Criterion_total_30092013 (1).pdf

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

1 

SASTRA University 

With a humble beginning in the year 1984, SASTRA’s progress in the last 29 years 

is a testimony to its commitment to build a University as envisaged in its guiding 

model. Today, SASTRA University is one of India’s premier universities offering 

undergraduate, postgraduate & doctoral programmes in Engineering, 

Management, Law, Sciences, Humanities and Education. As a comprehensive 

University, its teaching programmes are supported by research engagements, 

consultancy assignments and training activities, which make SASTRA a fully 

integrated University. It has been re-‐accredited by NAAC with a maximum grade 

of ‘A’ and is also recognized as a Scientific & Industrial Research Organization by 

the Government of India. 

SASTRA has an ethos of its own, different from others. Knowledge without 

proper base of ethics can be dangerous as evident from the chaos in the world 

every day. At a time when altruistic ideals and civil interests seem to have given 

way to power goals and heightened interest in materialism, SASTRA presents a 

holistic approach to personal and professional growth. SASTRA has carved a 

niche for itself as a centre for fostering development of body, mind and spirit of 

its students. 

The various functions of the University are governed by its Vision and Mission 

statements, which clearly reflect our quest for academic excellence and global 

competence. SASTRA believes in inculcating and fostering essential moral values, 

which go to make a complete individual, while providing them with knowledge in 

frontier areas of science and technology. 

SASTRA truly believes in “Kaizen” – continuous learning & improvement. Hence 

numerous innovations and reforms in teaching, learning and evaluation have 

been introduced and are dealt in detail in the relevant sections of the Self Study 

Report. Apart from such innovations there is also tremendous thrust to 

strengthen academia-‐industry tie-‐ups. SASTRA’s collaboration with various 

industry partners has also fully leveraged the benefits of such a coherent synergy. 

The teaching programmes complement the research pursuits of the University. A 

carefully designed, Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) with an option to finish 

B. Tech. course work in seven semesters through the Accelerated Course 

Registration System (ACRS) makes the curriculum deliver maximum learning 

with adequate choice. The Semester Abroad Programme (SAP) opens up 

opportunities for students to carry out research internship in premier 

universities around the world. The SAP partners like the Harvard-‐MIT Medical 

School, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Wisconsin (Madison) 

besides Universities in Europe, Australia and Canada provide unmatched 

opportunities for students to experience the flavour of an international education.

2 


With a monthly stipend of $200 and round trip airfare provided by SASTRA, the 

SAP programme has opened doors for admission to top-‐notch universities like 

Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College, University of Pennsylvania, Georgia Institute 

of Technology, etc. 

The encouragement given to students through such flexibilities has also resulted 

in SASTRA students securing the maximum number of Indian Academy of 

Sciences Fellowship from a single institution in the last five years. The state-‐of-‐ 

the-‐art academic infrastructure ensures that no curricular updates are ignored 

due to infrastructural constraints. 

The merit-‐based admission process of SASTRA attracts many corporate recruiters 

who are happy with the Management’s uncompromising stand on transparency 

and meritocracy in the admission process. This unique admission practice has 

won public acclaim at large and has been the single largest influencing factor in 

attracting bright young minds to the University. 

The transformation of young students to graduates capable of independent 

learning and research is achieved through quality teaching rendered by dedicated 

and qualified faculty members. The diverse faculty with rich experience from 

industries, premier institutions and research organizations across the globe 

prepare the students to face the science & technology challenges. The Teaching-‐ 

Learning process is enriched through ICT-‐enabled classrooms, state-‐of-‐the-‐art 

laboratories, access to e-‐books and e-‐journals, etc. The faculty members also 

mentor and counsel the students regularly. 

SASTRA realizes the importance of providing a fine balance of research and 

teaching in its carefully designed academic programmes. This has resulted in 

over 60 successfully completed research projects and 54 ongoing research 

projects funded by the Department of Science & Technology, Department of 

Biotechnology, Department of AYUSH, Defence Research & Development 

Organization, Defence Research & Development Laboratory, Indian Space 

Research Organization, Council for Scientific & Industrial Research, Indian 

Council for Medical Research, etc., and private organizations like Tata 

Consultancy Services Ltd., Accenture, Orchid Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. and Brakes 

India Ltd. SASTRA’s publication output (1838 papers) in Science Citation Indexed 

and SCOPUS indexed journals is an indicator of its research quality and 

productivity. Our publications in high impact factor journals such as Journal of 

American Chemical Society (JACS), Proceedings of the National Academy of 

Sciences (PNAS), Biotechnology Advances, Chemical Communications, Critical 

Reviews in Microbiology, Journal of Materials Chemistry, Journal of Medicinal 

Chemistry, Biomacromolecules, Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology, Archives 

of Toxicology, Water Research, Langmuir, etc., places SASTRA on the global

esearch map along with the company of leading research institutions. 

3 


The encouragement and support given by SASTRA to its faculty and students to 

engage in research is phenomenal. Funding through Research & Modernization 

Scheme (up to Rs 10 lakh), Seed grant through Prof. TRR Fund (up to Rs 2 lakh), 

Student innovation fund (up to Rs 2 lakh), support for full-‐time Ph. D. scholars 

through the Teaching Assistantship fund, various research incentives, etc., 

motivate and provide impetus to the faculty members and students to engage in 

meaningful research. 

SASTRA’s autonomous research centres have been instrumental for the successful 

implementation of research projects. They are the Centre for Nanotechnology & 

Advanced Biomaterials (CeNTAB), Centre for Relevance & Excellence (CORE) in 

Advanced Computing & Information Processing, National Facility for 

Mechatronics, Centre for Mobility & Networking Computing, National Facility for 

the Development of Herbo-‐metallic preparations of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani, 

National Facility for the Scientific Manufacturing of Ayurvedic & Siddha-‐Rasa 

Aushadhies and Bhasmas, Centre for Advanced Research in Indian Systems of 

Medicine (CARISM), Centre for Advanced Research in Environment (CARE), 

Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF), Central Animal House Facility and Centre 

for Rural Developmental Studies. 

With a sprawling campus having a built-‐up area of 2,22,129.02 square metre 

spread over 232 acres, SASTRA provides congenial and serene atmosphere for 

curricular, co-‐curricular and extra curricular activities. Each School is housed in 

an exclusive building designed with adequate number of class rooms, teaching & 

research laboratories, faculty rooms, administrative office, auditorium, rest 

rooms, etc., ensuring self-‐sufficiency. Access to state-‐of-‐the-‐art infrastructure 

such as high-‐end electron microscopy (FE-‐TEM & FE-‐SEM), confocal microscopy, 

high performance clusters, microfabrication, materials characterization facility, 

spectroscopy (XPS, XRF, LA-‐ICP-‐MS, LC-‐MS/MS, GC-‐MS/MS), world-‐class 

manufacturing facility, etc., provides added advantage to the students. The 

library, aptly named as Saraswathi Sadan, with its multi-‐crore investment in both 

print and electronic resources, is a big support to teaching-‐learning process and 

research in this knowledge era. The entire campus is Wi-‐fi enabled through a 1 

Gbps fibre optic backbone providing 355 Mbps bandwidth connectivity. 

The Students’ Home, ‘a home away from home’, provides separate accommodation 

to boys and girls, 24-‐hour internet connectivity, sporting facilities, gymnasium 

and other allied services. Students have the choice to select the hostel and room 

category through online hostel registration system every year. Other support 

amenities such as hospital with pharmacy, bank, ATMs, post office, 

Higginbothams book store, cafeteria, courier services, convenience stores, 1750

4 


kVA back-‐up generator, transport, reprography, RO plants, sewage treatment 

plants, etc., make the campus life conducive. 

Students are provided orientation and training by their peers through technical 

clubs & forums, workshops, seminars, etc. The Department of Training & 

Placement provides soft skills training, schedules interviews for campus 

placement and facilitates internships & in-‐plant training. Students are provided 

freedom and opportunities to hone their leadership skills by organizing various 

intramural and extramural technical, cultural and sport events. Guided 

meditation, yoga practices and health-‐related sports and games are encouraged 

to keep the body and mind fit. The NCC and NSS units of the University are very 

active and committed towards societal development. Economically and socially 

disadvantaged students are given grants to meet their study & living expenses 

and scholarships are provided to meritorious students. 

SASTRA is also constantly aware of its societal responsibilities for we know that 

no man is an island and hence does not believe in an ivory tower existence 

turning a blind eye to the society around us. SASTRA voluntarily provides timely 

help and extends its support to the victims of any natural disaster or calamity. 

SASTRA has proactively engaged in relief and rehabilitation works during the 

recent floods in Uttarakand, Cyclone Thane & Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, Andhra 

Pradesh floods, Kumbakonam fire tragedy, etc., without waiting for any external 

stimulant. Picking up this culture, SASTRA students support needy village schools 

through SASTRA Upahaar. Further, SASTRA’s Community OutReach (SCORE) has 

touched the lives of many communities and individuals in many ways – new 

product development, financial support, resource mobilization and free 

distribution of essentials, care for the disadvantaged sections, etc. 

Various University bodies such as Board of Management, Academic Council, 

Research Advisory Council, Finance Committee, Library Advisory Committee, 

IQAC, etc., critically evaluate the performance and provide inputs for quality 

sustenance & improvement. All activities of the University are governed through 

the online management system providing complete e-‐governance. Open-‐minded 

approach of the Management, decentralization and teamwork enable collective 

decision-‐making, seamless upward & downward communication resulting in 

hassle-‐free administration. 

SASTRA University earnestly endeavours to be among the best and utilizes 

opportunities for the overall improvement of higher education, training, and 

research & development. With a strong and deep commitment and a genuine 

desire to fulfil the aspirations of a growing, fast-‐developing society, SASTRA has 

been contributing significantly towards the realization of the National goal of 

envisioning India 2020.

PROFILE OF THE UNIVERSITY 

5 


1. Name and Address of the University: 

Name: 

Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy 

SASTRA University, 

Address: Tirumalaisamudram, Thanjavur 613 401. 

City: Thanjavur Pin: 613 401 State: Tamil Nadu 

Website: www.sastra.edu 

2. For communication: 

Designation Name 

Tel with 

STD code 

Vice– 

Chancellor 

Prof. R. Sethuraman 

04362 

304101 

Registrar Prof. G. Bhalachandran 

04362 

304106 

Steering 

Committee 

Coordinators 

Dr. S. Vaidhya-‐ 

subramaniam 

Dr. S. Pugazhenthi 

04362 

304103 

04362 

301118 

Mobile Fax Email 

98942 

73848 

99449 

92201 

98947 

82434 

94424 

03858 

04362 

264120 

04362 

264120 

04362 

264111 

04362 

264111 

sethuraman@ 

sastra.edu 

registrar@ 

sastra.edu 

vaidhya@ 

sastra.edu 

pugazhenthi@ 

mech.sastra.edu 

3. Status of the University: 

State University 

State Private University 

Central University 

University under Section 3 of UGC (Deemed University) 

Institution of National Importance 

Any other (please specify) 

4. Type of University: 

Unitary 

Affiliating 

5. Source of funding: 

Central Government 

State Government 

Self–financing 

Any other (please specify) 

6. a. Date of establishment of the university: 26/04/2001 

b. Prior to the establishment of the university, was it a/an 

i. PG Centre Yes ☐ No ☐ 

ii. Affiliated College Yes No ☐

Profile of the University 

iii. Constituent College Yes ☐ No ☐ 

iv. Autonomous College Yes ☐ No ☐ 

v. Any other (please specify) Nil 

If yes, give the date of establishment: Started in the year 1984 

7. Date of recognition as a university by UGC or any other national agency: 

Under Section DD MM YYYY Remarks 

i. 2f of UGC* 

ii. 12B of UGC * 

iii. 3 of UGC (Annexure 1) 26 04 2001 No remarks or conditions 

iv. Any other (specify) 

8. Has the University been recognized 

a. By UGC as a University with Potential for Excellence? 

Yes ☐ No ☐ Not applicable 

b. For its performance by any other governmental agency? 

Yes No ☐ 

Name of Agency Date of 

Recognition 

Type of Recognition 

Department of Scientific & June 4, 2009 Scientific & Industrial Research 

Industrial Research, 

Department of Science & 

Technology 

Organization 

Ministry of Finance September Section 35(i)(ii) Organization for 

15, 2009 Research 

Department of AYUSH August 16, Centre of Excellence in National 

2010 Facility for the Scientific Manufact-‐ 

uring of Ayurvedic & Siddha – Rasa 

Aushadhies and Bhasmas 

Drugs & Pharmaceuticals December National Facility for the 

Research Programme, 31, 2008 Development of Herbo-‐metallic 

Department of Science & 

preparations of Ayurveda, Siddha 

Technology 

and Unani 

Nanomission, Department April 10, PG Teaching programme in 

of Science & Technology 2008 “Medical Nanotechnology 

All India Council for January 5, National Facilities in Engineering 

Technical Education 

2006 & Technology with Industrial 

Collaboration (NAFETIC) 

TIFAC & Department of January 2, Centre of Excellence & Relevance 

Science & Technology 2001 in “Advanced Computing & 

Information Processing” 

6

9. Does the university have off–campus centres? 

Yes No ☐ 

If yes, date of establishment: 21/12/2003 

date of recognition: 06/09/2004 

10. Does the university have off–shore campuses? 

Yes ☐ No 

7 


11. Location of the campus and area: 

Location Campus area Built up area 

in acres in sq m 

Main campus area Thanjavur 

(Semi–urban) 

224 202,417.63 

Other campuses in the Kumbakonam 9 19,711.39 

country 

(Semi–urban) 

Campuses abroad Nil Nil Nil 

12. Provide information on the following: In case of multi–campus 

University, please provide campus–wise information. 

Auditorium / seminar complex with infrastructural facilities 

Name of the Auditorium Seating 

Facilities 

School 

Capacity 

Chemical & Jiva Chaitanya 388 Fully air–conditioned hall with 

Biotechnology 

motorized screen, audio system 

with modern acoustics 

Mechanical Vishwakarma 280 Fully air–conditioned hall with 

Engineering Joth 



Electrical & Vidyut Vihar 278 Fully air–conditioned hall with 

Electronics 



Civil 

Nirman Vihar 222 Fully air–conditioned hall with 

Engineering 



Management & Chanakya 

212 Fully air–conditioned hall with 

Law 

Vihar 


with modern acoustics and 

recording facility 

Computer Manisha 144 Fully air–conditioned hall with 

Science & 


Engineering 


Administrative Senate Hall 80 Fully air–conditioned hall with 



Anusandhan ASK Hall I – 134 Fully air–conditioned hall with 

Kendra 

Hall II – 70 motorized screen and audio 

Hall III – 50 system


Srinivasa 

Ramanujan 

Centre, 

Kumbakonam 

Open Air 

Theatre 

V. S. Srinivasa 

Sastri Hall 

300 Fully air–conditioned hall with 



To 

accommodate 

6,000 persons 

8 

Erected as and when necessary 

during convocation, cultural 

festivals, etc. with state of the 

arts acoustics 

Sports facilities 

Volleyball Court Three courts. 2 with fencing and flood lights 

Basketball Court Outdoor – 2 courts 

One with fencing, flood lights and gallery 

One in the ladies hostel 

Indoor – 1 court 

Synthetic with flood lights and gallery 

Football Field Natural turf with fencing and provision for automatic 

watering 

Tennis Court Two synthetic courts with fencing and flood lights 

Badminton Court Four synthetic indoor courts with flood lights & gallery 

One in the ladies hostel 

Cricket Ground 1 

Hockey Ground 1 

Table Tennis 4 (Two for men and two for women) 

Kabaddi Court 1 

Handball Court 1 

Throw ball Court 1 

Track & Field 1 

Gymnasium 2 (One for men and one for women) 

Snooker & Pool Table 5 (4 for men and 1 for women) 

Boys’ Hostel 

Name of the Hostel 

Hostel 

Capacity 

Number of 

inmates 

Kamadhenu 835 827 

Kamadhenu Annex 272 272 

Ananda Vihar 596 595 

Facilities 

Each room has an 

attached bathroom 

Wi–Fi facility 

Convenience store 

Mess & Laundry facility 

Electricity back–up 







Electricity back–up

Paramananda Vihar 424 419 

Vashista 432 416 

Rajalakshmi Vihar 159 156 

Sandipani Sadan 728 675 

TOTAL 3446 3360 

Girls’ Hostel 

Name of the Hostel 

Sadananda Vihar 

(New Hostel) 


(Single Hostel) 


(Old Hostel) 

Hostel 

Capacity 

Number of 

inmates 

797 797 

126 126 

234 234 

Arundathi 482 482 

Anasuya 169 169 

Ahalya 509 400 

TOTAL 2317 2307 

9 

















Facilities 

























Besides the above facilities, girl students have two ATMs in their hostels and 

boy students have access to one ATM near their hostels.


Residential facilities for faculty and non–teaching Available 

Cafeteria Available 

Health centre facilities Available 

Bank Available 

Post office Available 

Book shops Available 

Transport facilities Available 

Facilities for persons with disabilities Available 

Animal house Available 

Power house Available 

Waste management facility Available 

13. Number of institutions affiliated to the University: Not applicable 

Type of colleges Total Permanent Temporary 

Arts, Science and Commerce 

Law 

Medicine 

Engineering 

Education 

Management 

Others 

(specify and provide details) 

14. Does the University Act provide for conferment of autonomy (as 

recognized by the UGC) to its affiliated institutions? If yes, give the 

number of autonomous colleges under the jurisdiction of the 

University 

Yes ☐ No ☐ Not applicable 

15. Furnish the following information: 

Particulars Number 

Number of 

Students 

a. University Departments 

9 

13,206 

b. Research centres on the campus 2 

c. Constituent colleges Not applicable Not applicable 

d. Affiliated colleges Not applicable Not applicable 

e. Colleges under 2(f) Not applicable Not applicable 

f. Colleges under 2(f) and 12B Not applicable Not applicable 

g. NAAC accredited colleges Not applicable Not applicable 

h. Colleges with Potential for 

Excellence (UGC) 

Not applicable Not applicable 

i. Autonomous colleges Not applicable Not applicable 

j. Colleges with Postgraduate 

Departments 


k. Colleges with Research 

Departments 


10

Particulars Number 

l. University recognized Research 

Institutes / Centres 

11 


Number of 

Students 


16. Does the university conform to the specification of Degrees as 

enlisted by the UGC? 

Yes No ☐ 

If the university uses any other nomenclatures, please specify. 

17. Academic programmes offered by the university departments at 

present, under the following categories: (Enclose the list of academic 

programmes offered) 

Programmes Number Programmes 

Undergraduate 27 B. Tech. Programmes 

1. Aerospace Engineering 

2. Bioengineering 

3. Bioinformatics 

4. Biotechnology 

5. Chemical Engineering 

6. Civil Engineering 

7. Computer Science & Engineering 

8. Electronics & Communication Engineering 

9. Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

10. Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering 

11. Information & Communication Technology 

12. Information Technology 

13. Mechanical Engineering 

14. Mechatronics 

Law Programmes 

1. B. A., LL.B. (Hons.) 

2. B. B. A., LL.B (Hons.) 

3. B. Com., LL.B (Hons.) 

B. Sc. Programmes 

1. Communication & Computer Science 

2. Electronics and Computer Science 

3. Mathematics and Computer Science 

4. Physics and Computer Science 

5. Biochemistry 

Bachelor of Business Administration 

Bachelor of Commerce 

Bachelor of Computer Applications 

Bachelor of Commerce (Computer Applications)



B. Ed. (Regular) 

Postgraduate 31 M. Tech. Programmes 

1. Advanced Computing 

2. Advanced Manufacturing 

3. Bioinformatics 

4. Chemical Engineering 

5. Communication Systems 

6. Computer Science & Engineering 

7. Construction Engineering & Management 

8. Control & Instrumentation 

9. Embedded Systems 

10. Industrial Biotechnology 

11. Medical Nanotechnology 

12. Nanoelectronics 

13. Nuclear Engineering 

14. Pharmaceutical Technology 

15. Power Electronics & Drives 

16. Power Systems 

17. Structural Engineering 

18. VLSI Design 

Integrated 

Masters 

M. Sc. Programmes 

1. Biochemistry 

2. Biotechnology 

3. Chemistry 

4. Computer Science 

5. Mathematics 

6. Microbiology 

7. Physics 

Master of Business Administration (MBA) 

Master of Commerce (M. Com.) 

Master of Computer Applications (MCA) 

Master of Education (M. Ed.) 

14 1. M. Tech. – Advanced Manufacturing 

2. M. Tech. – Automobile Engineering 

3. M. Tech. – Bioinformatics 

4. M. Tech. – Biotechnology 

5. M. Tech. – Chemical Engineering 

6. M. Tech. – Communication Systems 

7. M. Tech. – Construction Engg. & Management 

8. M. Tech. – Instrumentation & Control 

9. M. Tech. – Medical Nanotechnology 

10. M. Tech. – Power Systems 

11. M. Tech. – Structural Engineering 

12. M. Sc., B. Ed. – Computer Science 

13. M. Sc., B. Ed. – Mathematics 

14. M. A., B. Ed. – English 

12

13 



M. Phil. 0 – 

Ph. D. In Engineering, Management, Science, Law, 

Education, Humanities & Arts 

Integrated 

In Engineering, Management, Science, Law, 

Ph. D. 

Education, Humanities & Arts 

Certificate 15 1. Non-‐Destructive Testing 

2. Nanosensors 

3. Srivaishnavisam 

4. Clinical Micro Biology I 

5. Clinical Micro Biology II 

6. Molecular Modelling & Drugs Design 

7. Introduction to Linux OS & Mysql 

8. Bioinformatics – Tools & Techniques 

9. Concept in PHP, Mysql, Java & AJAX 

10. Computational Drug Design 

11. Visual Programming 

12. Web Design 

13. MYSQL / PHP 

14. Virtual Instrumentation using Labview 

Diploma Astrology, Sanskrit, Vaishnavism 

PG Diploma – 

Any other 

(please specify) 

1 Skill Development Programme 

18. Number of working days during the last academic year. 

19. Number of teaching days during the past four academic years. 

2012–13 2011–12 2010–11 2009–10 

180 180 180 180 

20. Does the University have a department of Teacher Education? 

Yes No ☐ 

If yes, 

a. Year of establishment: 2005–06 

b. NCTE recognition details 

Programme Notification No. Notification 

Date 

B. Ed. (Regular) F.TN/SEC/SRO/NCTE/2005-‐ 

2006/5533 

21/02/2006 

B. Ed. (Integrated) F.SRO/NCTE/B.Ed/2006-‐ 

2007/7273 

28/08/2006 

B. Ed. (Distance F.SRO/NCTE/B.Ed/2006-‐ 13/02/2008 

Education) 

2007/17839 

M. Ed. (Regular) F.SRO/NCTE/M.Ed/2007-‐ 

2008/19076 

270 

28/03/2008


c. Is the department opting for assessment and accreditation separately? 

Yes ☐ No 

21. Does the University have a teaching department of Physical Education? 

Yes ☐ No 

22. In the case of Private and Deemed Universities, please indicate 

whether professional programmes are being offered? 

Yes No ☐ 

If yes, please enclose approval / recognition details issued by the statutory 

body governing the programme. 

Teacher education programme recognition details provided in S. No 20 

Details of Bar Council of India Approval: 

Approval Letter No: BCI:D:1175/2013 (LE) Dated: 11/7/2013 for B. A., LL. 

B. (Hons.), B. B. A., LL. B. (Hons.) & B. Com., LL. B. (Hons.) 

23. Has the University been reviewed by any regulatory authority? If so, 

furnish a copy of the report and action taken there upon. 

Yes. The UGC Review Committee had reviewed the University in 2009. The 

observations of the Committee are as follows: 

The academic infrastructure and the ambience in the campus are 

found quite suitable from point of view of study and research 

The increase in infrastructure, facilities and other facilities after 

conferment of the Deemed University status are adequate 

The output and achievements of this Deemed University in about 5 

years are commendable 

Research works undertaken by departments are in frontier areas of 

technology and new disciplines 

The vision and mission of the University as also the faculties and 

administration of the University are praiseworthy 

The University was accredited by NAAC in 2002 and it has been 

reaccredited to Grade “A” in 2008. The University follows suggestions 

made by NAAC 

With the competent teachers, modern and sophisticated infrastructure 

available in the University and also the type of inputs, the University 

has the potential of developing into a first rate one 

14

24. Number of positions in the University 

15 


Positions 

Teaching faculty Technical & 

Prof. Asso. Asst. Non–teaching 

Prof. Prof. Staff 

Recruited 107 82 645 450 

Yet to recruit – – – – 

Number of persons working 

on contract basis 

– – – – 

25. Qualifications of the teaching staff 

Highest Professor Associate Assistant Total 

qualification 

Professor Professor 

Male 

Permanent teachers 

Female Male Female Male Female 

D. Sc. / D. Litt. 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 

Ph. D. 71 14 52 05 74 32 248 

M. Phil. 1 0 2 1 59 39 102 

PG 11 0 18 4 279 157 469 

Others 

Visiting Faculty 

0 0 0 0 4 1 5 

Ph. D. 5 1 0 0 0 0 6 

M. Phil. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

PG 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 

Part–time teachers 

Ph. D. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

M. Phil. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

PG 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

26. Emeritus, Adjunct and Visiting Professors 

Emeritus Adjunct Visiting 

Number 0 0 09 

27. Chairs instituted at the University 

Name School 

Dr. S. Pugazhenthi School of Mechanical Engineering 

Lucas TVS Chair Professor of Mechanical 

Engineering 

Dr. R. Chandramouli School of Mechanical Engineering 

T. S. Santhanam Chair Professor of Mechanical 

Engineering 

Dr. S. Vaidhyasubramaniam School of Management 

IOB Chair Professor of Management 

Dr. V. Badrinath School of Management 

CUB Chair Professor of Management


Dr. S. Swaminathan School of Chemical & Biotechnology 

Centre for Nanotechnology & Advanced 

Biomaterials 

Orchid Chemicals Chair Professor of Biotechnology 

Dr. M. Vijayalakshmi School of Chemical & Biotechnology 

TCS Chair Professor of Computational Biology 

Dr. K. S. Rajan School of Chemical & Biotechnology 

Seshasayee Paper Board Chair Professor of 

Chemical Engineering 

Dr. K. Uma Maheswari School of Chemical & Biotechnology 

Deakin Indo–Australia Chair Professor of 

Chemistry 

Dr. K. Saravana Raja Mohan School of Civil Engineering 

Ramco Chair Professor of Civil Engineering 

Dr. T. R. Neelakantan School of Civil Engineering 

L & T Chair Professor of Civil Engineering 

Dr. R. John Bosco Balaguru School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

Symphony Services Chair Professor of Electrical 

Engineering 

Dr. K. Ramkumar School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

Wipro Mission 10X Chair Professor 

28. Students enrolled in the university departments during the academic 

year (2012–13), with the following details: 

Students Gender From the 

state 

where the 

university 

is located 

From 

other 

states 

of 

India 

16 

NRI 

students 

From the 

state 

where the 

university 

is located 

NRI from 

other 

states of 

India 

Foreign 

students 

Total 

UG 

Male 

Female 

1047 

1200 

277 

149 

98 

20 

41 

11 

– 

– 

2843 

PG 

Male 

Female 

286 

566 

29 

30 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

911 

Integrated 

Masters 

Male 

Female 

84 

94 

23 

10 

11 

2 

4 

1 

– 

– 

229 

M. Phil. 

Male 

Female 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Ph. D. 

Male 

Female 

336 

172 

30 

15 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

1 

366 

188 

Integrated Male – – 

Ph. D. Female – – 

D. Sc. / Male – – – – – – 

D. Litt. Female – – – – – – 

Certificate 

Male 

Female 

81 

12 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

81 

12 

Diploma 

Male 

Female 

43 

46 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

43 

46

29. ‘Unit cost’ of education 

a. including the salary component = Rs 98,320 

b. excluding the salary component = Rs 50,325 

30. Academic Staff College: Not applicable 

17 


31. Does the university offer Distance Education Programmes (DEP)? 

Yes No ☐ 

If yes, indicate the number of programmes offered. 8 

Are they recognized by the Distance Education Council? Yes 

32. Does the University have a provision for external registration of 

students? 

Yes ☐ No 

If yes, how many students avail of this provision annually? 

33. Is the university applying for Accreditation or Re–Assessment? If 

Accreditation, name the cycle. 

Accreditation: Cycle 1☐ Cycle 2 ☐ Cycle 3 ☐ Cycle 4 ☐ 

Re–Assessment: Cycle 1☐ Cycle 2 Cycle 3 ☐ Cycle 4 ☐ 

34. Date of accreditation* (applicable for Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4 and re– 

assessment only) 

Cycle 1: April 15–18, 2002 Accreditation outcome: B++ with 77% 

Cycle 2: February 21-‐23, 2008 Accreditation outcome: 3.20 with ‘A‘ grade 

35. Does the University provide the list of accredited institutions under its 

jurisdiction on its website? Provide details of the number of accredited 

affiliated / constituent / autonomous colleges under the University. 

Not applicable 

36. Date of establishment of Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) and 

dates of submission of Annual Quality Assurance Reports (AQAR). 

IQAC: 18/01/2006 

AQAR (i) 31/12/2012 

(ii) 03/08/2013


37. Any other relevant data, the University would like to include 

Admissions to all programmes are merit-‐based & transparent and the 

University does not collect capitation fees 

Equal emphasis is provided for teaching and research as evident from 

quality of graduates and publications output respectively 

Seed grant and intra-‐mural funding opportunities for faculty to initiate 

their research 

Transparent staff recruitment policy to attract talented pool of faculty 

Performance based incentives, out-‐of-‐turn & accelerated promotions to 

recognize faculty achievers 

Staff and student welfare measures in place to ensure their well-‐being 

and instil the sense of security and belonging 

Encouragement to co-‐curricular and extra-‐curricular activities 

Dedicated & participative Management 

Efforts of the University in offering unique programmes, adopting 

flexible and innovative teaching-‐learning mechanisms, conducting 

inter–disciplinary research, developing its students, faculty and its out– 

reach activities make it a responsible and a fully integrated University 

in perfect alignment with the ‘concept of a University’ 

18

CRITERION I: CURRICULAR ASPECTS 

1.1. Curriculum Design & Development 

19 


1.1.1 Vision & Mission 

SASTRA’s vision is “To be a world class University engaging in meaningful 

research & development offering quality education to the students and other 

learners”. Humanity turns to excellence as a flower turns to the sun. The world has 

evolved into what it is because of mankind’s quest for quality. 

The mission statement of SASTRA University is “To impart value–based higher 

education turning out good scholars who are at the same time good individuals 

and good citizens in order that they may become useful members of an 

enlightened humane society”. 

Our quest in SASTRA has always been for perfection in terms of curriculum, teaching 

methods, evaluation systems, academic integrity, quality education and research in 

general. We are also constantly aware of our societal responsibilities for we know 

that no man is an island. We do not believe in an ivory tower existence turning a 

blind eye to the society around us and our approach has been holistic with a right 

blend of essential moral values, which go on to make a perfect individual. Knowledge 

without proper base of ethics can be dangerous as is evident from the chaos in the 

world every day. Hence, value–based quality education has been the thrust in all 

form of academic engagement by the University. At a time when altruistic ideals and 

civic interests seem to have given way to power goals and heightened interest in 

materialism, SASTRA presents a holistic approach to personal and professional 

growth. 

SASTRA’s GUIDING MODEL

Criterion I 

1.1.2 Goals and Objectives 

The goals and objectives of the University are: 

1. To become a role model institution for higher learning 

2. To offer need–based courses in collaboration with industries 

3. To establish Schools of Excellence 

4. To promote research as a tool for social and rural development 

5. To explore the applications of ancient technology, sciences & arts and 

incorporate the same into the curriculum to meet modern requirements 

6. To provide inter–disciplinary courses of study and research and to allow 

flexibility in the curriculum as opted for by the students and user agencies 

7. To establish relations with renowned Indian and Foreign Universities and 

facilitate mutual exchange programmes 

8. To undertake extra–mural studies, extension programmes and field outreach 

activities for societal development 

9. To extend the benefits of higher education to the economically backward and 

the physically disadvantaged 

10. To establish meaningful linkages with business and service sectors and hence 

offer quality education 

The goals and objectives of the University are made known to the stakeholders by 

printing them in the University brochure and is available in our website. The mission 

& vision statements, along with the guiding model are also displayed at prominent 

places in the University campus. 

The University’s goals and objectives address various stakeholders’ interests. It 

primarily aims to become a model institution for higher learning thus creating high 

quality intellectuals through carefully designed academic programmes. Such 

programmes are offered in the most effective way supported by adequate state–of– 

the–art infrastructure. The content of the courseware for the various programmes 

address key issues of national importance and all the programmes have an element 

of value education embedded in them. 

The goals of the University are translated into meaningful programmes – regular, 

certificate and training modules. The University is an active hub of multifaceted 

research in various disciplines that provides solutions not only to local problems but 

also to those of national significance. Being a University, our vision is to propel India 

to global supremacy, not only in the services sector but also in the manufacturing 

and technology sectors. By strengthening our curricula and channelling the 

resources, we have been able to contribute significantly to cater to the huge demand 

for software engineers in India’s march towards global leadership and top quality 

technical, science, arts, management and legal professionals. 

20

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1.1.3 Curriculum Design 

The curriculum development process at SASTRA is meticulously done following a 

Combined Feed Forward & Feedback Mechanism (CFFM) for Error Free Curriculum 

Development as shown below: 

Industry–oriented curriculum is framed in a methodical and thorough manner. The 

needs of the industry are assessed by studying the trends and making projections; 

critically analyzing the print and e–media; and by judiciously assessing curricula 

around the world. Alumni and industrial associates provide key inputs and the 

academic experts in the various Boards of Studies and Academic Council ensure that 

the curriculum is designed to offer the best possible. 

At the end of every semester, students’ feedback is obtained on relevance and 

content. Faculty members serious consider the feedback provided by the students at 

the time of revision of syllabi. Alumni are also consulted for their valuable 

suggestions for inclusions/modifications in the syllabi. Employers are contacted and 

their feedback about the knowledge and skill of SASTRA graduates are solicited. 

Employers are also invited to provide their expectations from SASTRA graduates. 

The existing syllabi and proposals, if any, are sent to industrial and academic experts 

to get their broad opinion. If required, new syllabi with detailed subject outline 

along with a list of textbooks and reference books are framed incorporating the 

experts’ suggestions and placed before the Board of Studies constituted for a 

particular programme which comprises both academics (from SASTRA and other 

premier institutions) and industrial experts in the particular discipline. The Board of 

Studies scrutinizes and finalizes the syllabi, which are finally approved by the 

Academic Council of the University after in–depth deliberations. Academic Council


generally meets every semester and hence frequent updates or revisions of syllabi to 

meet the ongoing developments are possible enhancing the employability of our 

students. Major curriculum reform workshop is also organised to restructure the 

entire curriculum making changes at the fundamental level. The curriculum is also 

designed to accommodate the needs of different stakeholders providing a fine 

balance. 

1.1.4 Highlights of Programmes Offered by SASTRA 

SASTRA’s innovative thinking led to the introduction of the MCA programme for 

employees of M/s Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) recruited under Project Ignite of 

TCS. Ignite recruits Science graduates for the mainstream software services business. 

SASTRA has designed and is offering a customised MCA programme for all the Ignite 

Associates. This programme integrates workplace training and projects along with 

SASTRA’s course curriculum and leverages various ICT tools in its delivery and 

evaluation. This first of the type industry–institute interaction is one of the 

successfully administered large continuing education programme in India. SASTRA 

has designed a unique programme for the employees of M/s Tata Consultancy 

Services enabling them to top up their educational qualification by pursuing an 

M.C.A. degree without affecting workplace productivity. This programme provides 

reading resources in print form, learning resources in video form and teaching 

learning resources in video–conferencing fully leveraging the use of technology. 

The M. Tech. programme in Bioinformatics is partly funded by the Department of 

Biotechnology, Government of India. Industry is realizing the need for drug–design 

engineers only after our Bioinformatics graduates demonstrated their prowess. The 

vision that recombinant therapeutics holds the key for India becoming the global 

leader in pharmaceuticals led to our formulating the Process Engineering curriculum 

for Biotechnology. In such cases, we have been catering to future needs, becoming 

pioneers and leaders. Our Biotechnology curriculum has been largely adopted by 

many State Universities. 

SASTRA was the first to introduce a M. Tech. programme in “Medical 

Nanotechnology” in the year 2005 and this programme is supported by the Nano 

Mission Council, Department of Science & Technology, New Delhi, which also 

appreciated the innovative curriculum and course design. 

B. Tech. (Mechatronics) and M. Tech. (Advanced Manufacturing) are offered in 

collaboration with M/s Brakes India Ltd. and M/s Lucas TVS respectively. In 

consultation with the experts from the Defence Research and Development 

Laboratory, Hyderabad (DRDL), a new B. Tech. programme on Aerospace 

22

23 


Engineering is offered from the academic year 2013–14 and this joint collaboration 

with DRDL will address the growing need for professionals in this niche area. 

The MBA programme is designed with Banking, Insurance and Finance courses 

aligned with the needs of the Indian Institute of Banking & Finance and Insurance 

Regulatory & Development Authority. This provides the student not only an 

opportunity to earn credits for their MBA degree but also appear for certification 

programmes of IRDA and IIBF enhancing their employment opportunities manifold.. 

B. Sc. programmes are offered with two majors, one of them being Computer Science. 

The advantages of offering double major programmes are (i) the knowledge in the 

field of computer science is strengthened, thereby taking care of the needs of the 

global IT industry and (ii) it offers wider choice of courses for post graduation. 

The B. Com. programme has been formulated in such a way that the students 

undergoing this programme can take up any of the professional courses such as 

Chartered Accountancy or ICWA (Institute of Cost and Works Accountants). 

1.1.5 Curriculum Structure 

SASTRA follows the semester pattern with 90 instructional days per semester. The 

academic calendar has all important information including the date of 

commencement of classes, continuous internal assessment tests, end semester 

examinations, due dates for remittance of examination fees and last working day of 

the semester. The academic calendar is meticulously followed and is also available 

online. 

The B. Tech. curriculum has 225 credits comprising 75% theory and 25% practical 

courses. The final semester includes a project work and viva. The B. Tech. 

programmes are spread over four years (eight semesters), averaging about 27 

credits per semester – the AICTE UG–credit being defined as 50 minutes of lecture 

and 100 minutes of self–study per week, for 15 net weeks (spread over 19 calendar 

weeks). SASTRA follows the Choice–Based Credit System (CBCS). CBCS has been 

designed to facilitate students to complete credit requirements at their own choice of 

courses and faculty. 

The course work during the first year is mostly devoted to basic engineering and 

science courses, which constitute 61 credits. Out of the remaining 164 credits, 

students have to earn a minimum of 108 credits through core courses, 31 through 

departmental electives and 12 from interdisciplinary open electives. In addition, 

students earn 4 credits on HR skills and 9 credits for end–semester Project work.


SASTRA University offers 5–year Integrated M. Tech. programmes in several 

disciplines to generate high quality postgraduates for teaching and research. The 

total credits for this programme is 261, out of which 204 credits are earned along 

with the respective B. Tech. programme. Twelve credits in the final semester are 

devoted for dissertation. At the end of the programme, the student earns an M. Tech. 

degree in the chosen specialisation and a B. Tech. degree in the parent UG discipline. 

All degree programmes have courses on ethics and personality development, which 

reflect the University’s mission and goals of offering value–based quality education. 

The postgraduate curriculum in engineering is spread over two years (four 

semesters) and the total number of credits to be accrued is 63, about 16 per 

semester for 15 net weeks (spread over 19 calendar weeks). The AICTE 

postgraduate credit is defined as 50 minutes of lecture and 150 minutes of self–study 

per week. The dissertation content is substantially more (12 credits) for PG 

programmes. M.B.A. and M.C.A. programmes have a total of 117 and 162 credits 

respectively including their project work. All M. Sc. programmes have 81 credits, 

inclusive of 12 credits for a project work of one semester. Research culture is 

promoted at the UG and PG levels through seminars, journal clubs, assignments, mini 

projects, paper publications, etc. and some are integrated in the curriculum. 

For undergraduate science programmes, the curriculum comprises 198 credits of 

which 144 credits are devoted to the two majors (one of which is computer science) 

with each of them having an equal share. B. Sc. (Biochemistry) curriculum includes 

the requisite courses for Diploma in Medical Lab Technology (DMLT). The student 

graduates with both a B. Sc. (Biochemistry) degree and a DMLT. In the case of B. 

Com. programme, the mandatory requirement of 240 hours of hands–on experience 

on computers is provided during the course of study. In addition to the hands–on 

experience, courses on database management systems, e–commerce and ERP are 

included. 

The objective of our teacher education programmes is to develop quality teacher 

educators, educational administrators and researchers by adopting a carefully 

balanced curriculum embedded with innovative practices. SASTRA has introduced 

the integrated M. Sc., B. Ed. Programme in Mathematics and Computer Science along 

with M. Com., B. Ed. & M. A., B. Ed. with the sole of aim of providing quality teachers 

for the schooling system. As teaching profession is being considered at par with 

medical, legal and engineering, the idea was to provide an opening from +2 level 

instead of choosing teaching profession as a last resort for the students who could 

not get admission in professional courses. This innovative programme has been 

introduced to attract intelligent and bright students with an aptitude for teaching. 

Realising the importance, this integrated M. Sc., B. Ed., M. A., B. Ed. & M. Com., B. Ed. 

24

25 


programmes were then added under section 22 of the UGC Act 1956, as approved 

nomenclature of degrees by the MHRD. 

SASTRA offers five–year integrated law programmes, B.A., L.L.B. (Hons.); B.Com., 

L.L.B. (Hons.) and B.B.A., L.L.B. (Hons.) approved by the Bar Council of India (BCI). 

The curriculum for these programmes is in accordance with the BCI regulations and 

offers legal, clinical and subject specific courses. 

SASTRA offers B.F.A. (Performing Arts) and M.F.A. (Performing Arts) in collaboration 

with Nrithyodaya, Chennai under distance mode with an objective to provide an 

opportunity for those who seek higher education in Bharathanatyam. These 

programmes impart relevant knowledge & skills through pedagogical and praxis 

methods of our Indian Naatyasastra. 

1.2 Academic Flexibility 

The students enjoy academic flexibility in the form of: 

i. Choice based Credit System (CBCS) – The curriculum is designed in such a 

way that it provides freedom to the students to choose courses from a list of 

departmental electives for earning 31 credits. In addition, the students can 

opt for four courses (12 credits) as open electives from a large pool of courses 

across Arts, Science, Technology, Law and Management disciplines 

ii. Choice of Faculty Member – If the same course is taught by more than one 

faculty, the students have the liberty to register under a faculty of their choice 

iii. Accelerated Course Registration System (ACRS) – This facilitates students 

to register for additional courses in order to satisfy their credit requirements 

through course works enabling them to devote the entire eighth semester for 

a quality project work in India or abroad 

iv. Semester Abroad Programme (SAP) – This enables the students to spend 

one semester to pursue a research or course work in a foreign University / 

industry of international repute. The credits earned during this programme is 

transferred to SASTRA for the award of degree 

v. Students are free to choose their project team mates and supervisors from 

any School to carry out interdisciplinary projects 

vi. Students have an option to change their branch based on their academic 

performance at the end of first year provided there are vacancies 

vii. Students have an option to register for value–added certificate courses, which 

are offered beyond the regular working hours 

viii. Integrated teacher education programme provides flexibility to student to exit 

the programme at the end three years with a B. Sc. degree or continue for two 

more years to qualify for the M. Sc., B. Ed. degree


ix. University provides freedom to introduce new courses as electives in tune 

with the latest developments 

1.2.1 Programmes Offered 

The University currently offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral 

programmes in Technology, Sciences, Law, Management, Arts and Humanities. All 

the programmes offered by SASTRA are self–financed. The Directorate of Distance 

Education offers programmes approved by relevant statutory bodies. All full–time 

programmes that are offered by SASTRA are also open to international students. 

Hence, they are eligible for admission to all programmes offered by the University 

provided they fulfil the eligibility criteria. 

Undergraduate Programmes 

1. B. Tech. Aerospace Engineering 

2. B. Tech. Bioengineering 

3. B. Tech. Bioinformatics 

4. B. Tech. Biotechnology 

5. B. Tech. Chemical Engineering 

6. B. Tech. Civil Engineering 

7. B. Tech. Computer Science & Engineering 

8. B. Tech. Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

9. B. Tech. Electronics & Communication Engineering 

10. B. Tech. Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering 

11. B. Tech. Information & Communication Technology 

12. B. Tech. Information Technology 

13. B. Tech. Mechanical Engineering 

14. B. Tech. Mechatronics 

15. B. Com. (Computer Applications) 

16. Bachelor of Commerce 

17. Bachelor of Business Administration 

18. Bachelor of Computer Applications 

19. B. Sc. Communication & Computer Science 

20. B. Sc. Electronics & Computer Science 

21. B. Sc. Mathematics & Computer Science 

22. B. Sc. Physics & Computer Science 

23. B. Sc. Biochemistry & Diploma in Medical Lab Technology 

24. B. Ed. in Commerce, Computer Science, Economics, English, History, Geography, 

Mathematics, Physical Science, Biological Science & Tamil 

Postgraduate Programmes 

1. M. Tech. Advanced Computing 

2. M. Tech. Advanced Manufacturing 

3. M. Tech. Bioinformatics 

4. M. Tech. Chemical Engineering 

5. M. Tech. Communication Systems 

6. M. Tech. Computer Science & Engineering 

7. M. Tech. Construction Engineering & Management 

26

8. M. Tech. Embedded Systems 

9. M. Tech. Biotechnology 

10. M. Tech. Instrumentation & Control 

11. M. Tech. Medical Nanotechnology 

12. M. Tech. Nanoelectronics 

13. M. Tech. Power Electronics & Drives 

14. M. Tech. Power Systems 

15. M. Tech. Pharmaceutical Technology 

16. M. Tech. Structural Engineering 

17. M. Tech. VLSI Design 

18. M. Sc. Biochemistry 

19. M. Sc. Biotechnology 

20. M. Sc. Chemistry 

21. M. Sc. Computer Science 

22. M. Sc. Mathematics 

23. M. Sc. Microbiology 

24. M. Sc. Physics 

25. Master of Business Administration 

26. Master of Commerce 

27. Master of Computer Applications 

5–Year Integrated Programmes 


2. M. Tech. Automobile Engineering 


4. M. Tech. Biotechnology 






10. M. Tech. Medical Nanotechnology 


12. B. A., LL.B. (Hons.) 

13. B.B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) 

14. B.Com., LL.B. (Hons.) 

15. M. Sc., B. Ed. Computer Science 

16. M. Sc., B. Ed. Mathematics 

17. M. A., B. Ed. English 

Doctoral Programme 

Ph. D. in Engineering, Science, Management, Law, Arts & Humanities 

Distance Education 

1. B. A. Astrology 

2. B. F. A. Bharathanatyam 

3. M.F.A. Bharathanatyam 

4. Bachelor of Education 

5. M.A. Astrology 

6. M. A. Sanskrit 

27 

SASTRA University


Diploma Programmes 

1. Astrology 

2. Vedic Studies 

3. Agama 

4. Vedic Mathematics 

5. Sanskrit 

Certificate Courses 

1. Basic Microbiology 

2. Bioperl & Java 

3. Clinical Microbiology 

4. Sanskrit 

5. Srivaishnavism 


1.2.2 Salient Features of Academic Rules 

The minimum duration for full–time undergraduate programmes at SASTRA is four 

years and two years for M. Tech. / M. B. A. programmes as per AICTE norms. A 

student is allowed a maximum period of seven years for B. Tech.; four years for M. 

Tech., & M.B.A. and five years for M. C. A. from the date of admission for completion. 

The maximum duration for Ph. D. programme is seven years. 

A student must put in a minimum attendance of 80% to appear for the examination 

in that semester or else the student should repeat the course during the next 

academic year. 

