions
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Awards and recognitions
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Honorary degrees and fellowships
[
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Arcot Ramachandran has been honoured by several prominent educational and research institutions, by way of Fellowships and
Honoris Causa
Doctoral degrees.
Honorary doctorates
Fellowships
Writings
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See also
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References
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External links
[
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