1.2.3 Avenues for Fast Learners 

The Accelerated Course Registration System (ACRS) provides a unique opportunity 

for fast learners of B. Tech. programmes to complete course work in 7 semesters 

instead of the regular 8 semesters. This increases their chances of working in 

premier research labs & organizations in India and abroad for long–term internships 

during the 8 th semester. The Semester Abroad Programme (SAP) coupled with the 

ACRS provides ample networking opportunity for students to pursue their higher 

education and other career prospects abroad in addition to providing them with a 

global research experience. Honours courses, value added certificate courses, mini– 

projects leading to innovative research are other avenues available for fast learners. 

This has resulted in students being able to secure admissions in renowned 

universities like University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, Johns 

Hopkins University, Cambridge, Imperial College, etc. Many students have also 

successfully completed the Indian Academy of Sciences Fellowship programmes and 

gained admissions in premier Indian institutions like Indian Institute of Technology, 

Indian Institute of Science, etc. 

28

29 


1.3 Curriculum Enrichment 

Modification of the existing courses depends on the emerging needs and 

requirements presented by the industry from time to time. The courses are modified 

by including the current requirements and developments. If there is a major need, 

SASTRA has the flexibility and resources to start separate degree programmes. 

A curriculum development workshop was conducted on 2 nd April 2011 to review the 

B. Tech. programmes at SASTRA. Experts from academia & industry, senior faculty 

members of SASTRA and student representatives attended the workshop. The 

workshop began with students airing their feedback on the curriculum. Then a 

brainstorming session was conducted, which resulted in the optimal reduction of 

number of credits from 234 to 225 for the B. Tech. degree programmes. This was 

mainly done to facilitate the students to engage in meaningful activities outside the 

class hours. 

The second session was conducted discipline–wise to deliberate the core and 

department elective courses and their contents. The suggestions of this panel were 

then discussed in depth in the respective Boards of Studies meetings. 

The external experts who participated in the Curriculum Development workshop 

were: 

School of Civil Engineering Prof. A. Sridharan 

Former Deputy Director & Advisor 

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 

Prof. K. N. Satyanarayana 

Professor of Civil Engineering 

Indian Institute of Technology – Madras 

Dr. C. N. Srinivasan 

Partner, C. R. Narayana Rao Architects & 

Engineers, Chennai 

School of Computing Dr. Raman Srinivasan 

Head–iGNITE 

Tata Consultancy Services, Chennai 

Dr. K. Kesavasamy 

Global Head, AIP 

Tata Consultancy Services, Chennai 

Dr. Subram Natarajan 

Executive – Systems Center & Deep 

School of Electrical & Electronics 

Engineering 

Computing, IBM, Bangalore 

Prof. B. Ilango 

Former VC, Bharathiar University & 

Former Principal, REC, Trichy 

Prof. R. Sethuraman 

Former Senior Professor of 

Instrumentation, MIT, Chrompet


School of Mechanical 

Engineering 

Dr. S. Sricharan 

Consultant 

Wipro Technologies, Chennai 

Mr. N. Ramakrishnan 

Managing Director 

Elsytec Power Projects, Chennai 

Prof. P. V. Vaidyanathan 

Former VC, Annamalai University 

Chancellor, SCSVM, Kanchipuram 

Dr. T. V. L. Narasimha Rao 

General Manager 

Sundaram Clayton Limited, Chennai 

Dr. K. Sridhara 

Executive Director – ER &D 

Turbo Energy Ltd., Chennai 

1.3.1 Curricular Reforms 

Some of the salient features of the curricular reforms are highlighted below: 

1. Modular curriculum with a balanced mix of theory & practical courses each 

carrying appropriate weights in the form of credits. Each degree programme 

has well–defined credit structure matching established academic standards in 

the country & abroad. The distribution of the courses is balanced to include 

Fundamental Courses (FC), Core Courses (CC), Department Electives (DE) and 

Open Electives (OE) in required proportions 

2. Credit based system that allows students choice of selecting courses and faculty 

3. Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) provides flexibility to students from 

engineering stream to choose courses from other streams like Management, 

Law, Science, etc by way of Open Elective Courses 

4. Accelerated Course Registration System (ACRS) provides a unique opportunity 

for B. Tech. students to complete course work in 7 semesters instead of the 

regular 8 semesters 

5. Semester Abroad Programme (SAP) coupled with the ACRS provides ample 

networking opportunity for students to pursue their higher education and 

other career prospects abroad 

6. Curriculum is designed in such a way that it accommodates genuine 

requirements of industry, research labs, overseas partners, etc. 

7. B. Tech. students study a practical course Engineering Practice in first year in 

which apart from traditional workshop practices like fitting, welding and 

moulding, study of electrical power distribution, design of regulated power 

supply and measurement of amplitude, frequency & phase angle of standard 

waveforms using CRO are included 

8. All B. Tech. students are taught programming languages C and C++ 

9. HR Skills carry 4 credits in the B. Tech. curriculum 

30

31 


The following new programmes have been introduced after the last NAAC visit: 

Undergraduate Programme 

1. B. Tech. Aerospace Engineering 

5– Year Integrated Programmes 


2. M. Tech. Automobile Engineering 








10. B. B. A., LL. B. (Hons.) 

11. B. Com., LL. B. (Hons.) 

12. M. A., B. Ed., English 

Postgraduate Programmes 

1. M. Tech. Nanoelectronics 

2. M. Tech. Nuclear Engineering 

3. M. Tech. Pharmaceutical Technology 

4. M. Sc. Biotechnology 

5. M. Sc. Chemistry 

6. M. Sc. Microbiology 

7. M. Sc. Physics 

8. Master of Education 

Distance Education Programmes 

1. M.A. Astrology 

2. B.F.A. Bharathanatyam 

3. M.F.A. Bharathanatyam 

4. M.A. Sanskrit 

Diploma Course 

1. Agama 

2. Astrology 

3. Sanskrit 


5. Vedic Studies 

Certificate Courses 

1. Sanskrit 

2. Srivaishnavism 

3. Vedic Mathematics


1.3.2 Decisions of the Academic Council Meetings 

The table below provides decision of the various meetings of the Academic Council 

(XII to XXIII) after previous NAAC visit: 

XII Academic Council Meeting 

1. Revision of syllabus and scheme of study for 

I, II, III & IV semesters of B. Tech. – Civil Engineering, Electrical & 

Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics 

programmes, for the students admitted in 2007–08 

III & IV semesters of B. Tech. – Electronics & Instrumentation 

Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering programmes, for the 

students admitted in 2006–07 

I, II, III & IV semesters of B. Tech. – Computer Science Engineering, 

Information Technology, Information & Communication Technology 


I semester M. Sc. Biotechnology programme 

V and VI semesters B. Sc. Biochemistry programme, for the students 

admitted in 2005–06 

VII and VIII semesters M. Tech. Industrial Biotechnology programme, for 

the students admitted in 2004–05 

I and II semesters B. Sc., – Biochemistry programme, for the students 


III and IV semesters B. Sc., – Biochemistry programme, for the students 


Engineering Chemistry (Theory) and Engineering Chemistry Laboratory 

for I year B. Tech. students admitted in 2007–08 

M. Tech. – Embedded systems programme for the students admitted in 

2007–09 

III semester and Electives of M. Tech. – Industrial Biotechnology 

programmes 

2. Change of programme name for 5–year integrated Health Care 

Nanotechnology to Medical Nanotechnology 

3. Change of course code and revision of syllabus in courses in B. Tech., 

(Bioengineering, Bioinformatics & Biotechnology) 

4. Modification of III semester MNAN301– Smart Nanoparticles in Medicine as 

new elective in M. Tech. – Nanotechnology Programme 

5. Revision of course structure for M. Sc. B.Ed., (Mathematics) Programme for 

the students admitted from 2007–08 

6. Introduction of elective courses for III year B. Sc., (Mathematics & Computer 

science) 

XIII Academic Council Meeting 

7. Approval of schemes of study for 

M. Tech. – Structural Engineering, Process Control & Instrumentation 

programmes 

M. Tech. – Advanced Communication Systems programme, for the 

students to be admitted in 2008–09 

B. Tech. – Chemical Engineering Programme with the introduction of 

tutorial hours 

II semester M. Sc., Biotechnology programme 

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33 


8. Introduction of the course “ Competitive Ability” for B.Com., and B.B.A., 

students 

XIV Academic Council Meeting 


M. Tech. – Medical Nanotechnology, Nanoelectronics, Pharmaceutical 

Technology, Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Communication 

Systems programmes 

M. Tech. (Part Time) – Construction Engineering & Management 

programme 

I semester M. Tech. – Nuclear Engineering programme 

I semester Master of Social Work programme 

V and VI Semesters of B. Tech., – Civil Engineering, Mechanical 

Engineering, Mechatronics programmes 

III, IV, V and VI semesters and Elective courses of B. Tech. – Electrical 

and Communication Engineering programme 

V semester, Elective courses and final year of B. Tech. – Electrical and 

Electronics Engineering programme 

V to VIII semesters of B. Tech., – Electronics & Instrumentation 

Engineering programme, for the students admitted in the year 2006–07 

III to VIII Semesters of B. Tech., – Electronics & Instrumentation 

Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Biotechnology, 

Bioengineering and Bioinformatics programmes, for the students 

admitted in the year 2007–08 

Elective courses, I & II Semesters under MBA programme 

III & IV semesters of M. Sc. – Biotechnology Programme 

III & IV Semesters of B. Com. (Computer Application) Programme 

IV, V & VI semesters of B. Com. (Computer Applications) Programme 

II, III, IV & V Semesters MCA Programme 

10. Approved the Rules & Regulations of the D. Sc., and D. Litt., programmes 

11. Change in the programme name for M. Tech., (Nanotechnology) to M. Tech., 

(Medical Nanotechnology) 

12. Introduction of post graduate programme in Nanoelectronics, Nuclear 

Engineering, Pharmaceutical Technology and Master of Social Work 

13. Change of curriculum for B. Tech., (Electrical & Electronics Engineering) for 

the students admitted in 2007 

14. Approved the syllabi for open electives for the undergraduate B. Tech., 

degree programme under Choice Based Credit System 

15. Approved for modifying the Scheme of Study and Syllabi of M. Tech. – 

Computer Science & Engineering, Advanced Computing, VLSI Design, 

Embedded Systems Programmes 

16. Introduction of a new specialization titled “Financial Services” in the MBA 

Programme 

17. Introduction of course ‘Geography’ as an optional subject in the B. Ed. (Full 

time) Programme from the academic year 2008–09 

18. Introduction of the course ‘Competitive Ability I & Competitive Ability II’ as 

an audit Programme in III & IV semesters of B. Com. and B.B.A Programmes 

19 Revision of the syllabus of personality development classes from I to VI 

semesters


XV Academic Council Meeting 


II Semester M. Tech. (Pharmaceutical Technology), IV Semester of B. 

Tech. (Bioengineering, Bioinformatics) programmes, for the students 


VII & VIII Semesters of B. Tech. (Civil Engineering) programme, for the 


III and IV Semesters of B. Tech. (Computer Science Engineering, 

Information Technology, Information and Communication Technology) 

programmes, for students admitted in the year 2007–08 

V and VI Semesters of B. Tech. (Computer Science Engineering, 


programmes, for students admitted in the year 2006–07 

VII semester B. Tech., (Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics) 


21. Approved the syllabi for open electives for the undergraduate B. Tech., 

degree programme under Choice Based Credit System for the students 

admitted in the academic year 2007–08 

22. Introduction of UG Programmes Comparative Literature and Classics in 

Translation and World Classics in English Translation at SRC, SASTRA – 

Kumbakonam from the academic year 2009–10 

XVI Academic Council Meeting 


V & VI Semesters of B. Tech., (Chemical Engineering, Industrial 

Biotechnology, Bioengineering) and M. Tech., (Industrial Biotechnology, 

Medical Nanotechnology) – Integrated programmes, for the students 


IX Semester of M. Tech., (Industrial Biotechnology) – Integrated 

programme, for the students admitted in the year 2005–06 

V Semester of B. Tech., (Bioinformatics) programme, for the students 


III Semester M. Tech., (Pharmaceutical Technology) programme, for the 


I year M. Sc., (Biotechnology) programmes, for the students to be 


II year B. Tech., (Industrial Biotechnology) and M. Tech., (Industrial 

Biotechnology) – 5–year integrated programmes, for students admitted 

in the year 2008–09 

I year B. Tech., (Industrial Biotechnology, Bioengineering, 

Bioinformatics), M. Tech. – (Industrial Biotechnology, Medical 

Nanotechnology)–5–year Integrated programmes, for students admitted 


VII & VIII Semesters of B. Tech., (Computer Science Engineering, 


programmes, for the students admitted in 2006 & 2007 

B. Tech. (Computer Science & Engineering, Information Technology, 

Information and Communication Technology) Programme for the 

students admitted in 2008 and onwards 

M. Tech., (VLSI Design, Embedded Systems, Computer Science & 

34

35 


Engineering, Nanoelectronics) programmes 

VII & VIII Semesters of B. Tech.– Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

Programme for the students admitted in 2006–07 

V, VII & VIII semester of B. Tech. – Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

Programme for the students admitted in 2007–08 

VII and VIII Semesters of B. Tech. – Electronics & Communication 

Engineering Programme 

M. Sc. (Microbiology) Programme, for the students to be admitted from 

the academic year 2009–10 

V & VI Semester courses of B.Com. (Computer Applications) Programme. 

B. Sc. – Biochemistry Programme from I to VI Semesters for the students 

to be admitted from 2009–10 

III & IV Semesters of 5–year B.A., LL.B (integrated) and 3–year LL.B. 

Programmes 

VII Semester Programme of M. Sc., B. Ed., Programme 

24. Introduction of new programme 

5–year Integrated MS Programme 

M. Tech. Programme – Materials Science & Technology 

M. Tech. Programme – Food Science & Technology 

M.C.A. Programme (through Distance and Online learning mode) 

B.A., (Music) and B.A., (Dancing) Programme through Distance mode 

M. Sc., (Forensic Science) 

25. Introduction of course ‘Tourism & Hospitality Management’ in MBA 

Programme for the students to be admitted in 2009–10 

XVII Academic Council Meeting 


VI Semester B. Tech. – Bioinformatics students admitted in the year 

2007–08 

II Semester M. Tech. – Bioinformatics students admitted in the year 

2009–10 

VI Semester B. Tech. – Bioengineering students admitted in the year 

2007–08 

VI Semester Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA) Programme for the 

students admitted in the year 2007–08 

II Semester M. Sc., (Computer Science) Programme for the students 


IV Semester M. Sc., (Computer Science) Programme for the students 


III & IV Semesters of M.Com., Programme for the students admitted in 

the year 2009–10 

II Semester B.A., LL.B (Integrated) Programme for the students admitted 


Modified syllabi of English I – Communication Skills, English II – 

Business Communication and Soft skills of I, II & VI Semesters of B.Com. 

(CA) Programme 

27. Introduction of M. Pharm. programmes 

Pharmaceutical Analysis 

Pharmaceutical Chemistry


XVIII Academic Council Meeting 


VII Semester B. Tech., (Industrial Biotechnology, Bioengineering, 

Bioinformatics, Chemical Engineering) and M. Tech., (Industrial 

Biotechnology, Medical Nanotechnology) – 5–year Integrated 

Programme for the students admitted in the year 2007–08 

III Semester M. Tech. – Bioinformatics Programme 

I, II, & III Semesters of M. Sc., (Biotechnology, Biochemistry) Programme 

III Semester of two year M. Tech. Industrial Biotechnology Programme 

B. Tech. – Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics Programme for the 

students to be admitted from the academic year 2010–11 

M.B.A. Programme, B. Com (Computer Applications) Programme 

Syllabi of English in I & II Semesters of B. Tech. Programme 

English Courses of I & II Semesters of B.Com (CA) programme to I & II 

Semesters of B. Com. Programme at SRC, Kumbakonam 

English for the III & IV Semesters of M. A., B.Ed. English Programme 

IX and X Semesters of M. Sc., B.Ed., (Computer Science), M. Sc., B.Ed., 

(Mathematics) & M.A., B.Ed., (English) Programmes 

B.Com. Programme from the academic year 2010–11 onwards with the 

inclusion of a mini project 

B.B.A. Programme from the academic year 2010–11 

M.Com. Programme from the academic year 2010–11 

III to VI Semesters of B. Sc. – Biochemistry Programme with DMLT 

course for the students admitted in the year 2009–10 

Mathematics – III of B.C.A. Programme for the students to be admitted 

from the academic year 2010–11 onwards 

III & IV Semesters of 5–year B.A., LL.B. Programme for the students 


V & VI Semesters of 5–year B.A., LL.B. Programme for the students 


29. Approved revised Rules & Regulations of M. Tech. / M. Pharm. Programme 

30. Introduction of two courses in the III Semester M. Tech. (Bioinformatics) 

(i) Systems Biology, (ii) Seminar 

31. Introduction of three certificate courses offered by the Department of 

Bioinformatics, School of Chemical & Biotechnology 

32. Introduction of an open elective course 

BxxTCS801 Principles of Programming and Design – in collaboration 

with M/s. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for the students placed in TCS 

for the VIII Semester B. Tech. Programmes 

BCSOCS805 / BITOIT805 / BICOIC805 – Information Storage and 

Management’ – in collaboration with M/s. EMC Corporation, Bengaluru 

for the VIII Semester B. Tech.– (CSE / IT / ICT) Programmes 

‘BxxOxx7xx – IT Essentials’– in collaboration with M/s. Infosys, 

Bengaluru for the VII Semester B. Tech. students 

BCSDCS707 / BITDIT707 / BICDIC707 – Advanced Operating System & 

OS Industry Trends – Introduced by M/s. IBM, Bengaluru for the VII 

Semester B. Tech. CSE, IT & ICT students 

33. Introduction of two year M.A. – English Language and Literature Programme 

from the academic year 2010–11 

36

37 


XIX Academic Council Meeting 


VIII Semester M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) Industrial Biotechnology 

Programme for the students admitted in the year 2007–08 

VI Semester B. Tech. – Chemical Engineering Programme 

II Semester M. Tech. Nuclear Engineering Programme for the students 

admitted from 2010–11 

VIII Semester M. Tech. (5 – year Integrated) Medical Nanotechnology 

Programme for the students admitted from 2007–08 

VI Semester B. Tech. Bioengineering and M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) 

Medical Nanotechnology Programmes 

II Semester B. Tech. – Civil Engineering Programme, M. Tech. (5–year 

Integrated) Structural Engineering Programme & M. Tech. – (5–year 

Integrated) Construction Engineering & Management Programme, for 

the students admitted from the academic year 2010 –11 

II year M.F.A. (Bharatanatyam) Programme for the students admitted in 

the year 2010 

I year B.F.A. (Music) Programme 

35. Change in the programme name for 

B. Tech. (Industrial Biotechnology) to B. Tech. – Biotechnology 

M. Tech. (5– year Integrated) Industrial Biotechnology to M. Tech. (5– 

year Integrated) Biotechnology for the students to be admitted from 

2011–12 

36. Introduction of Certificate courses and Diploma Courses and their Syllabi in 

Distance Education mode from the academic year 2011 

37. Introduction of one year Post Graduate Diploma Programme in Creative 

Writing in English and in Tamil 

38. Introduction of six months Certificate Course in Cyber Law and Disaster 

Management 

XX Academic Council Meeting 


III to VIII Semesters of B. Tech. (Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemical 

Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Information & 

Communication Technology) Programme for the students to be admitted 

from the year 2011–12 

IX Semester M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) Medical Nanotechnology 

Programme for the students admitted during the academic year 2007–08 

I and III Semesters of M. Tech. Bioinformatics Programme 

B. Tech. Biotechnology programme [common with M. Tech. (5–year 

Integrated) Biotechnology Programme till VII Semesters] for the students 

to be admitted from the year 2011–12 

IX Semester M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) Biotechnology Programme for 

the students admitted during the academic year 2007–08 

III and IV Semesters of M. Tech. – Nuclear Engineering Programme for the 

students admitted during the academic year 2010–11 

B. Tech. Civil Engineering programme [common with M. Tech. (5–year 

Integrated) Construction Engineering & Management and M. Tech. (5– 

year Integrated) Structural Engineering Programmes till VII Semesters] 

for the students to be admitted from the year 2011–12


M. Tech. – Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering Programme for 

the students to be admitted from the year 2011–12 

I to IV Semesters and Syllabus for I Semester M. Tech. – Computer Science 

& Engineering, Advanced Computing, VLSI Design, Embedded Systems, 

Power Electronics & Drives, Power Systems, Advanced Communication 

Systems, Process Control & Instrumentation, Advanced Manufacturing 

Programme for the students to be admitted from the year 2011–12 

B. Tech. –Electrical & Electronics Engineering programme [common with 

M. Tech. – (5–year Integrated) Power Systems Programme till VII 

Semesters] for the students to be admitted from the year 2011–12 

B. Tech. – Electronics & Communication Engineering Programme 

[common with M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) Communication Systems 

Programme till VII Semesters] for the students to be admitted from the 

year 2011–12 

B. Tech. – Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering Programme 

[common with M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) Instrumentation & Control 

Programme till VII Semesters] for the students to be admitted from the 

year 2011–12 

B. Tech. – Mechanical Engineering Programme [common with M. Tech. (5– 

year Integrated) Advanced Manufacturing and M. Tech. (5–year 

Integrated) Automobile Engineering Programmes till VII Semesters] for 

the students to be admitted from the year 2011–12 

III to VIII Semesters of B. Tech. – Mechatronics Programme for the 

students to be admitted from the year 2011–12 

II, III, IV & V Semesters of B.Com (Computer Applications) Programme 

V & VI Semesters of B.A., LL.B. Programme for the students admitted in 


VII & VIII Semesters of B.A., LL.B. Programme for the students admitted in 


IX Semester M.Sc., B.Ed., (Computer Science) and M.Sc., B.Ed., (Maths) 

Programmes for the students admitted in the year 2007–08 

V and VI Semesters of M. A., B.Ed., (English) Programme for the students 


III year Bachelor of Fine Arts (Bharatanatyam) (Distance mode) 

40. Revision of curriculum of I year B. Tech. and M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) 

Programmes for the students to be admitted from the year 2011–12 

41. Introduction of elective courses (i) Material Joining Technology; (ii) Powder 

Metallurgy Technology in M. Tech. (Advanced Manufacturing) Programme 

42. Introduction of M. Sc., Forensic Sciences Degree Programme to be offered 

jointly by SASTRA University in collaboration with University of Abertay 

Dundee, Scotland, UK from the academic year 2012–13 

43. Introduction of 5–year Integrated B. Com., LL.B. Programme 

44. Introduction of 5–year Integrated B.B.A., LL.B. Programme 

XXI Academic Council Meeting 


M. Sc. – Forensic Science (MFS) Programme to be offered jointly by 

SASTRA University in collaboration with University of Abertay Dundee, 

Scotland, UK from August 2012 

38

39 


III & IV Semesters of B. Tech. – Civil Engineering, M. Tech. (5–Year 

Integrated) Structural Engineering and M. Tech. (5–Year Integrated) 

Construction Engineering & Management Programmes for the students 

admitted from the academic year 2011–12 

VIII, IX & X Semesters of M. Tech. (5–Year Integrated) Structural 

Engineering and M. Tech. (5–Year Integrated) Construction Engineering 

& Management Programmes for the students admitted from the 

academic year 2009–10 

III and IV Semesters of B. Tech. – Computer Science & Engineering, 

Information Technology, Information & Communication Technology, for 

the students admitted during the academic year 2011–12 

II and III Semesters of M. Tech. – Computer Science & Engineering, 

Advanced Computing, VLSI Design, Embedded Systems, Process Control 

& Instrumentation Programme for the students admitted from the 


III to VIII Semesters of B. Tech. – Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

Programme [common with M. Tech. – (5–Year Integrated) Power 

Systems Programme from III to VII Semesters] for the students admitted 


B. Tech. – Electronics & Communication Engineering Programme 

[common with M. Tech. – (5–Year Integrated) Communication Systems 

Programme from III to VII Semesters] for the students admitted from the 


III to VIII Semesters of B. Tech. – Electronics & Instrumentation 

Engineering Programme [common with M. Tech. – (5–Year Integrated) 

Instrumentation & Control Programme from III to VII Semesters] for the 

students admitted from the academic year 2011–12 

46. Introduction of an elective course in VI Semester B. Tech. Chemical 

Engineering for the students admitted during the academic year 2009–10 

47. Introduction of new courses in II Semester M. Tech. – Bioinformatics, IV 

Semester B. Tech. – Bioinformatics Programme 

XXII Academic Council Meeting 


III Semester B. Tech. – Bioengineering and M. Tech. (5–Year Integrated) 

Medical Nanotechnology Programmes for the students admitted from 


III Semester B. Tech. – Bioinformatics Programme for the students 


III & IV Semesters of B. Tech. – Chemical Engineering Programme for the 


III & IV Semesters of B. Tech. – Biotechnology / M. Tech. – (5–year 

Integrated) Biotechnology Programmes for the students admitted from 


VIII, IX & X Semesters of M. Tech. – (5–year Integrated) Structural 

Engineering Programme for the students admitted from the academic 

year 2009–10 

VIII, IX & X Semesters of M. Tech. – (5–year Integrated) Construction 

Engineering & Management Programme for the students admitted from 

the academic year 2009–10


I Semester M. Tech. – Power Systems Programme for the students to be 


III and IV Semesters of B. Tech. – Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

Programme for the students admitted from the academic year 2011–12 

III and IV semesters of B. Tech.– Electronics and Communication 

Engineering Programme [Common with M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) 

Communication Systems Programme] for the students admitted from 


III and IV Semesters of B. Tech.– Electronics & Instrumentation 

Engineering Programme, [common with M. Tech.– (5–year Integrated) 

Instrumentation & Control Programme] for the students admitted from 


VIII, IX, X Semester of M. Tech. – (5–year Integrated) Automobile 

Engineering Programme for the students admitted from the academic 

year 2009–10 

VIII, IX, X Semester of M. Tech. – (5–year Integrated) Advanced 

Manufacturing Programme for the students admitted from the academic 

year 2009–10 

Part I Sanskrit Paper I 401A (I year) and Paper II 407A (II year) of 

Bachelor of Fine Arts (Bharatanatyam) Programme (Distance mode) 

VII and VIII Semester of M.A., B.Ed., (English) Programme for the 

students admitted in the academic year 2009–10 

I Semester to VI Semester of B. Sc., (Mathematics & Computer Science) 

Programme for the students to be admitted from the academic year 

2012–13 

I Semester to IV Semester of M. Sc., (Mathematics) Programme for the 

students to be admitted from the academic year 2012–13 

I Semester to X Semester of M. Sc., B.Ed., (Mathematics) Programme for 

the students to be admitted from the academic year 2012–13 

III and IV Semesters of B.Com., LL.B. Programme for the students 


III and IV Semesters of B.B.A., LL.B. Programme for the students 


VII and VIII Semesters (New Syllabus) of B.A., LL.B. Programme for the 


IX and X Semesters (Old Syllabus) of B.A., LL.B. Programme for the 


49. Introduction of a Certificate Course in Microbiology for B. Tech. – 

Bioengineering and M. Tech. (5–Year Integrated) Medical Nanotechnology 

Programmes. 

50. Introduction of Two year ‘Diploma in Land Surveying’ and its scheme of 

study, to be offered in collaboration with the Survey Training Institute, 

Orathanadu, Thanjavur District, Government of Tamil Nadu 

51. Change in the name of the course and revision of syllabi for MADC102R02 / 

MCSE301R02: High Performance Computing as MADC102R03 / 

MCSE301R03: High Performance Scientific Computing for the I Semester M. 

Tech. – Advanced Computing and III Semester M. Tech. – Computer Science & 

Engineering Programmes respectively, for the students to be admitted from 


40

41 


XXIII Academic Council Meeting 


II Semester M.B.A. Programme for the students admitted from the 


HR Skills course (with 2 periods per week) for V and VI Semesters of 

B. Tech. and M. Tech. (5–Year Integrated) Degree Programmes 

V and VI Semesters of B. Tech.– Electrical and Electronics Engineering 

and M. Tech. (5–Year Integrated) Power System Programmes for the 


VIII to X Semesters of M. Tech. (5–Year Integrated) Power System 


II to IV Semesters of M. Tech. – Power Systems Programme (2 Year) for 

the students admitted from the academic year 2012–13 

II to IV Semesters of M. Tech. – Power Electronics & Drives Programme 

for the students admitted from the academic year 2012–13 

V and VI Semesters of B. Tech. – Electronics & Communication 

Engineering Programme [Common with M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) 

Communication Systems Programme] for the students admitted from 


VIII to X Semesters of M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) Communication 

Systems Programme for the students admitted during the academic 

years 2009–10 and 2010–11 

VIII to X Semesters of M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) Communication 

Systems Programme for the students admitted during the academic 

years 2009–10 and 2010–11 

V and VI Semesters of B. Tech.– Electronics & Instrumentation 

Engineering Programme [Common with M. Tech. (5 –Year Integrated) 

Instrumentation and Control Programme] for the students admitted 


VIII to X Semesters of M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) Instrumentation and 

Control Programme for the students admitted from the academic year 

2009–10 

V to VII Semesters of B. Tech. – Computer Science & Engineering 


V to VII Semesters of B. Tech. – Information Technology Programme for 

the students admitted from the academic year 2011–12 

V to VII Semesters of B. Tech. – Information and Communication 

Technology Programme for the students admitted from the academic 

year 2011–12 

I to V Semesters of Master of Computer Applications (M.C.A.) 

Programme for the students to be admitted from the academic year 

2013–14 

IV Semester B. Tech. – Bioengineering and M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) 

Medical Nanotechnology Programmes for the students admitted from 


IV Semester B. Tech. – Bioinformatics Programme for the students 


II Semester M. Sc. (Chemistry) Programme for the students admitted 

from the academic year 2012–13


53. Introduction of three additional Department Elective courses III Semester 

M. Tech. Power Systems Programme (2 Year) for the students admitted from 


54. Change of course code MPED202: Embedded Processors instead of 

MPED202: Embedded Control of Electric Drives to the II Semester M. Tech. 

Power Electronics & Drives Programme for the students admitted from the 


55. Change of course code for the laboratory course MPED 206: Power Electronic 

Drives Lab as MPED 206: Power Electronic System & Simulation Lab for II 

Semester M. Tech. – Power Electronics & Drives Programme for the students 


56. Introduction of a department Elective Course BECDEC508 / MCSDEC508: 

Power Electronics and its Syllabus for the V Semester B. Tech. Electronics & 

Communication Engineering Programme [Common with M. Tech. (5–year 

Integrated) Communication Systems Programme] for the students admitted 


57. Change and renaming of MACS204R03: Image Processing as MACS204R04: 

Image Processing and Its Applications for II Semester M. Tech. – Advanced 

Communication Systems Programme for the students admitted from the 


58. Introduction of a Department Elective Course BEIDEI402 / MICDEI402: 

Microprocessor and Its Applications in the place of Open Elective course 

Engineering Economics & Management, for IV Semester B. Tech.– Electronics 

& Instrumentation Engineering Programme [Common with M. Tech. (5–year 

Integrated) Instrumentation & Control Programme] for the students 


59. Modification of the Course BCSCCS 403: Microprocessors and 

Microcontroller (Theory and Lab) for the IV Semester B. Tech. – Computer 

Science & Engineering, Information Technology and Information & 

Communication Technology Programmes for the students admitted from the 


60. Introduction of new elective courses to the students of VII – Semester B. 

Tech. – Biotechnology and VII / VIII Semester M. Tech. (5–year Integrated) 

Biotechnology Programmes 

61. Introduction of new elective courses to the students of B. Tech. – Chemical 

Engineering Programmes 

62. Introduction of 3 Year B.A. (Vaishnavic Studies) Programme under Distance 

Education mode, its Scheme of Study and Syllabi, to be offered jointly by 

SASTRA University in coordination with Sri Malola Vageesa Vani Sabha, 

Chennai from the calendar year 2013 

63. Introduction of two year M. Sc. (Physics) and M. Sc. (Materials Science) 

Programmes 

42

43 


The table below provides revisions carried out in the curriculum of various 

programmes that were approved by the Academic Council after previous NAAC visit: 

S. No Previous title / code of the course New title / code of the course 

XII ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

1. MEBD 107 R01 – Embedded System MEBD 107 R02 – Embedded System 

and RTOS Lab 

and RTOS Lab 

2. BBIN 705 – Artificial Neural 

Networks 

BBIN 705 R01 – Pharmacogenomics 

3. BIOE 703 – Tissue Engineering BIOE 703 R01 – Tissue Engineering 

4. BIOT 202 – Cell Biology BIOT 202 R01 – Cell Biology 

5. BIOT 506 – Heat Transfer BIOT 506 R01– Heat Transfer 

6. BIOT 705 – Equipment Design & BIOT 705 R01 – Modelling of 

Drawing 

Bioreactor Systems 

XIV ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

7. BCECCE 105 – Environmental BCECCE 105 R01 – Environmental 

Studies 

Studies 

BCECCE 205 – Engineering Drawing BCECCE 205 R01 – Engineering 

Drawing 

BCECCS 208 – Computer 

BCECCS 208 R01 – Computer 

Programming Laboratory 

Programming Laboratory 

BCECCE 310 – Computer 

BCECCE 310 R01 – Computer 

Programming Laboratory I 

Programming Laboratory I 

BCECCE 410– Computer 

BCECCE 410 R01– Computer 

Programming Laboratory II Programming Laboratory II 

8. BMECEE 310 – Electrical & 

BMECEE 310 R01 – Electrical & 

Electronics Lab 

Electronics Lab 

BMECCE 407 – Solid Mechanics and BMECCE 407 R01 – Solid Mechanics 

Fluid Mechanics Lab 

and Fluid Mechanics Lab 

BMECME 605 – Metrology & BMECME 605 R01 – Metrology & 

Dynamics Lab 

Dynamics Lab 

9. BMTCCE 105 – Environmental BMTCCE 105 R01 – Environmental 

Studies 

Studies 

BMTCEN 111 – Indian Culture & BMTCEN 111 R01 – Indian Culture 

Ethics 

& Ethics 

BMTCPT 211 – Personality 

BMTCPT 211 R01– Personality 

Development 

Development 

10. BEECCE 205 – Environmental BEECCE 205 R01 – Environmental 

Studies 

Studies 

BEEDCS 506 – Java Programming BEEDCS 506 R01 – Java 

Programming 

11. BEEDCS 406 – Renewable Sources of BEEDCS 406 R01 – Nonconventional 

Energy 

Energy 

12. BEEDMA 504 – Mathematics V BEEDMA 504 R01 – Numerical 

Methods 

13. BEEDCS 503 – Personal Computer BEEDCS 503 R01 – Personal 

System 

Computer System 

14. BECDEC 504 – Computer Graphics BECDEC 504 R01 – Java 

Programming


15. BIOT 705 R02 – Modelling of 

Bioreactor Systems 

16. BIOE 704 – Expert Systems in 

Medicine 

17. BBIN 701 – Genomics & Proteomics 

BBIN 504 R01 – Molecular 

Modelling I 

BBIN 707 – Computational 

Chemistry, Modelling & Dynamics 

Lab 

BBIN 708 – Drug Design Lab 

18. MMCA 204 R02 – Business 

Communication 

44 

BIOT 705 R03 – Immunotechnology 

BIOE 704 R01 – Immunology 

BBIN 701 R01– Genomics & 

Proteomics 

BBIN 504 R02 – Molecular 

Modelling I 

BBIN 707 R01 – Computational 

Chemistry, Modelling & Dynamics 

Lab 

BBIN 708 R01 – Drug Design Lab 

MMCA 204 R03 – Business 

Communication 

19. MMCA 308 – HR Skills I MMCA 308 R01 – HR Skills I 

20. MMCA 408 – HR Skills II MMCA 408 R01 – HR Skills II 

21. MMCA 508 – HR Skills III MMCA 508 R01 – HR Skills III 

22. MMBA 207 – Communication and MMBA 207 R01 – Communication 

Comprehension 

and Comprehension 

23. MMBA 107 – Business 

MMBA 107 R01 – Business 

Communication 

Communication 

24. BITM 607 – Communication Skills BITM 607 R01 – Communication 

Skills 

25. BINT 601 – HR Skills BINT 601 R01 – HR Skills 

XV ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

26. BBICBI 603–Biophysics BBICBI 603 R01 – Biophysics 

27. BBICBI 604 – Structural 

BBICBI 604 R01 – Structural 

Bioinformatics 


28. BBICBI 605 – Molecular Modelling II BBICBI 605 R01 – Molecular 

Modelling II 

29. BBICBI 607 – Molecular Graphics & BBICBI 607 R01 – Molecular 

Molecular Modelling Lab 

Graphics & Molecular Modelling Lab 

XVI ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

30. BBICBI 701 – Genomics & 

BBICBI 701 R01 – Genomics & 

Proteomics 

Proteomics 

BBICBI 705 R01 – 

BBICBI 705 R02 – 

Pharmacogenomics 

Pharmacogenomics 

BBICBI 703 – Drug Design 

BBICBI 703 R01 – Drug Design 

31. MPHT 102 – Synthetic Organic MPHT 102 R01 – Advanced 

Chemistry 

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 

32. MBIN 304 R01 – Molecular 

MBIN 304 R02 – Molecular 

Modelling & Drug Design 

Modelling & Drug Design 

33. BIBDBT 302 / MIBDBT 302 / BIBDBT 302 R01 / MIBDBT 302 R01 

BIBDBT 402 / MIBDBT 402 – / BIBDBT 402 R01 / MIBDBT 402 

Microbiology 

R01 – Microbiology 

34. BIBCIB 206 / BBECIB 206 / 

BIBCIB 206 R01 / BBECIB 206 R01 / 

BBICIB 206 / MIBCIB 206 / MNNCIB BBICIB 206 R01/ MIBCIB 206 R01 / 

206 – Cell Biology 

MNNCIB 206 R01 – Cell Biology

35. MVLD 101 R01 – Basics of VLSI 

MVLD 201 R01 – VLSI System Design 

& Testing 

MVLD XXXE11 – Embedded System 

Design 

45 


MVLD 101 R02 – Basics of VLSI 

MVLD 201 R02 – VLSI System 

Design & Testing 

MVLD XXXE11 R01 – Embedded 

System Design 

36. MVLD 206 R01 Design Lab II MVLD 206 R02 Design Lab II 

37. MEBD 102 R01 – Advanced Digital 

System Design 

MEBD 107R02 – Embedded Systems 

and RTOS Lab 

MEBD 202 R01 – Embedded 

Processors and Peripherals 

MEBD 203 R01 – Distributed 

Embedded Systems 

38. MCSE 201 R01 – Distributed 

Computing 

MCSE 202 R03 – Advanced Concepts 

in DBMS 

39. MCSE XXX E15 – Data mining and 

Data Warehousing 

40. MSMB 101 – Bacteriology & Virology 

MSMB 102 – Mycology & Phycology 

MSMB 103 – Microbial Physiology & 

Metabolism 

MSMB 201 – Food & Dairy 

Microbiology 

MSMB 304 – Industrial Microbiology 

MEBD 102 R02 – Advanced Digital 

System Design 


Systems and RTOS Lab 


Processors and Peripherals 

MEBD 203 R02 – Distributed 

Embedded Systems 

MCSE 201 R02 – Distributed 

Computing 

MCSE 202 R04 – Advanced Concepts 

in DBMS 

MCSE XXX E15 R01 – Data mining 

and Data Warehousing 

MSMB 101 R01 – General 

Microbiology 

MSMB 102 R01 – Virology 

MSMB 103 R01 – Microbial 

physiology & Metabolism 

MSMB 201 R01 – Food & Industrial 

Microbiology 

MSMB 304 R01 – Pharmaceutical 

Microbial Biotechnology 

41. MICE 706 – Pedagogical Analysis of MICE 706 R01 – Pedagogical 

Higher / Senior Secondary School Analysis of Higher / Senior 

Computer Science 

Secondary School Computer Science 

XVII ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

42. BBICBI 404 – Protein Engineering BBICBI 404 R01 – Protein 

Engineering 

43. BBICBI 802EL –01 – Server–Side BBICBI 802EL–01 R01 – Server– 

Programming 

Side Programming 

44. MBIN 201 Biostatistics & Probability MBIN 201 R01 – Statistical Methods 

and Tools for Bioinformatics 

45. MBIN 202 R01 – Biocomputing I MBIN 202 R02 – Biocomputing I 

46. MBIN 204 R01 Data Mining for MBIN 204 R02 – Data Mining for 



47. BBECBE 604 R01 / MNNCBE 604 – BBECBE 604 R02 / MNNCBE 604 

Medical Imaging Techniques R01 – Medical Imaging Techniques 

48. BBECEBE 602 R01 / MNNCBE 602 – BBECEBE 602 R02 / MNNCBE 602 

Biomedical Instrumentation 

49. BBCA 603 R02 – C# and .Net 

technologies 

R01 – Biomedical Instrumentation 

BBCA 603 R03 – C# and .Net 

technologies


50. BBCA 606 R02 – .NET lab BBCA 606 R03 – .NET lab 

51. MSCS 201 R01 – VB.Net and VC++. MSCS 201 R02 – VB.Net and VC++. 

Net 

Net 

52. MSCS 207 R01 – VC++ .Net Lab MSCS207 R02 – VC++ .Net Lab 

53. MSCS 204 R01 – Network Security MSCS 204 R02 Network Security 

and Cryptography 

and Cryptography 

54. MSCS 401 E3 Data mining and MSCS401 E3 R01 – Data mining and 

Applications 

Applications 

55. MCOM 301 Financial Management II MCOM 301 R01 – Financial 

Management II 

MCOM 401 – Security Analysis and MCOM 401 R01 – Security Analysis 

Portfolio Management II 

and Portfolio Management II 

56. MCOM 305 E02 – Fire and Marine MCOM 305 E02 R01 – General 

Insurance 

Insurance 

XVIII ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

57. BBECBT 305 R02 / MNNCBT 305 R01 BBECBT 305 R03 / MNNCBT 305 

Materials Technology 

R02 – Materials Technology 

58. BCSCCS 306 R01 /BITCIT 306 R01/ BCSCCS 306 R02 / BITCIT 306 R02 / 

BICCIC306 R01 – Microprocessor & BICCIC 306 R02 – Microprocessor & 

Microcontroller Laboratory 

Microcontroller Laboratory 

59. BCSDCS 305 – Linux Programming BCSDCS 403 R02 – Linux 

Programming 

60. BCSDCS 403 R01 – Multimedia BCSDCS 305 R01– Multimedia 

Systems 

Systems 

61. BBECBE 504 R02 / MNNCBE 504 BBECBE 504 R03 / MNNCBE 504 

R01 – Biomechanics 

R02 – Biomechanics 

62. BBECBE 505 R02 / MNNCBE 505 BBECBE 505 R03 / MNNCBE 505 

R01 – Biomedical Instrumentation R02 – Biomedical Instrumentation 

63. BBECBE 507 R02 / MNNCBE 507 R01 BBECBE 507 R03 / MNNCBE 507 

Biomedical Instrumentation Lab R02 – Biomedical Instrumentation 

Lab 

XIX ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

64. BLLB 107 – Woman and Law; BLLB 107 R01 – Woman and Law; 

Child and Law 

Child and Law 

65. BLLB 104 – Jurisprudence BLLB 104 R01 – Jurisprudence 

66. BCHCCH 603 R01 – Heat Transfer II BCHCCH 603 R02 – Heat Transfer II 

67. BBEDBE 601 / MNNDBE 601 – Laser BBEDBE 601 R01 / MNNDBE 601 

Instrumentation in Medicine R01 – Laser Instrumentation in 

Medicine 

68. BBECBE 602 R01 / MNNCBE 602 – BBECBE 602 R02 / MNNCBE 602 

Biosignal Processing 

R01 – Biosignal Processing 

69. BBECBE 605 R01/ MNNCBE 605 – BECBE 605 R02 / MNNCBE 605 R01 

Biosignal Processing Laboratory – Biosignal Processing Laboratory 

70. BBECBE402 / MNNCBE 402 – BBECBE 402 R01 / MNNCBE 402 

Electronic Circuits and Devices R01 – Analog Electronics 

71. BBECBE407 / MNNCBE 407 – BBECBE 407 R01/ MNNCBE 407 

Electronic Circuits Laboratory R01 – Analog Electronics Laboratory 

46

47 


72. BCECCE 207 – Introduction to Civil BCECCE 207 R01 – Basic Civil 

Engineering Profession 

Engineering 

XX ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

73. BCCCME 110 / MCCCME 110 / BCCCME 110 R01 / MCCCME 110 

BCCCME 210/ MCCCME 210 – R01 / BCCCME 210 R01 / MCCCME 

Engineering Practice 

210 R01 – Engineering Practice 

74. BBICBI 302 – Computer Hardware 

and Networking 

BBICBI 302 R01 – Molecular Biology 

75 BBIDBI 708 – Server Side 

BBIDBI 708 R01 – Server Side 

Programming 

Programming 

76. MBIN 103 R01 – Biological Data MBIN 103 R02 – Biological Data 

Bank Analysis 

Bank Analysis 

77. MBIN 304 R01 – Molecular Modelling MBIN 304 R02 – Molecular 

and Drug Design 

Modelling and Drug Design 

78. MBIN 101 R03 – Biophysical MBIN 101 R04 – Biomolecular 

Chemistry 

Chemistry 

79. BMEDME 501 R01 – Internal BMEDME 501 R02 – Internal 

Combustion Engines 

Combustion Engines 

80. BMEDME 708 R01 – Finite Element BMEDME 708 R02 – Finite Element 

Analysis 

Analysis 

81. MMBA 107 R07 – Business 

MMBA 107 R08 – Business 

Communication 

Communication 

XXI ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

82. MBIN 205 R02 – Systems Biology MBIN 205 R03 – Systems Biology 

83. BBICBI 403 R02 – Medicinal BBICBI 403 R03 – Medicinal 

Chemistry 

Chemistry 

84. BBICBI 605 R01 – Molecular BBICBI 605 R02 – Molecular 

Modelling II Lab 

Modelling II Lab 

85. BEECEE 301 R01 – Mathematics III BEECEE 301 R02 – Engineering 

Mathematics III 

86. BEECEE 401 R01 – Mathematics IV BEECEE 401 R02 – Engineering 

Mathematics IV 

87. BEECEE 305 R01 – Signals & Systems BEECEE 305 R02 – Networks and 

Signals 

88. BECCMA 301 R01 – Mathematics III BECCMA 301 R02 – Engineering 


89. BECCMA 401 R02 – Mathematics IV BECCMA 401 R03 – Engineering 


90. BECCEC 305 R01 – Signals & Systems BECCEC 305 R02 – Signals & Systems ( 

91. BECDEC 710 – Radio Navigation BECDEC 710 R01 – Navigation 

Systems 

92. BEIE / MICC 301 – Mathematics III BEIE / MICC 301 R01 – Engineering 


93. BEIE / MICC 401 – Mathematics IV BEIE / MICC 401 R01 – Engineering 


94. BEIE / MICC 305 – Signals & Systems BEIE / MICC 305 R01 – Signals & 

Systems 

95. BMECME 603 – Mechatronics BMECME 603 R01 – Mechatronics


XXII ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

96. BCHDCH 703 R01– Engineering BCHDCH 703 R02 – Economics for 

Economics 

Chemical Engineers 

97. BCHDCH 502 – Bioprocess 

BCHDCH 502 R01 – Bioprocess 

Technology 

Technology 

98. MCMCCE 801 – Construction MCMCCE 801 R01 – Human 

Personnel Management 

Resource Management 

99. MADC 102 R02 / MCSE 301 R02 – MADC 102 R03 / MCSE 301 R03 – 

High Performance Computing High Performance Scientific 

Computing 

100. BBBA 106 R02 – Business Statistics BBBA 206 R03 – Business 

Mathematics 

101. BBCA 102 R03 – Mathematics I BBCA 102 R04 – Mathematics I 

BBCA 202 R02 – Mathematics II BBCA 202 R03 – Mathematics II 

BBCA 302 R02 – Introduction to BBCA 302 R03 – Introduction to 

Automata Theory 

Automata Theory 

102. BLLB 504 / BBAL 705 / BBAL 905 – BLLB 504 R01 / BBAL 705 R01 / 

Taxation Law and Practice 

BBAL 905 R01 – Taxation Law and 

Practice 

103. BBAL 802 – Environmental Law BBAL 802 R01 – Environmental 

Law 

104. BBAL 301 – English II 

BBAL 301 R01 – English II 

BBAL 401 – English III 

BBAL 401 R01– English III 

XXIII ACADEMIC COUNCIL 

105. MACS 204 R03 – Image Processing MACS 204 R04 – Image Processing 

and Its Applications 

106. BICDIC 602 – Introductions to VLSI BICDIC 602 R01 – Introduction to 

VLSI Technology 

107. BIBDBT 601 / MIBDBT 601 – BIBDBT 601 R01 / MIBDBT 601 

Biomaterials 

R01 – Biomaterials 

108. MPED 202 – Embedded Control of MPED 202 R01 – Embedded 

Electric Drives 

Processors 

109. MPED 206 – Power Electronic Drives MPED 206 R01 – Power Electronic 

Lab 

System & Simulation Lab 

110. MPED 202 – Embedded Processors MPED 202 R01– Embedded 

Processors 

111. BECCEC 503 R01 / MCSCEC 503 R01 – BECCEC 503 R02 / MCSCEC 503 

Antenna and Wave Propagation R02 – Antenna and Wave 

Propagation 

112. BEIDEI 402 / MICDEI 402 – 

BEIDEI 402 R01/ MICDEI 402 R01 

Microprocessor and its Applications – Microprocessor 

113. BCSCCS 403 – Microprocessors and BCSCCS 403 R01 – Microprocessors 

Microcontroller (Theory and Lab) and Microcontroller (Theory and 

Lab) 

(R in the course code indicates revision in the syllabus) 

48

49 


1.4. Feedback System 

SASTRA collects feedback regularly from its students, alumni, employer, academic 

peers, industry and community. At the end of every semester, the University collects 

feedback from the students for each of the courses undergone by them, both on 

courses that they studied and on the teacher who have taught using online feedback 

system. The online feedback system has been designed by the Open Source 

Community Students of the University and it does not reveal the identity of students 

providing the feedback. In the feedback form, the student provides critical 

evaluation of the following aspects: 

On curriculum & facilities 

Fulfilment of the objectives of the course 

Availability of the learning materials 

Course coverage 

Bridging the academic–industry factor 

Exposure to new concepts 

Lab facilities 

On faculty 

Commitment, communication, motivation and concern level of the faculty 

Conceptual clarity 

Fairness in evaluation 

Usage of ICT facilities 

The student feedback is processed and faculty can access the feedback pertaining to 

their courses. The Deans of respective Schools have access to view the feedback of 

their faculty and this enables them to appreciate or counsel the faculty members, as 

the case may be. Feedback on curriculum is discussed in the School meeting and 

then taken up during the Board of Studies meetings. 

The University also conducts faculty–student interaction meetings and the feedback 

about the curriculum is obtained from the students. SASTRA also collects feedback 

from its alumni through e–mail. 

The Department of Training & Placement collects feedback from the employers who 

recruit our students through campus placement. This gives a very clear indication of 

our students’ performance in industry and also identifies the key and vital areas that 

the industry is looking for. Based on the feedback from industry, need–based 

electives are offered to students. Community feedback is also collected from the 

print and electronic media. Well–wishers of the institution namely the alumni’s 

parents also give their feedback. Feedback is obtained from parents when they come


to the University to know the performance of their wards and from parents & others 

at the time of student’s admission. Staff members attending conferences in various 

institutions get the feedback from other participants. 

Feedback is also obtained from academic peers and industrial experts. Feedback 

about the University is also obtained from external examiners who come to SASTRA 

for evaluation. Members of the Research Advisory Council, Academic Council and 

Boards of Studies have experts from industries and other academic institutions. 

They provide their feedback at the time of the meeting. Experts from peer review 

committees such as the National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) also 

give their feedback during the visit. 

SASTRA was one among the four institutions to have been visited by the Washington 

Accord Team to assess the quality of higher education in India. Washington Accord 

is an agreement that provides mobility for Indian engineering graduates around the 

world. Dr. Douglas Ruth, the Chairman of the visiting team and the Incoming Chair of 

the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board in his observations on SASTRA 

recorded thus – “I was deeply impressed with your achievements over the last 20 

years. You have truly developed a better than world class undergraduate 

engineering facility. You have helped me form a very positive impression of 

education in India. For that I thank you”. 

50

CRITERION II: TEACHING–LEARNING AND EVALUATION 

51 


2.1 Student Enrolments and Profile 

2.1.1 Transparency & Publicity 

Applications for admissions are called for in leading dailies and through SASTRA 

website. Our slogan for admission process is “THINK MERIT, THINK 

TRANSPARENCY, THINK SASTRA”, as can be seen in one of our advertisements given 

below:

Criterion II 

2.1.2 Merit–based Admission Process 

Admissions to all programmes offered by SASTRA are strictly based on merit. For 

B. Tech. programmes 70% of the total seats are filled based on the qualifying higher 

secondary examination marks following the process of normalization. To bring all 

candidates from different examining boards in the same scale of comparison and to 

create a list in the order of merit, higher secondary examination marks are 

normalized. The first rank student in each board is considered to have obtained 

100% mark and aggregate marks of all other students of the board are normalized 

with reference to that of the first ranked student. For example, if the first rank is 

97% and an applicant's aggregate is 90% then the applicant's normalized percentage 

is 92.78 (90/97 x 100). A merit list is drawn based on the normalized percentage for 

making admissions. Admissions for students from the vocational stream to the 

respective B. Tech. programme are done from within the same category of applicants. 

The remaining 30% of the seats (till 2012–13 batch) were filled on the basis of the 

All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) ranks as SASTRA has 

volunteered to offer seats to AIEEE qualified candidates. From 2013–14 onwards, 

the All India ranks obtained in the Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE–Main) is 

considered for the admissions to the 30% of seats. The rank list is published online 

within three hours from the deadline for submission of application. The applicants 

can access the counselling information through SMS or website and the seat matrix is 

constantly updated during the counselling sessions. 

For all PG programmes the admissions are made on the basis of the scores in the 

qualifying degree programmes and written test. GATE qualified students are given 

preference. For all other UG arts & science programmes, admissions are based on 

the qualifying examination marks. Admission to Ph. D. in various disciplines is done 

twice a year on the basis of performance in aptitude and subject tests followed by 

technical interview. 

2.1.3 Review of Admission Process 

The admission process of the University is reviewed as and when required. In 2001, 

admissions were based on the marks obtained in the higher secondary examination. 

From 2003 onwards, 70% of seats were filled based on higher secondary 

examination and the remaining 30% through the AIEEE (counselling conducted by 

Central Counselling Board, CCB). Since, the counselling conducted by CCB prolonged 

to September of every year affecting our academic schedule, SASTRA decided not to 

participate in CCB counselling from 2010–11. However, the 30% of seats were filled 

by SASTRA based on the All India Ranks secured by the applicants in the AIEEE. 

52

53 


In light of the new entrance examination policy of the Ministry of Human Resource 

Development (MHRD) and Dr. T. Ramasami Committee Report, the process of 

admissions was reviewed in August 2012. It was decided to continue with the 

existing admission policy for 2013–14. However, instead of the All India Rank in 

AIEEE, JEE (Main) scores are considered for admissions to 30% of the seats. 

A consolidated report of admission details for the year 2012–13 is furnished below: 

Programmes Number of Number of Demand 

applications students admitted Ratio 

UG 22,669 3,027 7.5:1 

PG 2,314 911 2.5:1 

Integrated Masters 

(Education) 

45 45 1:1 

Ph. D. 988 40 24.7:1 

The demand for all the programmes offered by SASTRA has been on the rise due to 

the transparent merit based admission process (without any capitation fees), value 

based quality education with state–of–the–art infrastructure, research ambience, 

dedicated & well qualified faculty and excellent placement record. 

2.1.4 Access to Needy Categories 

SASTRA also recognizes the need to support students from various diverse 

backgrounds, sportspersons, physically challenged, etc., and wherever possible 

incentives and scholarships are given to such students enrolled in the degree 

programmes. SASTRA has 10% of its seats reserved for students from Thanjavur and 

Tiruchirappalli districts, each. 

Catego- 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 

ries Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female 

SC 13 5 16 17 27 34 32 38 

ST 4 5 6 3 3 10 4 8 

OBC 566 456 870 860 940 1116 1011 1385 

General 845 502 956 597 954 612 853 652 

TOTAL 1428 968 1848 1477 1924 1772 1900 2083 

2.1.5 Programmes Discontinued 

In order to channelize faculty resources towards higher learning and research, based 

on the suggestions of the previous NAAC peer team and the Academic Council, all 

B. Tech. Part–time programmes were discontinued since 2009–10. Similarly, in 

order to ensure quality research output, based on the recommendations of the


Research Advisory Council, part–time Ph. D. programme for external candidates was 

discontinued since 2011–12. 

2.2 Catering to Student Diversity 

2.2.1 Orientation Programmes 

Every year, the classes for all the programmes commence with an orientation to 

campus life, library & ICT Resources, examinations, Choice Based Credit System 

(CBCS), Accelerated Course Registration System (ACRS), opportunities for co– 

curricular and extracurricular activities, etc. A separate orientation programme is 

provided to the parents of undergraduate students who are informed about the 

facilities, opportunities available, mechanisms for continuous monitoring of their 

ward, rules & regulations, etc. Parents are also requested to regularly visit SASTRA’s 

Parents corner web portal, which provides complete information about the 

attendance, academic performance, grades, assessment marks, etc. 

2.2.2 Bridge Courses 

It has been observed that students admitted to B. Tech. programme through lateral 

entry with Diploma qualification struggle to cope with the demands of the 

curriculum, particularly because of their weakness in English, Mathematics and 

analytical subjects such as Mechanics and Thermodynamics. Hence, bridge courses 

are conducted in these subjects free of cost, during May–June, every year for the 

prospective candidates of lateral entry into B. Tech. programme. 

2.2.3 Assistance to Slow Learners 

Maximum care is taken to ensure that all students admitted are placed at the same 

platform of learning. Each student is attached to a faculty advisor, who monitors the 

academic progress. Slow learners are identified and University also offers special 

classes after class hours and on certain Saturdays to facilitate better understanding 

of fundamental concepts thereby helping them to get good grades. All teaching and 

supporting staff in labs stay back in the university till 5.10 pm every day to address 

the needs of students. Special supplementary examinations are also conducted for 

them to give them a fair chance of clearing their academic backlog. 

In addition, bright students are identified to handle special classes to students 

needing assistance in various disciplines of study and to appear for competitive 

examinations, facilitating peer learning. The special classes are conducted after 

University regular working hours in the campus to encourage a collaborative 

learning environment amongst students through the “SASTRA Anukula Shikshan” 

54

55 


scheme for the benefit of student learning. The students who undertake to teach the 

courses for the benefit of the slow learners are also reasonably remunerated. 

2.2.4 Response to Fast Learners 

Fast learners (advanced learners) are given the option of completing their B. Tech. 

programmes with Honours by choosing extra course work during their pre–final and 

final years of study. In addition, students have an option of completing their course 

work requirements by the 7 th semester through the Accelerated Course Registration 

System (ACRS) and devote the eighth semester to do project work in R&D centres or 

industries in India or in premier institutions abroad. ACRS was introduced from the 

academic year 2007–08 and three batches have graduated since then. The number 

of students who derived the full benefit of utilizing the entire VIII semester for 

carrying out useful research / internship in various universities / industries is given 

below: 

Batch Number of Students 

2009–13 408 

2008–12 355 

2007–11 322 

In addition, certain fats learners who are not part of the ACRS are also allowed to 

work on long–term internships, which go beyond the regular time allocated. Such 

students are provided an opportunity to work in reputed organisations and join 

classes before the II CIA exam. This has resulted in many students completing 

internship under the prestigious Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS) Fellowships 

besides other reputed industries / labs. For a consecutive period of 5 years, 

maximum number of students has been selected for IAS Fellowship from SASTRA 

University. 

Every academic year, meritorious students are sent to various universities, research 

labs and companies outside India for research internship or course work. In addition 

to encouraging students to obtain such international experience, SASTRA University 

also provides them a monthly stipend of USD 200, tuition fee waiver and also a 

round–trip airfare through its “Desh–Videsh” Scheme. Lists of beneficiaries during 

the academic years 2012–13, 2011–12, 2010–11 and 2009–10 are furnished below: 

2012–13 

S. No Name Branch 

1. C. Jagannathan 

Electronics & 

Communication Engineering 

University / 

Industry 

Ecole Polytechnique 

de Montreal


2. S. Karthik 

Electrical & Electronics 

Engineering 

Georgia Tech 

3. P. V. Sri Harsha 

Electronics & 


Georgia Tech 

4. G. R. Sai Lohith Mechanical Engineering Georgia Tech 

5. Vaishnavi Ganesh 

Electronics & 


UPC, Barcelona 

6. K. Karthikeyan 

Electronics & 



7. M. Malligaraj 

Electronics & 



8 B. Revanth 

Electronics & 



9. M. Anaga 

Information & 

Communication Technology 


10. V. Divya 

Information & 



11. K.U. Arthika 

Electronics & 



12. G. Ashwin 


Engineering 


13. T. Aditya Abhishek Mechanical Engineering UPC, Barcelona 

14. N. Srikanth Bhatt 


Engineering 

University of Windsor 

15. B. Vamsi Krishan Mechatronics Orebro University 

16. R. Balasubramanian Mechatronics Orebro University 

17. A. Ezhil Medical Nanotechnology 

University of 

Barcelona 

18. 

Maheshwar Adiraj 

Iyer 

Medical Nanotechnology 

Cinvestav, Mexico 

19. 

Kaligotla Krishna 

Jyothi 


Cinvestav, Mexico 

20. N. Gayathri Medical Nanotechnology Cinvestav, Mexico 

21. L. Theivanai Civil Engineering NUS, Singapore 

22. R. Durgalakshmi Civil Engineering NUS, Singapore 

23. 

K. Anantha 

Narayanan 

Biotechnology 

Okinawa Institute of 

Science & Technology, 

Japan 

24. 

Vignesh V. 

Ramakrishnan 

Mechanical Engineering 

University of 

Wisconsin, Milwakee 

25. M. N. Anushya Biotechnology (Intg.) Harvard – MIT 

26. Athul Mohan Biotechnology (Intg.) Harvard – MIT 

27. M. Vijayan Medical Nanotechnology Harvard – MIT 

28. 

Vidya N. 

Chamundeswari 


Harvard – MIT 

56

57 


29. Sruthi Ann Alex Medical Nanotechnology Harvard – MIT 

30. B. Preethi Bala Medical Nanotechnology Harvard – MIT 

31. Korimerla Navyateja Medical Nanotechnology Harvard – MIT 

32. R. Janet Pushpa Bioengineering Harvard – MIT 

33. Shruti Srinivasan Bioengineering Harvard – MIT 

34. Adhithi Rajagopalan Bioengineering Harvard – MIT 

35. Deeptha Vasudevan Bioengineering Harvard – MIT 

36. Prachi Desai Bioengineering Harvard – MIT 

37. G. Nitish Chemical Engineering 

Karlsruhe Institute of 

Technology, Germany 

38. N. Varun Mechanical Engineering 



39. Ankita Kumari Bioinformatics 



40. S. Aravind Bioinformatics 



41. C. Diviya Chemical Engineering 

Deakin University, 

Australia 

42. Uthra Jayakumar Chemical Engineering 

Deakin University, 

43. 

Anirudh 

Krishnakumar 

44. Pulim Srisurya 

45. Sriram Srinivasan 

46. G. Venkat Sri Sai 

47. A. Ezhilan Information Technology 

Australia 

Mechanical Engineering University of 

Wisconsin, Madison 

Mechanical Engineering University West, 

Sweden 


Sweden 


Sweden 

Gotopal, Inc, 

Connecticut, USA 

2011–12 

S. No Name Branch University 

1. B. Aiswarya 


Engineering 


2. Swarna Karthik 

Electronics & 

Georgia Tech 


3. Ganesh Sriram 

Electronics & 

Georgia Tech 


4. V. Sindhuja 


Engineering 

Georgia Tech 

5. S. Prasanna Kumar Mechatronics 

Orebro University, 

Sweden 

6. T. A. Athul Sripad 

Electronics & 


UPC Barcelona


7. Amogh Simha 

Electronics & 

UPC Barcelona 


8. S. Kaushik Mechatronics UPC Barcelona 

9. 

Chittaranjan S. 

Srinivas 

Mechatronics 

Orebro University, 

Sweden 

10. Pranoy Valson 


Engineering 



11. 

Vishwanath K. 

Bharathwaj 




12. G. Gayathri Bioinformatics 



13. R. Adithya Bioinformatics 



14. K. Anusha Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

15. P. N. Pavithra Kumar Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

16. R. Madhumitha Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

17. R. Swetha Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

18. R. Saranya Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

19. B. Lakshmini Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

20. G. Sindhuja Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

21. Kaushik Sridhar Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

22. Kaushik Srinivasan Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

23. R. Sudhasan Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

24. B. Sai Prashanth Mechanical Engineering MIT–Harvard 

25. 

S. Yagnarama-‐ 

subramanian 


Engineering 

University of 

Wisconsin, Milwaukee 

26. Sidharth Parmar 


Engineering 

University of 

Wisconsin, Milwaukee 

27. S. Janani Bioinformatics 

University of 

Cambridge 

28. Vidyasagar 

Computer Science & 

Engineering 

Google, California 

2010–11 

S. No Name Branch University 

1. S. Sriram Kumar Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

2. R. Venkatesan Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

3. Divya Bharat Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

4. S. Janani Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

5. 

K. B. Sri Uma 

Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

Aisvarya 

6. Anjali Narsing Rao Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

7. R. Abinaya Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

58

59 


8. H. Hariprakash Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

9. S. Sathya Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

10. R. Aravindakshan Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

11. 

Aishwarya 

Vasudevan 

Biotechnology (Intg.) MIT–Harvard 

12. N. Niranjana Biotechnology (Intg.) Dartmouth, USA 

13. R. Shrinivasan Biotechnology (Intg.) University of Utah 

14. E. Pavithra Bioinformatics NUS, Singapore 

15. Surender Mohan Bioengineering NUS, Singapore 

16. G. Sowmya 

Electronics & 

NUS, Singapore 

Instrumentation Engineering 

17. Ravuru Rakesh 

Electronics & 

UPC Barcelona 


18. Shantan 

Electronics & 

UPC Barcelona 


19. Prashanth Sekhar Mechanical Engineering UPC Barcelona 

20. R. Vamsi 


Engineering 


21. M. Palaniappan Information Technology 

University Wisconsin, 

Milwaukee 

22. G. Kaushik Information Technology 

University Wisconsin, 

Milwaukee 

23. Mandel Keka Chemical Engineering Siemens, Singapore 

24. N. Nikhil 


Engineering 

Siemens, Singapore 

25. R. Mahesh Kumar 


Engineering 


26. 

Saiganesh 

Swaminathan 


Engineering 

ETH, Zurich 

2009–10 

S. No Name Branch 

University / 

Company 

1. Aditya Kashyap Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

2. K. Jawahar Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

3. R. S. Shyam Srivats Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

4. S. Susindhar Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

5. U. C. Dadwal Biotechnology MIT–Harvard 

6. S. Banupriya Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

7. Dharani Iyer Bioengineering MIT–Harvard 

8. S. Rukmani Bioinformatics MIT–Harvard 

9. Shwetha Mureli Bioinformatics MIT–Harvard 

10. 

Niveditha 

Vathsangam 

Biotechnology MIT–Harvard


11. Manoj Krishnan Mechanical Engineering 

Swiss German 

University 

12. 

Harish Kalyan Ram 

Pothukuchi 


Swiss German 

University 

13. 

Prithvi Chandra 

Raman 


Swiss German 

University 

14. 

Shenbagavalli 

Lakshmanah 


Engineering 

Swiss German 

University 

15. Vasudha Varadan 


Engineering 

Swiss German 

University 

16. 

S. Sowmyanarayan 

Srikanathan 


Engineering 

Swiss German 

University 

17. 

Abhinav 

Parvathareddy 

Electronics & 

Instrumentation 

Engineering 

Swiss German 

University 

18. Souvik Roy 

Information & 


Swiss German 

University 

19. Prashanth Ashok Information Technology 

Swiss German 

University 

20. 

Vikram 

Parthasarathy 

Information Technology 

Swiss German 

University 

21. R. Githacharan 

Electronics & 


University of 

Leicester, UK 

22. 

Anuradha 

Subramanian 

Biotechnology 

University of 

Leicester, UK 

23. Goutham Reddy Biotechnology 

University of 

Leicester UK 

24. Vandana Desikan Bioinformatics 

University of 

Leicester UK 

25. Saurabh Bhandari 


Engineering 

University of 

Leicester UK 

26. Prerit Misra 

Electronics & 


Engineering 

University of 

Leicester UK 

27. Puvvula Bharagava 

Electronics & 


University of 

Leicester UK 

28. Pavithra Ravi 

Electronics & 

Georgia Tech 


29. A. Chinduja Biotechnology TCU, Japan 

30. CJR Madhumathi 


Engineering 

The Siemens Centre, 

Singapore 

31. Amrutha Shyam Bioinformatics NUS, Singapore 

32. Pranav Kumar Bioinformatics NUS, Singapore 

33. N. Sanjanaa Bioinformatics NUS, Singapore 

60

61 


34. A. Sriram Bioinformatics NUS, Singapore 

35. Siva Shankar 

Information & 



36. Deborah Datta Bioinformatics NTU, Singapore 

37. N. Ramanathan Biotechnology 

Riken Brain Science 

Institute, Japan 

2.3 Teaching–Learning Process 

2.3.1 Academic Calendar 

SASTRA plans meticulously the teaching–learning and evaluation schedule well 

before the commencement of every academic year. Committees are formed for 

charting out the academic calendar and the time–table, which are prepared well in 

advance. Special workshops are conducted for this purpose. Academic calendar 

incorporates details of working days, holidays, mid–term tests, due dates for 

remittance of fee, commencement of end–semester examinations (both practical and 

theory), tentative date for release of results, reopening date for the next semester, 

dates for technical, cultural, sports events, etc. The academic calendar is also 

available online. 

Each semester consists 90 instructional days spread over of 19 weeks. Practical 

examinations commence immediately after the last working day and a study leave of 

at least seven days is given for theory examinations. SASTRA follows central 

valuation system involving about 10% external examiners with one chief examiner 

for each subject. The evaluation of the end–semester examination answer scripts 

commences on the very next day of the first examination in order that the results are 

declared within 10 days from the date of the last examination. 

2.3.2 Course Plan 

Each faculty prepares a detailed course plan at the commencement of the semester 

for the subjects that he / she teaches. At the end of each semester, the faculty 

submits a course completion certificate mentioning the number of classes handled. 

The syllabus including the course outline and schedule are provided to students at 

the beginning of every semester. 

2.3.3 Student–Centric Learning 

Around 60% of the courses use mostly lecture method of classroom teaching. In 

addition to the conventional chalk and talk, overhead & LCD projectors and smart 

boards are used depending upon the course requirements. Lectures are often 

supplemented by journal papers, articles of relevance, manufacturers’ catalogues &


pamphlets and demonstration using models, charts and animations. Demonstrations 

are shown in laboratories to supplement classroom teaching. Ten out of fifty marks 

allotted for the continuous internal assessment is awarded for assignments / 

seminars / quizzes. 

To provide extension of the classroom in the virtual domain, SASTRA has created 

Professional Virtual Community (PVC) on a Cloud Computing platform. All faculty 

are members of the SASTRA–PVC and the students pertaining to each course are de 

facto members of the respective community. The course plan, study materials, 

additional learning materials, annotated lectures, assignments, quizzes, etc., are 

posted regularly for the benefit of students. Discussion forums encourage 

meaningful, interactive, scientific exchanges between the members of the 

community. 

Learning at SASTRA is student–centred and it is achieved by the following means: 

i. Students are permitted to choose the courses and faculty of their choice 

ii. The PVC provides a platform for 24x7 student–centric learning 

iii. Student strength per class is restricted to 60 in undergraduate classes and not 

more than 30 in postgraduate (M. Tech.) classes for better interaction 

iv. During lab sessions faculty to student ratio is maintained at 1:20 

v. During lab sessions students carry out experiments individually 

vi. Student participation and discussions are integral parts of the teaching– 

learning process 

vii. Students are encouraged to make use of contents available in open course 

learning environments such as NPTEL, MIT–OCW, etc. 

viii. Students are encouraged to carry out mini projects bringing out small 

innovations 

ix. SASTRA encourages students to participate in international and national level 

technical competitions to showcase their creativity and innovation 

x. Language laboratory has been established to improve the communication skills 

of the students 

xi. Certain unique and innovative courses offered by experienced faculty members 

are recorded using Tegrity Cart ® system with the option of uploading the 

lectures in the website for the benefit of a larger cross–section of students 

xii. For the courses that are analytical in nature, a tutorial class is conducted every 

week. Analytical problems covering the concepts taught in regular classes are 

given to students for solving during tutorial hours 

xiii. Experiential learning methodology is adopted wherever possible 

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63 


xiv. Case studies are presented and discussed in management subjects 

xv. Dramas, Role plays, group discussions, etc., are also employed as pedagogical 

tools 

Innovative methods of student assignment evaluation have been introduced in the 

University. Turning point – a buzzer based evaluation system has been introduced as 

part of this initiative. This tool enables evaluation of the students on option–based 

questions projected on a screen. The student presses the button corresponding to the 

option chosen which is stored in a computer. The correct option is awarded points 

and the total score of the student is displayed at the end of the test. This method 

provides the flexibility to award negative marks to wrong options and also test the 

mental ability of the learner by setting multiple correct options for a single question. 

Thus the shackles of conventional Q&A sessions could be overcome. Also, as the 

student taking the test is made aware of the score immediately at the end of the test, 

it helps in providing additional time for the student to show improvement in the next 

instance. 

Conceptual learning, creativity skills and ability to provide problem–specific 

solutions are constantly kindled in the students through innovative assignments that 

include take–home tests, field survey, case studies, debates, quizzes, seminars, paper 

presentations, drama / moot court, etc., and development of software packages for 

specific applications have all demonstrated the potential of students to integrate the 

concepts learnt in classroom to solve real–time problems. A few standout examples 

of software applications developed by students and being implemented at SASTRA 

are: 

Online feedback system: To enable students provide feedback on the quality of 

teaching as well as curriculum during each semester 

Akash Pustak – an attempt to create pdf versions of school text books in a 

version compatible with the indigenous Akash tablets 

SMS alert system enabling transmission of messages to mobile phones of the 

student network 

Student toolkit, A versatile platform for the students to submit requests for 

transcripts, permissions and view academic deadlines like payment of 

examination fees, mess fees as well as semester fees 

2.3.4 Participatory Learning 

Student participation in the teaching–learning process is encouraged. A student or a 

group of students are encouraged to make presentations, engage in role plays, 

conduct field studies and share experiences, innovate on new experiments for


laboratory work, etc. These participatory learning activities make the knowledge 

acquisition self–driven and experiential. To improve critical analysis, data analysis and 

presentation skills of students, journal clubs are periodically organized. 

A corpus of Rs 1 crore has been created under the “SASTRA Anukula Shikshan” 

scheme for the benefit of student learning. Bright students are identified to handle 

special classes to students needing assistance in various disciplines of study and to 

appear for competitive examinations, facilitating peer learning. The special classes 

are conducted after University regular working hours in the campus to encourage a 

collaborative learning environment amongst students. The student–teachers are 

paid an honorarium of Rs 125 per hour. 

2.3.5 Knowledge Leadership Forum Lectures 

A Knowledge Leadership Forum (KLF) has been instituted in each School with an 

annual budget allocation of Rs 1,00,000. Eminent scientists and industry experts are 

invited to campus to deliver lectures on recent trends and developments. A few of 

the prominent speakers of the KLF Series were: 

S. No Name Title 

1. Dr. R. Chidambaram Science & Societal Development 

2. Prof. M. S. Valiathan History of Sree Chithra Valve 

3. Dr. S. K. Khanna Issues in the Management of Higher Learning 

Institutes 

4. Prof. V. S. Ramamurthy Science & Sustainable Technology 

5. Dr. T. Ramasami & 

Shri Umayalpuram 

Sivaraman 

Science for Musical Excellence of Mridangam 

6. Dr. Baldev Raj Challenges in Materials Research for 

7. Dr. V. Sumanthran 

Sustainable Nuclear Energy 

Frontiers of Engineering 

8. Dr. Mylswamy 

Annadurai 

Scientific & Technical Aspects of Chandrayaan I 

9. Dr. P. R. Vasudeva Rao History of Plutonium 

10. Prof. S. K. Joshi My Random Walk in the World of Materials 

11. Dr. G. Sundarrajan Nanomaterials: Research, Application 

Development & Commercialization 

Apart from KLF lecture series, the University also arranges various endowment 

lectures delivered by eminent personalities throughout the year. A few of the 

prominent speakers who have delivered lectures are shown below: 

S. No Name Title 

1. Prof. C. N. R. Rao Legacy of Srinivasa Ramanujan 

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65 


2. Prof. M. Vijayan Lectins & their Structure 

3. Dr. W. Selvamurthy Life Sciences in the Service of Soldiers 

4. Shri K. Parasaran Law & Dharma 

5. Shri S. Gurumurthy Legal Anthropology 

6. Dr. S. Subramaniam Moral Concepts of Multidimensional 

Swamy 

Intelligence 

7. Dr. R. K. Raghavan Use of Technology in Crime Analysis 

8. Mr. S. Ramadorai Skill Development for Nation Building 

9. Dr. S. Chandrasekhar Scientific & Technical Aspects of 

Chandrayaan I 

Students also organize special lectures during the annual technical fest, “Daksh”. 

Student associations function in each department and serve as a platform to gain 

knowledge and exchange ideas on latest developments. Students are encouraged to 

participate in international conferences, national seminars, technical contests, etc. 

2.3.6 ICT Resources & e–learning 

Each School is ICT enabled and is equipped with smart classrooms. Power point 

presentations are made use of to project complicated figures, photographs, etc., and 

to show animations of mechanisms in order to facilitate better learning and 

understanding. Moreover, the multimedia section of the central library provides 

students an opportunity to view and listen to various educational DVDs, CDs, 

cassettes, etc. The Department of Training & Placement also has a number of 

educational VCDs on different technical subjects. Tegrity Cart ® provides a platform 

for content creation, distribution and e–learning. Tegrity Cart ® enables conversion 

of classroom instruction into effective web content with voice for on–demand and 

delivery to students. SASTRA faculty and students are also members of the 

Professional Virtual Community. Lectures are hosted on the network and students 

can listen to the lectures in their leisure time if they have missed the lecture or have 

any questions. 

SASTRA is an academic partner in the National Knowledge Network, which facilitates 

high–speed internet connectivity to enable learning through information and 

communication technology tools. The 350 Mbps campus–wide internet bandwidth 

has been put into optimum use by faculty and students for conducting various 

educational transactions. The Wi–Fi facility provides seamless access to the world– 

wide–web for the students and faculty facilitating access to various educational 

resources easily and readily available. The Network Attached Storage (NAS) 

enhances the learning process making educational data readily available for student 

use. Students are encouraged to make use of NPTEL resources and SASTRA


University is also an Associate Partner in NPTEL and has successfully developed 12 

courses. SASTRA University is also a partner in the National Pedagogy Project 

funded by the NMEICT under the leadership of IIT, Kharagpur. 

SASTRA subscribes to the following online databases – ScienceDirect, Springer, 

Institution of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Royal Society of Chemistry, 

Institute of Physics, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, ACM, ACS, 

ASME, ASCE, IAS, IOP, EBSCO, SCOPUS, PROQUEST, E–BRARY, Annual reviews, 

JSTOR, Portland Press, Project Euclid, Nature, Lexis Nexis, Manupatra, MathSciNet, 

etc. This provides unlimited simultaneous access to over 10,850 full–text journals, 

bibliographic data from 26,000 journals, 17,00,000 full–text Ph.D. dissertations and 

91,480 full textbooks. All of these resources cover Engineering, Computer Science, 

Arts, Science, Management, Humanities, Law, etc. 

With an aim to integrate Information & Communication Technology in Teaching– 

Learning process and to enable the faculty to develop computer-‐aided teaching – 

learning materials, the University has provided over 800 laptops to faculty members. 

This has enabled faculty members to access various valuable knowledge resources 

for the preparation of lecture notes and power point presentations. Further, online 

demonstrations of programs, implementation of algorithms, simulations, exploded 

views, educational videos are presented during lectures. 

The campus–wide, seamless wireless connectivity coupled with ICT–enabled 

classrooms has made classroom environment vibrant and conducive for student– 

centric, interactive teaching–learning process. Trained manpower is provided to 

teaching faculty in the preparation of animations, whenever required. A full–fledged 

studio for recording live classes has been established at a cost of Rs 1 Crore. This 

facility is accessible to faculty members of all schools for creation of video lectures 

for archival and subsequent usage by the learners. The studio facility is also utilized 

for recording of special lectures delivered by eminent speakers for future viewing. 

2.3.7 Webinars 

Students and faculty attend webinars that are periodically conducted by IBM, Intel 

and Infosys. The table below shows the webinars attended by students and faculty in 

the last year: 

Name of the Speaker Topic Date 

Julie Mathew Smart Cloud Entry 20.03.2013 

Venkata Anumula Introduction to SCSI/ storage protocols 19.03.2013 

Jes Kiran High Availability Center 18.03.2013 

66

67 


Vimal Dhupar Developing and consuming Java integrations 15.03.2013 

Swati Singh 

in social SDK 

K. Sangeeth 

Advanced OS virtualization and network 15.03.2013 

Madan K Chukka virtualization 

Projjwal Saha Developing and consuming JavaScript 14.03.2013 

Vineet Kanwal integrations in social SDK 

Muthulaxmi 

Srinivasan 

RAS in Enterprise Servers 14.03.2013 

Vasant Hegde 

Sachin P Sant 

Linux on Power and System z 13.03.2013 

Rajmeet Bal Social Freeware Appliance: Quick Start Image 13.03.2013 

Bhavesh Shah 

Manish Kataria 

IBM Social SDK Introduction 12.03.2013 

Prem Karat Open Stack / KVM 12.03.2013 

Manish Kataria Social Software Introduction 11.03.2013 

Gireesh Punathil Memory Management in Java 01.02.2013 

Pushkar Kulkarni As Fast as Ferrari – How Just in Time 

Compilation Powers Java Performance? 

31.01.2013 

Deepthi Sebastian Inside the Java Virtual Machine 30.01.2013 

Dinakar Gunigantala Optimizing Java for the Cloud 29.01.2013 

Rajeev Palanki Rock Art @ Rockets: The Journey of Java and 

Why Java needs you more than ever 

28.01.2013 

Nishant D Kulkarni SOA Design Patterns 22.01.2013 

Pramodh Vr SOA Overview 21.01.2013 

Brad McCredie Data Center of the Future – Integration, 

Virtualization, Cloud and Beyond 

26.10.2012 

Edward Nowak The Shape of CMOS Transistors 19.10.2012 

Kevin Gildea Trends in High Performance Computing 12.10.2012 

Clod Barrera Storage Technology Innovations for the Data 

Center in the Cloud 

05.10.2012 

Renato Recio The Coming Decade of System Networking 

Discontinuities 

28.09.2012 

Jim Kahle Technology Trends for the Future of 

Computing 

21.09.2012 

Steven Hunter IT Trends and Next Generation Systems 14.09.2012 

Gururaj Rao Smarter Computing Trends: Advancing 

Technology through Collaborative 

Innovations 

07.09.2012 

Pavan Onkar Cognos Insight 03.09.2012 

Deepak Desale TM1 Basics 31.08.2012 

Sachidanand Singh Reporting and Analysis basics using various 

Studios 

30.08.2012 

Priyam Aneja Data Modeling basics using Framework 

Manager 

29.08.2012 

Ganesh Kedari Introduction to Business Intelligence and 

Performance Management 

28.08.2012 

Sanjay Kesavan SOA Concepts 24.08.2012


Vishal Charegaonkar Introduction to Mobile Application 

Development 

23.08.2012 

Shekar Mamaraju Liberty Server 22.08.2012 

Kavitha Suresh 

Kumar 

Application Server Concepts 21.08.2012 

Shrish Kuncolienkar Programming Best Practices in Java Tips, 

Tricks and Pitfalls 

20.08.2012 

Amar Devagowda Project Coin: Java 7.0 Language Changes 17.08.2012 

Sai Hema Java Concurrency Demystified 16.08.2012 

Lakshmi Narasimhan Java 8 Under the Hood 14.08.2012 

Deepthi Sebatian Inside the Java Virtual Machine 13.08.2012 

Andy Walls Evolution of Enterprise Storage Media 06.04.2012 

Carl Jones Design Considerations for Enterprise Storage 30.03.2012 

Danny Harnik Security and Deduplication in the Cloud 29.03.2012 

Clod Barrera Future Storage needs and Architecture 22.03.2012 

C Mohan Storage Class Memories 16.03.2012 

Avishay Traeger Adding Advanced Storage Functionality via 

Low Overhead Virtualization 

15.03.2012 

Amala S. Krishnaveni SOA in Mainframe 09.03.2012 

Sukumar Beri EGL Fundamentals 07.03.2012 

David Chambliss Cloud Storage – Quality of Service 17.02.2012 

Saritha Vinod High Performance Cloud Computing 16.02.2012 

Pradeep H. Rao Performance Monitors, Tools and Techniques 

for Performance Engineering on Intel and 

Power Platforms 

15.02.2012 

Dheeraj Chalal Developer Suite and Performance Analysis 

Framework for HPC Programming 

14.02.2012 

Arul M. Ganesan Introduction to HPC performance and IBM 

Parallel Environment 

13.02.2012 

Jayatheerthan 

Krishnamoorthy 

Text Analytics 08.02.2012 

Bharath K. Devaraju Real Time Analytics 07.02.2012 

Srinivas Kulkarni Big Data Analytics – A New Wave of 

Opportunity 

06.02.2012 

Haaris Shaikh, 

Ganesh Kedari 

TM1 Basics 08.09.2011 

Rajib Bhattacharya Reporting and Analysis basics using various 07.09.2011 

Gracy Mendonca Studios 

Sonal Bhatt 

Data Modelling basics using Framework 06.09.2011 

Mrunal Lohar Manager 

Rajib Bhattacharya Introduction to Business Intelligence and 05.09.2011 

Ganesh Kedari Performance Management 

Himabindu Pucha Towards Optimizing Hadoop Provisioning in 

the cloud 

25.03.2011 

Daniel Gruhi MONGOOSE: Ingest, Monitor, Rinse, Repeat 18.03.2011 

K. K. Rao Perseus: Storage for Petascale Computing 11.03.2011 

Dilip D. Kandlur Virtual Networks for Cloud computing 04.03.2011 

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C. Mohan Implications of Storage Class Memories 

(SCMs) on Software Architectures 

18.02.2011 

Christian Cachin Dependable Storage in the Intercloud 11.02.2011 

Subramanian Iyer The Promise and Implementation of three 

Dimensional Integration 

04.02.2011 

Stuart Parkin Racetrack Memory: The Future Third 

Dimension of Data Storage 

28.01.2011 

Bruce L. Hillsberg IBM India Storage Lab 21.01.2011 

2.3.8 Open Source Community 

GLOSS – The GNU Linux Open Source @ SASTRA is a community that nurtures and 

evangelizes Open Source. GLOSS has kindled the developers in the University by 

organizing seminars, workshops and special talks pertaining to Open Source 

projects. Interested students across various Schools participate through generic 

orientation programmes and workshops. 

GLOSS considered as the “Spirit of Open Technology” has developed the following 

packages for the University: 

iCAMPUS – A complete ERP that was created to manage "Student's Portal" that 

provides information relevant to the student such as attendance, courses, time– 

table, etc. 

Student Toolkit – The Student Toolkit is a single portal that caters to various 

needs of students such as syllabi, bona fide & transcript requests, hostel 

permissions, booking rooms at the Guest House, etc. 

Canopy Online – An efficient online portal designed for ordering food, booking 

transportation, packers & movers, etc. 

Tools for hall plan for CIA tests, invigilation duty, feedback system, etc., have also 

been developed 

All the above products were the result of individuals working as a team, using ONLY 

the Open Source products. The proven success of these applications makes GLOSS 

one of the most trusted and one of the productive groups at SASTRA. GLOSS has a 

"Forum" like presence through Social Networking sites and various online groups. 

2.3.9 Library Resources 

The library resources form an integral support for the students and faculty to update 

themselves with latest developments. The central library has an exhaustive 

collection of books covering a wide spectrum of subject areas as given below:


Subject Area Number of 

Books 

Computer Science & Engineering 17,644 

Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

Electronics & Communication Engineering 

16,093 

Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering 

Mechanical Engineering 8,199 

Management & Commerce 8,797 

Civil Engineering 6,140 

Mathematics 5,796 

Chemistry, Chemical Engineering & Biosciences 7,780 

Law 16,186 

Education 3,212 

English 3,617 

Humanities & Sciences 7,866 

Physics 1,960 

e–Books 91,480 

TOTAL 1,94,770 

The central library functions from 8.30 am to 10.00 pm on all working days and from 

9 am to 5 pm on Sundays and other public holidays, catering to the informational 

needs of the users. The library is kept open for seven days a week throughout the 

year except during Pongal, Republic day, Independence day, Saraswathi Pooja and 

Diwali holidays. The average number of books issued every day is 625 and the books 

can be kept for two weeks. Two books are given for UG students and three books for 

PG students. The average number of users visiting the library is 1300 per day and 

the average number of users (e–resources) is 6000 per month. Though SASTRA 

subscribes to Delnet, only a very small percentage of the faculty use this facility, as 

there is provision for procuring any required book immediately irrespective of their 

cost through central library. Besides the central library, each School has its own 

library with technical books and journals. School libraries are kept open on all 

working days. Since the entire University is networked, the online resources are 

accessible from any location within the campus. The library and e–learning 

resources help students and faculty keep pace with the recent developments in the 

subjects. 

Library Advisory Committee consisting of senior faculty members and the librarians 

convenes meetings periodically to estimate the library requirements and to evaluate 

the utilization of the resources. In addition, exhibitions by prominent publishers / 

book suppliers are held in the campus and the faculty members browse through the 

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current titles and recommend suitable books for purchase. The on–campus 

Higginbothams Book Store provides another avenue to procure books for the library. 

2.3.10 Counselling & Mentoring 

To closely monitor students’ progress, each section of 60 students has two faculty 

members as their counsellors. In special cases, senior professors and Deans also 

counsel students. Academic progress of each student is monitored at three levels: 

i. The teacher handling a specific course continuously monitors, evaluates and 

gives feedback to students and the counsellors 

ii. The class counsellors monitor the progress of the students in all the subjects of a 

semester and suitably counsel students who are weak in studies 

iii. The office of the Dean, Student Affairs monitors the attendance and informs 

parents of students who need attention 

The counsellors conduct one–on–one sessions with the student and records are kept 

confidential. If the counsellor feels that a professional help is required, the student is 

referred to a professional psychoanalyst who is available in the office of the Dean, 

Student Affairs. 

2.3.11 Nurturing Creativity 

Club activities: SASTRA nurtures scientific temper, creativity and innovation in 

students by providing forums for discussion, debates and analyses in the form of 

student clubs such as Auto club, Robotics club, Aero club, SASTRA Foto hub, 

Nanoforum, Embedded systems club, Debating club, Electronics club, Celeritas club, 

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), and Tech forum. The 

members of the respective clubs meet frequently, discuss latest technological 

developments, design challenging & competitive events, provide hands on–training 

through workshops, etc. 

Student Innovation Fund: Student innovation fund with a corpus of Rs 2 Crore has 

been created to encourage and foster innovation. Proposals are invited from 

students with a faculty mentor and the best ten innovative proposals are funded to 

the tune of Rs 2 lakh each. 

Project Work: Project work for undergraduate engineering students and dissertation 

for postgraduate students are mandatory and hence, are integrated within the 

curriculum. Most of the M. Tech. dissertations result in publications in refereed 

journals. On an average about 900 projects and dissertations are executed by 

students every year under the guidance of faculty members, out of which 75% are


carried on campus. Students are also permitted to carry out projects in premier 

educational, research and industrial organizations in India and abroad, a partial list 

of which is provided below: 

All India Institute of Medical Sciences 

Ashok Leyland, Chennai 

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., Trichy 

CCMB, Hyderabad 

CECRI, Karaikudi 

CEERI, Chennai 

CMRI, Durgapur 

CLRI, Chennai 

Dartmouth University, USA 

Deakin University, Australia 

Dr. Reddy’s Lab., Hyderabad 

Ecole Polytechnique, France 

ETH, Zurich 

Facebook, California, USA 

Georgetown University, USA 

Georgia Tech University, USA 

Google, California, USA 

Gotopol Inc., Connecticut, USA 

IGCAR, Kalpakkam 

IBM, Bangalore 


Indian Institute of Technology Madras 

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi 

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay 

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 

Indian Space Research Organization, Bangalore 

Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, New Delhi 

JNCASR, Bangalore 

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany 

L & T – ECC, Chennai 

L & T Heavy Engineering Division, Mumbai 

Lucas TVS, Chennai 

MIT–Harvard, USA 

National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore 

National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 

National Institute of Oceanography, Goa 

National University of Singapore, Singapore 

Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Chennai 

Orebro University, Sweden 

Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Trivandrum 

Riken Brain Science Institute, Japan 

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Seshasayee Paper & Boards Ltd., Erode 


Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai 

Tokyo City University, Japan 

TVS Motors, Hosur 

University of Erlangen, Germany 

University of Kwazulu – Natal Arhus Universitet 

University of Leicester, UK 

University of Utah, USA 

University of Windsor, Canada 

University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA 

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA 

Universitat Polytechnica de Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain 

Vision Research Foundation, Chennai 

Various Labs of DRDO such as DEBEL, Anurag, CAIR, CVRDE, DRDL, SSPL 

2.4 Teacher Quality 

2.4.1 HR Planning 

Faculty members are appointed through a selection process. The selection process 

starts with advertisements in leading national dailies inviting applications for faculty 

positions in various disciplines. The advertisement is also made available online in 

the University webpage and a copy of the advertisement is shown below:


Deans of the respective Schools carefully scrutinize the applications received and a 

selection committee is formed consisting of the Dean, few senior faculty members of 

the School and an external member within the University. Short–listed candidates 

are called for interview and are evaluated based on their depth of knowledge, 

technical soundness, expression of ideas, research focus and communication skills. 

The selection committee recommends the meritorious candidates for appointment to 

the Vice–Chancellor. 

Before the end of every semester, each School estimates the requirement of teaching 

faculty and non–teaching staff based on the course requirements for the next 

semester as well as vacancies arising due to some faculty members leaving SASTRA. 

The University at any time will have the required number of qualified and competent 

faculty members to handle the courses in all Schools. All teaching and non–teaching 

faculty members of SASTRA are full–time staff only. Visiting faculty members are 

invited for handling selective and specialized courses. Since recruitment of faculty is 

done regularly (twice a year) depending on the requirements of existing and new 

programmes, there is no appointment of temporary staff or substitutes. 

2.4.2 Faculty Details 

At present we have 746 teaching faculty, 450 supporting staff and 88 teaching 

assistants. All sanctioned faculty positions are filled as on date. About 31% the 

teaching faculty are women. About 30% of faculty members have Ph. D. degree. 

Some of them have obtained Ph. D. from other states and countries while a few have 

done postdoctoral research abroad. 99.4% of faculty members possess postgraduate 

degree such as M. E., M. Tech., M. L., M. Pharm., M. Sc. (Engineering), M. B. A., M. C. A., 

M. Sc., etc. 

The following table shows the qualification–cadre–gender ratio of the faculty 

members in the University: 

Highest 

Qualification 

Dean / SP / AD 

Professors 

Associate / 

Senior 

Assistant 

Professors 

74 

Assistant 

Professors 

III / R / II / I 

Male Female Male Female Male Female 

Total 

Permanent teachers 

D. Sc. / D. Litt. 1 – – – – – 1 

Ph. D. 71 14 52 5 74 32 248 

M. Phil. 1 – 2 1 59 39 102 

PG 11 – 18 4 279 157 469

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Others 

Visiting teachers 

– – – – 4 1 5 

Ph. D. 5 1 – – – – 6 

M. Phil. – – – – – – – 

PG 

Part–time teachers 

Ph. D. 

3 – – – – – 3 

M. Phil. 

PG 

Nil 

Due to the transparent recruitment process, pay package, incentives, avenues for 

career development, meritorious students, infrastructure, research ambience, etc., 

SASTRA has been able to attract talented human resource with global exposure. This 

is reflected in the diverse demographic background of the faculty, which is displayed 

below: 

Department / 

School 

% of faculty 

from the 

same 

University 

% of faculty 

from other 

universities 

within the State 

% of faculty 

from 

universities 

outside the 

State 

% of 

faculty 

from other 

countries 

Chemical & 

Biotechnology 

0 66 27 7 

Civil 

Engineering 

7 85 8 – 

Computing 1 87 10 2 

Electrical & 

Electronics 

Engineering 

10 74 11 5 

Humanities & 

Sciences 

0 100 0 0 

Law – 55 45 – 

Management 0 83 13 4 

Mechanical 

Engineering 

0 66 25 9 

SRC 13 85 1 1 

2.4.3 Systems to Recharge & Rejuvenate Teachers 

The Management continuously promotes teacher development in terms of 

qualification upgradation, research activities and publications through the following 

measures: 

i. Various schemes like SASTRA Anusandhan Purashkar for Higher Involvement 

in Research & Education (SAPHIRE) Award is given to the top3 faculty chosen 

based on their publication output. The awardees along with their family


members are sent on a fully paid vacation to a select foreign location. Other 

schemes are also available to motivate faculty to conduct research and engage 

in quality teaching. 

ii. Faculty members are granted study leave with full pay for pursuing Ph. D. 

iii. Faculty members are granted leave for postdoctoral work in reputed labs 

abroad 

iv. Research & Modernization Fund to the tune of Rs 10,00,000 is also provided to 

faculty members to establish / augment / modernize research facility 

v. Prof. T. R. Rajagopalan Award (Prof. TRR award) with a maximum seed grant of 

Rs 2,00,000 is awarded to deserving research proposals. This allows the 

faculty members to conduct experiments and generate preliminary data for 

submission of proposals to funding agencies. These preliminary experiments 

and findings could also result in publication in a refereed journal or a patent 

vi. Faculty members are sponsored to present papers in national / international 

conferences or seminars on specialized areas in India or abroad 

vii. Apart from these, the University has been regularly conducting international 

conferences / workshops and many national seminars / workshops / 

conferences on themes of national relevance and global importance to provide 

intellectual stimulus to our faculty as well as students 

viii. Faculty are sponsored to visit institutions / industries in India and abroad for 

knowledge sharing and collaborations 

ix. Periodic orientation programmes on online databases and new tools are 

conducted to augment teaching and research effectiveness 

x. Doctoral Club provides a platform that facilitates interdisciplinary, open– 

minded, creative interaction among faculty members with research rigour 

SASTRA encourages faculty members to continuously upgrade their knowledge 

through various faculty development programmes such as workshops, seminars, 

orientation programmes, conferences, etc. The following table provides the number 

of faculty members who have benefited from these activities in the last four years: 

Academic Staff Development Programmes Number of Faculty 

HRD Programmes 239 

Orientation Programmes conducted every semester All new recruits 

Staff training conducted by the University FDP: 150 

SCOPUS: 600 

Author Workshop: 240 

Turnitin ® : 100 

Staff training conducted by other Institutions 200 

76

77 


2.4.4 External Recognition of SASTRA Faculty 

SASTRA is recognized as an Associate Partner Institution of NPTEL and 

fourteen faculty members act as Subject Matter Experts (SME) for the 

development of course contents under the portals of NPTEL 

SASTRA is recognized as a partner in the Pedagogy project funded by 

NMEICT and coordinated by IIT Kharagpur. Faculty members across 

disciplines are involved 

SASTRA is recognized as a Remote Nodal Centre by IIT Bombay and ten 

faculty members are coordinators for the online programmes 

Senior faculty members of SASTRA University serve as NAAC Peer Team 

members; task force committee members for ICMR, DST; UGC Review 

Committee for Deemed Universities in India; Human Resource (JRF) 

Selection Committee for ICMR, DST and AYUSH; Project review committee 

for DST; AICTE Committee 

Faculty members also serve in the Academic Council and Boards of 

Studies of other Institutions apart from being examiners and question 

paper setters 

Several faculty members are in the editorial boards of various 

international journals and also serve as reviewers 

About 20% of faculty members have delivered invited lectures in various 

workshops / conferences / seminars 

About 70% of faculty members have participated in various workshops / 

conferences / seminars conducted by other institutions 

About 60% of faculty members have presented in various workshops / 

conferences / seminars conducted by other institutions 

About 70% of faculty having teaching / research experience in other 

institutions / industrial engagement in India 

About 10% of faculty having international teaching / research experience 

2.5 Evaluation Process and Reforms 

SASTRA follows the credit system for evaluating students whose performance is 

measured by the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). For each theory and 

practical course, the system of Continuous Internal Assessment (CIA) and the end– 

semester examination with central valuation is followed. CIA is calculated based on 

the best marks obtained in two of the three mid–term tests, assignments, seminars, 

quizzes, etc., and their weightages are shown below:


Theory Courses Practical Courses 

Mid–term test: Best out of three 20 marks Pre–lab work 10 marks 

Mid–term test: Second best out of 

three 

20 marks 

Experimental 

results 

20 marks 

Assignment / Seminar / Quiz 10 marks 

Record 

Viva–voce 

10 marks 

10 marks 

Total 50 Marks Total 50 marks 

At the end of the semester an examination of three hours duration is conducted for 

every course. A student has to score a minimum of 50% (CIA and end–semester 

examination put together) for passing a course. The evaluation method followed by 

SASTRA is explained to the students and parents during the orientation programme. 

Moreover, a booklet containing the rules and regulations for each programme is 

distributed to the students and is also available in the SASTRA website. 

SASTRA conducts two end–semester examinations (November & May) every year. 

Students with arrears can appear for the respective exams during both the 

semesters. Around 3300 question papers are set annually to conduct examination 

for all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes (regular & supplementary 

examinations). 

SASTRA follows a centralized evaluation system where a separate board of valuation 

is formed for each course. Chief examiners are appointed for each board. Each 

examiner is provided with a scheme of valuation that is usually provided by the 

question paper setter. Comments about the question paper are obtained from the 

faculty on the day of the examination and placed before the Board. The evaluation 

scheme is thoroughly discussed by the Board and a consensus on the scheme for 

evaluation is arrived at. In a day, an examiner is given a maximum of 50 papers for 

valuation. At the end of valuation, feedback on the standard of question paper, 

valuation, performance of the students, etc., are obtained from the members of the 

Board for presenting the results to the result passing Board. Question papers and 

answer scripts are randomly selected and sent to two external experts for auditing to 

evaluate the standard of the question paper and fairness of evaluation. 

The academic calendar is scrupulously followed for the conduct of examinations and 

the announcement of results. Results are declared within ten days from the date of 

last examination. Students and parents can view the results online through the 

Parents Corner in the University website. In addition, they can access the result 

through the SMS. Retotalling, revaluation and transparency system (supply of 

78

79 


photocopies of answer script to student on request) are in vogue from 2001. Each 

stage in the evaluation process is transparent and any aggrieved student could 

approach the concerned faculty or the Dean of the School / Examinations. If the 

student is still not satisfied, he/she could approach the Vice–Chancellor for 

representation. The different stages of the evaluation till the declaration of results 

are: 

i. Marks obtained in the mid–term tests are available online within 10 days 

from the tests 

ii. Final CIA component (for 50 marks) for each course is available within 7 days 

from the last working day 

iii. Students have the right to approach the Faculty for clarifications of CIA, if any 

iv. Semester results are available in the University website within 10 days from 

the last examination 

v. Retotalling, revaluation and transparency systems made available to students 

for redressal of grievance on end–semester examination results 

Malpractices committed by students are referred to a committee constituted by the 

Vice–Chancellor. The committee consists of a Chairman (one senior Professor), one 

subject expert not below the rank of a Professor and the Dean, Examination as 

member secretary. The punishment for malpractices indulged in the examination 

hall is clearly spelt out in the examination rules and regulations, which is 

prominently displayed. 

An external audit is administered by sending randomly selected question papers and 

answer scripts to evaluate the quality of the question papers and also the quality of 

the evaluation. If glaring discrepancies are reported, the concerned evaluator is 

called for an explanation and suitable remedial course of action is taken. 

One of the main reasons for successfully meeting the deadlines with respect to 

conduct of examination and release of results is the complete automation of the 

examination system. A dedicated, fool–proof software for the examination 

department facilitates time–table preparation, nominal roll preparation, hall ticket 

issue, seating arrangement, fly–slip generation along with dummy number 

generation, evaluation, mark entry, grade generation, release of results, re–totalling, 

transcript generation, degree certificate preparation, etc. This entire automated 

process makes the examination process almost free from manual errors and is 

supported by a powerful IT backbone.


2.6 Student Performance and Learning Outcomes 

The performances of the students in competitive examinations, campus placements, 

fellowships, admissions to premier institutions in India and abroad, etc., are 

indicators of the learning outcome. Students of SASTRA have consistently secured 

the maximum number of Indian Academy of Sciences Fellowships in the last four 

years. In addition, students have secured prestigious fellowships such as Khorana, 

Marie Curie, Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship, VATAT Fellowship for 

outstanding post–doctoral fellowship from Weisman Institute, INSPIRE Fellowship, 

etc. SASTRA students have scored top ranks across disciplines in GATE, CAT, BIC, etc. 

The number of recruiters and offers has been constantly increasing. Due to the 

research ambience backed with strong academic inputs, students are able to secure 

admissions into premier institutions in the world such as University of Cambridge, 

Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Imperial College, University of Pennsylvania, North Western 

University, etc. 

The above outcomes are due to the cumulative and sustained teaching innovations 

implemented in the last five years by the University. Some of the best practices are 

listed below: 

Establishment of Professional Virtual Community 

Use of audio–visual aids and ICT enabled classrooms in teaching 

Faculty members encouraged to use the NPTEL, MIT open courseware, CNBC 

and BBC broadcasts 

800 laptops given to faculty members to encourage them to use it in the Wi–Fi 

environment to enhance teaching–learning process and research output 

Correlating science / engineering / technology with very familiar day–to–day 

examples 

Innovative teaching methodologies such as role–play, drama, debates, etc., are 

employed for experiential learning 

Identifying management concepts through non–conventional methods using 

epics and selected movies 

Inclusion of website references in teaching to undertake self study through 

websites and gain exposure to applications in Engineering 

Select lectures are recorded and hosted in the intranet for the benefit of the 

students 

Select lecture notes are available on the intranet 

80

CRITERION III: RESEARCH, CONSULTANCY & EXTENSION 

81 


3.1 Promotion of Research 

It is our basic belief that good researchers are well equipped to be good teachers – 

for, as they have developed a perspective of the future of technology, they are ideally 

suited to create human resources for both academia and industry. 

3.1.1 Research Advisory Council 

A Research Advisory Council (RAC) has been constituted in 2007, with an aim to 

provide visionary guidance and promote quality research in the University. The 

Council consists of experts in different disciplines both from India and abroad. The 

following are the members of the Council: 

i. Prof. V. S. Ramamurthy, Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, 

Bangalore and Former Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, 

Govt. of India – CHAIRMAN 

ii. Dr. Baldev Raj, Distinguished Scientist & Former Director, IGCAR, Kalpakkam 

iii. Dr. N. Jayasankaran, Former Director, Bharathidasan Institute of Management, 

Tiruchirappalli 

iv. Dr. B. Gopalan, Chief Scientific Officer & Executive Director, Drug Discovery 

Research – Orchid Research Lab Pvt. Ltd., Chennai 

v. Dr. V. R. Muthukaruppan, Director (Research), Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai 

vi. Dr. T. V. L. Narasimha Rao, General Manager, Sundaram Clayton Ltd., Chennai 

The following served as members of the RAC earlier: 

i. Dr. A. Gnanam, Former Vice Chancellor, Bharathidasan & Pondicherry Central 

University and Former Chairman, NAAC 

ii. Dr. K. E. Seetharam, Director, Institute of Water Policy, Lee Kuan Yew School 

of Public Policy Director, Global Asia Institute, National University of 

Singapore 

iii. Dr. V. Gopalakrishnan, Former Executive Director, BHEL, Tiruchirapalli 

iv. Dr. O. P. Agarwal, Emeritus Scientist, Indian Council for Medical Research, 

New Delhi 

The Council meets twice a year to advise and provide new directions to enhance 

research output. The Council also reviews the progress of the ongoing research 

projects and doctoral work. Some of the recommendations of the RAC are 

summarized below:

Criterion III 

1. Identify thrust areas of research for each School based on the faculty 

expertise 

The following areas of research have been identified and research projects are 

being carried out with both extramural and internal funding: 

School of Chemical & Biotechnology 

Bioremediation 

Biosensors 

Cancer genomics 

Chromatin epigenetics 

Computational drug design 

Electrophysiology 

Fuel cells 

Green chemistry 

Immunology 

Indian systems of medicine 

Nanotoxicology 

Natural products 

Plant & animal toxins 

Process intensification 

Quorum sensing 

Smart & functional materials 

Smart delivery systems 

Stem cells & regenerative medicine 

Structural biology 

Theranostics 

School of Civil Engineering 

Concrete technology 

Environmental engineering 

Geology 

Hydraulics 

Remote sensing & GIS 

Structural engineering 

Transportation engineering 

Water resources engineering 

School of Computing 

Algorithms 

Data mining 

Embedded & VLSI system 

Image processing 

Machine vision & pattern recognition 

Network security 

Simulation & modelling 

82

School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

Control systems 

Information security 

Machine learning 

Nanophotonics 

Nanocomposites 

Nanosensors & devices 

Power electronics & drives 

Sensor fusion 

Thin films & coatings 

Wireless communications 

School of Management 

Human resource management 

Organizational behaviour 

Finance & marketing management 

School of Mechanical Engineering 

Advanced manufacturing 

Robotics & automation 

Nanofluids & heat transfer 

Powder metallurgy 

Welding metallurgy 

School of Humanities & Sciences 

Algebra 

Bitopological spaces 

Cryptology 

Functional analysis 

Fuzzy topology 

Number theory 

83 


2. Each School to set its own publication targets based on its respective 

strength to improve the overall research publication 

Implementation of this suggestion resulted in a significant increase in the 

number of publications over the years (142 in 2010; 246 in 2011; 686 in 

2012) 

3. Focus on major issues of interdisciplinary nature such as health, 

environment, water and energy, which have an impact on the society 

Research centres established in the University address some of the 

interdisciplinary areas that have societal impact


4. Strengthen collaborative research at the National and International 

levels 

University has established collaborations with renowned National and 

International institutions / universities 

The University has a Dean (Research) and an Associate Dean (Research) to 

monitor the Doctoral research programmes. The University has a Dean 

exclusively for Sponsored Research to identify, promote and oversee both 

extramural and in–house funded research projects. In addition, each School 

has an Associate Dean (Research) to facilitate and coordinate the research 

activities of the respective School. 

Dean (Research), Dean (Sponsored Research) and the Associate Deans 

(Research) are members of the Ph. D. Board, which formulates the Rules & 

Regulations of the Ph. D. programmes, recommends the award of Ph. D. to the 

Board of Management and the best doctoral thesis for the Founder Chancellor 

Award, etc. 

The Office of the Dean (Sponsored Research) facilitates the smooth execution 

of the sanctioned projects through administrative support such as opening of 

bank account, recruitment of project staff, formation of purchase committee, 

providing furnished laboratory space, maintaining separate account for each 

project, submission of utilization certificate and statement of expenditure, etc. 

In case of delay in the release of money by the funding agencies, the University 

provides advance funds to meet the immediate expenses of the project 

ensuring that there is no time loss in the execution of the project. 

3.1.2 Internal Funding for Research 

Prof. T. R. Rajagopalan R&D Cell – Seed Grant: The University also provides seed 

grants through Prof. T. R. Rajagopalan R&D Cell. The award carries a maximum grant 

of Rs 2,00,000 for research work to be completed within a year. However, depending 

on the nature of the problem, both the financial support and duration are relaxed. In 

the last two years, 50 projects have been sanctioned to the tune of Rs 52.66 lakh. 

Research and Modernization Fund: Research and Modernization Fund has been 

created with a corpus of Rs 5 crore to conduct research and modernize facility. 

84

85 


Every year, proposals are invited from faculty members of all Schools and selected 

proposals will be funded up to Rs 10.00 lakh each. So far 20 projects were funded 

with a total amount of Rs 1.58 crore. 

Teaching Assistantship Fund: To encourage research and attract young scholars to 

pursue their Ph.D., SASTRA has launched the Teaching Assistantship Scheme with a 

corpus fund of Rs 2.50 crore, wherein candidates will be admitted to the Ph. D. 

programme at SASTRA with a monthly stipend of Rs 12,000 up to a maximum of Rs 

16,000 irrespective of external funding. Every semester, examinations and 

interviews are conducted to select about 20 research scholars who are provided with 

teaching assistantship. The scheme also enables us to identify prospective project 

staff, who could be recruited as JRF in funded research projects thereby avoiding 

delay in recruitment. 

A cash incentive of Rs one lakh is provided to faculty members who complete their 

Ph. D. without compromising their regular teaching assignments. So far, 31 faculty 

members have been awarded this incentive for the same. 

In addition, the University provides financial support to the creation of research 

facilities as and when required including contributions to the DST–FIST and other 

research projects. 

3.1.3 Inter–disciplinary & Collaborative Research 

Being acutely aware of the importance of interdisciplinary research to tackle 

scientific and technical challenges in a global scenario, this University has established 

the SASTRA Hub for Research & Innovation (SHRI) in its premises. This has been 

established in an area of about 1,00,000 square feet at a cost of Rs 20 crore, 

exclusively funded by the Management of the University. 

Reflecting the diversity of an interdisciplinary work culture, the hub houses four 

autonomous research centres viz, the Centre for Nanotechnology & Advanced 

Biomaterials (CeNTAB), the Centre for Advanced Research in Indian Systems of 

Medicine (CARISM), the National Herbo Mineral Facility and the Centre of Excellence 

in Bhasmas & Rasa Aushadies, TIFAC–CORE in advanced Computing & Information 

Processing, Centre for Rural Development Studies, besides laboratories involved in 

cutting–edge research transcending stand–alone discipline models.


The Centre for Nanotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials (CeNTAB) has diverse 

research groups in Nanomaterials, Cell & Tissue Engineering, Smart Delivery 

Systems and Nanosensors & Devices. 

The Nanomaterials division is involved in development of novel nanostructured 

multifunctional materials and technologies for energy and health care applications. 

Carbon nanotubes based polymer composites for protein separation and microbial 

fuel cell are being developed. The Cell & Tissue Engineering group is engaged in 

developing engineered scaffolds and materials for nerve regeneration, 

cardiovascular grafts, myocardial patch, liver, cartilage, skin tissue, bone and 

oesophagus. In addition, chromatin signalling during disease progression & 

development and cellular apoptotic mechanisms are explored using high–throughput 

and live cell microscopy. 

The Smart Delivery System group develops and evaluates various surface engineered 

multifunctional nanoparticles for imaging and targeted delivery of therapeutic 

molecules (drugs, protein, enzymes, peptides, oligonucleotide, etc.) against cancer, 

AIDS, neurodegenerative disorders, etc. The Nanosensors & Devices group is 

currently working on the development of e–nose and e–tongue for food quality 

assessment, pollution monitoring and clinical diagnostics. Further nanostructured 

surface coatings for orthopaedic implants and stents are being developed. 

This Centre houses laboratories for tissue engineering, drug delivery, nanomaterial 

characterization, nanosensor development, nanofluids, materials electrochemistry, 

electrophysiology, biomolecular simulations, chromatin epigenetics and specialized 

instrumentation facilities. Field emission scanning electron microscope, laser 

confocal scanning microscope, atomic force microscope, high throughput 

fluorescence microscope, scanning electrochemical microscope, electrochemical 

analyzer, x–ray diffractometer, particle size analyzer, robotic pipetting engine, 

energy dispersive x–ray spectrometer, high performance liquid chromatograph, real 

time RT–PCR, high–end server for molecular simulations, Fourier transform infrared 

spectrometer, differential scanning calorimeter, UV–visible spectrophotometer, 

multi–plate reader, uni–axial mechanical testing machine, mercury porosimeter, thin 

film coating units and a variety of support tools provide the infrastructural support 

to the Centre. 

The Centre for Advanced Research in Indian Systems of Medicine (CARISM) is 

involved in the standardization and validation of the safety and efficacy profiles of 

classical Ayurveda and Siddha formulations. In addition, CARISM is also actively 

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87 


involved in understanding the scientific basis of the rigorous methods of preparation 

prescribed in the classical texts. The Centre houses a Central Instrumentation 

Facility, biochemistry laboratories and drug testing wings besides facilities for 

Bhasma preparation, herbal gardens and a medicinal plant archive. It also houses 

the state–of–the–art facilities such as field–emission transmission electron 

microscope, liquid chromatograph coupled with tandem mass spectrometer, 

inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, nuclear magnetic resonance 

spectrometer, x–ray fluorescence spectrometer, gas chromatograph coupled with 

mass spectrometer, thermo gravimetric analyzer, differential thermal analyzer, 

atomic absorption spectrometer, CHNS analyzer, high performance liquid 

chromatography, liquid scintillation counter, ultracentrifuge, zetasizer, surface area 

analyzer, etc. 

National Facility for the Development of Ayurveda, Siddha & Unani has been 

established with the support of the Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Research Programme of 

the Department of Science & Technology. The Department of AYUSH has recognized 

CARISM as a Centre for Excellence in Bhasmas and Rasa Aushadies. The Centre has 

been approved by the Directorate of Drug Control of Tamil Nadu as a Drug Testing 

Laboratory for carrying out tests for identity, purity, quality and strength of a variety 

of Ayurvedic and Siddha drugs or raw materials used in the manufacture thereof. 

The SHRI is a multi–disciplinary centre that has been a focal point of the University 

to translate laboratory innovations to product / technology development. Two more 

research blocks have been planned for the next four years, the completion of which 

would provide 4,00,000 square feet of area with an additional outlay of Rs 60 crore. 

In addition, the following Centres have been established to foster multi–disciplinary 

research: 

1. TIFAC–CORE on Advanced Computing & Information Processing 

2. National Mechatronics Facility in collaboration with M/s. Brakes India Ltd. 

3. Central Animal Facility for Preclinical Studies 

4. Centre for Advanced Research in Environment (CARE) 

5. National Facility for Development of Herbo–metallic Preparations of 

Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani 

6. Centre for Excellence in Scientific Manufacturing of Ayurvedic & Siddha Rasa 

Aushadies and Bhasmas 

7. Centre for Optimization of Power & Energy Systems (COPES) 

8. Central Instrumentation Facility 

9. Centre For Rural Development Studies (CFRDS)


A list of interdisciplinary research projects and the departments involved are given 

below: 

Title of the project Departments 

involved & number 

National Facility for the 

development of Herbo– 

metallic preparations of 

Ayurveda, Siddha & Unani 

Establishing a Centre of 

Excellence in National 

Facility for the Scientific 

Manufacturing of 

ayurvedic & siddha – Rasa 

Aushadhies and bhasmas 

at SASTRA University 

of departments 

CARISM 

CeNTAB 

School of 

Chemical & 

Biotechnology 

Central Animal 

Facility 

4 

CARISM 

CeNTAB 

School of 

Chemical & 

Biotechnology 


Facility 

4 

Herbal Hair Oil CARISM 

CeNTAB 


Facility 

Standardization of HIV / 

AIDS Siddha Formulation 

(SOPs) 

Development of Novel 

Free Radical biosensor 

based on embedded 

system 

3 

CARISM 


Facility 

2 

CeNTAB 

School of 

Chemical & 

Biotechnology 

School of 

Electrical & 

Electronics 

Engineering 

3 

88 

Sanctioned 

Amount 

(Rs in lakh) 

Funding Agency 

1122.09 Drugs & 

Pharmaceuticals 

Research 

Programme, DST 

400.91 Department of 

AYUSH 

5.87 Kaleesuwari 

Industries 

20.07 Indian Council 

for Medicinal 

Research 

15.80 Technology 

Development 

Programme, DST

89 


3.1.4 Support for Patenting 

The University recognizes the importance of protecting intellectual property rights. 

Faculty members are given orientation on the various avenues available for 

patenting. The University has an agreement with M/s Intellectual Ventures Private 

Ltd., Singapore and M/s Lex Orbis Consulting Pvt Ltd., New Delhi for filing 

international and Indian patents respectively. Under the agreement with M/s 

Intellectual Ventures Private Ltd. (IV), all cost for patenting is absorbed by the 

company and IV pays a one–time assignment fee of USD 25,000 when the patent is 

commercialized. The University pays the inventors on 50:50 basis. 

With regards to Indian Patents, the University bears the entire patent filing cost 

which includes professional fees for preparing and filing request, complete patent 

filing cost, drafting fees, etc., thereby encouraging the faculty and researchers to 

engage in innovative research leading to patents. 

3.1.5 Workshops for Promotion of Research Culture 

Various workshops and seminars have been organized to promote research 

awareness, code of ethics, publication strategies, research methodologies, etc., some 

of which are listed below: 

SASTRA in association with Elsevier organized an Author Workshop 

exclusively for SASTRA fraternity on December 3, 2012. Dr. David Sleeman, 

Publisher Analytical Chemistry (based out of Oxford, UK) presented nuances 

of technical writing and scientometrics 

An Author Workshop was conducted by experts from Science Direct & Scopus 

on December 16, 2011 to demonstrate the usage of international research 

databases 

Dr. R. Kannan, IAS, Principal Secretary of Education, Government of Tamil 

Nadu, delivered a special lecture on “Research Opportunities in Tamil Nadu” 

on December 23, 2011 

Dr. S. Swaminathan, Dean (Sponsored Research), delivered a lecture on 

“Publication and Ethics in Research” for all faculty members and research 

scholars on 27 th & 28 th April 2011 in four different sessions at the main 

campus and on 15 th December 2012 at Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre, 

Kumbakonam 

A Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on “Career Development through 

Research” was organized on 28 th & 29 th March 2009. Dr. K. E. Seetharam, 

Director, Institute of Water Policy, National University of Singapore delivered


the keynote address. Delegates from seven other institutions also attended 

the programme. 

Lectures were delivered by Professors of SASTRA on the following topics: 

“Thesis Writing” by Prof. D. Venkappayya 

“Research in Mathematics and Allied Fields” by Prof. M. Thiyagarajan 

“Research in Physical Sciences” by Prof. K. Sridharan 

“Research Topics in Engineering” by Prof. P. S. Srinivasan 

“Mathematics for Research” by Prof. K. Kannan 

“Research in Engineering – Types and Issues” by Prof. T.R. Neelakantan 

“Art of Literature Survey” by Prof. R. John Bosco Balaguru 

The University is also a recognized remote centre to organize faculty development 

programmes under the aegis of the National Mission for Education through 

Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT). Under this programme, a 

two–week workshop on “Introduction to Research Methodologies” was organized. 

Also a two–day programme on “Writing Effective Conference Papers” was also 

conducted. 

3.1.6 Knowledge Leadership Forum Lecture Series 

To motivate faculty and students to carry out research in niche areas, knowledge 

leaders from diverse disciplines were invited to deliver lectures under the aegis of 

Knowledge leadership forum (KLF). The following table highlights some salient 

lectures delivered as part of KLF. 

Date School 

Organized 

Speaker Topic 

January 3, 2013 SoME Dr. Prahlad Vadakkepat, 

Associate Professor, Electrical & 

Computer Engineering National 

University of Singapore 

Robotic Systems 

December 24, SCBT Dr. V. Balasubramanian Discovery of novel 

2012 

Senior Director 

anti–infective 

ASTRA–ZENECA, India 

agents – A journey 

from the lab bench 

to the patient 

September 14, SoME Dr. Rajkumar S. Pant 

Design, Build and 

2012 

Associate Professor, Department Flight Demonstra-‐ 

of Aerospace Engineering tion of a Remotely 

IIT – Bombay 

Controlled Airship 

90

July 26, 2012 SEEE Dr. T. S. Radhakrishnan 

Former Head, Materials Science 

Division, Indira Gandhi Centre 

for Atomic Research (IGCAR) 

June 22, 2012 SoM Dr. R. Chidambaram 

Principal Scientific Advisor to the 

Govt. of India, Chairman, 

Scientific Advisory Committee, 

DAE Homi Bhabha Professor, 

BARC 

April 4, 2012 SoME Shri M. Neelakandan 

Director, TD Coating Centre Pvt. 

Ltd., Chennai 

March 19, 2012 SEEE Mr. Srikanth Venkatachari 

Head, Drives R & D, ABB in India, 

February 17, 

2012 

October 15, 

2011 

October 14, 

2011 

October 14, 

2011 

Bangalore 

SEEE Prof. S. Srinivasan 

Department of Electrical 

Engineering, Indian Institute of 

Technology Madras 

Chennai 

SCBT Dr. G. Padmanabhan 

ASI–Platinum Jubilee Chair / 

Hon. Professor, Department of 

Biochemistry, Indian Institute of 

Science 

SoC Dr. K. D. Nayak 

Chief Controller R & D 

(MED & MIST), DRDO, New Delhi 

SoCE Prof. N. Rajagopalan 

Head, Technology Development 

& Chief Technical Advisor – 

Bridges 

L&T – Ramboll Consulting 

Engineers Ltd 

October 8, 2011 SoCE Shri C. Sivathanu Pillai 

Associate Director, Civil 

September 9, 

2011 

Engineering Group, IGCAR 

SoC Prof. D. Srinivasan 

Director (Rtd.), NPOL, Kochi 

August 27, 2011 SoC Dr. S. Venugopal 

Associate Director 

Robotics Group, IGCAR 

91 


Superconductivity 

– from Physics to 

Technology – the 

continuing Saga 

Science and 

Societal 

Development 

Hard Metals & 

Coatings 

Drives for 

Industrial 

Applications 

Algorithms and 

Architectures for 

Image 

Compression 

Molecular Medicine 

Recent 

Advancements in 

Computing 

Nanotechnology 

For Sustainable 

Materials For 

Infrastructures 

Civil Engineering in 

Nuclear Power 

Plants 

Source for 

Ambience Noise in 

the Sea 

Development of 

Advanced Robots


August 20, 2011 SoC Dr. G. Athithan 

Scientist – 'H', Head, Information 

Security Group 

Centre for Artificial Intelligence 

October 11, 

2010 

& Robotics (CAIR), Bangalore 

SEEE Dr. R.D. Prabhu 

Advisory Research Engineer, 

Compact Modelling Group, 

Semiconductor Research and 

Development Centre, IBM– 

INDIA, Pvt. Ltd. 

SCBT Prof. J. Yakhmi 

September 2, 

2010 

Additional Director, BARC 

April 8, 2010 SoM Dr. M. B. Athreya 

World Renowned Management 

Thinker & Advisor 

January 23, SoME Dr. V. Sumantran 

2010 

Scientific Consultant, Office of 

the Principal Scientific Advisor 

Govt. of India 

92 

Current Issues in 

Information 

Security 

An Overview of 

IBM Technologies 

with a Focus on 

Semiconductor 

Research and 

Development 

Matter SOFT, 

Matter NANO 

Mission of Indian 

Youth in the 21st 

Century 

Frontiers of 

Engineering – 

Automotive & 

Manufacturing 

3.1.7 Visit of Eminent Scientists to Campus 

Many scientists of eminence have been visiting SASTRA to deliver motivating 

lectures. Such lectures have resulted in a perceptible increase in the percentage of 

students who have opted for a research career. A partial list of the distinguished 

scientists who have visited SASTRA is furnished below: 

Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Former President of India 

Prof. R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India 

Prof. C. N. R. Rao, National Research Professor and Honorary President & Linus 

Pauling Research Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific 

Research, Bangalore 

Prof. M. S. Valiathan, National Professor & Former Director, SCTIMST, 

Trivandrum 

Prof. V. S. Ramamurthy, Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, 

Bangalore 

Prof. Baldev Raj, Distinguished Scientist & Former Director, IGCAR, Kalpakkam 

Prof. K. N. Ganesh, Director, IISER, Pune 

Prof. G. Sundarrajan, Director, ARCI, Hyderabad 

Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, Mission Director, Chandrayaan I & II, Bangalore 

Prof. S. K. Joshi, Former Director, NPL, New Delhi 

Prof. S. V. Joshi, Associate Director, ARCI, Hyderabad

93 


Prof. A. K. Sood, Professor, IISc., Bangalore 

Prof. D. D. Sarma, Professor, IISc., Bangalore 

Prof. Timothy Fisher, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University 

Prof. Panchanan Pramanik, IIT, Kharagpur 

Prof. Seeram Ramakrishna, Vice–President, National University of Singapore 

Prof. Peter Hodgson, Director, ITRI, Deakin University, Australia 

Dr. G. Bhuvaneshwar, Director, SCTIMST, Trivandrum 

Dr. Bas Baskaran, Associate Dean, Deakin University, Australia 

Dr. Vasudeva Rao, Director, IGCAR, Kalpakkam 

3.1.8 Budget for Research 

SASTRA University provides adequate provisions in the annual budget to for 

research purposes. The table below provides data on the financial allocation and 

actual utilization for the last four years: 

Budget Allocated & Utilized for Research (Rs in lakh) 

2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 

Head / Year Allo– Utili– Allo– Utili– Allo– Utili– Allo– Utili– 

cated zed cated zed cated zed cated zed 

Equipment 200.00 160.00 175.00 87.50 70.00 78.00 65.00 75.00 

Manpower 67.78 52.02 73.40 70.07 116.34 113.60 210.46 189.76 

Seed grant 10.00 1.80 10.00 8.40 10.00 10.00 20.00 20.60 

R&M Fund 50.00 33.94 50.00 49.97 50.00 30.00 50.00 

Online Journal 

Subscription 

70.00 65.72 70.00 67.28 130.00 130.94 150.00 158.89 

Building 300.00 251.98 1000.00 954.42 500.00 503.63 50.00 29.55 

TOTAL 697.78 565.46 1378.40 1237.64 876.34 866.17 545.46 473.80 

SASTRA has created a new designation “Assistant Professor (Research)” to attract 

young doctorates with a flair for research in the scale (Basic Rs 19,500; AGP Rs 

7,000; Professional Development Allowance Rs 7,500 and the applicable DA and 

HRA). In the last three semesters, 28 personnel with varied research background 

from India and abroad have been appointed in this category. These faculty members 

teach one course in a semester and focus mainly on research leading to patents, 

publications and extra–mural research funding. Within a short span of 18 months, 

ten Assistant Professors (Research) have already received extra–mural funding. 

Seven post–doctoral fellowships have been awarded and the University provides 

them a regular pay scale (Basic Rs 15,500; AGP Rs 7,000 with the eligible DA and 

HRA).


Faculty are also provided opportunity to avail a sabbatical so that they can get a 

global exposure and hone their research and teaching skills as well as gain valuable 

experience and visibility. A few notable examples of faculty who have availed this 

opportunity are listed below: 

Name of Faculty University Year of visit 

Dr. G. Sakthivel Chang Won National University, 

South Korea 

2013 

Dr. S. Senthil Kumar Agricultural Biotechnology 

2013 

Research Centre, Academia 

Sinica, Taiwan 

2012 

Dr. V. Sridharan Complutense University, Spain 2013 

Dr. S. Philip Anthony Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland 2012 

Dr. R. John Bosco Balaguru Orebro University, Sweden 2013 

2012 

2011 

Dr. Subhashish Das Escola de Quimica, Chile 2012–14 

(2 years) 

Dr. S. Vaidhyasubramaniam Harvard University, USA 2011 

2010 

Dr. M. Sridharan UPC, Barcelona 2010 

Dr. S. K. Chaturvedi Indian Arctic & Antartic 

2009 

Expedition 

2010 

Dr. K. S. Rajan Simon Fraser University, Canada 2009 

University of Arkansas, 

Fayetteville, USA 

2005 

Dr. B. Parimala Devi Herbal Medicines Research and 

Education Centre 

The University of Sydney, 

Australia 

2009 

3.1.9 National and International Conferences 

National and international conferences are periodically organized by various Schools 

of the University to facilitate knowledge sharing and professional networking. The 

Keynote and Plenary lectures are delivered by eminent scientists and researchers in 

the respective fields, which is shown below: 

Conference School Date Eminent Scientist(s) 

Phytocongress CARISM March 8–9, 

2013 

94 

Prof. Bhushan Patwardhan 

Director, Interdisciplinary School 

of Health Sciences 

University of Pune

International Conference 

on Civil Engineering & 

Infrastructural Issues in 

Emerging Economies 


on Multidisciplinary 

Frontiers of Medicinal 

Chemistry 

SoCE February 

27–28, 2013 

SCBT January 

18–19, 2013 

95 


Prof. Roy A. Jensen 

University of Kansas Medical 

Center Research Institute, USA 

Prof. Shrikanth Anant 

University of Kansas Medical 

Centre Research Institute, USA 

Dr. Julie Y. Djeu 

University of South Florida, USA 

Dr. Karunakaran Devarajan 

IIT, Chennai 

Dr. Renate Griffth 

University of New South Wales, 

Sydney, Australia 

Dr. Wen–Chi Wei 

Academia Sinica, Taiwan 

Dr. M. Vijayalakshmi 


Dr. K. Umamaheswari 


Prof . P. Paramasivam 

Professorial Fellow, NUS, 

Singapore 

Dr. Chew Soon Hoe 

Deputy Director, Centre for 

Protective Technology 

Dept of Civil Engineering, NUS, 

Singapore 

Dr. V. Jothiprakash 

Professor, Department of Civil 

Engineering, IITB, Mumbai 

Dr. T. G. Sitharam 

Professor, Civil Engineering and 

Chairman for Centre for 

Infrastructure and Sustainable 

Transportation & Urban Planning 

IISc, Bangalore 

Prof. Bas K. Baskaran 

Associate Dean, International 

School of Engineering 


Prof. Aravinda Choudhary 

IICT, Hyderabad, India 

Prof. Mahesh Lakshmnan 

City University of New York, USA



on Structural and 

Functional Genomics 


on the Legacy of Srinivasa 

Ramanujan 

SCBT January 5–6, 

2013 

SHS 14 th & 15 th 

December 

2012 

96 

Prof. Gerald Hart 

Johns Hopkins University, USA 

Dr. Tanmay Pathak 

IIT–Kharagpur, India 

Dr. Anju Chaddha 

IIT–Madras, India 

Prof. S. Subhrangsu Mondal 

University of Texas, USA 

Prof. Kamala K. Vasu 

NIPER, Ahmedabad, India 

Dr. Jane Richardson 

Duke University, USA 

Dr. David Richardson 

Duke University, USA 

Dr. Udo Heinemann 

Max Delbruck Centre for 

Molecular Medicine, Germany 

Dr. Meera Soundararajan 

University of Northumbria, UK 

Dr. Jeyanthy Eswaran 

George Washington University, 

USA 

Dr. Rajgopal Srinivasan 

TCS Innovation Labs, India 

Dr. Chaitanya Athale 

IISER, Pune, India 

Dr. Amit Dutt 

ACTREC, Mumbai, India 

Dr. Aswin Sainarain Seshasayee 

NCBS–TIFR, Bangalore, India 

Prof. Ken Ono 

Emory University, Atlanta, USA 

Prof. Michael Hirschhorn 

University of New South Wales, 

Sydney, Australia 

Prof. Ole Warnaar 

University of Queensland, 

Australia 

Prof. Krishnaswami Alladi 

University of Florida, USA 

Prof. Peter Paule 

Johannes Kepler University Linz, 

Austria 

Prof. Wadim Zudilin 

University of Newcastle, Australia


on Electrical Sciences 

National Conference on 

Information Security 


on Embedded and Cloud 

Computing 


on Image Processing 

Techniques & Applications 


on Thin Films & 

applications 

SEEE September 

14–15, 2012 

SEEE June 14–15, 

2012 

SoC June 2–3, 

2012 

SoC April 6–7, 

2012 

SEEE March 

15–17, 2012 

97 


Prof. Zhiwei Yun 

Stanford University, USA 

Prof. Atul Dixit 

Tulane University, USA 

Prof. Richard Askey 

University of Wisconsin, USA 

Prof. George E. Andrews 

The Pennsylvania State 

University, USA 

Prof. Bruce E. Berndt 

University of Illinois, Urbana, USA 

Prof. R. Krishnan 

Virginia Tech, USA 

Prof. R. Chandramouli 

Stevenson University, USA 

Prof. John–John Cabibihan 


Prof. Shankar Narasimhan 

IITM, Chennai 

Prof. C. E. Veni Madhavan 

IISc., Bangalore, India 

Dr. Ananda Mohan 

M/s ECIL, Bangalore 

Dr. Kasi Periasamy 

University of Wisconsin, Madison 

Dr. Gopi Kandaswamy 

Tata Consultancy Services, 

Chennai 

Dr. Basant Rajan 

Coriolis Technologies, Chennai 

Dr. M. S. Vijayaraghavan 

NTRO, New Delhi 

Dr. R. Ramachandran 

NTRO, New Delhi 

Dr. T. Jayakannan 


Dr. B. Venkatraman 


Prof. K. L. Chopra 

Former Director, IITD 

Dr. A. K. Tyagi 


Prof. B. R. Mehta 

IIT–Delhi, India 

Prof. D. S. Patil


Regulatory Network 

Architecture on Bacteria 


Vedas – The Treasure 

House of Mathematics 


on Intelligent 

Manufacturing Systems 

Traditional Drugs in 

Disease Management 

SCBT March 9–11, 

2012 

SoHS February 

17–19, 2012 

SoME February 

17–18, 2012 

SCBT January 

11–12, 2012 

98 

BARC, Mumbai 

Prof. Detlev Grutzmacher 

Germany 

Dr. R. Murlitharan 

SSPL, New Delhi 

Dr. Manoharan 

CMC Vellore, India 

Dr. Av–Gay 

University of British Columbia, 

Canada 

Dr. Banerjee 

National Institute of Immunology 

Dr. Chan 

University of Nottingham, UK 

Dr. Peter Taylor 

University of London, UK 

Dr. T. Ramamurthy 

National Institute of Cholera and 

Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India 

Dr. Hancock 

University of British Columbia, 

Canada 

Dr. Umesh Varshney 

Indian Institute of Science, 

Bangalore 

Dr. V. Kannan 

University of Hyderabad, India 

Dr. P. Ramanujan 

CDAC, Bangalore 

Dr. K. Ramasubramanian 

Indian Institute of Technology, 

Mumbai 

Dr. Sudarsana Sharma 

Sri Venkateshwara Veda 

University, Tirupathi 

Dr. N. Ravichandran 


Dr. A. Senthil Kumar 

National University of Singapore 

Shri Syed Sajjadh 

Cooper Bussmann India Pvt. Ltd., 

Puducherry 

Dr. Alan Rein 

National Cancer Institute, USA

Functional Genomics & 

Computational Biology 


on Number Theory, 

Ergodic Theory and 

Dynamics 

SCBT January 5–6, 

2012 

SRC December 

22, 2011 

99 


Dr. Saraswati Sukumar 


Dr. Srikant Anant 

University of Kansas, USA 

Dr. Suresh Govindaraghavan 

Network Nutrition Ltd., Australia 

Dr. Arun Balakrishnan 

Nicholas Piramal, Mumbai 

Dr. Laxminarain Misra 

Central Institute of Aromatic 

Plants, India 

Dr. Amit Agarwal 

Natural Remedies Pvt. Ltd., India 

Dr. S. Narasimhan 

Asthagiri Herbal Research 

Foundation, India 

Prof. Sir Tom Blundell 

University of Cambridge, UK 

Dr. Francisco Barrantes 

University of Buenos Aires, 

Argentina 

Prof. Giora Simchen 

The Hebrew University of 

Jerusalem, Israel 

Prof. D. Bhattacharyya 

Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics 

Prof. N. Srinivasan 

IISc., Bangalore 

Dr. Raman Govindarajan 

Sanofi Aventis, India 



Prof. Eknath Ghate 

Tata Institute of Fundamental 

Research, India 

Dr. Harald Helfgott 

University Walk, UK 

Dr. Paul Nelson 

Section de Mathematiques 

Ecole Polytechnique Federale 

de Lausanne Lausanne CH–105 

Switzerland 

Dr. Roman Holowinsky 

Department of Mathematics 

The Ohio State University, USA



on Functional 

Nanomaterials 


Vedas – The Sources of all 

Sciences 


on Number Theory and 

Automorphic Forms 


Vedic and Ancient Indian 

Mathematics 

SCBT September 

23–25, 2011 

SoHS February 

17–19, 2011 

SRC– 

Maths 

December 

22, 2010 

SoHS February 

18–19, 2010 

Phyto–congress SCBT February 

6–7, 2010 

100 

Prof. A. K. Sood 


Dr. K. Vijayamohanan Pillai 


Dr. Rangaramanujam Kannan 


Dr. Marco Helder 

VUMC, The Netherlands 

Dr. Javier Rodriguez Viejo 

UAB, Spain 

Dr. Ajayan Vinu 

University of Queensland, 

Australia 

Dr. P. Sampath 


Dr. S. Madhavan 

University of Kerala, Trivandrum 

Dr. K. V. Murthy 

I–SERV Hyderabad 

Dr. Venkatesa Murthy 

National Institute of Vedic 

Studies, Kerala 

Prof. U. K. Anandavardhanan 

IIT–Bombay 

Dr. Ritabrata Munshi 

TIFR, Mumbai 

Prof. Shouwu Zhang 

Columbia University, New York 

Dr. Wei Zhang 

Harvard University, USA 

Prof. Dipendra Prasad 

TIFR, Mumbai 



Dr. V. Kannan 

University of Hyderabad, India 

Dr. K. Ramasubramanian 

IIT–Bombay 

Dr. N. Pankaja Sampath 

Mysore University, India 

Shri V. S. Karunakaran 

Former Director, SSI 

Prof. Lee Goldstein 

Boston University, USA


on High Performance 

Communication, Networks 

and Computing 

Recent Advances in 

Polymer Science 


On Number Theory & 

Mock Theta Functions 


Recent Advances in 

Manufacturing Technology 

Indo–Japan Workshop on 

Nanobiotechnology & 

Nanodevices 

SoC January 

22–23, 2010 

SCBT January 

22–23, 2010 

SRC– 

Maths 

December 

22, 2009 

SoME March 

14–15, 2009 

SCBT January 

23–24, 2009 

101 


Dr. Srikant Anant 

University of Kansas, USA 

Dr. Suresh Govindaraghavan 

Network Nutrition Ltd., Australia 

Dr. Ravi P. Viswanathan 

TCS, Chennai 

Dr. Manish Gupta 

IBM–Watson Research Centre 

New Delhi 

Shri C. Avinash 

Motorola Research Centre, 

Bangalore 

Prof. Seeram Ramakrishna 

National University of Singapore 

Dr. P. Ramakrishnan 


Dr. Prabha Nair 

SCTIMST, Trivandrum 

Dr. B. Idage 

NCL, Pune 

Prof. Ben Kane 

University of Cologne, Germany 

Prof. Riad Masri 


Prof. Matt Boylan 

University of South Carolina, USA 

Prof. Karl Mahlburg 

Princeton University, USA 

Prof. Ken Ono 


Prof. Christelle Vincent 


Prof. Marie Jameson 


Prof. Alladi Krishnaswami 


Dr. N. Ravichandran 


Shri Ratnam Babu 

Areva T & D, Saudi Arabia 

Dr. Vishwa Mohan Katoch 

Department of Health, New Delhi 

Dr. Takashi Tada 

Institute for Frontier Medical 

Sciences, Kyoto University, Japan


International Thematic 

workshop on "Light 

induced waveguides and 

their applications to 

nanophotonics" 


Communication, 

Networking and 

Cryptography 

SEEE December 

7–8, 2008 

SoC December 

5–6, 2008 

102 

Dr. Tomoji Kawai 

Institute of Scientific and 

Industrial Research, Osaka 

University, Japan 

Dr. Takanori Ichiki 

The University of Tokyo, Japan 

Dr. Kenji Kono 

Osaka Prefecture University, 

Japan 

Dr. Masanori Kikuchi 

National Institute for Materials 

Science, Tsukuba, Japan 

Dr. P. Pramanik 

IIT–Kharagpur, India 

Dr. Prasanta K. Das 

IACS, Kolkata 

Prof. Noel Frederick Smyth 

University of Edinburgh, Scotland 

Prof. David F Parker 

University of Edinburgh, Scotland 

Prof. Gaetano Assanto 

University of Rome, Italy 

Prof. Yuri S Kivshar 

Australian National University 

Australia 

Dr. Hema A. Murthy 

IIT Madras 

Dr. Dheeraj Sanghi 

IIT Kanpur 

Dr. V. Kamakoti 

IIT Madras 

3.2 Resource Mobilization for Research 

3.2.1 Ongoing Projects 

SASTRA is recognized as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by 

the Government of India and at present 54 ongoing projects are funded by DST, DBT, 

DRDO, AYUSH, ISRO, CSIR, ICMR, etc., besides other industry partners. SASTRA has 

also completed 63 extramural funded projects. The Department of Science & 

Technology has accorded the SIRO status to SASTRA after assessing the research 

work carried out at SASTRA and the research output from the faculty.

103 


S. No Title of Project Funding Amount 

Agency (Rs in lakh) 

1. National facility for the development of herbo 

metallic preparation of Ayurveda, Siddha and 

Unani 

DST 1122.09 

2. Establishing a Centre of Excellence in National 

Facility for the Scientific Manufacturing of 

Ayurvedic & SIddha – Rasa Aushadies and 

Bhasmas 

AYUSH 495.00 

3. PG Teaching Programme in Nanoscience & 

Technology 

DST 339.00 

4. Epigenetic Biomarker Project TCS 220.24 

5. FIST Program for Department of Pharmacy DST & 

SASTRA 

75.00 

6. Electrochemical Microscope based on 

Nanoscopic Probes for Non–invasive Intracellular 

Reactivity Images of Living Cells 

DBT 74.01 

7. Tissue specific cytotoxicity mediated by 

Nanoparticle delivered Suicidal Gene Therapy 

ICMR 68.90 

8. FIST – Sensor Project DST & 

SASTRA 

65.00 

9. Development of targeted stealth nanocarrier for 

dual delivery in the treatment of oral cancer 

DST 58.73 

10. Development and evaluation of nanofibre based 

myocardial patch for functional regeneration 

ICMR 37.98 

11. Thin Vanadium Oxide and nickel Oxide Films for 

Micro Bolometer 

DRDO 35.47 

12. Characterization of gatCAB operon from 

Mycobacterium to evaluate its role in prevention 

of phagosome – lysosome fusion 

DBT 32.91 

13. Quorum Sensing Inhibitor from Melia dubia: An 

Interceptor for Urinary tract infections during 

pregnancy 

DST 26.80 

14. Heterocyclic hybrids: Isolation, synthesis, 

structure and bio–activity evaluation 

DST 25.95 

15. Indo – Swedish (DST – INNOVA) Assessment of DST / 25.70 

Food Quality: An Embedded Approach 

INNOVA 

16. Imaging Guided Therapy for metastatic cancer 

using theranostic polymeric micelles 

DST 25.00 

17. Studies on the mechanism of anti–inflammatory 

action of tumour necrosis factor alpha in relation 

to autoimmune diseases 

DST 24.90 

18. New Boron–dipyrrin based solid state 

Fluorescent Optoelectronic Materials: 

Nanofabrication and device Studies 

DST 24.55


19. Structural studies on diseases triggering 

mutations of superoxide (SOD1), located far from 

the active site and dimer interface 

20. Screening of therapeutically important serine 

protease inhibitors from marine actinomycetes 

21. Synthesis and Properties of Hyper–branched 

Poly(amideimide)s and Poly(esterimide)s 

22. Hyper–branched polyamine–ruthenium arene 

conjugates: A versatile approach in ruthenium 

anticancer drug therapy 

23. Mining for peptides & glycan molecules in marine 

actinomycetes having antifungal activity against 

Cryptococcus neoformans affecting immune– 

compromised individuals 

24. Investigating the electrostatic mechanism of 

histone tail modifications on a chromatin array 

through molecular modelling and dynamics 

25. Investigation of oxidative and nitrosative stress 

in the folding and assembly of alpha helical 

transmembrane protein 

26. Bioremediation of oil contaminated waste water 

using bacterial biofilm 

27. Can Trioxances abrogate hepatocellular 

carcinoma? 

28. Biocompatibility of surface modified and 

unmodified graphene oxide Nanoparticles 

104 

DST 24.40 

DST 24.39 

CSIR 24.31 

DST 24.30 

DST 23.94 

DBT 23.91 

DST 23.90 

DST 23.60 

DST 23.33 

DST 23.00 

29. Exposure modelling of nanoparticles in the 

environment and the development of in vitro 

approaches to determine it's toxic effects 

DST 23.00 

30. Synthesis and Characterization of Carbon 

Nanotube / nanofibre–polymer composites for 

electrophoretic separation of proteins 

DST 22.90 

31. Virtual Laboratory on Rodent Histology NMEICT 22.32 

32. Lemon grass and ginger oil nanoemulsion 

formulation for effective treatment of colon 

cancer 

DST 22.00 

33. Theme based Herbal Garden AYUSH 22.00 

34. Standardization of HIV / AIDS Siddha 

Formulation (SOPs) 

ICMR 20.07 

35. Virtual Laboratory on VET Gynaecology NMEICT 19.60 

36. Structural Studies on aggregation of peptides in 

relevance to chemical evolution and origin of life 

DST 18.90 

37. Development of compact fibre–optic 

interferometric sensor for the detection of fuel 

adulteration 

DST 18.10

105 


38. Virtual Laboratory on VET Gynaecology 

(Simulation) 

NMEICT 18.05 

39. Resolving the complexity in Cinnamomum of the 

Western Ghats through molecular, chemical and 

Pharmacognostical approaches 

DST 17.48 

40. Studies on Validation and Standardization of 

Selected Herbal Adaptogens 

DRDO 14.70 

41. Virtual Laboratory on Rodent Anatomy NMEICT 13.24 

42. Expert Systems for Infiltration Control DRDO 12.16 

43. Expert Systems Development for TBM Target 

manoeuvre Estimation 

DRDL 11.34 

44. Pancromatic Images, Image segmentation using 

level sets, active contour models 

ISRO 10.64 

45. Centre for Rural Development Studies 10.00 

46. Human Resource Development for Health 

Research 

DHR 10.00 

47. Hypergraphs for Image Processing DST 9.35 

48. Development of a Spatial Decision Support 

System for slopes along Traffic Corridors–Along 

Palani to Kodaikkanal Hills road 

DST 9.06 

49. Implementation of Altivec Library on Power PC 

based real–time embedded Software 

8.90 

50. Development of Advance Logic Tools for Process 

Model 

IGCAR 8.20 

51. Aakash Pushtak MHRD 8.10 

52. Philosophy in Professional Courses ICPR 6.00 

53. Kaleesuwari–Herbal Hair Oil Project Kaleesu 

–wari 

5.87 

54. Evaluation of Daboia Russelii (R. viper) major 

toxins inhibitory activity of medicinal plants form 

Western Ghats: An insight into Traditional 

Knowledge of Tamil Nadu 

TNSCST 2.16 

The following table shows the detailedbreak–up of projects based on the sanctioned 

project: 

Budget 

Number of Total 

(Rs) 

Projects (Rs in lakh) 

Greater than 1 crore 4 2176.33 

Less than 1 crore & greater than 75 lakh 1 75.00 

Less than 75 lakh & greater than 50 lakh 4 266.64 

Less than 50 lakh & greater than 25 lakh 6 209.81 

Less than 25 lakh 39 652.67 

TOTAL 54 3380.45


3.2.2 List of Completed Projects 

S. No Title of Project Funding 

Agency 

106 

Amount 

(Rs in lakh) 

1. Central Facility for Pre–clinical Studies for 

Research in Indian System of Medicine 

DST 317.61 

2. Tissue Engineering DST 275.92 

3. Scientific evaluation of safety and efficacy DST & 176.03 

profile of Siddha Formulation Advocated in 

the prevention and management of Coronary 

heart disease 

Orchid 

4. In vivo standardization of a Siddha herbal 

formula for Obesity 

DST & Tulsi 129.49 

5. Characterization, Bench Scale and Pilot Plant 

Studies for Benefication of Beach Placer of 

Southern and Northern Tamil Nadu Coast and 

Part of Andhra Pradesh 

CMRI 87.00 

6. Scientific Evaluation of Safety and Efficacy DST & 

80.30 

Profile of Siddha Formulation (KARBOGI) in 

the management of Leucoderma 

Citadel 

7. DST Srinivasa Ramanujan Chairs in 

Mathematical Sciences 

DST 80.00 

8. Scientific Evaluation of Safety and Efficacy DST & 

72.26 

Profile of Herbal Siddha Formulation in the 

management of Rheumatoid Arthritis 

Citadel 

9. Development of Stealth nanoimmuno-‐ 

liposomes for si–RNA delivery against EpCAM 

expressing epithelial cancers 

DBT 71.38 

10. Deciphering Paleotsunami deposits through 

an integrated approach of 

micropaleontological (foraminifera & 

ostracoda) & Sedimentological studies 

INCOIS 58.65 

11. Integrated Water Resource Management in 

Deltaic System in East Coast 

DST 34.51 

12. Development of a Dendrimer based Novel 

Drug Delivery System for Cancer 

DBT 27.00 

13. C2D Phase II Cloning mtb Genes CSIR 24.90 

14. Sea Level Variation and its impact along the 

coast between Kodiakarai and Parangipettai 

DST 24.74 

15. Investigation of a three legged paralleled 

manipulator as a 6–DOF seismic simulator 

DST 23.61 

16. Targeted delivery of anti retrovirals using 

stealth immunoliposomes 

ICMR 20.48 

17. Development of RTOS based Electronic Nose DST & 

Southern 

20.31

107 

Electronics 


18. Studies of Interaction of Polymeric Alkyl 

pyridinium salts (Poly–APS) from Marine 

sponge toxins with planar lipid bilayers 

DST 19.86 

19. Mimic AIP II as a therapeutic tool for 

Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis 

DST 19.86 

20. A Study of the anti – Oxidant / pro–oxidant 

properties of flavonoids in presence of 

Transition Metal Ions using Planar Lipid 

Bilayers 

DST 19.57 

21. R&D Statistics Project DST 

22. Assessment of Landslide Hazards in 

Kodaikanal Hills for evolving suitable control 

measures 

DST 17.55 

23. Development of Novel 3–D Porous Electrically 

conducting biodegradable nanofibres for 

Neural Regeneration 

ICMR 16.62 

24. Development of Electronic Nose for 

Explosives and Toxic Gas Detection 

DRDO 16.34 

25. Development of Novel Free Radical biosensor 

based on embedded system 

DST 15.79 

26. Evaluation of antibacterial effect of Secondary 

metabolites isolated from marine sponge 

(Tedania anhelans) derived microbes against 

different species of mycobacterium in vitro 

ICMR 15.05 

27. Development of a Novel Microchannel Heat 

Sink for Efficient Thermal Management 

DRDO 14.96 

28. Studies on Validation and Standardization of 

Selected Herbal Adaptogens 

DRDO 14.70 

29. Weldability Studies on Sintered and Forged 

Low Alloy Steels 

DST 14.25 

30. Nano–Mechanical and Tribological Properties 

of nanocomposite diamond like Carbon 

Coating" 

DST 14.16 

31. NIS – Veeram Project NIS 13.45 

32. Adaptive Steganography for Secret 

Communication – A DSP VLSI Approach 

DRDO 12.67 

33. Development of High–performance, Oil Based 

Nanofluids & their application to jacketed 

vessels 

DST 12.00 

34. Modeling urban growth effects on surface 

runoff using integrated remote sensing and 

GIS approach 

DST 11.93


35. Design & Development of an Air Bearing for 

High Speed Micro Gas Turbine Application 

36. Standardization of design parameters of 

stepped cascade aeration system 

37. From Toxins to Therapeutics: Investigating 

the structure – function relationships of 

toxins from snake venoms 

38. Preparation of Damage Assessment Maps of 

Tsunamis affected areas in Cuddalore, Tamil 

Nadu 

39. Modernization of Electrical Engineering Lab 

with Power System Protection & Simulation 

40. Intelligent Control and fault detection using 

Sensor Fusion Techniques 

41. Assessment of stability slope of 10/4 to 29/6 

km stone and cut slope stabling evaluation of 

Yercaud ghats section with SMR and suitable 

control measures 

42. Algorithm for Target identification using 

multi spectral images and signature 

43. Development of a low–cost Indigenous 

absorbent using Agro – wastes for 

Dephenolation of Aqueous Industrial Waste 

water 

44. Estimation of Control Parameters from the 

Soliton Solution of Coupled Non Linear 

Schrodinger Equation for an effective 

implementation of All–Optic Logic Gates 

45. Developing AI system for the Identification of 

Aerodynamic Targets in real time using 

parameters measured 

46. Design Optimization, Fabrication and testing 

of energy efficient tools for power tillers 

47. Development of Novel Biodegradable 

nanostructured vascular grafts 

48. Correlation and Artificial Neural Network 

Technique for ablation problem 

49. Enhanced Defect Characterization and 

Classification through Ultrasonic signal and 

Image Analysis and Neural Networks 

50. Optimal Rehabilitation and Expansion of 

Water Distribution Network 

51. Detailed slope stability study on lower camp – 

Kumuli section on NH 20 & cut slope stability 

evaluation along the 6 km 

108 

ARDB 11.09 

MWR 11.73 

DBT 10.51 

DST 10.00 

AICTE 10.00 

DRDO 9.97 

DST 9.95 

DRDL 9.90 

DST 9.67 

DRDO 9.16 

DRDL 8.96 

DST 8.80 

DST 8.76 

DST 7.80 

IGCAR 7.42 

DST 7.14 

DST 6.58

109 


52. Post Sediment Characterization of Tamil Nadu 

Coast – Karaikal 

DST 6.34 

53. Application of soft computing tools on ocean 

ambient noise for study purpose 

NIOT 5.98 

54. Mapping Areas of Inundation – 

Tharangampadi to Coleroon 

DST 4.60 

55. Universal Digital Library Project Microsoft 

Edutech 

4.50 

56. Studies on Efficacy of Indian Herbs against 

heat stress induced Deterioration 

DRDO 4.32 

57. CSIR – Open Source Drug Delivery (OSDD) CSIR 4.01 

58. DRDO – Anurag CARS – Developing Algorithm 

for 3–D medical images 

DRDL 4.00 

59. Water Quality Assessment in the Tsunami 

affected coastal areas of Tamil Nadu 

DST 3.33 

60. AYUSH Pharmacopoeia Project (Scheme for 

estimating the presence of heavy metal in 500 

plants) 

AYUSH 

61. Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Soliton 

propagation in Dual–Core Nonlinear Planar 

Waveguides 

DST 2.82 

62. Design & development of feature extraction Speck 

1.50 

software for aerial images 

Systems 

63. Detailed slope stability studies of Hairpin 

bends 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14 & 9, 10, 12, 17, 18 &19 

km respectively on Mundal (Bodi)–Bodimettu 

ghat Section NH 49 Extn. 

TNSCST 0.90 

3.2.3 List of Projects Funded Internally through R & M Scheme 

S. No Faculty Title 

1. 

Dr. K. S. Rajan 

Dr. V. Ponnusami 

2. Dr. R. S. Santhosh 

3. Dr. C. Venkatasubramanian 

4. 

5. 

Dr. S. M. Giri Raj Kumar 

Dr. K. Ramkumar 

Dr. S. Jayalalitha 

Er. R. Sriranjani 

Establishment of Advanced 

Materials Synthesis Facility 

Molecular Analysis of 

Mycobacterium Virulent Genes 

Evaluation of Strength of 

Subsurface Pavement Layers 

using Bioenzymes 

Gain Scheduling Control 

Strategies fir Non–linear 

Systems using Non–traditional 

Optimization Techniques 

Analysis & Reduction of 

Harmonics in Power Systems 

Amount 

(Rs in lakh) 

6.80 

5.50 

5.10 

3.10 

4.90


6. Er. S. Venkatesh 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

Dr. R. Chandramouli 

Dr. D. Shanmugasundaram 

Dr. K. Sridhar 

Er. B. Abirami 

Dr. K. Vijayarekha 

Er. S. Muthumari 

Er. M. Balasubramanian 

Er. R. Rajesh 

11. Dr. T. Mohan Raj 

12. 

13. 

Dr. M. Vijayalakshmi 

Er. M. Nithya 

Dr. Thiagarajan Raman 

Dr. S. Arvind 

M. Ramasamy 

14. Er. S. Prem 

15. Er. P. Raja 

A Hybrid Radial Basis 

Probabilistic Neural Network for 

Multiple Source Partial 

Discharge Pattern Recognition 

Experimental Study of the Wear 

Behaviour of Sintered & Forged 

/ Extruded Low Alloy P/M Steels 

Modernization of 

Microprocessor Laboratory 

Establish an Non–Destructive 

Testing Lab 

Investigation on the Dynamics of 

Degradation Process in Liquid 

Immersed Transformer 

Insulation System 

Viability Study for Utilization of 

Degummed Vegetable Oils as 

Substitute Fuels in a Variable 

Compression Ration Engine 

(VCR Engine) 

Development of a Microarray 

Data Analysis facility for probing 

whole genome expression in 

motor neuron and auto immune 

diseases 

Establish a laboratory for 

Inflammation Research 

3D Modeling of Indoor 

Environments Using Mobile 

Robot with the help of 

Simultaneous Localization and 

Mapping (SLAM) 

Virtual Prototype Environment 

in Dynamics Laboratory 

110 

9.99 

7.82 

9.52 

11.22 

7.00 

6.20 

7.00 

10.00 

8.33 

7.34 

16. Dr. Sai Subramaniam Common research facility at ASK 10.00 

17. Er. S. Natarajan 

18. A. Celestine Jerald 

19. 

Dr. B. Vishwanathan 

N. B. Rajesh 

Degradation Prediction of Oil / 

Pressboard Insulation of 

Transformers through 

Polarisation – Depolarisation 

Current Analysis 

Biomedical Instrumentation 

Laboratory 

Design, Installation and 

Commissioning of 6.75 KW Solar 

7.30 

10.00 

10.60

20. 

111 


Dr. Anjan Kumar Dash 

M. Ganesh 

PV Power Plant at SASTRA 

University 

Automation Studio Software – 

An Advanced Simulation Facility 

in Mechatronics Laboratory 

9.40 

TOTAL 158.00 

3.2.4 Seed Grant through Prof. T. R. R. Fund 

S. 

Faculty Title of Proposal Amount 

No 

(Rs) 

1. Dr. V. Anbazhagan Folding and assembly of membrane 

proteins in polymersomes 

1,00,000 

2. Dr. S. Anuradha Schwann Cell-‐Electrospun 

Nanofibrous Scaffold Interactions on 

Neural Regeneration 

1,00,000 

3. Dr. Aswathy Ravindran Interaction & behavioral effects of 

metal & metal oxide nanoparticles 

with natural organic matter 

1,00,000 

4. Dr. Aswathy Ravindran A comparative study on the 

antioxidant properties of honey 

samples collected from different 

Apis species 

1,00,000 

5. Dr. B. L. Dhananjaya Neutralization of inflammatory 

reactions by inhibition of sPLA2 

(Type IIA) from bioactive 

compound/s isolated from aqueous 

stem bark extract of Mangifera 

indica L 

1,00,000 

6. Dr. Kalyan Sundar Inhibition of the aggregation of a 1,00,000 

Ghosh 

therapeutically important protein 

by small molecules & chaperones 

7. Dr. Kiran Babu Investigation on pharmacokinetic 1,00,000 

Uppuluri 

and pharmacodynamics of natural 

antineoplastic agents 

8. Dr. Nageswara Rao Predictive and prognostic 

1,00,000 

Dunna 

biomarkers in breast and ovarian 

cancer patients in the district of 

Thanjavur and its genetic 

predisposition 

9. Dr. N. T. Saraswathi Structural studies on bioactive 

compounds greens and Flowers of 

Sesbania grandiflora 

1,00,000 

10. Dr. N. T. Saraswathi Understanding the purification 

strategy for Glycoselated 

Haemoglobin (HbAic) 

1,00,000


11. Dr. S. Panchapakesan Evaluation of immunotoxicity of 

acetamiprid 

1,00,000 

12. Dr. P. C. Prabu Evaluation of the toxicity of garlic 1,00,000 

13. Dr. Subhasish Das Finding bioreactor strategies for low 

cost production of biofuel 

1,00,000 

14. Dr. V. Ramesh Indirect scheme for mapping the 

carbon skeleton with reduced 

complexity 

1,00,000 

15. D. Ramya Devi Development of in-‐situ gelling 

system containing nanoparticle of 

an anti-‐viral drug 

1,00,000 

16. Dr. N. Saisubramanian Chemical interventions that enhance 

life span in immobilized calorie 

unrestricted yeast 

1,00,000 

17. Dr. V. Sivaramakrishnan Mitigation of hepatic pre-‐neoplastic 

lesions by a chromone derivative 

1,00,000 

18. Dr. Thiagarajan Raman Effect of curcumin encapsulated 

liposome as an anticataractogenic 

agent on selenite induced cataract in 

Wistar rat pups 

1,00,000 

19. Dr. V. Ponnusamy Enzyme mediated silver doped TiO2 

and its application in textile effluent 

treatment under solar light 

irradiation 

1,00,000 

20. Dr. M. Gopinath Development of compact interfero-‐ 

metric fiber optic sensor for the 

adulteration detection in petrol 

1,00,000 

21. Smt. R. Renuka Effect of phytoconstituents of 

selected medicinal plants on breast 

cancer cells (MCF-‐7) 

1,00,000 

22. Dr. R. Sankara Gayathri Fullerene (C60) – donor diads in the 

search of unimolecular rectifiers 

1,60,000 

23. Dr .C. H. Anjali A comparative study on neem oil 

and olive oil nanoemulsion as 

nanopesticide 

1,00,000 

24. Dr. Gino A. Kurian Identifying roles of protein kinase in 

rendering sodium thiosulphate 

mediated preconditioning & renal 

protection prior to renal ischemia 

reperfusion in LLC PK1 cells 

1,00,000 

25. Dr. Joy Debnath Crucial changes in the architecture 

of Isoxyl to develop better 

antibiotics against multi-‐drug 

resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium 

tuberculosis (Mtb) 

1,00,000 

112

26. Dr. S. R. Sivakumar Carbon nanotube based composites 

as high power negative electrodes in 

lithium-‐ion capacitors 

27. Dr. S. Sudheer Khan Synthesis, characterization and 

evaluation of cytotoxic & genotoxic 

effects of metal and metal oxide 

nanoparticles 

28. Dr. C. Umamaheswari NHC/Transition metal cooperative 

catalysis: aerobic oxidative 

transformations and cyclization 

29. Dr. Preethi Chandran Stability of engineering 

nanoparticles 

30. Dr. Askok Ayyappa Gene profiling of Schwann cells on 

3D aligned nanomatrices 

31. Dr. S. Adline Princy Design & development of a quo-‐rum 

hybrid drug cholera treatment 

32. Dr. Agiesh Kumar Gene expression profile of toll-‐like 

receptors (TLR’s) in mild and severe 

dengue cases 

33. Dr. P. Anbumathi Environmental stress on cell cycle & 

growth regulation of fission yeast S. 

pombe – model predictive studies 

with experimental validation 

34. Dr. Arindam Mitra Biofilm control in E coli and 

Salmonella typhimurium: novel 

strategy towards minimizing food 

and water-‐borne diseases 

35. Dr. S. Banudevi Neutralization of inflammatory 

reactions by inhibition of sPLA2 

(Type IIA) from bioactive 

compound/s isolated from aqueous 

stem bark extract of Mangifera 

indica L 

36. Dr. M. Gopi Chand Preliminary appraisal of cancer 

regulation by a nuclear encoded 

mitochondrial gene COX412 

37. Dr. J. Harikrishnan Effect of nanocurcumin on toxicity 

of Titanium dioxide nanoparticles 

on the renal cells 

38. Dr. K. Jeyadheepan Free-‐standing, pseudo-‐periodical 

TiO2 nanostructures with ultrahigh 

aspect ratio for dye-‐sensitized solar 

cells 

39. Dr. K. B. Kalpana Curcumin-‐copper complex as a 

potential anti-‐cancer agent for 

cervical cancer: an in vitro approach 

113 


1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

2,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,06,000 

2,00,000


40. Dr. N. 

Meenakshisundaram 

Investigations on the physical 

properties of some full Heusler 

alloys and rare earth – transition 

metal (TM) intermetallic 

compounds 

41. Dr. S. Nagarajan Development of metal-‐enabled non-‐ 

leaching alkyd biocidal coatings 

from renewable resource 

42. Dr. P. Nithyanand Investigating the anti-‐biofilm 

potential of mangrove plants against 

Streptococcus pyogenes biofilms 

43. M. Ramasamy Investigation on insulin resistance 

diabetes mellitus by using semi-‐ 

synthetic derivative of 

thiazolidinedione 

44. Dr. N. Sampath Extraction, isolation & identification 

of bioactive compounds from 

Euophorbia hirta and Carica papaya: 

its therapeutic uses among the 

45. Dr. Santanu Kar 

Mahapatra 

Dengue victims 

Immunomodulatory role of 

Andrographolide against visceral 

leishmaniasis 

46. Dr. S. Senthilkumar Modulation of enzymic antioxidant 

system by Dringharaja Choornam in 

cyclophosphamide intoxicated rats 

47. Dr. V. Sridharan Synthesis of fused-‐Indene 

derivatives via Palladium catalyzed 

domino process 

48. Dr. P. Suresh Kumar Preparation of high surface area 

copper electrodeposits in surfactant 

based systems 

49. Dr. K. Uma Maheswari In vitro efficacy of mesoporous silica 

nanofibrous scaffolds in promoting 

adhesion, proliferation & gene 

expression of bone marrow derived 

mesenchymal stem cells 

50. Dr. A. R. Vijayakumar Larvacide encapsulated protein and 

lipid nanoparticles for mosquito 

larvae control 

114 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

1,00,000 

3.2.5 Students Innovation Fund 

SASTRA has created a “Student Innovation Fund” with a corpus of Rs 2 crore. The 

aim of this fund is to encourage creativity and innovation amongst the student 

community of SASTRA. Under this scheme, top 10 innovative student research

115 


projects are funded to a tune of about Rs 2 lakh each. In addition, consumables and 

other requirements for students’ research projects are supported through the 

provisions available for the laboratories. Students also have access to the Central 

Instrumentation Facility, workshop, laboratories, internet facility, e–resources, and 

other facilities available in the campus for their research project. 

S. No Project Title 

Amount 

(Rs) 

1. Mobile Video Camera Disabling System 1,90,300 

2. SMS Server 70,862 

3. Uricase Transdermal Patch for Treatment of Gout 97,887 

4. Humanoid 2,00,000 

5. SPADE 1,75,400 

6. Soliton Pulses 2,00,000 

7. Intelligent Driver System 65,000 

8. Bio–Treatment of Feather Waste 55,000 

9. Quorum Sensing 48,210 

10. FPGA Based Phased Array 1,67,000 

11. Robotic Manipulator 1,17,000 

12. Secure Electronic Voting 1,55,000 

13. BAJA 2012 – National Level Competition at Pitambur 1,00,000 

Total 16,41,659 

3.2.6 Desh–Videsh Scheme 

SASTRA encourages its students to visit foreign universities and research 

organizations to complete course work or engage in meaningful research. SASTRA 

has created an endowment of Rs 1.0 crore for the Desh–Videsh Scheme. To 

encourage students to work in reputed universities and organizations, the SASTRA 

provides a monthly stipend of USD 200 and a round trip economy airfare up to USD 

2000. In addition to this, the tuition fees for the final semester are also waived. The 

following table shows the number of students who have benefited through the 

scheme: 

Year Number of Amount 

Beneficiaries (Rs) 

2012–13 43 52,55,826 

2011–12 24 29,27,217 

2010–11 21 19,39,973 

2009–10 14 7,93,545


3.2.7 SASTRA–Industry Chair Professorship Scheme 

In 2010, SASTRA had identified 16 faculty members to conduct research with seed 

money of Rs 1.00 lakh per year for three years resulting in publications. A Rs 2.0 

crore endowment has been created for this scheme by the University. 

List of faculty holding industry endowed Chair Professorship 

Name School 

Dr. S. Pugazhenthi School of Mechanical Engineering 

Lucas TVS Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering 

Dr. S. Vaidhyasubramaniam School of Management 

IOB Chair Professor of Management 

Dr. S. Swaminathan School of Chemical & Biotechnology 

Centre for Nanotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials 

Orchid Chemicals Chair Professor of Biotechnology 

Dr. V. Badrinath School of Management 

CUB Chair Professor of Management 

Dr. R. Chandramouli School of Mechanical Engineering 

T. S. Santhanam Chair Professor of Mechanical 

Engineering 

Dr. M. Vijayalakshmi School of Chemical & Biotechnology 

TCS Chair Professor of Computational Biology 

Dr. K. S. Rajan School of Chemical & Biotechnology 

Seshasayee Paper Board Chair Professor of Chemical 

Engineering 

Dr. K. Uma Maheswari School of Chemical & Biotechnology 

Deakin Indo–Australia Chair Professor of Chemistry 

Dr. K. Saravana Rajmohan School of Civil Engineering 

Ramco Chair Professor of Civil Engineering 

Dr. T. R. Neelakantan School of Civil Engineering 

L & T Chair Professor of Civil Engineering 

Dr. R. John Bosco Balaguru School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

Symphony Services Chair Professor of Electrical 

Engineering 

Dr. K. Ramkumar School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering 

Wipro Mission 10X Chair Professor 

In addition, the following laboratories have been set up by the industries: 

1. TCS Chromatin Epigenetics Lab 

2. Cognizant Open Source Lab 

3. TCS Pragati Lab for Cloud Computing 

4. National Mechatroncis Facility supported by Brakes India Ltd. 

5. Altera FPGA Lab 

6. Windriver VLSI Lab 

116

117 


7. IOB Rural Development Studies Lab 

8. Mobile Computing Lab supported by Accenture 

9. Embedded Lab supported by Texas Instruments 

10. Unified Learning Kit (ULK) Lab supported by Wipro 

11. DB2 Lab by IBM 

12. Multi–core Lab by Intel 

13. Cloud computing Lab by Microsoft (selected and infrastructure yet to 

arrive) 

3.2.8 National Recognition 

SASTRA University is one of the twelve research centres identified by the Council of 

Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under its Open Source Drug Discovery 

global initiative. The Bioinformatics division of the School of Chemical & 

Biotechnology was an active partner in the re–annotation of the Mycobacterium 

tuberculosis (Mtb) genome (Interactome / Pathway Annotation Project) in 2010 

aimed at developing novel therapeutics. Two undergraduate Bioinformatics 

students from the School were chosen as the most significant contributors in the 

nationwide initiative. 

SASTRA led a huge initiative, which involves cloning, expression and purification of 

proteins of the Mtb genome. The students of the University were involved in cloning 

220 drug targets on the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to provide an open 

access repository. This was done in collaboration with the Institute for Genomics 

and Integrative Biology (IGIB) and the Centre for Genomics Applications (TCGA). 

Students selected from all over the country through an online primer design exercise 

were chosen after rounds of tests to participate in the cloning project. SASTRA is 

now a Cloning Centre with the participation of students from various institutions in 

Delhi, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Baroda, apart from SASTRA. 

Realizing the importance and societal implications of this project, SASTRA has 

provided the entire physical infrastructure, trained manpower and logistics support 

to all the participants. SASTRA is the only University in India where this unique 

initiative is in progress. 

SASTRA has been well recognised for leading this unique ‘crowd sourcing’ 

initiative of completing the cloning of major drug targets in the Mtb genome. 

The University has hence been chosen to host in its campus, a National Clone 

Repository of Mtb genes, which will provide clones for researchers all over the 

country.


The following departments have received support from the Department of Science & 

Technology through the FIST programme: 

Departments Period Amount Sanctioned 

(Rs in lakh) 

Electronics & Communication Engineering 2012–17 65.00 

Pharmacy 2010–15 80.00 

Bioengineering 2008–13 86.00 

Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering 2005–10 25.00 

The Nanomission of the Department of Science has recognized the Centre for 

Nanotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials (CeNTAB), School of Chemical & 

Biotechnology to conduct a post–graduate programme (M. Tech.) in Medical 

Nanotechnology. DST provides grant for equipment, stipend for students, 

consumables and contingency. 

Besides these, the successful grant of various research projects to SASTRA by various 

national funding agencies is testimony to the confidence that SASTRA University 

enjoys at a national level. 

3.3 Research Facilities 

SASTRA recognizes that the quality research requires infrastructure, state–of–the– 

art– equipment, human resources who have the flair for research, e–resources, etc. 

All these have been constantly upgraded to keep in pace with the emerging areas of 

science and technology. In April 2011, a multidisciplinary centre, which houses the 

Centre for Advanced Research in Indian Systems of Medicine (CARISM), Centre for 

Nanotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials (CeNTAB), Central Instrumentation 

Facility (CIF), the National Facility for Development of Herbometallic Preparations of 

Ayurveda, Siddha & Unani and with 30 laboratories was inaugurated. Each of the 

laboratories in this facility has been designed according to the requirements of the 

individual Principal Investigator. The University also houses a GLP–compliant 

Central Animal Facility that helps researches to carry out pre–clinical studies. All 

facilities available on campus are made accessible to not only students and faculty of 

SASTRA but also to users from other institutions and industries. Faculty members 

are also provided seed grant and laptop to enable them to pursue research. 

The Library Advisory Committee of the University is very proactive and periodically 

reviews the utilization of e–resources that are available on campus and recommends 

additional resources, if required. Currently, SASTRA subscribes to AICTE–INDEST 

118

119 


Consortium, UGC–INFLIBNET, Science Direct, Springer, ABI/INFORM, EBSCO, 

Manupathra, SCOPUS, Lexis Nexis Academic that provide full–text access to over 

10,800 journals and 17,00,000 dissertations. 

The following table shows partial list of equipment costing over Rs 5 lakh that are 

available on campus for research: 

S. No Facilities / Equipment Value 

(Rs in lakh) 

1. Field emission transmission electron microscope with 

energy dispersive spectrometer 

372.84 

2. Computer Numerically Controlled turning centres and 

machining centres (production capacity machines) 

250.00 

3. X–ray photoelectron spectrometer 225.25 

4. Field emission scanning electron microscope with energy 

dispersive spectrometer 

180.00 

5. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer with laser 

ablation 

128.58 

6. Liquid chromatograph coupled with tandem mass 124.58 

spectrometer 

7. 300MHz Nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer 110.00 

8. X–ray fluorescence spectrometer 90.51 

9. Confocal microscope 85.00 

10. High–through put microscope 80.00 

11. Automated liquid handling system 65.00 

12. Networking using fiber optic cables 75.00 

13. Gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometer 72.00 

14. Spectrophotometers (Multi mode reader, FTIR, UV–vis NIR, 68.00 

spectrofluorimeter, Nanodrop) 

15. Schrodinger software 57.67 

16. Scanning electrochemical microscope 55.00 

17. Physical vapour deposition units – 4 52.00 

18. Image processing workstation 51.26 

19. High performance clusters 50.00 

20. X–ray diffractometer 45.78 

21. Electrochemical workstations – 4 45.00 

22. VLSI design laboratory 40.62 

23. Refrigerated centrifuges – 10 nos 40.00 

24. Total survey stations – 8 nos 30.00 

25. Particle size analyzer – 2 nos 29.96 

26. Atomic force microscope 28.80 

27. Coordinate measuring machine & contour measuring 

machine 

28.00


28. 25 dedicated work stations and high end server with 

packages and compilers: ADAMS, ANSYS 12, NISA, CATIA, 

SolidCAM, EDGECAM, ALECOP, AutoCAD, DesignCAD, 

Mechanical Desktop, Mathcad, Axum 6.0, Lahey Developer 

120 

28.00 

29. Liquid Scintillation System 27.00 

30. Ultramicrotome 26.30 

31. Zetasizer 25.56 

32. High Performance Liquid Chromatograph 25.00 

33. Freeze dryer – 3 nos 24.87 

34. Surface area analyzer 24.53 

35. Preparative High Performance Liquid Chromatograph 23.00 

36. Real–time RT–PCR 22.00 

37. Ultracentrifuge 21.79 

38. High performance thin layer chromatograph 21.00 

39. UV–vis Spectrophotometer – 5 nos 20.00 

40. Advanced process control facility 18.18 

41. DSC–TGA 16.91 

42. Optical microscopes – 3 16.50 

43. Polygraph 16 Channel 16.00 

44. Phase contrast microscope 15.06 

45. Multiwave digestion system 15.00 

46. Computer Controlled Electric Drives 15.00 

47. Gamma Counter 15.00 

48. Embedded Systems Tools 14.40 

49. Uniaxial Mechanical Testing Machine 14.00 

50. Graphite furnace 14.00 

51. Isodynamic magnetic separator 13.79 

52. Mercury Porosimeter 13.65 

53. Differential geographical positioning system 13.60 

54. Microhardness testers – 2 nos 13.00 

55. Differential scanning calorimeter 11.65 

56. Computer assisted Exhaust gas analyzer 11.00 

57. Atomic absorption spectrometer 11.00 

58. Ansys software 11.00 

59. Solar panel 10.60 

60. Variable compression ratio engine test rig and fuel injection 10.50 

pump calibration facility 

61. Radar and satellite link facility 10.00 

62. Atom processors innovation facility 10.00 

63. Hall measurement system 9.62 

64. High voltage laboratory 9.60 

65. Biomedical Instrumentation Laboratory 9.45 

66. Computerized universal testing machine (1000 kN) 9.00 

67. Electrospinning

121 


68. Labview and multisim software 8.60 

69. Microbalance 8.50 

70. Photoluminescence spectrometer 8.10 

71. Computerised engine test rig 8.00 

72. Cell homogenizer 8.00 

73. Static cone penetration apparatus 8.00 

74. 2–D Electrophoresis 7.72 

75. Gas testing facility 7.20 

76. Image Processing Work Station with CCD Camera 7.00 

77. Olympus Polarized Research Microscope 7.00 

78. Goniometer 6.73 

79. Viscometers – 2 nos 6.20 

80. ASPEN Plus Steady–state Simulation Software 6.00 

81. Polarimeter 6.00 

82. Computerized Compression Testing Machine (3000 kN) 6.00 

83. Mobile robot with laser sensors 6.00 

84. Self Balancing Loading Frame with Data logger, load cells 

(1000 kN) 

5.75 

85. Leica Reflection Research Microscope 5.50 

86. Affinity chromatography 5.54 

87. Precision Measuring Devices (Auto Collimator, Tool 5.25 

88. 

Maker’s Microscope, Profile Projector) 

EXTENDSIM (50 users license) and ADAMS multi–body 5.00 

dynamics software (50 users license) 

89. Wireless sensor nodes 5.00 

90. 350 Mbps Leased Line 45.00 

91. Core switch, Wi–Fi controllers and access points 35.00 

The Central Library and the School libraries provide reference and information 

retrieval service to faculty members, researchers, consultants, and visitors. Services 

include: 

Online resources like Science Direct, ProQuest, EBSCO, Business Source 

Premier, all ASCE journals, all ASME journals, ACM journals, IEEE journals, 

Springer journals, Indian Academy of Sciences journals, Portland Press, Royal 

Society of Chemistry, Manupatra (Legal Resource), JSTOR, Project Euclid, 

Oxford University journals, Institute of Physics journals, Cambridge University 

Press publications, Lexis Nexis Academic, Nature journals, Springer e–books, 

ebrary, Scopus, Mathscinet, NPTEL Resources, Spoken tutorials etc. 

Ph. D. thesis and project reports based on the research from SASTRA 

Collection of books, reports, journals, videos, and CD–ROMs in different areas


The online resources are supported through Wi–Fi and wired internet. The 

classrooms, corridors of various academic and administrative buildings have been 

enabled with Wi–Fi for the convenience of faculty, students and researchers and also 

for students staying in all the 12 hostels on campus. This 350 Mpbs (BSNL) and 16 

Mbps (Reliance) free internet connection and Wi–Fi environment, which enables 

6000 registered users is fully used for various research pursuits. 

Residential facilities are provided for research scholars, research associates, summer 

fellows and visiting scientists. Campus wide Wi–Fi facility available in the residential 

buildings provides access to all the e–resources. 

3.3.1 Centres of International Repute 

The research work carried out at CeNTAB and CARISM has been recognized both 

nationally and internationally resulting in seminal publications in areas such as 

regenerative medicine, drug delivery, nanobiosensors, etc. The Government of India 

has recognized CeNTAB and supports the M. Tech. programme in Medical 

Nanotechnology through the Nanomission, Department of Science & Technology. 

Similarly CARISM has been recognized as a Centre for Excellence in Rasa Aushadies 

by the Department of AYUSH. The Department of Science & Technology has 

established a National facility for the development of herbo–mineral preparations of 

Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. Further, CARISM is recognized as a Drug Testing 

Laboratory for Ayurveda and Siddha drugs by the Drug Controller of India. 

The School of Chemical & Biotechnology has been ranked No 1 under the private 

category thrice in the last five years. SASTRA has also been recognised for leading a 

unique ‘crowd sourcing’ initiative of completing the cloning of major drug targets in 

the Mtb genome. The University has hence been chosen by Council for Scientific & 

Industrial Research (CSIR) to host in its campus, a National Clone Repository of Mtb 

Genes, which will provide clones for researchers all over the country. 

International Researchers 

Mr. Shaun T. Smith, a MS student from Deakin University, Melbourne, 

Australia conducted his research at the Centre for Advanced Research in 

Environment (CARE), School of Civil Engineering for six months 

Mr. Marcel Riera Chavaria from the Universitat Polytechnica de Catalunya, 

Barcelona, Spain worked on weldability of sintered alloys at the Nanodevices 

Laboratory, SASTRA University for six months 

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Mr. Martin Langkvist, a doctoral student at Orebro University. Sweden 

worked on sensor data classification at the Nanosenors Laboratory, SASTRA 

University 

Ms. Lakshmi Chinnathambi, National University of Singapore, worked on 

health care informatics for varicose veins / deep vein thrombosis 

Mr. Enock Orirere, Kenya worked for six months to understand the epigenetic 

modifications in the Chromatin Epigenetics Laboratory 

The facilities created in the University are put in active use by researchers from 

SASTRA as well as from other institutions, laboratories and industries. A partial list 

is provided below: 

Indian Institute of Technology – Madras, Chennai 

National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 

National Institute of Technology, Suratkal 

National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 

Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal 

National Institute of Siddha, Chennai 


University of Madras, Chennai 

Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 

Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 

Annamalai University, Chidambaram 

Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore 

Periyar University, Salem 

Tamil University, Thanjavur 

Anna University, Tiruchirappalli & Tirunelveli, 

Sri Chandrasekara Saraswathi Vishwa Maha Vidhayalaya, Kanchipuram 

Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 

Karunya University, Coimbatore 

Government College of Engineering, Salem 

Madurai Medical College, Madurai 

Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal 

Gandhigram Rural University, Gandhigram 

PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore 

Kundavai Nachiyar College, Thanjavur 

Sengamala Thayar College of Arts and Science, Mannargudi 

Periyar College of Pharmacy, Tiruchirappalli 

Govt. Siddha Medical College, Chennai & Palayamkottai


Sri Venkateswara Ayurveda College, Tirupathi 

Government Arts College, Kumbakonam 

St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli 

Seethalakshmi Ramasamy College, Tiruchirappalli 

Sir Thyagararaja College, Chennai 

Srimad Andavan Arts and Science College, Tiruchirappalli 

Poondi Pushpam College, Poondi 

S. T. Hindu College, Nagercoil 

Cauvery College for Women, Tiruchirappalli 

Adhiparasakthi College of Pharmacy, Melmaruvathur 

VCRI, Nammakkal 

Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai 

Periyar EVR College, Tiruchirappalli 

M/s Shasun Chemicals, Puducherry 

M/s Orchid Chemicals Pvt. Ltd., Chennai 

M/s Pharm Products, Thanjavur 

M/s Lakshmi Seva Sangam, Gandhigram 

M/s Kaleesuwari Refineries, Chennai 

M/s Ansa Pharma, Tiruchirappalli 

M/s Khaja Balm Company, Tirunelveli 

3.4 Research Publications and Awards 

3.4.1 Publications & Citations 

The research outcome of SASTRA in terms of publications is increasing 

exponentially. The total number of publications of SASTRA as per the SCOPUS 

database is 1838. These publications have received 3647 citations leading to an h– 

index of 24. 

124

No of Publications 

No of Citations 

800 

700 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

1400 

1200 

1000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 

0 

93 

125 

142 

125 


While the number of publications is increasing, the quality of papers is also given 

serious consideration. Our recent publications across disciplines are published in 

high impact factor journals, a few of which are given below: 

Journal of American Chemical Society (JACS) – IF 10.677 

Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) – IF 9.681 

Biotechnology Advances – IF 9.599 

Chemical Communications – IF 6.378 

Critical Reviews in Microbiology – IF 5.065 

Journal of Materials Chemistry – IF 6.101 

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry – IF 5.614 

246 

686 

362* 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 

163 

295 

390 

625 

1267 

754* 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013


Biomacromolecules – IF 5.371 

Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology – IF 5.256 

Archives of Toxicology – IF 5.215 

Water Research – IF 4.655 

Langmuir – IF 4.187 

Analyst – IF 3.969 

Journal of Hazardous Materials – IF 3.925 

Soft Matter – IF 3.91 

Nanotechnology – IF 3.842 

Dalton Transactions – IF 3.806 

PLOS One – IF 3.730 

Information Science – IF 3.643 

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy – IF 3.548 

Sensors and Actuators B – IF 3.535 

Chemical Engineering – IF 3.473 

Desalination – IF 3.041 

Journal of Ethnopharmacology – IF 2.755 

Annals of Biomedical Engineering – IF 2.575 

RSC Advances – IF 2.562 

Journal of Biomedical Science – IF 2.460 

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer – IF 2.315 

Biomedical Materials – IF 2.152 

Applied Thermal Engineering – IF 2.127 

Expert Systems with Applications – IF 1.854 

International Journal of Environmental Science & Technology – IF 1.844 

International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology – IF 1.205 

SASTRA encourages its faculty members to continuously publish in refereed journals 

and the number of publications in the last four years in the form of books, scientific 

articles, abstracts, proceedings and theses is shown in the table below. Various 

schools conduct international and national conferences / workshops / seminars and 

publish the proceedings in the form of a book and hitherto SASTRA has published ten 

proceedings. 

Name of the 

School 

Number of Publications 

Research 

Books Chapters 

Papers 

h– 

index 

SNIP SJR 

Chemical & 

Biotechnology 

357 1 5 14 241.000 175.000 

Civil 

Engineering 

58 2 1 11 36.250 7.070 

Computing 357 – – 4 72.227 58.373 

Mechanical 

Engineering 

87 – – 11 95.730 4.820 

126

Electrical & 

Electronics 

Engineering 

Humanities & 

Sciences 

127 


354 – 2 10 163.030 70.460 

255 6 1 5 47.673 25.425 

Management 79 2 5 – 6.760 3.120 

SRC 121 9 – 6 44.567 30.317 

OVERALL 1838 20 14 24 927.83 633.29 

The pie chart below shows the distribution of our research publications across 

disciplines in the last four years. This is indicative of active research in various 

disciples of engineering, science, humanities, management, etc. 

The following faculty members are serving in the editorial boards of the journals 

given. 

S. No Name of the Faculty Journal Name 

1. Dr. R. Srikanth American Journal of Mathematics and Statistics 

Separation Science and Technology 

2. Dr. G. Hariharan International Journal of Computer Applications 

International Journal of Applied Mathematics 

and Computation 

3. Dr. K. Kannan International Journal of Information Sciences 

WSEAS Journal of Mathematics


4. Dr. A. Sathya Indian Journal of Natural Sciences 

5. Dr. K. Balachandar Journal of Applied Sciences 

International Journal of Manufacturing Systems 

Asian Journal of Applied Sciences 

Asian Journal of Materials Science 

6. Dr. R. John Bosco 

Balaguru 

Asian Journal of Scientific Research 

Physics Express 

Information Technology Journal 

Journal of Applied Sciences 

Journal of Artificial Intelligence 

7. Dr. P. Neelamegam Sensors & Transducers 

Scientific Instruments 

8. Dr. R. Amirtharajan Information Technology Journal 

Journal of Applied Sciences 

Research Journal of Information Technology 

Trends in Applied Sciences Research 

Singapore Journal of Scientific Research 

Journal of Image Processing and Visual 

Communication 

9. Ms. S. Rubalya 

Valentina 

International Journal of Computer Applications 

International Journal of Materials Physics 

Advances in Applied Mathematical Biosciences 

International Journal of Applied Physics 

10. Dr. B. L. Dhananjaya Research Journal of Biological Sciences 

11. Dr. S. Senthil Kumar Distinguished Editor for Journal of Venom 

Research (JVR) 

Regional Editor for Current Research Journal of 

Biological Sciences (CRJBS) 

Regional Editor for Research Journal of Applied 

sciences, Engineering & Technology (RJASET) 

Regional Editor for Asian Journal of Medical 

Sciences (AJMS) 

Editorial Board Member for International 

Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical 

Sciences (IJPPS) 

Editorial Board Member for International 

Journal for Biotechnology and Molecular 

Biology Research (IJBMBR) 

12. Dr. C. H. Anjali International Journal of Human Genetics 

Medical Biotechnology and Microbiological 

Studies 

13. Dr. R. Aswathy International Journal of Human Genetics 

Medical Biotechnology and Microbiological 

studies 

14. Dr. K. Dhevendran Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries 

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15. Dr. S. Swaminathan International Journal of Green Nanotechnology 

Journal of Textiles 

16. Dr. K. Sridharan Journal of Biophysical Chemistry 

3.4.2 Patents 

Faculty members of the University have filed the following patents: 

i. A Novel Herbal Drug and a Process for Preparation thereof for the Prevention 

and Management of Endothelial Dysfunction Among Type–II Diabetes Mellitus 

Cases (European patent: EP2054070) 

ii. Data Embedding System (WO2011114196) 

iii. Ayurvedic Formulation for Treating Coronary Heart Disease (WO2010100652 

A1) 

iv. Herbal Formulation for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes Mellitus 

and Diabetic Micro–Vascular Complications (EP1901697 A1) 

v. Herbal Formulation for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes Mellitus 

and Diabetic Micro–Vascular Complications (WO2006129325 A1) 

vi. A Novel Herbal Drug and a Process for Preparation thereof for the Prevention 

and Management of Endothellal Dysfunction Among Type–II Diabetes Mellitus 

Cases (WO2008099423 A2) 

vii. Low Concentration Ammonia Vapour Sensor 

viii. Topical Formulation Comprising Morinda tinctoria and Allium sativum for 

Wound Healing (2927/CHE/2013) 

ix. New Micro Channel Heat Sink for Thermal Management of Devices 

x. Wheel Chair with Turn Table based Transfer Facility (3078/CHE/2013) 

xi. A High Performance Miniature Microbial Fuel Cell Based On Polymer Hydrogel 

Electrolyte And Methods To Improve Performance (2122/CHE/2013) 

xii. Magnetic Mesoporous Fe2O3–SBA15 Silica as a Theranostic Tool for Cell 

Imaging and Therapy (880/CHE/2011) 

xiii. Development of a Novel Nanofibre Matrix with R–Spondin 1 for Accelerated 

Wound Healing (445/CHE/2011) 

xiv. Development of Novel Dendrimers for Drug Delivery (1399/CHE/2010) 

3.4.3 Awards & Recognitions 

The awards / recognitions received by faculty members and students of SASTRA are 

shown in the table below: 

S. Faculty / 

Award 

No 

Student Name 

1. Dr. P. Swaminathan INS Homi Bhabha Life Time Achievement 

Award


Department of Atomic Energy 

2. Dr. S. Swaminathan Materials Research Society of India Medal 

Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award 

Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi 

Young Scientist Award 

Department of Science & Technology, New Delhi 

3. Dr. A. Sathya NORAD Research Fellowships, Ministry of 

Human Resource Development, Government of 

India and the Norwegian Government 

4. Dr. T. R. Neelakantan Young Teacher Career Award 

All India Council for Technical Education 

New Delhi 

5. Dr. S. Pugazhenthi DAAD Fellowship 

6. Dr. K. Ramkumar Innovative Practitioner Award, Wipro 

7. Dr. V. Sridharan Young Scientist Award 


8. Dr. Joy Debnath Young Scientist Award 


9. Dr. V. Ramanathan Young Scientist Award 


10. Dr. S. Nagarajan DST–Faculty INSPIRE Award 




11. Dr. Kiran Babu Young Scientist Award 

Uppuluri 


12. Dr. R. Vigneshwar Young Scientist Award 


13. Dr. K. Saraboji Young Scientist Award 


14. Dr. J. Arunachalam Young Scientist Award 


15. Dr. S. 


Sivaramakrishnan Department of Science & Technology, New Delhi 

16. Dr. Gopinath Mudhana Young Scientist Award 


17. Dr. Ch. Anjali Young Scientist Award 


18. Dr. R. Aswathy Young Scientist Award 


19. Dr. Preethy Chandran Young Scientist Award 


20. Dr. C. Uma Maheswari Young Scientist Award 


21. Dr. S. Anuradha Young Scientist Award 

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22. Dr. P. Meera Young Scientist Award 


23. Dr. S. R. Sivakumar Young Scientist Award 


24. Dr. V. Anbazhagan Young Scientist Award 


25. Dr. Selva Ganesh Young Scientist Award 


26. Dr. S. Arvind Young Scientist Award 


27. Dr. S. Philip Anthony Young Scientist Award 


28. Dr. Thiagarajan Young Scientist Award 

Raman 


29. Dr. R. Jayapradha Young Scientist Award 


30. Dr. Sujatha E. Ramani Young Scientist Award 


31. Dr. T. Sivaraman Rapid Grant for Young Investigators 


32. Dr. R. S. Santhosh Rapid Grant for Young Investigators 


34. Dr. S. Balakumar Rapid Grant for Young Investigators 


37. Dr. N.T. Saraswathi Young Scientist Award 


39. Dr. M. Sridharan Young Scientist Award 


40. Dr. S. Adline Princy Young Scientist Award 


41. Dr. K. S. Rajan Young Scientist Award 


42. Dr. P. C. Prabu Junior Research Fellowship 

Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New 

Delhi 

44. Dr. K. Uma Maheswari Young Scientist Award 


45. K. R. Sekar Dronacharya Award, IBM–TGMC 

46. Dr. K. Thenmozhi EDI Award, Broadcast Engineering Society of 

India 

47. Dr. R. Varadarajan EDI Award, Broadcast Engineering Society of 

India 

48. Dr. A. Umamakeswari EDI Award, Broadcast Engineering Society of


49. Dr. B. Parimala Devi 

India 

BOYSCAST Fellowship 


50. V. Gunasekaran Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship 

Programme, University of Windsor 

51. Indrajit Mondal Young Engineers Award 

Mahindra–Satyam 

52. K. Deepak TCS National Doctoral Fellowship 

53. N. Niranjana Khorana Fellowship 


54. Anahitha Bharadhwaj Khorana Fellowship 


55. Deepa Rajagopalan Khorana Fellowship 


AIR 1 in GATE 2013, Biotechnology Stream 

56. N. Surya INSPIRE Fellowship 


57. K. Priyadharshini INSPIRE Fellowship 


58. K. S. Suganthi INSPIRE Fellowship 


59. Sajal Srivastava INSPIRE Fellowship 


60. M. Sasya INSPIRE Fellowship 


61. R. Janani INSPIRE Fellowship 


62. J. Premalatha INSPIRE Fellowship 


63. A. Shakila Banu INSPIRE Fellowship 


64. S. Dhakshinamoorthy CSIR–SRF Fellowship 

65. K. Purushothaman CSIR–SRF Fellowship 

66. Ch. L. R. Jaidev CSIR–SRF Fellowship 

67. T. Richa CSIR–SRF Fellowship 

68. Rene Christina Maulana Azad Fellowship 

69. Nair Vivek Sahadevan 

Suma Prabhakaran 

L. R. Praveen 

Venkateswara Rao 

Kaushik Mahadevan 

N. Guru Krupa 

Deepak Krishna 

Al Gore Sustainable Technology Venture Award 

70. Ananthanarayanan KVPY Award 

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In the last 4 years 60 Ph. D. degrees were awarded and the University does not offer 

M.Phil. degree programme. The university participates in Shodhganga by depositing 

the Ph. D. theses with INFLIBNET for electronic dissemination through open access. 

A quarterly research journal titled “Oriental Journal of Asian Studies” was started in 

September 2012 by the Department of Oriental Studies and Research, SASTRA. The 

editorial board comprises of Dr. N. Kannan, SASTRA University, Dr. S. A. Sankara 

Narayanan, SASTRA University, Dr. V. Kannan, Central University, Hyderabad, Dr. T. 

N. Ramachandran, Director, International Institute of Saiva Siddhantha, Dr. R. 

Krishnamurthy Sastry, Principal (Retd.), Sanskrit College, Chennai, Dr. 

Ramabrahmam, Director, Department of Telugu, University of Hyderabad. The 

journal is just recently started and steps will be taken to include the journal in 

international databases. 

The University periodically conducts orientation programme to all faculty members 

about Ethics in Research. The University also subscribes to an anti–plagiarism 

software, Turnitin ® and it is mandatory for all faculty members to check the 

similarity index before the manuscript is submitted to any journal. Also, all project 

work and thesis are checked through the software. Further, the service rules and 

regulations of SASTRA University (Clause 15) states: 

“Plagiarism / Intellectual Property Rights – Employees indulging in plagiarism, 

violation of intellectual property right, copyright and other unlawful activities will be 

referred to the law–enforcing authority. Simultaneously, Management may, also, 

initiate disciplinary proceedings against the members”. In the last five years, four 

cases have been detected and the University has directly written to the editors of 

respective journals to withdraw the manuscript. The concerned faculty members are 

no longer in the rolls of the University. 

3.4.4 Awards Instituted by the University 

SASTRA–Ramanujan Award: The SASTRA–Ramanujan Award, is an annual award 

given to a young mathematician below the age of 32 who has made significant 

contributions in the areas influenced by Srinivasa Ramanujan. This award carries a 

cash prize of US$10,000 and a citation and is presented to the winner every year on 

December 22 (birth date of Srinivasa Ramanujan) at the Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre, 

SASTRA University, Kumbakonam. The winners of this award are: 

Year Name University 

2012 Zhiwei Yun Stanford University, USA 

2011 Roman Holowinsky Ohio State University, USA


2010 Wei Zhang Harvard University, USA 

2009 Kathrin Bringmann 

University of Cologne, Germany 

University of Minnesota, USA 

2008 Akshay Venkatesh Stanford University, USA 

2007 Ben Green Cambridge University, UK 

2006 Terence Tao University of California, Los Angeles, USA 

2005 

Manjul Bhargava 

Kannan Soundararajan 

Princeton University, USA 

University of Michigan, USA 

Founder Chancellor Award: The Founder Chancellor Award is presented for the 

best doctoral thesis. The award carries a citation and cash prize of Rs 50,000. This 

award is presented during the Convocation Ceremony and the following are the 

winners: 

Year Awardees 

2012 Dr. G. Sakthivel 

2011 Dr. S. Anuradha 

2009 Dr. V. Ponnusami 

2008 Dr. M. Vijayalakshmi 

SAPHIRE Award: SASTRA Anusandhan Puraskar for Higher Involvement in 

Research & Education Award is presented to three faculty members who have 

prolific publication record in the year. The awardees are provided an all expense 

paid international vacation along with their family. In 2012, Dr. R. John Bosco 

Balaguru, Dr. K. Uma Maheswari and Dr. R. Amirtharajan were presented with the 

SAPHIRE Award. In 2013, Dr. R. John Bosco Balaguru, Dr. K. Uma Maheswari and Dr. 

K. S. Rajan were presented with the SAPHIRE Award. In addition to this cash 

incentive from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 are awarded to all faculty members who 

publish in Scopus indexed journals every year. 

SASTRA–Faculty Research and Development: SASTRA has always encouraged 

on–campus research and in continuation of its efforts has launched this scheme. 

Every qualified teaching faculty is awarded a research incentive of Rs one lakh every 

year for a period of six years within which each faculty member is expected to 

publish a minimum of three papers in SCI Index Journal or successfully guide two 

Ph.D. scholars. At the end of six years, the faculty's performance will be reviewed 

and the research incentive will be continued to another block period of six years and 

the same process will be repeated. In addition to this, faculty members are 

encouraged to submit research proposals to various funding agencies. On successful 

sanction, 10% of the sanctioned amount received is awarded to the faculty members 

for their efforts to generate research funding. Finally, the promotion in SASTRA is 

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strongly correlated to the teaching and research outcome in terms of paper 

publications, patents and funded projects. 

3.5 Consultancy 

Various Schools of the University offer consultancy services. The School of Civil 

Engineering has undertaken an assessment of the safe Bearing Capacity of soil by 

conducting field soil testing and consultancy using Static Cone Penetration Test for 

construction of bridges and culverts along the National Highway 67 for M/s 

Madhucon Constructions (P) Ltd. Similarly the road safety between Perambalur and 

Samayapuram on NH45 was assessed since this stretch was highly prone to major 

accidents. The study was conducted for 4 days around the clock and it was 

determined that the road alignment, roadside parking & over speeding were major 

reasons for the accidents. The report was submitted to the Superintendent of Police, 

Tiruchirapalli. 

A study on upgradation and expansion of water distribution networks of Thanjavur 

was conducted by the Centre for Advanced Research on Environment (CARE), School 

of Civil Engineering. The report was submitted to the District Collector of Thanjavur. 

Conversion of old image files of the Tamil weekly, ‘Thuglak’, into text files with 

retrieval facility using in–house developed search engine was implemented by the 

School of Computing. 

The Centre for Advanced Research in Indian Systems of Medicine (CARISM) offers 

consultancy to Siddha doctors of National Institute of Siddha, Chennai with respect to 

physico–chemical characterization of Siddha preparations. Some of the Siddha 

preparations that have been analysed for Siddha practitioners by the Centre are: 

• Ayaveera Chenduram 

• Seena Rasa Chenduram 

• Siddhar Kuligai 

• Kirubakara Shanmuga Chenduram 

• Puttru Pathangam 

Consultancy services have been offered to S. V. Ayurvedic College, Tirupati and Dr. N. 

R. S. Government Ayurvedic College, Vijayawada on the physico–chemical 

characterization of Vangeshwara Rasa and Vanga Bhasma, through the Central 

Instrumentation Facility of the University. 

A thematic herbal garden is maintained in an area of 25 acres at Thachankurichi by 

CARISM. Organic farming is practised in this garden where rare species of plants


with medicinal significance are being cultivated. These herbs can be supplied as raw 

materials that are required for the preparation of Ayurveda and Siddha medicines. 

The School of Mechanical Engineering offers consultancy to industries and 

researchers to test the performance of automobile engines. 

An indigenously designed and developed electronic nose (e–nose) to check the 

quality of milk was tested and validated at the Aavin Dairy, Tiruchirapalli. The 

performance of the e–nose sensor was on par with the human olfaction system in 

discriminating the quality of raw milk. Moreover, our system was able to detect the 

quality faster than the conventional testing system. LED street light load testing was 

carried out for Perambalur Municipal Corporation by the faculty of School of 

Electrical & Electronics Engineering. 

The major highlights of consultancy services provided by the University during the 

last 5 years are listed below: 

Review of PURA for Asian Development Bank 

IT consultancy for TNPL 

Testing of buildings and temples with non–destructive testing machines 

Surveying with total survey station and DGPS 

Field soil testing 

Slope stability analysis for gauge conversion in railways 

Testing of building materials like cement, aggregates, concrete, bricks, hollow 

blocks, steel rods, tiles and bitumen 

Finger Printing analysis in medicinal plants 

Heavy metal analysis in Ayurveda, Siddha and classical medicines 

Elemental analysis in medicinal plants 

Biochemical, toxicology and pharmacology studies 

Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamic and epidemiological studies 

Training and extension programmes for staff from industries / academia 

Phytochemical studies, analysis and quality control of pharmaceutical 

formulations 

Geo–Chemical analysis 

In situ and ex situ conservation of medicinal plants 

Value addition of natural products 

Below poverty line survey conducted for Government of India 

TIFAC rehabilitation project for tsunami victims 

Transfer of cost–effective technologies to rural people and local industries 

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Designed and constructed the oxidation pond and sewage treatment plant in 

SASTRA campus 

Water analysis for CPWD, PWD of Government of Tamil Nadu, TWAD 

Acted as a Nodal Centre for the Cyclone Disaster Mitigation Project of UNDP– 

SERC 

Industry–Institute interaction has been the cornerstone for SASTRA's enhanced 

visibility in the industry and has paved way for many reforms happening at SASTRA. 

The interaction takes place in aspects like identifying the industrial need and setting 

the curriculum, providing training, internship to faculty members and students, 

placement opportunities for the students, research support to industry, tailor made 

courses for industry employees, feedback from the industries on the recruited 

students, field visits, arranging workshops etc. All facilities available in the campus 

are widely publicized in the university website, invitation to the industry leaders for 

university programmes and exhibiting the facilities, expertise and skills, open house 

programmes, alumni associations, seminars, workshops and journal publications and 

interactions through university–industry cell. 

Tata Consultancy Services & SASTRA University signed a MoU for collaborative 

research in Epigenetic Analysis Platform and Biomarker Discovery. This MoU was 

signed on June 29, 2011 at TCS, Chennai. The research project aims at developing 

Algorithms and Tools for inferring disease state from epigenetic data and also 

develop a software platform for analysis of epigenetic data. This collaborative work 

utilises SASTRA's strength in modelling and experimental chromatin epigenetics, 

high throughput microscopy and bioinformatics and the software excellence of TCS 

to develop an epigenetic platform for disease diagnosis. 

The Industry–Institute Interaction meet on December 23, 2011 was presided by Dr. 

R. Kannan IAS, Principal Secretary of Education, Government of Tamil Nadu. Dr. 

Vasantha Muthusamy, Former Senior Deputy Director General of Indian Council for 

Medical Research (ICMR) highlighted the importance of Industry–Academia 

interaction. In the Industry–Institute meet, heads of R & D departments, executives 

from 32 pharmaceutical industries and other industries participated and deliberated 

the scope for promoting industry–academia partnership through research. 

M/s Consolidated Construction Consortium Ltd., (CCCL)–SASTRA Skill Development 

Training Centre was inaugurated on 30 th March 2009 at SASTRA University. Twenty 

candidates were selected for a three–month training programme at SASTRA and each


was paid a monthly stipend of Rs 3,000 by CCCL. After the initial training 

programme the candidates were posted in various work sites of CCCL and paid a 

stipend Rs 4,500 with free accommodation. Fifteen candidates who had completed 

the ITI electrician course were directly absorbed for training in the CCCL Training 

Centre at Chennai with a monthly stipend of Rs 4,500. 

Faculty members are permitted to offer consultancy services without affecting their 

regular teaching works. An amount of 30–50% of the consultancy fee is given as 

remuneration to the staff involved in the consultancy. 

3.6. Extension Activities & Institutional Social Responsibility 

SASTRA has an ethos of its own, different from others. SASTRA has carved a niche 

for itself as a centre for fostering development of body, mind and spirit of its 

students. SASTRA is totally committed to this three-‐fold flowering of the students 

entrusted to its care. A moral instructor in the grade of an assistant professor who 

imparts moral education to students is available in the campus. 

We are also constantly aware of our societal responsibilities for we know that no 

man is an island. We do not believe in an ivory tower existence turning a blind eye to 

the society around us. Our approach has been holistic. We believe in inculcating and 

fostering essential moral values, which go to make a complete individual. Knowledge 

without proper base of ethics can be dangerous as evident from the chaos in the 

world every day and hence our insistence upon value-‐based quality education which 

incidentally is the motto of the University. At a time when altruistic ideals and civic 

interests seem to have given way to power goals and heightened interest in 

materialism, SASTRA presents a holistic approach to personal and professional 

growth. 

SASTRA has organized numerous programmes of societal relevance such as sapling 

plantation (Go–Green Mission), temple cleaning camps, tobacco awareness camps, 

LPG awareness camps, veterinary camps, mass literacy programmes, health camps, 

blood donation camps, road safety awareness programmes, environmental 

awareness rally, voter awareness rally, etc. 

SASTRA’s Community Outreach Programme (SCORE) is a unique initiative of SASTRA 

involving student volunteers and faculty to implement innovative cost–effective 

measures to improve the quality of life in the nearby villages. SCORE was formally 

inaugurated by the former President of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam during 

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SASTRA’s Silver Jubilee Celebrations on 2 nd October 2008. This initiative was started 

with a view to sensitize the youth towards various social issues, especially to 

understand the problems of the rural poor and to inculcate the spirit of social service 

and humanism. 

Under the banner of SCORE, SASTRA has organized campaigns for creating 

awareness on environment, road safety, health and career counselling, computer 

awareness, energy conservation, legal awareness, water quality testing, awareness 

about various Central and State government schemes, environmental management 

and women’s rights. SASTRA has adopted the neighbouring Tirumalaisamudram and 

Vallampudur villages with a goal to transform them into model villages with 100% 

sanitation, education, employment and housing. In the first phase, construction of 

low cost bathroom–cum–toilet for each household is under implementation with a 

part of the cost contributed by SASTRA. On completion, each house in these villages 

will have a separate bath and toilet facility. 

SASTRA is a recognized centre for conducting on–line GATE examinations and AMIE. 

The faculty members and administrative staff of the University contribute to the 

smooth conduct of examinations for the selection of Village Administrative Officer, 

TNPSC Group I, II & IV Officers, bank officers, etc. In addition, they have also served 

as polling / presiding officers during the local body, assembly and parliament 

elections. 

Student Citizens of SASTRA (SCOS) is yet another effort to involve enthusiastic 

student volunteers to regulate traffic on–campus, facilitate the smooth transition of 

freshmen from school to professional studies. 

The management, faculty and students of SASTRA have always been sensitive to the 

societal needs and contribute generously to welfare measures of the government, 

during natural calamities, accidents, etc. A few notable examples of SASTRA’s 

contributions are highlighted below: 

3.6.1 SASTRA’S Relief Work in Uttarakhand 

The Uttarakhand flash floods of June 16, 2013, stirred SASTRA University to plan a 

Relief Operation in the affected region. SASTRA University donated relief material 

that consisted of rice, wheat, sugar, children’s food, milk powder, pulses packed in a 

cloth bag for 5,000 families. The entire relief material was transported in 3 trucks 

from the University campus in Thanjavur and the total value of relief material was Rs


50 lakh. This relief operation had no intermediary agency involvement and 

Honourable Vice–Chancellor handed the material directly to the families along with 

University staff members with the assistance of Swami Shantatmananda and 

volunteers from Swami Dayananda Ashram in Rishikesh. 

Relief operations began on 11.07.2013 at Joshi Mutt and covered villages in the 

surrounding areas like Pandukeshwar, Govind Ghat, Lambha Ghat, Bhyundar, Palla, 

Jakola, Selna, Khimana, Dhumak, Pinda, Devgram, Kalgod and Dharki. Relief 

materials were distributed to villages around Guptkashi (47 km south of Kedarnath), 

namely Devarpur, Bansu, Thyuryn, Devshal, Darkura, Chowri, Badasu, Rael, 

Triyuginarayani, Thaunsi, Chowmasi, Jaol and Kabilkha. Though some of the villages 

were inaccessible by road and were 3 to 16 km away from the main road, the relief 

materials were still distributed by climbing high mountain altitudes to reach the 

villages. The name list of the villagers and the details of the village routes were 

obtained from the respective Pradhans. 

The Vice–Chancellor has also requested the Chamoli district collector to initiate 

necessary steps to send around 150 school going children who are unable to locate 

their parents to Tamil Nadu with an assurance that SASTRA University shall 

undertake to provide free shelter, food and education up to college level to these 

children. 

3.6.2 Cyclone Thane 

The Management, staff and students contributed a sum of Rs 1.25 crore towards the 

Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for resurrecting various parts of Tamil Nadu that were 

affected by the THANE CYCLONE during December 2011. Out of the total 

contribution to the Relief Fund, the Management donated Rs 1 crore, while all 

teaching and non–teaching staff, by way of one day salary, contributed about Rs 12 

lakh and the student contribution amounted to about Rs 13 lakh. 

3.6.3 Tsunami Relief Work 

As part of the tsunami relief work, SASTRA constructed and donated 39 community 

shelters, provided safe drinking water, distributed fibre–glass boats to fishermen and 

Kalam Calipers to 177 physically challenged children. The community sheds 

constructed by the SASTRA engineering team incorporated structural alignments 

suiting the local needs with a size of 24 feet x 20 feet and each shed was built at a 

cost of Rs.1.30 lakh to last for a minimum period of about 10 years. The ceiling and 

the side–walls have been made of the composite material using jute–coir and rubber 

140

with structural support provided by slotted angles. 

141 


3.6.4 Kumbakonam School Fire Tragedy 

In the fire tragedy that took place in a school at Kumbakonam, 91 children lost their 

lives. SASTRA provides complete financial support for the education up to 

graduation of one sibling in each of the families of the 91 victims. 

3.6.5 SASTRA Skill Development Programmes 

SASTRA University launched a free one–year skill development programme in CNC 

Machining, Forging & Welding on February 23, 2012. This programme was launched 

by Shri S. Ramadorai, Advisor to Prime Minister of India, National Council on Skill 

Development. This programme was conceptualised and designed after obtaining 

inputs over a one–year period from many stakeholders. Thirty–six students of the 

first batch have successfully completed the course and have been placed. At present, 

training is underway for the second batch of thirty–seven students at the Production 

Centre of the University. Since these students come from various challenged socio– 

economic backgrounds, a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 is given to each student to 

meet the cost of learning, travel and food. On successful completion of the 

programme, the students will benefit by securing employment in nearby industries 

or be encouraged by SASTRA with handholding facilities to start their own business. 

The University will also issue a certificate for each successful student and is also 

taking appropriate steps with the Government of India to grant ITI equivalence to 

this certificate to enable the students to integrate into mainstream formal higher 

education. Many discussions have been held with the Prime Minister’s Advisor and 

necessary steps have been initiated. 

3.6.6 School Development Programme (SDP) 

In 2012, SASTRA University donated Rs 1.5 crore to the municipal school at 

Kottaiyur, Kumbakonam for the construction of a new building to house ten 

classrooms, including a smart class, staff room, common room and compound wall. 

As part of Children’s day celebrations in 2012, SASTRA presented uniforms to 2800 

children aged between 3 and 5 studying at the Anganwadi schools at a cost of Rs 7.5 

lakh. SASTRA also contributed Rs 10 lakh and 5 lakh as 1/3 rd and 5% contribution 

respectively for the construction of synthetic tennis court at Annai Sathya stadium, 

Thanjavur and to provide basic amenities at nine taluk offices in Thanjavur.


In 2011, 33 steel cupboards were donated to the municipal and elementary schools 

in Thanjavur and 100 cots and mattresses for the benefit of patients admitted to 

Thanjavur medical college hospital at a cost of Rs 7 lakh. 

3.6.7 SASTRA & Society 

SASTRA has always been sensitive and responsive to societal needs. Every year, 

SASTRA donates 5 kg rice, ½ kg toor dhal and 1 kg jaggery to 1800 families of five 

neighbouring villages (Tirumalaisamudram, Vallampudur, Nattani, Munnaiyampatti 

& Kuruvadipatti) for the ‘Pongal’ festival. 

In 2012, SASTRA donated Rs 50 lakh to Sankara Heart Foundation, Chennai for 

conducting free heart surgeries for young children from challenged economic and 

social backgrounds. 

SASTRA University donated Rs. 21 lakh towards the purchase of air–conditioners, 

generators, electrification and furniture for the recently inaugurated air–conditioned 

unit of Dheerga Sumangali Kalyana Mandapam, a marriage hall built by the Police 

Department of Thanjavur. The Marriage hall is being given on concessional rent to 

police personnel for conducting marriages of their wards and also for public at a 

reasonable price. Further, SASTRA also contributed Rs 13.80 lakh towards the 

purchase of diesel generators for the effective utilization of the Kalyana Mandapam. 

SASTRA donated Rs 9.00 lakh and Rs 7.00 lakh respectively to repair and preserve 

the Rajagopuram of Sri Kumbeswaran Koil, Kumbakonam and Sri Sarabeswarar Koil, 

Tirubhuvanam. The University also provided financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to 

carry out renovation work at Our Lady of Refugee’s Church in Periyavarseeli village 

at Lalgudi. Also, a compound wall was constructed at a cost of Rs 75,000 in St. 

Anthony’s church at Tirumalaisamudram. SASTRA had also organized an 

‘Annadanam’ camp at Nagore Dargah during Kanduri festival. SASTRA constructed a 

‘bhojanasala’ at a cost of Rs 50 lakh at Sri Vijayeendra Theertha Swamigal Mutt, 

Kumbakonam. Arrangements have been made to provide free meals to the devotees 

on all Thursdays and ‘Dwadasi’ days. SASTRA organizes ‘Annadanam’ to the devotees 

of Vaitheeswaran Koil who proceed on Padayathra to the temple. Every year, 15,000 

food packets are distributed to the devotees. 

3.6.8 NSS Activities 

Seven NSS units of 100 student volunteers each led by a faculty member are 

functioning in the University. The service activities of these units include: 

142

Blood donation camps 

Tree plantation 

Temple cleaning 

Conducting free medical, dental and veterinary camps 

Renovation of ponds 

Laying of roads 

Eye camps 

Health camps 

Mass literacy programmes 

143 


In 2010, SASTRA was awarded ‘The best blood donation camp organizer’ by the 

Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society for having donated 927 units of blood in a 

single year. 

Campaign on Road Safety: A massive road safety awareness campaign emphasizing 

the importance of wearing helmets was launched on June 19, 2009. Trichy City 

Police Commissioner, Mr. Karuna Sagar, IPS, inaugurated the programme. 

Green SASTRA: The Green SASTRA project was launched on 17th August 2009 by 

Mr. M. B. Nirmal, Founder Chairman, EXNORA International and 120 saplings were 

planted by students. 

Spoken Tutorials: Under the aegis of National Mission on Education through 

Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT), Indian Institute of 

Technology, Bombay and SASTRA, have jointly taken up a project of preparing 

spoken tutorials for the rural and under–privileged people of this country by using 

ICT tools and knowledge. Students prepare 10–minute spoken tutorials on useful 

topics like safety, nutrition, farming, business, computer literacy, employment, etc to 

benefit rural youth, children, traders and farmers. So far 100 such tutorials have 

been prepared. 

3.6.9 SASTRA Upahaar 

A student social initiative to support needy village schools by providing assistance 

through classes for primary school students along with other cultural classes like 

dancing, singing, etc. was initiated under the aegis of Upahaar. Coaching classes on 

English, Science and Mathematics were conducted for the XI and XII standard 

students of Boys Higher Secondary School, Vallam by the students of SASTRA. 

Similarly, a motivational camp was conducted at Girls Higher Secondary School,


Vallam. Books on Motivation and Higher Education were donated to the school 

library by SASTRA. Financial assistance is also given to support library, drinking 

water facilities in schools, etc. 

SASTRA students involve themselves in many activities like health camps, awareness 

camps for various issues, literacy development and helping the school children in 

their learning of computer programming, English language, flood and other disaster 

relieves, and providing free medical consultation through the Vaidyanatha 

Arogyasala. 

The University periodically conducts socially relevant programmes to sensitize the 

faculty, students and the local community. As part of the Government of India 

initiative, SASTRA conducted ‘Below Poverty Line’ survey at Kumbakonam and 

Thanjavur. Similarly, a massive rainwater harvesting awareness programme was 

conducted to sensitize the public. About 700 students covered over 20,000 

households in Thanjavur and Kumbakonam. 

3.6.10 Women Empowerment Programmes 

The faculty members and the students of School of Law organized a Legal Aid Camp 

in Kandamangalam village, near Thirukattupalli in Thanjavur District, on March 8, 

2012 on the eve of International Women's Day celebration in association with the 

District Legal Services Authority of Thanjavur District. Apart from this, there is a free 

legal aid clinic available at the School of Law. 

A two–day training programme on herbal cultivation for rural women was organized 

by CARISM, SASTRA during March 1–2, 2012 with funding from National Medicinal 

Plant Board, Department of AYUSH, Government of India, New Delhi. 

The Entrepreneurship Development Cell of SASTRA in association with CARISM, 

SASTRA conducted a three–day training on Herbal Farming from October 8–10, 

2010. 

In June 2012, a workshop on Panchayat Raj was organized at SASTRA (Centre for 

Rural Studies), which sensitized 160 women Panchayat presidents of neighbouring 

districts regarding the challenges confronting them. 

3.6.11 Computer Awareness Programmes 

The Department of Computer Applications, School of Computing SASTRA University, 

organized a training programme on “Basic Computer Literacy” for the Staff of the 

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Registration Department, Government of Tamil Nadu on 17 th November 2010. Fifty 

staff members, comprising Junior Assistants and Computer Operators, from 

Thanjavur and Pattukottai Registration Districts attended the programme. A similar 

programme was organized on December 11, 2010 for the registration department 

officials of the Kumbakonam Revenue District. 32 staff members attended the 

programme. 

Basic computer literacy training was provided to 120 school teachers of Thanjavur 

Educational District between December 15–17, 2009. A two–month computer 

training programme was conducted for Officers of the Indian Air Force Station, 

Thanjavur, during August–September 2008. Computer training Programmes are 

offered to the Tamil Nadu Police Officers of different levels at regular intervals. A 

40–day Advanced Computer Training was offered to seven Police Officers of 

Thanjavur range August and September 2010. Two–day training programmes on 

RDBMS and CAARUS on 19, 20 and 26, 27 of June 2010 were conducted for 120 

Tamil Nadu police personnel. A 4–day training programme for Tamil Nadu Police 

personnel on “Computer Literacy in RADMS and CAARUS” from 3 rd October to 20 th 

November 2009. Two–hundred police personnel including 20 officers attended the 

training. 

The Entrepreneur Development Cell (EDC) of the University caters to different strata 

of the society. It has been identified by the government of Tamil Nadu to be the 

regional training centre and an MoU has been signed with the Entrepreneurship 

Development Institute, Government of Tamil Nadu. 

Out of the 29 programmes organized by the EDC, 27 have been partially supported 

by the University Grants Commission and Entrepreneurship Development Institute, 

Govt of Tamil Nadu, has supported the other 2 programmes. The following table 

shows the programmes organized by the Cell: 

S. No Programme Date 

1. Revitalizing Entrepreneurship in Self Help Groups August 8–9, 2008 

2. Management Training for Micro Level Entrepreneurs October 20, 2008 

3. The Key to Entrepreneurship March 11–12, 2009 

4. Fostering Entrepreneurship – The Role of 

Government Agencies 

5. Scope of Entrepreneurial Development in Thanjavur 

District 

August 3, 2009 

August 4, 2009


S. No Programme Date 

6. Self Employment Training for Rural Women August 29, 2009 

7. Skill Development Training on Repairing of Domestic 

Appliances 

146 

July 31– August 8, 

2009 

8. The spirit of Entrepreneurship February 16, 2010 

9. Self Employment Training for Women SHG members July 12, 2010 

10. Self Employment Training on Making of Kundhan August 30 – 

Jewellery 

September 3, 2010 

11. Nurture the Entrepreneur in U September 4–5, 

2010 

12. Self Employment Training for the ‘Home Makers’ September 30– 

October 1, 2010 

13. Training Programme on Teddy Bear Making October 1, 2010 

14. Training Programme on making of Kundhan Jewels October 2, 2010 

15. Herbal Farming to Export October 8–10, 

2010 

16. Training on Embroidery Work October 9–10, 

2010 

17. Skill Development Workshop October 9, 2010 

18. Training on Areca Leaf Plate making October 9–10, 

2010 

19. Self Employment Training Programme October 11–12, 

2010 

20. Training Programme on Jute–Bag making for SHG October 15–19, 

Women 

2010 

21. Business Plan Contest February 25–27, 

2011 

22. Training on Assembling Computer and Hardware 

Repair 

March 12–13, 2011 

23. Skill Development Programme on Preparation of 

Bakery Products 

March 14–15, 2011 

24. Entrepreneurship Development–Idea Generation to 

Implementation 

March 24, 2011 

25. CEOs Talk March 25, 2011 

26. Value Addition Programme on Nutritious Foods May 19–20, 2011 

27. Skill Development Training on Computer Assembling 

And Hardware Repair 

May 25–26, 2011 

28. You Can Be An Entrepreneur – Programme 

February 22– 

exclusively for SC/ST youth of Thanjavur district March 26, 2012 

29. Entrepreneurship Awareness Camp December 27–29, 

2012

147 


The extension activities result in sensitizing students towards various social issues 

and inculcate empathy & compassion. Further, these activities develop and hone soft 

skills like planning, organizing, public speaking, problem solving, leadership, team 

building, etc. 

3.6.12 JEE Coaching for High School Students 

SASTRA University has taken the initiative to create awareness amongst the high 

school students of Trichy & Thanjavur districts on the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE). 

Three awareness sessions were organised during the month of June 2013: 

June 8, 2013 – JEE Awareness Sessions for High school Principals 

June 29, 2013 – JEE Awareness Session for Parents in Trichy & Thanjavur – 2 

separate events 

July 14, 2013 – JEE Free Coaching Selection in which more than 800 students 

participated 

From the selection test, 60 students have been shortlisted and the top 30 students 

will be provided free intensive JEE Coaching at SASTRA campus during the weekends 

between August ’13 and April ’15. The entire cost of the coaching amounting to Rs 

39 lakh will be borne by SASTRA. 

3.7 Collaboration 

SASTRA University has established collaborations with the following national and 

international institutes/industries: 

All India Institute of Medical Sciences 


CEERI, Chennai 

Dartmouth University, USA 


Ecole Polytechnique, France 

ETH, Zurich 

Facebook, California, USA 

Georgetown University, USA 

Georgia Tech University, USA 

Google, California, USA 



Indian Institute of Technology Madras 

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi 

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 

Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, New Delhi


JIPMER, Puducherry 

JNCASR, Bangalore 

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany 

MIT–Harvard, USA 

National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research 

National Centre for Biological Sciences 

National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 

National Institute of Oceanography 

National University of Singapore, Singapore 

Orebro University, Sweden 

Raman Research Institute, Bangalore 

Reiken Brain Science Institute, Japan 

Rutgers University, USA 


Swiss German University 

Tata Consultancy Services, Mumbai 

The Centre for Genomic Applications 

Tokyo City University, Japan 

University of Aberdeen, UK 

University of Aden 

University of Cambridge, UK 

University of Connecticut, USA 

University of Erlangen, Germany 

University of Kwazulu – Natal Arhus Universitet 

University of Leicester, UK 

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA 

University of St Andrews Hospital for Special Surgery, New York 

University of Utah, USA 

University of Windsor, Canada 

University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA 

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA 

Universitat Polytechnica de Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain 

Vision Research Foundation, Chennai 

Collaborations with national and international institutes/industry of repute have 

resulted in 

leveraging the strengths of the partners through knowledge sharing, joint 

publications, student and faculty exchange 

open new areas of research at SASTRA 

academic programmes 

international funding 

3.7.1 Curriculum Development 

The linkages with industries provide an ideal interface to obtain inputs regarding the 

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149 


requirements of the industry for prospective employees. These inputs are then used 

to include topics in the curriculum that would expand the knowledge and skill 

repertoire of the students. Experts from the industry are members of the Board of 

Studies and the Academic Council of the University to design and develop the 

curriculum across various disciplines. The industry personnel are periodically 

invited to deliver lectures to the students regarding the skill set required for possible 

employment in the industry. They are also members of the doctoral committee to 

provide valuable inputs to Ph.D. scholars. They also serve as resource persons and 

deliver special lectures through both direct and distant modes. This allows for 

professional networking between faculty & students with the personnel of collabora-‐ 

ting institute / industry leading to internships and semester abroad programmes. 

3.7.2 Research & Publications 

The research link established with the industries has resulted in publication of the 

findings in major conferences and reputed journals. Faculty members of SASTRA, 

industrial personnel who have registered for Ph. D. at SASTRA and students who do 

their projects in industries have come out with some good publications in scientific 

journals and presentations in appropriate forums. 

The following table shows the number of publications with other institutions and 

laboratories abroad: 

Country No of Publications 

(SCOPUS) 

United States 22 

Singapore 10 

Germany 9 

United Kingdom 8 

UAE 7 

Malaysia 6 

Mexico 6 

Japan 6 

Sweden 6 

France 5 

China 5 

South Africa 4 

South Korea 4 

Australia 3 

Spain 3 

New Zealand 3 

Other Countries 24


3.7.3 Student Placement 

The industry–oriented curriculum coupled with special emphasis on development of 

soft skills of the students help in moulding the fresh graduates into highly 

employable technologists. The inputs from the University alumni employed in major 

industries also provide valuable information on the type of job vacancies and skill 

requirements. The Department of Training & Placement works out a schedule for 

campus placement of the students based on the industry requirements and 

convenience. The placement percentage has been on the rise during the past years 

and in the current year more than 90% of the eligible final year students are already 

placed. 

Linkages with IT majors such as Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, Accenture, HCL 

Technologies, IBM, etc., have contributed to the excellent campus placement record. 

The trusted and ever–growing collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. 

(TCS) has resulted in the highest number of placement offers for SASTRA students 

year after year. In the year 2011, TCS made history at SASTRA by recruiting 1755 

students thus creating a world record for the maximum number of candidates 

recruited from a single campus in a single day. Industry leaders like Ashok Leyland, 

CCCL, L&T ECC, Brakes India Ltd., Lucas TVS, etc. continue to recruit SASTRA 

students from core engineering disciplines regularly. 

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151 


CRITERION IV: INFRASTRUCTURE AND LEARNING RESOURCES 

4.1. Physical Facilities 

The University has wide sprawling campus and is situated in a rural and serene 

atmosphere to facilitate peaceful learning without the disturbances of an urban setting. 

The total built–up area in the campus is more than 2,22,129.02 square meters. SASTRA 

is well endowed with the following physical infrastructural facilities: 

S. No Building School / Department / Facility 

1. 

Srinivasa Ramanujan 

Centre 

2. Vidyut Vihar 

3. Vishwakarma Joth 

4. 

Anusandhan Kendra 

(Phase I) 

5. Jiva Chaitanya 

Engineering, Basic Sciences & 

Education 

Srinivasa Ramanujan Museum 

Electronics & Communication 

Engineering 


Engineering 

Electronics & Instrumentation 

Engineering 

Mechanical Engineering and 

Mechatronics 

National Mechatronics Facility 

I Year classrooms 

Built–up Area 

(sq. m.) 

19,711.39 

14,010.00 

17,112.52 

Integrated Research Park 11,152.42 

Biotechnology, Bioengineering & 


Drug Testing Lab 

NMR Facility 

10,806.00 

6. Nirman Vihar Civil Engineering 8,475.55 

7. Chanakya 

8. Chith Vihar 

9. Saraswathi Sadan 

10. Manisha 

School of Management 

School of Law 

Computer Science 

Information & Communication 

Technology 

Information Technology 

Central Library 

Language Lab 

Multimedia Centre 

Centre for Information Super 

Highway (CISH) 

High–performance Computing 

Centre 

VLSI and Embedded Systems 

Centre 

6502.41 

5,569.23 

4,340.00 

3,486.30

Criterion IV 

11. Vidya Vihar 

EDUSAT Laboratory 

Accenture Mobility Laboratory 

MCA Laboratory 

Computer Applications 

Training & Placement 

3,203.43 

12. Gnana Vihar 

Oriental studies 

Directorate of Distance Education 

Student Affairs 

2,823.97 

13. Production Centre 

Advanced Machining and Forging 

Unit 

2323.42 

14. Jana Chaitanya Chemical Engineering 2,205.15 

15. Vignana Vihar Pharmacy 2,044.60 

16. 

Jiva Jandhu Pariksha 

Kendra & Ghosala 

GLP–Compliant Animal House 

Cowshed 

1,550.55 

1,253.00 

17. Vani Vihar Controller of Examinations 1,182.00 

Office of VC, Office of the 

18. Administrative Block Registrar, Deputy Registrars, 1,094.40 

19. Sadanandha Vihar – I 

Finance Office and Senate Hall 

Girls Hostel Single 2,262.00 

20. Sadanandha Vihar – II Girls Hostel 4 in 1 3,174.00 

21. Sadanandha Vihar – III Girls Hostel 4 in 1 12,420.00 

22. Arundhathi Girls Hostel 2 in 1 6,900.00 

23. Anasuya Girls Hostel 4 in 1 (bath attached) 2,323.42 

24. Ahalya Girls Hostel 5 in 1 5,353.99 

25. Kamadhenu 

Boys hostel Single, 2 in 1 and 

4 in 1 (bath attached) 

13,514.03 

26. Sandipani Sadhan Boys Hostel 4 in 1 10,303.00 

27. Paramanandha Vihar Boys Hostel 4 in 1 7,461.47 

28. Anand Vihar Boys Hostel 2 in 1 5,840.70 

29. Vasishta Boys Hostel 4 in 1 5,385.00 

30. Kamadhenu Annexe Boys Hostel 4 in 1 4,114.16 

31. Guru Sadan Staff Quarters 2,524.07 

32. Rajalakshmi Vihar Boys Hostel 3 in 1 2,114.31 

33. Athithi Bhavan Guest House 1,672.86 

34. Maruthi Indoor Stadium 1,225.00 

35. Support facilities 

Book store, 

OAT, etc. 

hospital, canteen, 

17,482.99 

36. 


(Phase II) 

Under construction 12,000.00 

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To ensure improved performance and maximum utilization of resources, the different 

branches functioning as departments were integrated to form Schools. Each School is 

housed in a separate, spacious and self–contained building(s) to cater to teaching, 

research and co–curricular activities. Every School has sufficient number of 

classrooms, laboratories, smart classrooms, office room, common room, staff rooms 

and rest rooms. A fully air–conditioned auditorium with multimedia and acoustic 

facilities is provided in each building. All these have been well structured to 

accommodate the needs of students and staff members. Lifts, ramps and wheel chairs 

are available for people with disabilities. The University has 265 classrooms and the 

following laboratories in different buildings: 

S. No Building Rooms Laboratory / Facility 

1. Anusandhan 

Kendra 

(Phase I) 

Seminar halls – 2 

Conference hall – 1 

Discussion room – 1 

Materials electrochemistry 

laboratory 

Nanosensors laboratory 

High performance 

biocomputing laboratory 

Nanofluids laboratory 

Nanomaterials & devices 

laboratory 

Phytochemistry laboratory 

Plant tissue culture 

laboratory 

Animal cell culture 

laboratory 

Biochemistry laboratory 

Nanotoxicology laboratory 

Central Instrumentation 

Facility 

Bioremediation laboratory 

Molecular biophysics 

laboratory 

Genetic engineering 

laboratory 

Quorum sensing laboratory 

Structural biology 

laboratory 

Immunology laboratory 

Green chemistry 

laboratory 

Optoelectronic materials 

laboratory 

Common research facility 

Electrophysiology 

laboratory 

Characterization


2. Nirman Vihar Classrooms – 13 

Seminar Hall – 2 

Auditorium – 1 

3. Jiva Chaitanya 

& Jana 

Chaitanya 

Classrooms – 34 

Seminar hall – 1 


154 

laboratory 

Cell culture facility – 4 

Drug delivery laboratory 

Tissue engineering 

laboratory 

Chromatin epigenetics 

laboratory 


laboratory 

Nanomaterials synthesis 

laboratory 

Transmission electron 

microscopy 

Scanning electron 

microscopy 

Liquid chromatograph 

tandem mass spectrometer 

(LC–MS/MS) 

Inductively coupled plasma 

mass spectrometer 

coupled with laser ablation 

system (LA–ICP–MS) 

X–ray fluorescence 

spectrometer 

X–ray diffractometer 

X–ray photoelectron 

spectrometer 

Strength of materials 

laboratory 

Fluid mechanics laboratory 

Soil mechanics laboratory 

Concrete and highway 

laboratory 

Survey laboratory 

Geology laboratory 

Computing laboratory 

Structural analysis 

laboratory 

Geochemical laboratory 

Environmental laboratory 

Bioprocess engineering 

laboratory 

Downstream processing 

laboratory 

Chemical reaction 

engineering laboratory 

Histology laboratory 

NMR & liquid scintillation

4. Vishwakarma 

Joth 


Drawing hall – 2 



5. Vidyut Vihar Classrooms – 36 



Conference hall – 1 

155 


facility 


Molecular biology 

laboratory 

Genetic engineering 

laboratory 

Pharmaceutical technology 

laboratory 

Microbiology laboratory 

Plant tissue culture 

laboratory 

Drug testing laboratory 

Polymer synthesis 

laboratory 

Biomedical 

instrumentation laboratory 

Pharmacology laboratory 

Bioinformatics laboratory 

Technical analysis 

laboratory 

Physical chemistry 

laboratory 

Heat transfer 

laboratory 

Machine shop 

Workshop 

Thermal engineering 

laboratory 

Heat transfer laboratory 

CAD/CAM laboratory 

Dynamics laboratory 

Metrology laboratory 

Automobile laboratory 

Mechatronics laboratory 

Metallurgy laboratory 

Physics laboratory 

Chemistry laboratory 

Electrical machines 

laboratory – 4 

Electrical workshop 

Power electronics 

laboratory 

Circuits laboratory 

Basic electrical laboratory 

Microprocessor laboratory 

– 2 

Power systems laboratory 

Simulation laboratory


Computer laboratory 

High voltage laboratory 

Embedded processors 

laboratory 

Communication laboratory 

Microwave laboratory 

Fibre optics laboratory 

Digital signal processing 

laboratory – 2 

Microcontroller laboratory 

Electronics laboratory 

Linear integrated circuit 

laboratory 

Printed circuit board 

laboratory 

Process control laboratory 

Advanced process control 

laboratory 

Biomedical & signal 

processing laboratory 

Transducers laboratory 

Control & instrumentation 

laboratory 

Precision measurement 

laboratory 

Altera VLSI laboratory 

Integrated electronics 

laboratory 

6. Chith Vihar Classrooms – 25 Advanced projects 

laboratory 

Programming 

laboratory I 

Programming laboratory II 

Software engineering 

laboratory 

Microprocessor 

laboratory 

Multimedia laboratory 

IT laboratory 

ICT laboratory 

CTS–Open source 

7. Manisha Classrooms – 7 

Discussion room – 1 


156 

laboratory 

Centre for Information 

Super Highway (CISH) 

High performance 

computing facility 

Embedded systems 

laboratory

8. Chanakya Classrooms – 13 

Moot court – 1 


Multipurpose hall – 1 

Discussion rooms – 3 

Interview Rooms – 

15 

9. Srinivasa 

Ramanujan 

Centre 



Conference Hall – 1 

157 


VLSI design laboratory 

Internet laboratory 

EDUSAT laboratory 

Accenture – Mobility 

laboratory 

MCA laboratories – 5 

Classrooms for MBA and 

Law students 

Moot court for Law 

students 

Studio for recording 

lectures 

Air conditioned interview 

rooms for conducting 

campus recruitment 

Computer programming 

laboratory 

Internet laboratory 

Electrical machines 

laboratory 

Electronics laboratory 

Basic workshop 

Communications & DSP 

laboratory 

Physics laboratory 

Chemistry laboratory 


Microbiology laboratory 

Educational technology 

laboratory 

Central library 

10. Vidya Vihar Classrooms – 25 Classrooms for MCA 

students 

11. Gnana Vihar Classrooms – 8 


Conference Hall – 1 

Computer Laboratory 

12. Vignana Vihar Classrooms – 4 Mechanical operations 

laboratory 

13. Saraswathi Central library Language Laboratory 

Sadan 

Reading rooms Multimedia Resource 

Reference rooms 

Stack rooms 

Multimedia room 

Language lab 

Centre 

14. Jiva Jandhu Animal house Animal breeding rooms 

Pariksha Ghosala 

Animal holding rooms 

Kendra 

Animal experimental 

rooms


158 

Animal study rooms 

Animal quarantine rooms 

Surgical & recovery rooms 

Histopathology laboratory 

Autoclave room 

Cowshed 

In addition, Shanmugha Precision Forging, ISO 9001: 2008 certified world-‐class 

manufacturing facility is part of the School of Mechanical Engineering. Students are 

provided hands-‐on training in industrial capacity CNC machines. Further, this facility is 

utilized to conduct free skill development programmes for unemployed school 

dropouts. 

4.1.1 Development of Additional Infrastructure 

Dean, Planning & Development, coordinates the development of additional 

infrastructure facilities & learning resources and also augments the facilities to improve 

the learning ambience. The University constantly upgrades the lab facilities through 

the Research & Modernization Scheme in addition to the regular upgradation. The IT 

resources have been enhanced to provide a bandwidth of 355 Mbps enabling seamless 

internet connectivity to the students and faculty members to facilitate the teaching– 

learning process. 

Smart classrooms are provided in all Schools to impart effective and efficient content 

delivery, state–of–the–art laboratories catering to the needs of the recent technologies, 

cubical seating arrangements for the faculty members to improve the working 

ambience, free laptops (800 numbers) for the faculty and ICT enabled lecture halls 

enhances the teaching and learning methodologies. The workplace seating is also 

designed to provide the faculty convenience and comfort with personalised cubicles, 

storage, white board, etc. 

The University encourages faculty members with extra–mural research projects by 

providing them adequate and furnished lab space based on the specific requirements of 

the investigators. The University also provides access to the common and central 

research facility for faculty members to pursue their research interests. All faculty and 

students are provided with free internet access (Wi–Fi), access to over 10,800 full–text 

journals, 17,00,000 full–text dissertations, bibliographic access to 26,000 titles, etc. 

Further, faculty and students have access to transport (bus & cycle), food, on–campus 

accommodation, medical, sporting, banking, postal and courier services.

159 


4.1.2 Hostel Facilities 

There are seven boys' hostels and six girls' hostels providing separate accommodation 

to boys and girls. The hostels provide a secure, salubrious ambience and a feel–good 

environment and are equipped with all amenities for living, dining and recreation that 

makes each inmate feel at home. They also provide the right atmosphere for 

intellectual stimulation and balanced growth. SASTRA has always believed in catering 

to the palate by providing wholesome and balanced nutrition in a hygienic 

environment. A completely balanced vegetarian diet is served in all hostels equipped 

with steam–cooking facilities. There is also North Indian cuisine in addition to the 

South Indian culinary delights. The entire menu, quality and monitoring of the mess is 

done by the Student Mess Committee. The students are also given the responsibility of 

discussing with the caterers in organizing occasional food melas. Other support 

facilities like Wi–Fi (round the clock), coffee bar, juice stall, general store, reprography, 

ATMs, laundry, etc., are also available. 

Boys Hostel Capacity & Occupancy 

S. No Name of the Hostel 

Hostel 

Capacity 

Number of 

inmates 

1. Ananda Vihar Hostel 596 595 

2. Paramananda Vihar Hostel 424 419 

3. Vashista Hostel 432 416 

4. Rajalakshmi Vihar Hostel 159 156 

5. Sandipani Sadan Hostel 728 675 

6. Kamadhenu Hostel 1107 1099 

Total 3446 3360 

Girls Hostel Capacity & Occupancy 

S. No Name of the Hostel 

Hostel 

Capacity 

Number of 

inmates 

1. Sadananda Vihar New Hostel 797 797 

2. Sadananda Vihar Single Hostel 126 126 

3. Sadananda Vihar Old Hostel 234 234 

4. Arundathi Hostel 482 482 

5. Anasuya Hostel 169 169 

6. Ahalya Hostel 509 499 

Total 2317 2307 

4.1.3 Sports Facilities 

A multi–facility indoor stadium “MARUTI”, has been constructed, which houses four 

synthetic badminton courts, a synthetic basketball court, three billiards tables, two 

ping–pong tables, and carrom boards to promote excellence in sports and provide


organized relaxation and entertainment. A fully turfed (grass) football field is available 

for both the students and faculty members. Separate outdoor tennis, basketball and 

volleyball courts with floodlights are available for boys and girls. A spacious 

playground is available for cricket, hockey, handball and kabaddi. 

To maintain and establish a healthy fitness regime BODY LYRICS, a multipurpose 

fitness centre has been established in the indoor stadium. The sophisticated fitness 

equipment enables staff and students to maintain a good physique resulting in a 

healthy psyche. A separate gymnasium is also available for the girl students in their 

hostel. Besides this, there are separate volleyball, badminton and tennikoit courts 

available in the ladies hostel. A jogging track measuring 200 m laid with special stones 

is available in the girl’s hostel. 

4.1.4 Other Facilities 

Adequate transport facilities are available linking all nearby places like Trichy, 

Thanjavur and Kumbakonam. A total of twenty–two buses ply through different routes 

making connection between SASTRA and different locations easy for both staff and 

students. 

Vaidyanatha Arogyasala, the in–house hospital with 20 beds and regular doctors caters 

to the medical needs. Two full–time doctors, one resident doctor besides adequate 

paramedical staff are available at the hospital. The hospital houses a pharmacy and 

adequately equipped with sophisticated equipment to meet any medical emergency 

round the clock. The medical consultation is offered free and is also extended to the 

nearby villages surrounding SASTRA. ECG, Infra red lamp, Nebulizer, oxygen cylinder 

and minor surgical equipment are available. Ayurvedic and Siddha medicines are also 

available at the hospital. Camps on Siddha medicine, blood donation, free eye check–up 

and clinical diagnostics are conducted regularly. In an emergency, transport is 

arranged for the inmates of the hostel to the near–by hospital. 

Indian Overseas Bank with ATM facility courier, STD / ISD pay phones, photo copying 

centre, canteen, parking lots, stand–by power generators, a separate telephone 

exchange, television facilities in the hostels, water treatment plant, etc. are located 

within the University campus for the comfort of students and staff. The Higginbothams 

bookstore at SASTRA is yet another vibrant location providing the students with a wide 

variety of choice for books, souvenirs and other stationery items. Students’ activity 

centre for regular meetings of various clubs is also available. 

160

161 


A well–furnished guesthouse providing accommodation to visitors and guests is 

present in the campus. A well–laid tar road over a distance of 2 km connects various 

locations in the campus. A branch of the Indian Overseas Bank with core banking 

facilities is actively operational at SASTRA campus. Two ATM facilities from both 

Indian Overseas Bank and City Union Bank each are available on–campus out of which 

two are placed in the ladies hostel. 

There are two canteens at SASTRA that provide the right ambience for informal get– 

together and serve a variety of culinary delights. One of the canteens, “CANOPY” is a 

student entrepreneur venture, where students have integrated technological and 

managerial skills to provide a suite of services that includes laundry, ticket bookings, 

cab service, reprographic facility, laptop servicing, etc. 

Water facility is available round–the–clock in all buildings including hostels. SASTRA 

has contributed Rs 5 crore to the Tamil Nadu Combined Water Supply Scheme where 

about 7 lakh litres of water per day is pumped to SASTRA from the Kollidam river, 

which is located about 34 km from the campus. This water is treated through reverse 

osmosis plants at SASTRA before being supplied to the hostel mess and to all water 

coolers in the campus. Rainwater harvesting has been done for the entire campus. 

Effluent treatment plant has also been commissioned at SASTRA to treat the 

wastewater and the recycled water is being used for gardening purposes. 

As a part of green initiative, SASTRA commissioned a 600 m 3 capacity biogas plant to 

generate 80 kW electricity from night soil, kitchen and canteen waste, cow dung, paper, 

etc. The plant supports the lighting load in the ladies hostel and also the pumps in one 

of the effluent treatment plants. SASTRA has also installed two 5000 litres per day 

solar water heaters to provide hot water to the hostels. This has decreased the 

consumption of wood for boilers resulting in the reduced carbon footprint. Currently, 

installation of 1 MW rooftop solar photovoltaic plant is under active consideration. 

TNEB provides 11 kV supply with a sanctioned demand of 1700 kVA and three 

substations are available for the distribution and control of LT supply for the entire 

campus to cater to the AC units, UPS, lighting roads, water pump motors and other 

power loads. Six generators (2 each of 500, 250 & 125 kVA) are available at the campus 

making available a total installed capacity of 1750 kVA alternate power supply, which 

caters to all critical loads during power shutdown. A 1MW roof–top solar power 

generating unit is being installed. This is part of the University’s attempt to switch to


non–conventional energy resources and reduce reliance on the regular supply from the 

grid. 

Lord Jayaganapathy Temple in the campus has been the source of spirituality. A full– 

time priest with UGC scales of pay has been appointed to perform daily poojas and 

special homams on auspicious days. He is also in–charge of tutoring students during 

evening hours offering moral instruction classes and on Vedas. 

4.1.5 Expansion of Physical Facilities 

The following table shows the increase in built–up area, facilities and the investment to 

augment infrastructure in keeping pace with the academic growth: 

Period Building Built–up 

area 

(sq. m) 

Oct ‘07 – 

Apr ‘13 


(Phase I) 

(SASTRA’s Hub for Research & 

Innovation) 

Chanakya 

(MBA and Law) 

I year classrooms 

(Vishwakarma Joth) 

162 

Investment for 

Building / 

Laboratory 

resources (in Rs.) 

11,152.42 17,39,58,000 

6502.41 9,21,00,000 

5111.52 5,08,60,326 

Vashista (Boys Hostel) 5385.00 8,60,00,000 

Kamadhenu Annexe 

(Boys Hostel) 

4114.16 2,78,43,203 

Arundhathi (Girls’ Hostel) 6900.00 8,70,00,000 

Ahalya (Girls’ Hostel) 5355.00 8,75,00,000 

Renovation of Maruti Stadium – 25,00,000 

Synthetic tennis courts 40,56,298 

Parking lot 1116.00 29,00,000 

Acoustics for auditorium VV 

21,79,000 

JVC 

28,13,192 

NMV 

26,13,192 

VKJ 

21,05,607 

Canopy 407 

15,00,000 

500 

53,39,764 

Entrance arch 68,00,000 

Compound wall 1,05,93,000 

Faculty cubicles 1,17,14,000 

Cow shed 1,10,00,000 

Biogas plant 71,46,000 

Landscaping 52,00,000

163 


Construction of paver block in ladies hostel, renovations of Registrar office, 

refurbishing of hostel toilets and purchase of RO plants have been undertaken at a total 

cost of Rs 163.25 lakh. 

4.2 Library as a Learning Resource 

Saraswathi Sadan, the aptly named library of the University is an architectural elegance 

over an area of about 4,340 sq. m with modern study area, audio–visual room, internet 

and reprographic facilities. Saraswathi Sadan is the nerve centre of the entire campus 

catering to the needs of the staff and students in full measure. It has a collection of 

1,03,290 books in the racks and over 91,480 e–books. 

The library subscribes to 260 periodicals. The library also subscribes to online journal 

databases like Science Direct, Springer, American Chemical Society, ABI/INFORM, 

Nature, Institute of Physics Publishing, Royal Society of Chemistry, EBSCO, JSTOR, 

Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, IEEE, ASCE, ASME, ACM, ASTM, 

Lexis Nexis Academic, Annual Reviews, Manupatra, Portland Press, Project Euclid, 

PROQUEST Science Journal, Taxman Taxation database providing full–text access to 

over 12,000 scientific, legal, technical & management journals. Annual subscription to 

bibliographic databases like SCOPUS and MathSciNet providing access to over 26,000 

titles are also made. The library subscribes to PROQUEST Digital Dissertation database 

offering full–text access to over 17,00,000 Ph.D. dissertations. The subscription to 

ASTM provides access to over 12000 standards. The annual subscription to online 

databases is over Rs 1.60 crore. 

On perpetual access, the University has purchased 17,560 e–books from various subject 

collections of Springer for the copyright years from 2005 to 2012, worth Rs 2.33 crore. 

Also, annual subscriptions for e–books from ‘e–Brary’ are made providing access to 

91,480 books. The total investment on the library resources so far is Rs 16.21 crore. 

4.2.1 Library Advisory Committee 

The Library Advisory Committee (LAC) comprising members from all Schools meets at 

least twice a year and is responsible for the library resource planning and development. 

The LAC advises, recommends and monitors the entire library transactional 

mechanisms and suggests various methods to render the library services user–friendly. 

The committee takes final decision on purchase of valuable collections both on print 

media and online databases to the Central Library, considering the relevance and needs 

of under graduate, postgraduate and research scholars. The LAC also reviews the


utilization of various e–resources subscribed by the University to decide on renewal 

and assess additional demands. 

The composition of the LAC is given below: 

S. No Name Designation 

1. Dr. S. Vaidhyasubramaniam Dean (Planning & Development) 

2. Dr. S. Swaminathan Dean (Sponsored Research) 

3. Dr. K. Kannan Dean (Humanities & Sciences) 

4. Dr. S. Pugazhenthi Dean (School of Mechanical Engineering) 

5. Dr. P. Swaminathan Dean (School of Computing) 

6. Prof. K. G. Raghunathan Dean (Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre) 

7. Dr. T. R. Neelakantan Associate Dean (School of Civil Engineering) 

8. Dr. R. John Bosco Balaguru Associate Dean (School of Electrical & 

Electronics Engineering) 

9. Dr. K. S. Rajan Associate Dean (School of Chemical & 

Biotechnology) 

10. Dr. P. Ravisekhara Raju Head, School of Law 

11. Shri V. Jagadeesan Joint Librarian 

12. Shri R. Adhi Sundar Rajan Joint Librarian – Convenor 

The central library functions from 8.30 am to 10.00 pm on all working days and from 9 

am to 5 pm on Sundays and other public holidays catering to the informational needs of 

the users. The functioning of library beyond the class hours and also on holidays 

ensures valuable access for long hours. The library is kept open for seven days a week 

throughout the year except on Pongal, Republic day, Independence day, Saraswathi 

pooja and Diwali. Open–access system and systematic arrangement of books on the 

racks with proper subject–guides help the users to locate books easily. Books are lent 

for a period of two weeks with facilities for extension, if there is no demand from other 

students. The demand for a particular book is assessed based on online reservation 

system. Security is ascertained by proper staffing at various service points and also by 

appeal to the users to use the library resources properly. 

4.2.2 Library Infrastructure 

The details of the Central Library are as follows: 

Total area of the Library 4340 Sq. m. 

Total Seating Capacity 

Working Hours 

350 

On Working Days 8.30 am to 10.00 pm 

On Holidays 9.00 am to 5.00 pm 

Before Examination and 

During Examinations 

8.30 am to 12.01 am 

164

During Vacation 8.30 am to 8.00 pm 

Layout of Library 

Individual Reading Carrels 96 in Ground Floor 

57 in First Floor 

Lounge Area for browsing and 811 Sq ft provided 

relaxed reading 

IT Zone for accessing e–resources 1491 Sq ft provided 

Clear and prominent Display of 

Floor Plan 

165 


The Sectional arrangements in each floor 

are displayed at the entrance of the 

Library 

Adequate Sign Boards Systematic arrangement of books on the 

racks with proper subject –guides help the 

users in easy location of books 

Mode of Access to Collection Open Access System 

The details of the Library holdings are: 

In Print Form 

Books 1,03,290 

Back Volumes 3,694 

Theses 60 

Average numbers of Books added 

4,123 

annually during last three years 

Non Print 

AV/ CDROMs 14,118 

Electronic 

e–books 91,480 

e–journals 12,179 

e-‐standards 12,000 

e-‐conference proceedings 2,600 

Theses 17,00,000 

Special collections 

Text Books 64,215 

Reference Books 9,356 

Standards 477 

The multimedia section is equipped with computer systems, plasma screen TVs, DVD 

audio & video players and educational CDs accessible to the students for browsing, e– 

book / journal reading, downloading of selected articles / pages. It also provides access 

to 4600 video lectures through the National Programme on Technology Enhanced 

Learning (NPTEL). There are computer terminals with internet connectivity and the 

library premises is also Wi–Fi enabled (350 Mbps) to facilitate the use of online 

resources through laptops also. Reprographic services are also provided at nominal 

charges in the library premises.


The library services vis–à–vis acquisition of catalogues, issue, return, and bar–coding of 

books and non–book materials are completely automated using an user–friendly 

AutoLib Library Software package. A campus–wide OPAC facility is available on the 

LAN for better transactional access and information retrieval. The contents page of the 

books are also scanned and hosted in the OPAC for easy reference. The online 

resources subscribed by the University are publicised in the University website and the 

resources can be accessed through Wi–Fi. Apart from this, the University also 

subscribes to SCOPUS and MathSciNet, which provide a search platform to access 

abstract and bibliographic information from over 26,000 journal titles. The central 

library is a member of UGC–INFONET consortium, DELNET and INDEST–AICTE 

consortium. 

4.2.3 Library Utilization 

Average number of walk–ins 18750 per month 

Average number of books issued/returned 12750 per month 

Ratio of Library books to students enrolled 11:1 for print books 

9:1 for e–books (Unlimited 

simultaneous access for e–Books) 

Average number of books added during the last 

3 years 

4,123 per year 

Average number of login to OPAC 10,260 per month 

Average number of login to e–resources 25,674 per month 

Average number of e–resources downloaded / 

printed 

20,538 per month 

Number of IT literacy training organized 9 per annum 

The annual expenditure for the library in terms of purchasing new books and journals 

in the last four years is as follows: 

Period 

Amount (Rs in lakh) 

Books Journals 

2009 

Print 

Online 

25.46 

3.56 

4.95 

73.59 

2010 

Print 

Online 

62.51 

108.37 

3.29 

65.71 

2011 

Print 

Online 

39.66 

3.64 

3.93 

67.28 

2012 

Print 

Online 

39.93 

86.76 

4.35 

130.94 

166

167 


The library is well–staffed and functions in a user–friendly manner. Multiple copies of 

prescribed textbooks are available in a separate section. Reference books, handbooks 

and encyclopedias on topics covering all disciplines are arranged in a separate section 

with a rack displaying the new arrivals. The library timings coupled with the ease of 

access to reading materials ensure user–satisfaction. 

Responding to the change in the technological trends in the 21 st century, SASTRA has 

adopted and integrated Information & Communication Technology tools into the 

resources and services offered. This has ensured that the library does not become an 

irrelevant space turning into a warehouse of books in an academic institution. Further, 

the availability of e–resources and completely Wi–Fi enabled campus facilitate 

collaborative & interactive learning thus making the entire campus (classrooms to 

hostel rooms) into a virtual library. 

Students provide feedback on the availability of books for all the courses though online 

feedback system. The Deans & Associate Deans analyze the feedback and 

recommendations are sent to the Librarian for appropriate action. Faculty members 

and research scholars also suggest books and journals for procurement. The Library 

also offers manuscripts / books for users through Inter Library Loan (ILL). The library 

ensures the purchase of current titles and important journals by collecting the latest 

catalogues of books and journals from leading publishers. The Deans of the Schools 

with the help of other faculty members recommend the books for purchase and orders 

are placed. The library also periodically conducts book exhibitions by various 

publishers. Both students and faculty members are allowed to choose the books from 

the exhibition through spot selection. 

4.3 IT Infrastructure 

The institution adopts policies and strategies for adequate technology deployment and 

maintenance. The ICT facilities and other learning resources are adequately available 

in the institution for academic and administrative purposes. The staff and students 

have access to technology and information retrieval on current and relevant issues, free 

of cost. Campus wide wireless connectivity has been implemented at a cost of over Rs 1 

crore providing seamless internet connectivity throughout the campus. 

The IT resources include a number of powerful servers, variety of operating systems, 

latest software tools, mail server & web server with backup servers provide continuous 

service without disruptions in line with the IT policy of the University. The backup as 

well as replication is done at both the server and at the storage end. To mitigate risks


at the IT personnel level, every IT service has two trained administrators. All login 

credentials and a copy of the settings are kept in locked custody with the in–charge, IT 

Services. Powerful UPS and back–up generators back the entire IT services. 

Deployment of IT services is done in a structured manner where all faculty members, 

staff, students and guests are provided unique user–id and password for internet access 

as per their respective category. Each staff and student is provided with institutional 

email id with a storage space of 1 GB. 

The University permits only licensed software to be installed in the systems. For any 

new requirement of multi–user software, the University uses approved trial versions 

from the authentic suppliers. The entire campus is secured with Fortigate 620B Unified 

Threat Management (UTM) appliance in order to protect the campus network from 

unauthorized access. The wired and Wi–Fi networks are connected to Syslog server 

wherein the activities are recorded. The University has licences of anti–virus and anti– 

spam software, which are constantly updated to protect the IT resources and the data 

from any potential threats. Also, unwanted internet sites are blocked. 

The IT service takes care of the purchase, maintenance, management and upgradation 

of hardware and software for the entire campus. Onsite support engineers for vendor 

specific machines, AMC for servers and network equipments help in the maintenance of 

computers and accessories. 

Proprietary as well as open source resources are used. All these tools are also available 

for students and faculty members for download from a central repository. Generic 

licensed software like operating system, word processing tools and related software 

assets are maintained by the IT Service. Other software assets pertaining to Schools are 

maintained by them. 

SASTRA adopts the following strategies with respect to green computing: 

1. CPUs and all peripherals are shut down when not in use 

2. Most of the computing and necessary printing are done through centralized 

servers, network printers 

3. Since LCD monitors consume less power when compared to desktops, about 800 

laptops have been provided to the faculty members in the last four years 

4. Consumption of paper is minimized through e–governance and online payments 

The University has over 2323 computers / laptops and the computing facilities are 

open to all faculty and students. Apart from the central computing facility each school 

168

169 


has its own computer laboratory. The computer to student ratio of the University is 

1:11; however, students are provided individual systems during laboratory classes. 

School No of Systems 

School of Chemical & Biotechnology 123 

School of Civil Engineering 136 

School of Computing 795 

School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering 167 

School of Mechanical Engineering 98 

School of Management 66 

Anusandhan Kendra 72 

Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre 457 

Library 28 

Others (Admin, OSR, English, Maths, DDE, etc.) 33 

Laptops available to faculty members 805 

4.3.1 Software 

The list of software in different Schools is as follows: 

School Proprietary software Open Source 

Chemical & 

Biotechnology 

1. Schrodinger Full Suite & 40 

tokens 

2. Accelrys Discovery Studio 

3. AMBER Force Field 

4. ANSYS 13 (research version) 

Computing 1. HP UX 11i (perpetual license) 

HP aC++ 

HP FORTRAN 90 

2. Solaris 8 (perpetual license) 

3. Red Hat Linux Enterprise server 

V 6.2 

4. Windows 32 bit & 64 bit 

operating systems. Microsoft 

products covered under 

Microsoft Campus agreement & 

1. Modeller 9v7 

2. RASMOL, PYMOL 

3. HBPLUS 

4. Chimera 

5. Autodock, Hexdock, 

Patchdock 

6. BLAST 

7. Chemsketch 

8. PROCHECK 

9. CLusPro 

10. iTASSER 

11. MultAlign 

12. Muscle 

13. ClustalW 

14. PSIPRED 

1. SciLab 

2. OpenMP 

3. OpenMPI 

4. NS3 

5. Octave 

6. CentOS 

7. Ubuntu 

8. Moodle 

9. OpenLDAP 

10. BlueSpec


MS Dreamspark subscription 

5. Novell Netware V 6 (250 users) 

6. Rational Suite Enterprise 

edition (30 User License) 

7. Mechanical Desktop 5.0 

(AutoCAD 2000i – 30 users) 

8. Edge CAM – 5 users 

9. LAND dev suite – 20 users 

10. GIS (Arcinfo & Erdas) V 3.1 

11. Matlab V 6.5 (30 user license) 

12. NISA family of Programs V 8.0 

13. Cadence VLSI Design Tool (20 

users) 

ICFB 5141 

RTL Complier, Silicon 

Ensemble, 

SOC encounter, CeltlC 

crosstalk analyzer 

DIVA Verification suite, 

Spectre SPICE simulator 

Nclaunch (NCVHDL, 

NCVERILOG) 

Verilog XL, Leapfrog (VHDL), 

Ambit Build gates 

14. Mentor Graphics – 175 users 

ModelSim V 7.1 

Leonardo Spectrum 

Calibre 

15. MS office 2010 – 100 users 

16. Oracle 9i. with developer suite 

17. Multimedia software 

Adobe Photoshop 5.5 

Adobe Premier 5.0 

Adobe golive 4.0 

Macromedia Director 

shockwave 

Macromedia flash 4.0 

3D studio max 3.0 

Character studio 

Discreet effect 

Discreet paints 

Corel Draw 9.0 

Macromedia Fireworks 3.0 

18. Special Tools 

KEIL 

Nucleus plus 

170 

11. Eucalyptus

Civil 

Engineering 

Mechanical 

Engineering 

Electrical and 

Electronics 

Engineering 

VxWorks 

Altera (Maxplus II, Quartus 

II) 

Xilinx 

1. STAAD PRO 

2. ARC GIS 

3. ERDAS IMAGINE 

4. LISCAD 

5. ARC PAD 

6. PROLINK 

7. NISA 

8. ACAD 

1. ProE 

2. Adams 

3. Extend Sim 

4. Mech Desktop 

5. ANSYS 

6. CATIA 

1. Multisim education V 2001 and 

VHDL Add on Module 

2. Upgrade version of NI Multisim 

10 (10 users) 

3. Lab view–NT Software 50 users 

4. Matlab 5.2 

5. Altera Quartus 7.2 

6. ULK libraries and control panel 

GUI 

7. Simulink 

8. Software development tool for 

ADSP 2181 family 

9. PC–term serial communication 

software 

10. D–SPIK Soft terminal 

Emulation Software 

11. Keil PK51 micro version 2 

12. RTX51 Version 5.1 

13. Code composer studio V 5.1 

14. Mat lab 5.2 

15. ORCAD 9.2 

16. PSIM 6.0 

17. ETAB 4.7.4 

18. PSCAD 4 

19. Keil PK51 micro version 3 

171 


1. SCILAB 5.2 

2. Ubuntu OS 

3. AVR Studio 4 

4. VMLAB 3.15 

5. IAR embedded work 

bench Kickstart for TI– 

MSP 430 

6. Eclipse 

7. Xilinx ISE (student 

edition) 

The University thrives to achieve excellence by keeping its IT Infrastructure the most 

recent and updated one. Periodic upgradation of computer systems and all active and 

– 

–


passive network components are done. Eighty percent of campus Wi–Fi has been 

upgraded to 801.11n standard, where outdated access points were replaced with the 

latest standards and the core switch was replaced to a latest standard switch. The 

University is also a partner in the National Knowledge Network and through this 

programme, the campus network has been upgraded with a fibre optic redundant 

gigabit connectivity, forty eight layer 2 switches, seven fibre links, upgraded routers 

and core switches at a cost of Rs 35.00 lakh providing a bandwidth of 350 Mbps. This is 

to be upgraded to 1 Gbps shortly. 

Laboratories and facilities are set up in collaboration with Intel, TCS, CTS, Siemens, 

IBM, Accenture. Industry oriented courses are introduced in the curriculum to support 

the current technology. To have hands on experience in the new technologies, theory 

courses are converted to semi theory and semi laboratory. 

NPTEL resources, workshops under NMEICT, online resources through SASTRA, 

Webinars, MIT courseware, EDUSAT programmes, Tegrity Cart, e–studio, and online 

collaboration portal (Intel, IBM) enhance the teaching learning process. Schools are 

also provided with smart classrooms for ICT enabled teaching and learning. Faculty 

members also conduct class tests using Moodle software and Turning point. 

4.4 Maintenance of Campus Facilities 

The University has ensured the maintenance of its physical infrastructure by employing 

appropriate manpower. It is carried out through civil, electrical and communication 

wings of the maintenance department. The Mechanical workshop also provides the 

necessary support to address specific needs. The personnel come in shifts round–the– 

clock to ensure continuous functioning of essential support services. Adequate budget 

is provided to undertake the maintenance of these resources to put them to productive 

use without any breakdown. 

The University has also outsourced the house keeping activities in the hostels and 

academic buildings to ensure proper hygiene and cleanliness. Landscaping has been 

taken up to ensure a pleasing green environment using recycled water. The installation 

of the biogas plant has reduced the load on the oxidation pond since the night soil from 

the hostels and kitchen waste is used as feed to the plant to generate power. Dustbins 

are provided at various locations to keep the campus clean. The traffic within the 

campus is regulated and the vehicles are parked only in the designated parking areas. 

The faculty and students are provided with bicycles to commute within the campus 

thereby reducing the noise and carbon footprint. 

172

173 


The Civil Maintenance wing oversees day–to–day activities like cleaning, sweeping, 

gardening, all kinds of civil, repairs, maintenance of RO and sewage treatment plants, 

arrangements for functions, etc. Extension works and periodical disinfections of the 

buildings are also carried out. 

The Electrical Maintenance Wing takes care of the maintenance of substations, 

immediate restoration of power supply, electrification and maintenance works across 

the campus. Uninterrupted power supply is ensured not only to the laboratories but 

also to the hostels. Both preventive and periodic maintenance of various resources like 

building, furniture, electrical accessories, etc. are carried out. 

The entire air conditioning and IT resources are covered by Annual Maintenance 

contracts with the respective suppliers. The companies depute resident engineers who 

are available round–the–clock for immediate trouble shooting and servicing. Regular 

house–keeping in the academic, administrative and hostel buildings are out–sourced. 

The University has the following departments to take care of the different resources 

available in the campus: 

S. No Activity Department Personnel 

1. Construction supervision, 

Maintenance of buildings, 

roads, water supply, 

campus cleanliness and 

landscaping 

2. Electrical work for new 

buildings, electrical 

maintenance 

Estate 

Maintenance 

Electrical 

Maintenance 

3. Telephone lines Electronics & 

Communication 

4. Workshop / Mechanical Mechanical 

works, etc. 

Engineering 

5. IT infrastructure School of 

Computing 

Site Engineer – 1 

Maintenance Supervisors – 2 

Supervisors – 2 

Gardeners – 28 

Plumbers – 15 

Labourers – 76 

Supervisors – 5 

Electricians – 8 + 18 

Supervisor – 1 

Operators – 2 

Foreman – 1 

Skilled Assistants – 4 

Machinists – 4 

Welders – 1 

Auto mechanic – 1 

System Analyst – 1 

System Administrators – 4 

Network Support Engineers – 

2 

Webmaster – 1 

Resident Engineers – 4

Criterion IV SASTRA University 

174

CRITERION V: STUDENT SUPPORT & PROGRESSION 

175 


5.1 Student Mentoring and Support 

SASTRA’s student mentoring and support programmes are designed to realize the 

goals envisaged in the Vision statement of the University. The unique merit– 

based admission process brings in a group of highly motivated and intelligent 

freshmen students every year to the University and the teaching–learning process 

aims to impart sound technical knowledge, develop their creativity, analytical and 

critical thinking, fire their scientific temper and promote their innovative streak. 

The University has a separate student cell headed by the Dean, Students Affairs to 

assist the students in adapting to the academic environment. The University has 

a system of counselling wherein 30 students are assigned to a faculty member, 

who advice them on various aspects of curricular and co–curricular activities 

depending on their performance. The counsellors also motivate students in 

pursuit of excellence. An orientation session is held at beginning of each 

academic year for the freshers to familiarise the students with the infrastructure 

and co–curricular as well as extra–curricular opportunities available on–campus, 

apart from a brief overview of the teaching–learning process and student–centric 

activities. 

On the academic front, faculty in the relevant disciplines mentor students for 

summer internships, mini projects as well as final project work. The use of 

technology–enabled teaching pedagogy is promoted through use of ‘smart’ 

classrooms with projection facility and smart interactive boards. The key feature 

of this interactive board is that it not only projects the presentations but also 

facilitates annotation for explaining concepts real–time during a lecture. 

Learning Management Systems (LMS) have facilitated off–classroom interactions 

between faculty and students. The Wi–Fi and LAN connectivity throughout the 

campus offers access to study materials including research articles and books to 

students. Such efforts have enabled the students to effectively and thoroughly 

understand the concepts. This has resulted in the high quality of graduates who 

excel both in industries and research. A survey conducted among the employers 

of SASTRA graduates exhibited excellent domain knowledge, practical knowledge, 

hard skills including computing, laboratory and machinery handling, self– 

discipline, etiquettes and manner, voluntarism at work place, team skills, inter– 

personal skills, creativity & innovation, ability to learn new concepts and 

cooperation 

Engineers need to be logical, conceptual and must possess good problem–solving 

abilities. In order to develop their problem–solving skills, most of the subjects

Criterion V 

have incorporated a separate tutorial hour where they are given a specific 

problem to solve. The teacher assists the learners in arriving at the best solution 

and such efforts have helped in improving the understanding of the subject by the 

learners. 

The innovativeness and creativeness of the students are polished through 

numerous opportunities to participate in innovation contests, design contests and 

competitions. Some of the student achievements that have resulted through 

these mentoring efforts are highlighted below: 

A team of students from SASTRA won the top honours in TECHTOP 2010, a 

National level Innovative Contest for Engineers, for their project on “Carbon 

nanotubes from exhaust emissions of industries”. The team from SASTRA 

won a cash award of Rs 1 lakh along with a citation for their innovation in 

converting the waste flue gases into a commercially useful carbon nanotubes. 

The SASTRA team emerged winners from among 222 teams that were in the 

fray in the first round 

A team from SASTRA, NAIRAO Innovations won the first prize of Rs 1 lakh at 

the Al Gore Sustainable Technology Venture, an Asian level sustainable / 

clean technology business plan 

SASTRA students won accolades in the business plan contest at ABLE India 

2011, a National level life science entrepreneurship programme instituted by 

the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and managed by the Association of 

Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE). The team from SASTRA bagged the 

first prize of Rs 5 lakh from among the 220 entries that were submitted 

The team of Mechanical Engineering students from SASTRA participated in 

SAE–BAJA – 2010, a National level Contest organized by the Society of 

Automobile Engineers. The contest, open to undergraduate engineering 

students, requires the contestants to conceive, design, fund, fabricate, market 

and test an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), whose endurance testing is the primary 

motive of the competition in a custom built track. The team from SASTRA 

qualified for the National finals and won accolades from all for their design. 

This year also, the team from SASTRA, ‘CrucibleSRT’ has qualified for the 

National finals – a true testimony to the concept–based learning and 

mentoring at SASTRA 

The team ‘Stargazers’ from SASTRA emerged the winners of the ‘Great Mind 

Challenge’ contest organized the IT major IBM, in 2010. The award–winning 

project on ‘Online Library Management’ was selected from over 2000 entries. 

Interestingly, all three teams from SASTRA were placed in the top 15, 

prompting a special mention by the eminent judges 

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177 


Reddy Mallidi, a student of B. Tech. Civil Engineering bagged the first prize in 

Model making at Build Intec 2010, a contest for innovative architectural 

models 

Students’ innovative idea of lighting a bulb through phenomenal number of 

electronic components including resistors and integrated circuits was 

submitted to the Limca book of World records. The electronic components 

numbering 30,000 were mounted on the outline of India imprinted on a 15 x 

16.2 m flexor board. The resistors and integrated circuits represent the 

armed forces and leaders respectively while the bulb symbolizes our nation. 

This record was performed on the occasion of Republic day in 2013 as a 

curtain–raiser to DAKSH – the national level technical meet organized by the 

students and represents a major milestone in the technical finesse and 

creativity of SASTRA student fraternity 

A team of 8 students, comprising fully of second years, have won the second 

place in an event known as GREENX, one of the foremost events to take place 

in the technical event of IIT– BHU known as TECHNEX. The team, christened 

as “THE GREEN VISIONARIES” had been required to fulfill a series of 46 tasks, 

spread over five spheres consisting of fuel, waste, energy, food and water and 

green for fun. They had to face stiff competition from the likes of IIT’s and 

NIT’s in order to achieve this success. In all, around 26 different colleges from 

all across the different realms of India participated in this competition and 

team had to come up trumps against all odds in order to secure second place 

A student of the first year B.A.,LL.B., School of Law, SASTRA University was 

nominated the Best Delegate at The first Global Ethics and Values Convention, 

2012, held at the Ishaan Institute of Management and Technology, Greater 

Noida, from 16 th to 18 th December 2012. The forum was a fully residential 

programme organised by Alexis Foundation, in partnership with the Centre 

for Civil Society, New Delhi, Alexis Foundation is also a participant of the 

United Nations Global Compact. The forum aimed at discussing ethics, values 

and Law along with spirituality and environmental issues. With participants 

from all over the world, the summit came out with a declaration on global 

ethics and values 

The School of Law, SASTRA University won the 3 rd K. R. Ramamani Taxation 

Moot Court competition conducted by the School of Excellence, TN Dr. 

Ambedkar Law University. The team comprising A. G. Sweta, Akshaya P. 

Sachin, Aishwarya K. Iyer from SASTRA University beat ILS, Pune in the finals 

of the Taxation moot court. The moot problem was on the issue of 

retrospective amendments and its impact on international taxation. The team 

from SASTRA won the cash prize of Rs 50,000 and also the prize for the best 

memorials. A total 26 teams from all over the country participated with SVKM 

and GLC, Mumbai being the other two semi–finalists


SASTRA University won the RECAL Trophy for overall champions of Pragyan 

’13, the techno–management festival of National Institute of Technology and 

this is the 3 rd year in succession that the University has won the overall 

trophy 

AVNESHAN 2012 Fellowship awarded by Analog Devices to a team of three 

from the 5–year Integrated M. Tech. Instrumentation & Control students for 

their project on developing a navigational robot for blind persons 

The inroads made by information technology is reflected in the student support 

facilities most of which have now been automated. Student toolkit is a student– 

developed application that enables students to browse through the syllabi, 

submit permission requests, apply for identity cards, transcripts, and any other 

request for basic amenities, etc. Online payment of tuition, exam, hostel, mess 

fees, etc., has eliminated the long queues and waste of valuable time of the 

students. An online portal for registering the title of the final semester project, 

mentor and the project details including methodology and data is available to 

facilitate remote monitoring of students carrying out their internships / project 

work abroad and other institutions. 

An Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) is available to nurture the students 

to become entrepreneurs. The EDC frequently organizes motivational lectures by 

successful entrepreneurs and training camps for students to encourage them to 

become successful entrepreneurs. 

A dedicated Training & Placement (T&P) cell is available to train the students in 

soft skills and contribute to personality development of the individuals. The 

faculty of the T&P department provide guidance and counselling to students in 

placement & higher studies. 

Thus the University ensures all–round development of the student through 

creation of adequate facilities to enhance academic, co–curricular, extra– 

curricular performances of the students apart from inculcating social skills, 

entrepreneurship as well as societal commitment. 

5.1.1 Learning Management System (LMS) 

This is an enabling technology that aids a dynamic learning environment through 

the Professional Virtual Community (PVC). The virtual community offers 

interactions not only with teachers but also with peers even after class hours. 

PVC can also be used for resource sharing, evaluation, assignments and lecture 

notes. This offers flexibility to the learner in organizing their learning schedule. 

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179 


Turn–it–in ® is another software tool that helps in interfacing the teacher and the 

learner. Teachers create classes, give assignments and set due dates for 

submission Registered students submit their assignments online and the teacher 

assesses the originality of the report submitted through the plagiarism check 

option. 

5.1.2 Smart Classrooms 

‘A picture can convey a million words’. For more effective comprehension of a 

topic, animations and visual presentations of the lecture can be captured for an 

effective and high–impact teaching. In this regard, SASTRA University has 

introduced several state–of–the–art pedagogical tools such as Tegrity ® and smart 

interactive boards in classrooms designated as ‘smart classrooms’. The Tegrity ® 

cart allows one to record the lecture and these lectures can be uploaded on the 

internal server. The students can play back these lecture any number of times to 

understand the concepts presented. The advantage of this system is that even if a 

student had missed a class, the lecture content will be in the internal server. Also, 

slow learners can replay the recorded lectures for better understanding. This tool 

has been used extensively to develop the course modules for the M.C.A. 

programme offered to TCS employees and has been well–appreciated by the 

learners. Students can access open source courseware from NPTEL (National 

Programme for Technology Enabled Learning) offered by faculty from Indian 

Institutes of Technology, Indian Institute of Science and SASTRA. 

5.1.3 Personality Development 

SASTRA University provides all facilities to contribute to the multi–faceted 

development of each student that helps them in choosing their careers and excel 

in their chosen career paths. Apart from career counselling and augmentation of 

soft skills, due emphasis is also given to the maintenance of the health of the body 

as well as mind and to inculcate social responsibility to the students to make 

them good citizens. 

The Department of Training & Placement of the University has trained faculty 

who mentor the students on careers as well as provide training for enhancement 

of soft skills. The HR skills courses for the students are in–built in the curriculum 

and have four credits. The students have two hour sessions every week during 

their fifth and sixth semesters where students are involved in various soft skill 

enhancement and personality development activities that include group 

discussions, mock interviews, public speaking, debates on socially relevant topics, 

role play, etc. The HR skills sessions are extremely popular among students and 

serve to transform them into confident young technocrats with good 

communication skills and pleasant demeanour.


5.1.4 Value–Added Courses 

The concept of introducing open electives has opened up additional avenues for 

the wholesome development of the students by providing them a choice of 

subjects ranging from Laws of cricket, Human excellence, Organic farming, 

Introduction to political studies, Life and message of Swami Vivekananda, Basics 

of Sanskrit, Manuscriptology, Vedanta, Music, Vedic Mathematics, Yoga, PIC & 

HOBBY, Herbal wealth of India, Business Analysis for Engineers, Marketing 

Research, Finance for Engineers, etc. 

To provide more options to learners to get exposed to topics that can be a value– 

addition in their career, certificate courses have been offered in a wide range of 

disciplines. A few popular choices of certificate courses among the student 

community over the past five years are Maya, MySQL, PHP, Bioperl, Java, 

Automotive mechanics, Analytical techniques, Basic and Advanced Clinical 

Microbiology, etc. 

In addition, the University facilitates interaction of the students with delegates 

from foreign Universities and industries. Such sessions have provided them a 

bird’s eye view on the opportunities available in the industry as well as in higher 

studies apart from educating them on the skill set requirements for these careers. 

The summer and winter internship opportunities have also helped students to 

identify their career path. 

5.1.5 Personal Enhancement 

SASTRA strives to achieve excellence in academic pursuits but also inculcates a 

strong sense of societal commitment to the students, as we believe that the dream 

of a strong and resurgent India lies in inspiring the young scientists and 

technocrats to contribute to the development of rural India using their technical 

expertise. These activities also add a humane dimension to the students and have 

resulted in their moulding into ‘good individuals and good citizens’ in accordance 

with the Mission & Vision of the University. 

The University facilitates the students to avail educational loans from Banks at 

the beginning of each academic year. Indian Overseas Bank, SASTRA Branch and 

City Union Bank, Thanjavur Branch open exclusive counters at the time of 

admission process where the students can avail loans immediately. 

5.1.6 Prospectus 

The University prints prospectus every year and it contains information about 

each School including the programmes offered, branches of study, curriculum, 

infrastructural facilities, laboratory facilities and uniqueness. Apart from these, 

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181 


information on support amenities available in the campus such as hostels, 

transport, banking facility, recreational facilities, etc., is also mentioned. Besides 

printing the prospectus, SASTRA also provides a soft copy in the form of a 

compact diskette (CD), which depicts the facilities in the various departments. All 

the above information along with the fee details and key contact details are made 

available in the University website. 

Student handbook (academic calendar), for each academic year containing 

information on working days, holidays, midterm tests, dates for payment of 

examination fee, commencement of end semester practical & theory 

examinations, dates of the technical, sports & cultural events, etc., is designed and 

made available online. Students and parents can also access this handbook 

through the students’ toolkit and parents corner respectively. 

ITIHAS (IT Is Happening At SASTRA) is a quarterly newsletter printed and 

circulated widely by SASTRA. ITIHAS provides a snapshot of the various activities 

in the campus like special lectures, visits of eminent personalities, international 

conferences / workshops, MoUs signed, award & achievements by students and 

faculty, etc. The archives available online have been a treasure of information 

capturing the key moments of the University. 

5.1.7 Student Scholarships 

SASTRA recognizes excellence in academics through many scholarship schemes 

and financial incentives. The University awards merit–based scholarship to 

students every year. The top 2% of students for the academic year are placed in 

Deans’ list and are awarded with a refund of 20% of their tuition fee each, while 

those ranked between 3% and 10% are awarded with a refund of 10% of their 

tuition fee. The following table shows the number of awardees and the amount 

awarded as scholarship in the last four years: 

Academic Number of Scholarship Amount 

Year beneficiaries (Rs in lakh) 

2011–12 925 80.22 

2010–11 798 66.99 

2009–10 808 48.48 

2008–09 752 50.84 

SASTRA also distributes scholarships in the form of refund of annual boarding 

expenses for the meritorious students with impeccable discipline staying on– 

campus. This scheme was introduced from the academic year 2007–08 and had 

benefitted more than 1000 students within a period of four years. An amount of 

Rs 49.28 lakh was disbursed to a total of 163 boys and 145 girls in the year 2012. 

Each student received an amount of Rs 16,000.


5.1.8 SASTRA Student Welfare Fund 

SASTRA believes that no deserving student should be deprived of quality 

education due to economic reasons. In the unfortunate event of a student losing 

the sole breadwinner of the family, the University waives the fees for the rest of 

the study period. Also, the University provides scholarships in the form of fee 

waivers to meritorious students who belong to the economically disadvantaged 

segment. Many talented and deserving studentshavebeenabletocontinuetheir studies because of this gesture from the University. In the past four years, 261 

students benefitted from the above schemes to the tune of Rs 95 lakh, as detailed 

below: 

Name of the scholarship Year No of Amount 

beneficiaries (Rs in lakh) 

Scholarship for students 2012–13 45 26.95 

who have lost their sole 2011–12 39 23.04 

breadwinner in the family 2010–11 44 19.84 

2009–10 30 15.49 

2008–09 30 14.35 

Scholarship for students 2011–12 01 0.35 

from economically 2010–11 44 15.31 

disadvantaged families 2009–10 40 17.30 

2008–09 30 10.67 

SASTRA also provides free education including boarding and lodging for the first 

ranked student from the Government Higher Secondary School, Nannilam, 

Thanjavur District as the school is the alma mater of the Founder–Chancellor. 

This year, Chi. Vigneshwaran was the beneficiary of this scheme. 

5.1.9 Accident Insurance Scheme 

SASTRA has an accident insurance scheme for students with seed money of Rs 

2.10 crore to meet the expenditure incurred by the students due to unfortunate 

and unavoidable contingencies during their study in the University. An insurance 

cover to all students is offered under which a relief up to Rs 1 lakh is provided to 

the immediate family in the event of death of a student due to road accident, 

snake bite, food poisoning or drowning and in cases of permanent disability. In 

the past four years, about Rs 17.80 lakh has been distributed to the families of 11 

students. 

5.1.10 Desh–Videsh Scheme 

As part of the Semester Abroad Programme (SAP), SASTRA encourages interested 

students to visit foreign universities and research organizations to gain an 

international research exposure. To provide financial assistance to the selected 

students, a corpus of Rs 1 crore has been created under the Desh–Videsh Scheme. 

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183 


Awardees are provided a monthly stipend of US $ 200 and a round trip airfare. 

Students have availed this fellowship to carry out research internship at Harvard 

University, USA, Georgia Tech, University of Barcelona, Spain, Dartmouth 

University, USA, Deakin University, Australia, Orebro University, Sweden etc. 

Year No of Scholarships Amount Sanctioned 

(Rs in lakh) 

2012–13 43 52.56 

2011–12 24 29.27 

2010–11 21 19.40 

2009–10 14 7.93 

5.1.11 Teaching Assistantship 

SASTRA University has created a corpus of Rs 2.5 crore to set up the Teaching 

Assistantship scheme to provide a monthly stipend of Rs 12,000 to a maximum of 

Rs 16,000 to full–time Ph.D. candidates selected through written test and 

personal interview. This scheme has served to attract talented youngsters with 

good academic and research aptitude for involving in research in cutting–edge 

areas at the University. Thus far, a total amount of Rs 1.18 crore has been 

distributed as stipend under the teaching assistantship scheme. 

5.1.12 Scholarships from other funding agencies 

The University helps the eligible students to apply for scholarships from both 

Government as well as Private Charitable Organizations. Rs 2.4 crore has been 

received by 2365 students since 2008–09 as scholarship amount constituting to 

about 15% of the student population. 

Name of 

scholar– 

ship 

Central 

Sector 

Scheme of 

Scholarship 

Scholarship 

for 

Backward 

class (BC) 

Peraringna 

r Anna 

Memorial 

Award for 

BC 

Minority 

Welfare 

Departmen 

t 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

573 

14 

2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 

Amt 

(Rs) 

114.60 

lakh 

1.81 

lakh 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

455 

7 

Amt 

(Rs) 

91.00 

lakh 

3.76 

lakh 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

557 

8 

Amt 

(Rs) 

111.40 

lakh 

4.95 

lakh 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

613 

Amt 

(Rs) 

122.0 

lakh 

– – 

– – 1 5000 – – – – 

4 

1.25 

lakh 

2 

0.45 

lakh 

7 

1.40 

lakh 

5 

1.30 

lakh


Name of 

scholar– 

ship 

Scholarship 

for BC 

SC Merit 

Scholarship 

Chief 

Minister 

Cash 

Award for 

SC students 

Prime 

Minister 

Award for 

SC students 

Gandhi 

Memorial 

Award for 

SC students 

Tribal 

Welfare 

Commis– 

sion, 

Jharkhand 

for SC 

students 

National 

Merit 

Scholarship 

Indira 

Gandhi 

Scholarship 

for Single 

Girl Child 

(PG) 

Noble 

Charitable 

Trust 

The 

Institute of 

Energy 

Engineers 

M.H. 

Enathulla 

Charitable 

Trust, 

Hindpur 

Om Sakthi 

Narayani 

Siddar 

Peedam 

Sarita Jain 

Foundation 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 

Amt 

(Rs) 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

Amt 

(Rs) 

184 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

– – – – 1 

Amt 

(Rs) 

0.10 

lakh 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

6 9000 4 6000 3 4500 6 

2 6120 – – – – – – 

1 1000 – – 1 3500 – – 

– – – – 1 

1 

0.20 

lakh 

2 3120 2 

0.35 

lakh 

0.40 

lakh 

15 

Amt 

(Rs) 

1.45 

lakh 

0.18 

lakh 

– – 

– – 

– – – – – – – – 

1 6000 – – – – – – 

– – – – – – – – 

1 3000 – – – – – – 

– – – – – – – – 

– – – – – – – –

Name of 

scholar– 

ship 

Rajasthan 

Board of 

Hr. Sec., 

Ajmer 

National 

Foundation 

for 

Teachers 

Welfare 

Abdur 

Rahman 

Zakaat 

Fund 

Foundation 

Rashtriya 

Ispat 

Nigam Ltd. 

Obulapura 

m Mining 

Co. Pvt. Ltd. 

Indian Oil 

Corpora– 

tion 

Scholarship 

Life Science 

Foundation 

of India 

Sitaram 

Jindal 

Trust, 

Bangalore 

Shirdi Sai 

Trust 

Dist. 

Educational 

Officer, 

Trichy 

Sir Ratan 

Tata Trust 

Social 

Welfare, UP 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

185 


2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 

Amt 

(Rs) 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

Amt 

(Rs) 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

Amt 

(Rs) 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

2 6000 – – – – – – 

14 

0.70 

lakh 

3 

0.15 

lakh 

Amt 

(Rs) 

– – – – 

– – – – – – – – 

1 

0.18 

lakh 

1 

0.18 

lakh 

2 

0.21 

lakh 

– – – – – – – – 

1 

0.24 

lakh 

4 

0.78 

lakh 

4 

0.72 

lakh 

– – – – – – – – 

– – 1 

0.10 

lakh 

– – – – 2 

1 

6 

4 

0.22 

lakh 

2.92 

lakh 

3.09 

lakh 

ARR Trust – – 2 

Thanga– 

maligai 

Mahalaskh 

mi Trust 

1 

– – 1 

0.23 

lakh 

1 

3 

0.36 

lakh 

0.54 

lakh 

– – – – 

1 

0.41 

lakh 

0.22 

lakh 

– – 

– – 

– – – – – – 

– – – – – – 

0.20 

lakh 

0.10 

lakh 

– – – – 

1 5000 – – 

Dept. of 

Sainik 

Welfare, AP 

– – – – 1 4000 – – 

Lakshmi 

Charities 

– – – – 23 

1.15 

lakh 

– – 

Hotel – – – – – – 1 7000


Name of 

scholar– 

ship 

Suruguru, 

Pondicherr 

y 

Helping 

Hand 

Welfare 

Society, 

Bangalore 

Tamilnadu 

Chief 

Minister's 

Farmer 

Welfare 

Scheme 

Dist. 

Disabled 

Welfare 

Dept. 

Anandashr 

am, Kerala 

National 

Council of 

Education 

Rearch and 

Training 

Samaj 

Kalyan 

Vibhag, UP 

Labour 

Welfare 

Organisatio 

n 

Tamilnadu 

Congress 

Committee 

Charitable 

Trust, 

Chennai 

Tiruchengo 

du Pavadi 

Sengunthar 

Trust 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 

Amt 

(Rs) 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

Amt 

(Rs) 

186 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

Amt 

(Rs) 

No. of 

benef– 

iciar– 

ies 

– – – – – – 1 

– – – – – – 

Amt 

(Rs) 

0.35 

lakh 

12 applications 

submitted 

– – – – 1 3000 – – 

– – 1 5000 – – – – 

1 6000 – – 1 6000 – – 

1 

Total 636 

0.31 

lakh 

3 

2.31 

lakh 

1 

0.74 

lakh 

2 

1.46 

lakh 

1 3000 1 6000 – – 1 8000 

1 7000 – – – – – – 

– – – – 1 5000 – – 

117.40 

lakh 

489 

93.40 

lakh 

618 

119.90 

lakh 

648 

123.60 

lakh 

An interesting aspect that can be discerned from the table above is that about 

2300 students have received the Central Sector Scheme scholarship since 2008– 

09. This scholarship is awarded to students who are in their first year of 

engineering studies where the eligibility criterion is that the applicant should 

have obtained greater than 90% in their twelfth standard. This is an indicator of 

the merit–based admission process followed by the University.

187 


5.1.13 Research Scholarships 

The efforts to nurture research aptitude in the undergraduate level have paid rich 

dividends in the form of numerous prestigious fellowships from National and 

International agencies. 

Ananthanarayanan from the B. Tech. Industrial Biotechnology was selected for 

the Krishi Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) summer internship during his first 

year from the Government of India. Under the aegis of KVPY, he carried out 

internships at the Molecular Parasitology Lab, Department of Bioscience and 

Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay during June 2010 and at 

the Organometallics and homogeneous catalysis laboratory, Department of 

chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay during May – July, 2011. His 

research during his internship period had resulted in the following two 

publications: 

"Ruthenium Complexes of Chelating Amido–functionalized N–heterocyclic 

Carbene Ligands: Synthesis, Structure and DFT Studies." Kumar, S.; 

Narayanan, A.; Rao, M. N.; Shaikh, M. M.; Ghosh, P. J. Chem. Sci. 2011, In 

press. [Invited contribution in the journal's Special Issue celebrating the 

International Year of Chemistry (IYC) 2011] 

"Bifunctional Nickel Precatalysts of Amido–functionalized N–heterocyclic 

Carbenes for Base–free Michael Reaction Under Ambient Conditions". 

Kumar, S.; Narayanan, A.; Rao, N.; Shaikh, M. M.; Ghosh, P. J. Organomet. 

Chem. 2011, Volume 696, Issue 26, 1 January 2012, Pages 4159–4165. 

The Khorana fellowships are awarded every year by the Department of 

Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 

USA and the Indo–US Science & Technology Forum (IUSST) to students with an 

outstanding academic record and passion for research. These fellowships have 

been instituted in honour of the Nobel Prize winner Dr. Har Govind Khorana with 

an aim to develop skilled research personnel by providing them an opportunity to 

carry out a two month internship in premier R&D laboratories in US Universities 

and transform research in to societal benefits leading to a seamless scientific 

community between India and the United States. In the past three years, three 

SASTRA students have won this prestigious and highly competitive fellowship, 

with two of them winning in the same year. The fellowship includes a monthly 

stipend of US $ 2000 and round trip airfare by economy class. The winners of this 

prestigious fellowship along with the University where they carried out their 

research is listed below. 

• Ms. Niranjana Natarajan, 2009–10, University of Wisconsin–Madison 

• Ms. Anahita Bharadwaj, 2011–12, Georgetown University 

• Ms. Deepa Rajagopalan, 2011–12, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor


5.1.14 IAS fellowships 

The Indian Academy of Sciences awards fellowships to students with excellent 

academic and research aptitude to carry out a two–month internship during 

summer in premier R&D labs in India under the mentorship of an eminent 

scientist. The fellowship amounts to Rs 8000 per month. SASTRA students have 

dominated the fellowship list for the past six years creating a unique record for 

SASTRA as the single institution with maximum number of IAS awardees in a 

single year. The number of fellowships won each year by SASTRA students is as 

follows: 

Year No of fellowships 

2012–13 49 

2011–12 48 

2010–11 28 

2009–10 30 

As part of the fellowship SASTRA students have carried out summer research 

internship in reputed R&D laboratories, a partial list of which is provided below: 

• National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore 

• Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), 

Bangalore 

• Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 

• Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad 

• Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad 

• All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi 

• Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT–M), Chennai 

• Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT–B), Mumbai 

• Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT–Kgp), Kharagpur 

• Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT–R), Roorkee 

• Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT–D), New Delhi 

• Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvanathapuram 

• Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 

• National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi 

• National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Gurgaon 

• Central Glass & Ceramics Research Institute (CGCRI), Kolkata 

5.1.15 INSPIRE fellowships 

The Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India has 

instituted INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) awards 

to young talented post–graduates for pursuing Ph. D. in established laboratories 

in India. The fellowship consists of a monthly stipend of Rs 16,000 / Rs 18,000 

and an annual contingency of Rs 20,000 for a period of five years or until 

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completion of Ph.D., whichever is earlier. Currently, there are INSPIRE fellows 

pursuing research at SASTRA. 

5.1.16 International Student Cell 

The state–of–the–art infrastructure, the research focus in niche areas of science 

and technology at SASTRA and quality of the graduands has contributed to the 

global visibility of SASTRA. This has served to attract international students to 

carry out research at SASTRA. The Offices of the Dean (Planning & Development) 

and Dean (Sponsored Research) in cooperation with the Office of the Registrar 

facilitate the visit of overseas students to SASTRA. The University helps overseas 

students in obtaining necessary clearance from Government of India by providing 

letter of invitation and guiding them through the process of applying for visa. In– 

campus accommodation is provided to all overseas students. A course on 

“Introduction to Indian Culture and Society” is also provided to help them 

familiarize with Indian culture and tradition. 

Mr. Shaun Smith from Deakin University, Australia, carried out his research as 

part of his curriculum, at SASTRA University under the mentorship of Dr. T. R. 

Neelakantan, Associate Dean & Professor, School of Civil Engineering, during the 

year 2010–11. He was an Endeavour research fellow from Australia and studied 

the Thanjavur water supply system in an effort to address the inconvenience cost 

associated with the interruptions in municipal water supply through pipe 

networks and thereby identify methods to improve reliability of the water supply. 

The ambience at SASTRA enabled Shaun to integrate well with the SASTRA 

student community. 

During October to December 2010, Ms. Lakshmi Chinnathambi from Singapore 

visited SASTRA and carried out research on Healthcare Informatics for Varicose 

veins / Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) under the supervision of Dr. M. 

Vijayalakshmi, Associate Dean & Professor, School of Chemical & Biotechnology. 

Mr. Enock Orirere from Kenya visited SASTRA in 2011–12 to work on 

bioinformatics tools to understand epigenetic modifications under the 

mentorship of Dr. M. Vijayalakshmi, Associate Dean, School of Chemical & 

Biotechnology. 

Marcel Riera Chavaria, a MS student from Universitat Polytechnica de Catalonia, 

Spain, carried out his final semester project at SASTRA University during 

February to July 2012. During his stay at SASTRA, he worked on Weldability of 

sintered alloys under the mentorship of Dr. M. Sridharan, Associate Professor, 

School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering and Dr. R. Chandramouli, Associate 

Dean, School of Mechanical Engineering.


Martin Langkvist, a doctoral student from Orebro University, Sweden was in 

SASTRA in October 2012. He worked on sensor data classification at SASTRA 

under the mentorship of Dr. R. John Bosco Balaguru, Associate Dean, School of 

Electrical & Electronics Engineering. His work carried out during the said period 

has now resulted in the publication (Fast classification of meat spoilage markers 

using nanostructured ZnO thin films and unsupervised feature learning”, Martin 

Langkvist, Silvia Coradeschi, Amy Loutfi, John Bosco Balaguru Rayappan, Sensors, 

2013, 13, 1578–1592 – SCIE: 1.78). 

In February 2013, a team of four students from the School of Engineering, Deakin 

University, visited SASTRA for a period of one week during which they 

participated in the International Conference on Civil Engineering & Infrastructure 

Issues in Emerging Economies. They also interacted with faculty to identify areas 

of academic and research synergy. 

5.1.17 Student Support Services 

Performance Enhancement for Slow learners – Anukul Shikshan: A peer–based 

mentoring system ‘Anukul shikshan’ also has been initiated to enhance the 

learning capabilities of slow learners. Under this scheme, a slow learner will be 

partnered with a fast learner and will form part of a study circle after class hours. 

This initiative helped both categories of students in understanding concepts and 

to develop critical analysis of the concepts. A corpus fund of Rs 2 crore has been 

allocated for this purpose. 

Additional Remedial Classes: Additional remedial classes in English are offered to 

students who are unable to clear the course in the first attempt. Bridge courses 

are offered to students requiring additional subjects to integrate into multi– 

disciplinary courses as and when required. For example, a bridge course on ‘Cell 

Biology’ is offered to students from a computer science background who join 

post–graduate programme in Bioinformatics. 

Student Internships: The students are encouraged to undergo summer 

internships at prestigious R&D institutions and industries. The University has 

forged collaborations with industries and major International Universities to 

facilitate student internships during their final semester. The unique Semester 

Abroad Programme (SAP) has facilitated the students of the final semester to 

undertake project work or course work at premier Universities across the world 

that includes: 

• MIT–Harvard, USA 

• Georgia Tech, USA 

190

• University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA 

• UPC, Barcelona 

• Karlsruher Institute of Technology, Germany 

• University of Leicester, UK 

• University of Glasgow, Scotland 

• Deakin University, Australia 

• University West, Sweden 

• Orebro, Spain 

• CINEVESTAV, Mexico 

191 


The number of students who have benefitted through this initiative over the past 

four years is given below: 

Particulars 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 

No of students 26 28 46 

No of Universities / Institutes 9 9 15 

SASTRA Academy for Growth & Excellence (SAGE): A ‘study circle’ now known as 

‘SASTRA Academy for Growth & Excellence’ (SAGE) has been formed in the 

Department of Training & Placement with an aim to bring together students who 

aspire to appear for UPSC, TNPSC, GRE, CAT, MAT, SSB, CDS and other 

competitive exams. The focused groups meet regularly to share knowledge, 

resources and information to achieve success in the competitive exams. More 

than 500 students have registered for this study circle. Workshops, seminars and 

regular weekend classes are organized for various competitive examinations 

under the aegis of SAGE. External and internal experts are involved in this 

programme. 

Health Centre: A fitness centre ‘Maruti’ housing the state–of–the–art training 

equipment is available in the campus for ensuring the wellbeing of the students. 

In accordance with the adage ‘A healthy mind in a healthy body’, SASTRA has 

established a ten–bed hospital Vaidyanatha Arogyashala with a resident doctor 

and duty doctors to cater to the medical needs of the students. A pharmacy is also 

located in–house. Annual medical camps are organized for first year students to 

monitor their health status. 

Student Magazines: The creativity and knowledge thirst of the students is amply 

encouraged and supported through publication of student magazines and 

newsletters. IMPRINT, an in–house newsletter was launched in 2010 by a group 

of B. Tech. students. This popular 12–page newsletter in tabloid form continues 

to provide an extensive coverage of various activities of the University apart from 

unique sections such as SASTRA Unplugged, Coffee Table, Geek It Up, Spotlight 

and Potpourri.


Many of the student associations have their in–house magazines that publish 

articles, which provide a bird’s eye–view of the latest cutting–edge technologies 

in related disciplines. The student magazines also publish research articles and 

reviews from experts and provide many informative tit–bits and amazing 

scientific facts. The creative team of editors for each magazine also incorporates 

several brain–teasers as well as cartoons for keeping the reader spell–bound. 

Department Name of the publication 

Bioengineering INVIVO 

Bioinformatics INBIOSYS 

Biotechnology NUCLEO 

BIOSPACE (newsletter) 

Chemical Engineering PLASMA 

Civil Engineering FULCRUM 


Engineering 

CYPHER 


CEPSTRUM 

Engineering 

VVHERALD (newsletter) 


Engineering 

CEREBRATION 

Electronics & Instrumentation 

Engineering 

ARTNAY 

Information & Communication 

Technology 

TECHNOTRON 

Information Technology EMIT 

Mechanical Engineering MECHTRIX 

Management PRADIPTA 

MCA GEEK 


Engineering (SRC) 

VICHAR 



ELCOM BUZZ 

5.1.18 Promotion of Sports 

SASTRA strives to provide excellent ambience for developing games and sports 

activities among the students. The sport infrastructure has been constantly 

added and upgraded to cater to the fitness and training of the SASTRA students. 

An exclusive indoor stadium ‘Maruthi’ with well–equipped gymnasium with 

rubberized flooring for boys is located on–campus. The indoor stadium also 

houses the following: 

• A modernized basketball court with synthetic floor, flood lights and gallery 

• Four badminton courts with synthetic floor, flood lights and gallery 

• Two table tennis tables 

• Three pool tables and a snooker table 

• Carrom and chess playing areas 

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193 


Outdoor facilities include: 

• A lush green football ground with fencing and an imported water gun 

spraying system for maintenance of the field constructed at a cost of Rs 40 

lakh 

• One basket ball court with fencing, flood lights and gallery constructed at a 

cost of Rs 29 lakh 

• Two synthetic tennis courts with flood lights and fencing established at a 

cost of Rs 24 lakh 

• Two volleyball courts with fencing and flood lights constructed at a cost of 

Rs 14 lakh 

• Cricket ground 

• Hockey ground 

• Throwball court 

• Handball court 

• Kabaddi court 

• Track & field court 

These facilities are in addition to the basketball court, volleyball court, pool table, 

tennis court and gymnasium available in the ladies hostel premises. 

Eminent sports personalities have visited SASTRA as special guests for the sports 

events – FUERA and COLOSSEUM, organized by the students. They include: 

• Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Former Indian Cricket team captain and 

Chairman, National Selection Committee 

• Shiny Wilson, Padmashri, Asian Games gold medallist, athlete and Arjuna 

awardee 

• M.D. Valasamma, Olympian, athelete, Asian Games medallist 

• S. Simon Sundarraj, Former Indian football player 

• V.B. Chandrasekhar, Former Indian Cricket player 

• S. Govindaraj, Former Indian Volley ball player (juniors) 

• A Rajan, Asian Games gold medalist, athlete 

• Syed Kirmani, Former Indian Cricket player 

Interactions with these illustrious sportspersons and listening to their 

experiences in the sports field have served as a stimulus for the students to turn 

in to achievers in the play field. 

The academic programme is structured in such a way that only the marks 

obtained in two of the three mid–semester examinations are considered for the 

continuous internal assessment thereby providing the flexibility to students to 

participate in sports, cultural, other extra–curricular and co–curricular activities.


Each sports team in SASTRA, both men and women, is provided exclusive sports 

attire by the University to have a unique identity. Separate well–equipped 

gymnasium for men and women caters to maintaining the fitness of the players. 

Separate coaches for basketball, volleyball, cricket, football, weightlifting and 

bodybuilding are engaged and these initiatives have contributed to the sporting 

achievements of SASTRA students. 

5.1.19 Training & Placement 

The Department of Training & Placement is headed by the Director who is ably 

assisted by five faculty and three staff members. Recognizing the complexity of 

the career planning process and the myriad of options available to graduates, the 

department conducts programmes that offer various services to meet the 

professional development needs of students. The department partners with 

students in the process of career management, which starts with self–assessment 

and leads to identifying a career that meets individual goals. 

The uniqueness of the training curriculum is that the programme is meticulously 

planned with a structured and progressive syllabus that facilitates holistic 

development of the students’ personality. Activities of the department are: 

Developing verbal and non–verbal communications 

Enhancing public speaking skills 

Imparting personality improvement through in–house and external expert 

faculty programme 

Programmes providing career guidance 

Administering aptitude and psychological tests 

Conducting group discussions and mock interview practice sessions 

Organizing entrepreneurship promotion programmes 

Arranging in–plant training and obtaining project work from industries 

Assisting for GRE, GMAT and GATE in a simulated environment 

Arranging on and off campus recruitments 

The Department interacts with recruiters and schedules on–campus and off– 

campus interviews. The Department maintains a database of the final year 

students as well as alumni to facilitate the recruitment process. The stellar efforts 

of the training & placement department have resulted in an impressive track 

record of more than 90% placements on–campus for the eligible students. 

The Department of Training & Placement also offers an intensive pre–placement 

training for three days for the students of the final years to prepare them to face 

the interview process with confidence. The selected students are also offered 

training from the corporate majors like Wipro, TCS, Accenture, Infosys, Mahindra 

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195 


Satyam, CTS, HCL, etc., to facilitate their transition from academics to the 

corporate set–up smoothly. These initiatives have contributed to the success of 

the SASTRA students in their career. 

The excellent academic quality of the SASTRA students has been reflected in their 

outstanding performance during on–campus placements over the years. Over the 

past years, there has been an increase in the number of companies that have 

visited SASTRA as part of the recruitment process. 

A snapshot of the placement track record of the students at SASTRA is presented 

below: 

3000 

2500 

2000 

1500 

1000 

500 

0 

No of Offers 

No of Companies 

1218 

1241 

2288 

2665 

2324 

37 50 76 60 60 

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 

In the year 2011–12, M/s. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) made history at 

SASTRA by recruiting 1755 students thus creating a world record for the 

maximum number of candidates recruited from a single campus in a single day. 

For the batch of 2013, TCS has been the single largest recruiter at SASTRA and the 

865 students selected by TCS is the highest number of offers it has made at any 

campus in 2012–13. In acknowledgement of the quality of the students recruited, 

both M/s. TCS and M/s. Wipro Technologies Ltd., have accorded the status of ‘the 

most valued partner’ to SASTRA. The following table provides an overview of the 

various corporates, which have visited SASTRA for placement over the past five 

years.


No. of Students Recruited 

S. No Name of the Recruiter 2008– 2009– 2010– 2011– 2012– 

09 10 11 12 13 

1. Accenture 68 49 88 98 208 

2. Alcatel Lucel – – – 1 – 

3. Allsec Technologies – – 2 – – 

4. Amazon – – – 1 1 

5. Ametek – – – 3 – 

6. Amrita Group 4 3 5 – – 

7. Aricent – 51 18 – 3 

8. Ascendant Technologies – – 5 6 3 

9. Ashok Leyland 9 5 11 9 8 

10. Athena Health – – – – 1 

11. Aurobindo Pharma – – 1 – – 

12. Aviva Life – 2 – – – 

13. Axis Bank – – 1 21 54 

14. Bajaj Allianz 3 – – – – 

15. Beroe Inc – – 8 – – 

16. BGR Energy – 7 13 – – 

17. Biocon 5 – – – – 

18. Blue Lotus – – – – 3 

19. Bosch – – 9 33 – 

20. Brakes India 3 2 5 

21. C3 IT Experts – – – – 4 

22. Carborundum Universal – 1 – – – 

23. Caterpillar – 2 – – – 

24. 

Consolidated Construction 

Consortium Ltd. (CCCL) 

15 2 3 – 4 

25. Ceasefire – – 14 4 5 

26. Centrum Direct – – – 10 – 

27. Ceratizit – – – – 4 

28. City Union Bank 24 20 18 16 29 

29. Cocubes – – 1 – – 

30. Crimson Fickle – 5 4 – – 

31. 

Computer Sciences 

Corporation (CSC) 

– – – 2 – 

32. Cognizant Technology 2 28 30 – – 

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Solutions 

09 10 11 12 13 

33. Cypress Semiconductors – – 2 1 – 

34. Dalmia Cements – 3 1 1 – 

35. Delphi TVS – 1 1 – – 

36. Dr. Reddys Labs – – – 4 6 

37. Dutest (UAE) – – – 3 – 

38. eBay – Paypal – – – 5 2 

39. ELGI – – – 7 4 

40. Elitists – – – 1 2 

41. ESAB – – 1 – – 

42. Evobotics 4 – – – – 

43. Focus Academy – – – 3 – 

44. Ford India – – 4 7 4 

45. Ford Technologies – – – – 18 

46. Fresh Desk Technologies – – – – 8 

47. G7 Laptop – 9 – – – 

48. GB Engineering 3 – – – – 

49. GRK School 1 – – – – 

50. HCL – 64 6 335 170 

51. HCL Comnet – 15 – – – 

52. HDFC Life – 10 – 10 12 

53. Hewitt – – 2 – – 

54. Hindustan Motors – 5 7 10 – 

55. Histogenetics – – – – 10 

56. Hewlett Packard (HP) – – 24 – – 

57. Huawei Technologies – – – 2 – 

58. Hyundai Motors – – 5 3 – 

59. I–Nautix 5 15 9 – 13 

60. IBM Corporation – 73 98 8 315 

61. IBS 11 – – – – 

62. ICICI Group – – 1 1 11 

63. IDBI – – 27 – – 

64. I–Flex 37 – – – – 

65. iGate 30 – 8 – – 

66. India Infoline – – 18 – – 

67. Indian Panorama – 5 – – – 

68. Indo MIM – 4 – – – 

69. Infogem – 2 – – – 

70. Infosys 71 199 – – – 

71. JDA Technologies 3 – – – – 

72. Jindal Steels – 3 – – – 

73. Jubilant Life Sciences – – 1 – – 

74. Karvy Consultants 3 4 4 – – 

75. Keane IT Services 28 – – – –




09 10 11 12 13 

76. Kelly Services – – 3 – – 

77. KLA Tencor – 2 1 – 2 

78. L & T Coimbatore – – – – 11 

79. L & T Construction – – – – 15 

80. L & T ECC 5 – 20 18 – 

81. L & T EmSyS 5 – – – – 

82. L & T Infotech – – 25 15 19 

83. L & T IES – – – – 13 

84. L & T MCC – 2 5 15 – 

85. L & T Ramboll – – – 3 – 

86. Lister Technologies – 7 11 10 16 

87. Logica – 15 – – – 

88. Lucas TVS – 5 – 8 – 

89. M. N. Dastur – 1 – – – 

90. Mahindra Satyam – – 53 14 16 

91. Mando Steering 3 – – – – 

92. MARG Group 10 – – – – 

93. Mels Automation – 2 – – – 

94. Microsoft – – 9 10 12 

95. Mphasis – – 13 – – 

96. Murugappa – – 5 7 – 

97. Mu Sigma – – – 28 20 

98. Muthoot Finance – – – – 16 

99. Nagarjuna Oil Corporation – – 5 – – 

100. Newgen Software – 5 13 – – 

101. Next Education – – – – 1 

102. Nine Stars – – – – 2 

103. Nokia Siemens – 11 – – – 

104. Orbitz – – 7 – – 

105. 

Parker Hannifin India Pvt. 

Ltd. 

– – – – 1 

106. Payoda Technologies – – 2 – – 

107. Pipe Supports 8 – – – – 

108. Prop Tiger – – – 3 – 

109. Ramco Systems – – 2 – – 

110. Rane Group 3 – 9 4 6 

111. Rockwell Collins – – 12 18 – 

112. 

South African Breweries 

(SAB) Miller 

– – – 3 2 

113. Samsung Research India – – – – 8 

114. Sanmar – 2 2 1 – 

115. SBI Life Insurance – 7 7 1 3 

116. Scope International 51 – – – – 

117. Scientific Publishing Ltd – – 12 3 32 

198

199 




09 10 11 12 13 

118. SEW Infrastructure – – 2 – – 

119. Shriram Groups – – 3 – 2 

120. SIEMENS Singapore – – 2 – – 

121. Slash Support 5 50 – – – 

122. Sundaram Clayton – – 10 3 – 

123. Sundaram Direct – – 4 – – 

124. Sundaram Fasteners – 4 1 2 1 

125. Super Gas – – – – 3 

127. Sutherland 6 – 32 – – 

128. Syntel 25 – – – – 

129. Sys Arc – – – – 1 

130. Tarway Botanicals – – – – 5 

131. TCS 439 442 1372 1755 867 

132. Teach for India – – – – 2 

133. Telcon – – 2 – – 

134. Telliant – – 5 – – 

135. 

Thamarai International 

School 

– – – – 2 

136. Thoughtworks – – – 1 – 

137. Titan – – 2 4 3 

138. TNQ Scientific Publication – – – 1 – 

139. TNT – – 1 – – 

140. Town Benefit Fund – – – – 34 

141. Tube Investment 4 – – – – 

142. Turbo Energy – 3 – – – 

143. TVS Electronics 2 – 2 – – 

144. TVS Motors 5 2 4 4 3 

145. United Software – 15 – – – 

146. United Spirits – – – 1 – 

147. VA Tech WABAG 3 6 4 9 7 

148. Vasan Healthcare – 40 – – – 

149. Vedanta 21 25 13 – – 

150. Veesons – 1 – – – 

151. VGN Developers – – 5 – – 

152. Voltas – – – – 4 

153. Wheels India – 3 3 – – 

154. WIPRO 294 – 132 98 283 

155. Wipro Wase – 4 21 7 1 

156. Wipro Wista – – – 2 – 

157. Zifo Technologies – – – 2 – 

158. Zoho Corporation – – – – 9 

159. Zuari Group – – 1 5 – 

Total 1218 1241 2289 2665 2324 

Student Placement 85% 87% 87% 92% 87%


5.1.20 Student Enrichment Programmes 

The Department of Training & Placement also organizes student enrichment 

programmes that include lectures by experts on a wide range of topics as well as 

training programmes that prepare the students for the recruitment process. A list 

of such programmes organized is shown below: 

Date Event No of Participants 

23.1.2009 Discourse on “Art of Living” by Dr. Babu 120 students 

27.3.2009 A guest lecture on ”Performance during 

Turbulence” by Mr. K. Ganesan, 

Vice–President– Global HR, TCS 

400 students 

13.7.2009 How to crack CAT Examination by Trichy 

Plus 

75 students 

12.8.2009 “Yoga for Human Excellence” by H. H. 

Vethathiri Maharishi Institute, 

Kumbakonam for a period of 25 days 

35 students 

20.8.2009 Study circle inaugurated by Lt. Gen (Dr) 

M. C. Bhandari, former Chairman of the 

Uttrakand Public Service Commission 

200 students 

9.9.2009 Career in Armed forces by Col. Chethan & 

Lt. Col. Sanjay Anand 

200 students 

January 2010 Pre–Initial Learning Programme of TCS 2010 batch TCS 

to April 2010 

placed students 

8.2. 2010 Career Counselling for I year students by 

A. Jayaprakash Gandhi, Career guidance 

counsellor 

I year students 

July 2010 and Pre–Placement Training for 2010 batch 2200 students from 

August 2010 students 

B. Tech. and MCA 

10.10.2010 How to get ready for Campus interviews? 

by executives from Mahindra Satyam 

B. Tech. students 

20.10.2010 Training by Accenture Career Corridor Accenture placed 

zone for 2011 batch students 

students of the 

2011 batch 

28.8.2010 Lecture on Cloud computing by Mr. Girish Final year IT, ICT 

Vellappan, Accenture Lead of Sales, and CSE students 

31.08.2010 

Software As A Service (SAAS) & Subject 

Matter Expert (SME) 

“Expectations of IT Industry” by Mr. V. 

Varadharajan, Global Head – EntryLevel Hiring of Infosys Technologies 

Final year students 

2.9.2010 to Anukula Shikshan Pre–placement training 1155 students from 

1.10.2010 programme (Training given by 54 

Student Trainers) 


3.9.2010 “Evolve” – One day workshop on Final Year students 

“Corporate expectations and tips to 

succeed in the Group Discussion and 

200

Personal Interview” by Mr. Enfil Premraj, 

Human Resources, Cognizant Technology 

Solutions 

25.1.2011 ‘Leadership through Soft Skills” by Lt. Gen 

(Dr) M. C. Bhandari, former Chairman of 

the Uttarakand Public Service 

Commission 

26.2.2011 Higher Studies in Australia for the benefit 

of final year students, Team from Deakin 

University, Australia 

8.3.2011 Study Abroad – Course work and 

Research, Team from University of 

13 th –17 th June 

2011 

Auckland, New Zealand 

Wipro Jump start programme by 

Executives from Wipro Technologies and 

Faculty of School of Computing, SASTRA 

5.8.2011 TCS Road Show – TCS Engineering 

Journey, by executives from TCS on new 

product development, product life cycle 

management and plant solutions cut 

across wide range of Sectors like 

Manufacturing, Aerospace, Automotive, 

Energy and Utilities 

12.8.2011 Motivation to Civil Service Examination 

Aspirants, Dr. Varun Veerasekaran, Civil 

Services examination topper 

24.8.2011 International Seminar on Higher 

Education where official representatives 

from the organizations promoting Higher 

Education in USA, UK, Germany, 

Netherlands and France elaborated the 

study and research opportunities in their 

countries 

25.8.2011 “EMPLOYEE FIRST AND CUSTOMER 

SECOND’ (EFCS), Mr. Venkatesan 

Lakshmanan, Operations Director, HCL 

2.8.2011 to 

2.9.2011 

August & 

September 

2011 

Technologies, Chennai 

Anukul Shikshan Pre–placement training 

programme (Aptitude Training given by 

54 Student Trainers) 

Pre–Placement Training for 2012 batch 

students 

18.10.2011 Opportunities in Indian Army and about 

“Indian Army staff selection Board” by 

January to 

March 2012 

Brig. Narayanan of Indian Army 

Accenture Head Start Foundation 

Programme– Training on technical and 

soft skills by the executives from 

201 


Pre–Final year 

students 



132 students 

placed in Wipro 


UPSC Study circle 



Students from B. 

Tech. and MCA 

2720 students from 


Pre–final year 

students 

54 Accenture 

placed students of 

2012 batch


Accenture 

13.10.2012 Coaching class for UPSC and Competitive 

examinations – SAGE – Ms. Gomathy – 

Resource Person 


examinations – SAGE – Mr. Sridhar – 

Resource person 

17.10.2012 Guest Lecture on "Transforming Indians 

to Transform India" By Shri Swami 

Mitrananda, Director, All India Chinmaya 

Yuva Kendra 

19.10.2012 “International study, post study work and 

immigration opportunities” (especially in 

countries like Australia, Canada, 

Germany, UK and USA) by Mrs. Reshmy 

Vijay, Director, Education Matters, 

Chennai 


examinations – SAGE – Mr. Sridhar – 

05.12.2012 to 

21.12.2012 

Resource person 

HSFP Training program for Accenture 

selects of 2013 batch, Training given on 

Programming and Professional 

development. 

07.01.2013 “Professional Ethics”, Knowledge 

Leadership Forum Lecture Series by Lt. 

General M.C. Bhandari (veteran) PVSM, 

AVSM & BAR, D.Litt. FIMA, Former 

Chairman, Uttarakand Public Service 

Commission 

08.01.2013 “Serve Mother India”, by Lt. General M.C. 

Bhandari (veteran) PVSM, AVSM & BAR 

D.Litt. FIMA, Former Chairman, 

Uttarakand Public Service Commission 

202 

69 students 

61 students 

All students 


32 students 

Accenture placed 

students 

III year B. Tech. 

CSE, EEE, ECE, IT 

and Mechanical 

Students 

IAS, IPS Aspirants & 

NCC Cadets 

5.1.21 Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) 

The Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) has been established with an aim 

to integrate the technical expertise of the students and business acumen. Periodic 

lectures by successful technocrats on topics that stimulate the entrepreneur skills 

in students have been organized. 

“Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice”, Peter Drucker. 

True to this adage, no technical education is complete until the concepts are put 

to test in a real–life practical scenario. A remarkable example of the SASTRA’s 

attempts to promote ‘Managineers’ – engineers with managerial skills, to embark 

on a journey to become successful entrepreneurs is the full–fledged food court,

203 


CANOPY, at SASTRA that was launched in 2010 by 13 final year B. Tech. students. 

The main motivation for this venture was one of their open elective course 

“Development of Enterprise” offered by Prof. S. Vaidhyasubramaniam. The 

students were able to integrate concepts of technology and management and 

were able to manage and develop the venture winning appreciation and 

patronage of the diverse sections on campus including the student community, 

teaching and non–teaching faculty as well as visitors. This innovative venture has 

not only enabled the students to put in to practice the technical concepts learnt 

during their course and develop their organizational, managerial and human 

resource skills but also provided them with an opportunity to seamlessly 

integrate and cooperatively function as a team. The quality, hygiene, affordable 

prices, tempting offers and customer satisfaction maintained by the student 

venture has been a shining example of innovative teaching and experiential 

training. Apart from the mouth–watering range of cuisine ranging from South 

Indian, North Indian and Continental delicacies, juices, pastries and over 108 

varieties of ice–creams, the student–run venture also offers laundry, cab and road 

and rail ticketing services. A multi–purpose shop also is housed in the complex. 

Each year, a new batch of students takes over the management of CANOPY and 

incorporates additional features that have been responsible for the immense 

popularity of this venture. SASTRA has encouraged the budding entrepreneurs 

through infrastructure as well as financial support. 

5.1.22 Alumni Association 

The University has a strong alumni network throughout the globe and frequent 

alumni meetings have been held in different parts of the world and reminisce 

about the wonderful time they shared. SASTRA alumni chapters have been 

established in India, Singapore and two chapters in the United States of America 

(Central Chapter at Chicago and East Chapter at Philadelphia). The alumni 

chapters meet frequently and following list shows some of the meetings held: 

• The batch of 1985–86 met for a silver jubilee reunion in 2010 at SASTRA 

campus and shared their experiences with each other as well as with the 

faculty 

• The global SASTRA alumni East chapter meet was held at Philadelphia, 

USA with more than 120 alumni with their families on November 14, 2010 

• The global SASTRA alumni Central chapter met at Schaumburg, Chicago, 

USA on November 21, 2010 with more than 125 alumni with their families 

• February 27, 2011 saw the congregation of more than 350 alumni with 

their families at the Chennai chapter of SASTRA alumni held at Vani Mahal, 

Chennai 

• The global SASTRA alumni Singapore chapter was held on August 21, 2011 

at Singapore with over 100 alumni with their families


• The Chennai chapter of SASTRA alumni met at Rani Seethai Hall, Chennai 

on August 25, 2012 with more than 100 alumni with their families 

The illustrious alumni of SASTRA have become the global ambassadors of SASTRA 

and have contributed to the visibility of SASTRA worldwide. The Department of 

Training & Placement maintains a database of the alumni to enable continued 

interactions with them. A Facebook application SASTRA Alumni Connect has 

been installed to further strengthen the alumni network. As a consequence of the 

deep–rooted social consciousness ingrained during their student days at SASTRA, 

the alumni have contributed to the upliftment of the community by donations to 

neighbouring schools, villages as well as sponsoring poor children for primary 

and secondary education. 

5.1.23 Student Grievance Redressal Cell 

The University has a student grievance redressal cell under the Chairmanship of 

the Vice–Chancellor. The Registrar, Deans, Associate Deans and a few senior 

professors are members of the grievance redressal cell. Since the administrative 

system of the University is very transparent, redressal will be done as and when 

needed. In addition, the class counsellors and student counsellor are accessible to 

the students for addressing any issue concerning their academic as well as non– 

academic matters. The office of the Dean, Students Affairs exclusively attends to 

activities relating to student welfare and reports to the Registrar and Vice– 

Chancellor. 

Any student or parent or faculty member can approach the Dean or Vice– 

Chancellor directly or through the class counsellors or student counsellor for 

redressal of their grievances. All stakeholders have access to the e–mail 

addresses of the Vice–Chancellor, Registrar and the Deans. A complaint box is 

also placed outside the Registrar’s Office for all stakeholders to register their 

complaints or concerns anonymously. All complaints and suggestions are looked 

into and the identity of the student or faculty is kept confidential. 

In order to address issue relating to the hostels, grievances related to the 

functioning of the Students Homes (hostels) and the hostel mess, a meeting is 

convened at least once every semester with students representatives spanning 

across different disciplines and category (freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors, 

post–graduates) in attendance. The Registrar, Dean (Planning & Development), 

Dean (Students Affairs), Student Counsellors, Wardens of each hostel, Staff from 

the Civil maintenance & Electrical maintenance divisions and mess supervisors of 

each hostel also attend this meeting. The students give frank feedback about the 

amenities available in the hostel and the service of the hostel staff. They also 

204

205 


provide feedback about the quality of the food served in the hostel mess and the 

hygiene conditions prevailing in the hostels. The students are allowed to decide 

the menu for each hostel for a particular semester. These periodic meetings have 

served to maintain the high standards of the hostels and transformed them to 

‘home away from home’ for the students. 

5.1.24 Gender Sensitization 

SASTRA firmly believes in the motto “A strong nation is dependent on women 

empowerment in all fields – corporate, academic, technology, arts and sports” and 

has conducted many programmes for women empowerment exclusively for girl 

students and women. ‘Women in Engineering’ (WIE), a chapter of IEEE, was 

launched by IBM at SASTRA in August 2010 with a vision to provide information 

and insight to women about careers in Engineering and Technology. Resource 

persons from IBM and SASTRA shared with the audience, which comprised girl 

students from the University, about their insights on avenues for women in 

corporate as well as technical domains. The quality of the SASTRA students was 

appreciated by the IBM team based on their concepts presented in the poster 

contest on ideas for a ‘smarter planet’ organized during the event. This is a direct 

indicator of the quality of teaching–learning process in the University. 

On the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2012, SASTRA 

University conducted a one–day seminar on “Role of Women in IT” exclusively for 

the girls on–campus. Three distinguished female administrators from the IT 

industry spoke on the occasion. While Ms. K. R. Lakshmi, M/s. Accenture, 

discussed about the challenges faced by women in industry, Ms. Anitha Rajesh, 

HCL Technologies, highlighted the ability of women to multi–task and create a 

perfect balance between her professional and personal life. Ms. Sreekala 

Ramamurthy, M/s. Wipro Technologies pointed out from her experience that 

women make better managers and handle stress better than men. On 13 th 

February 2013, as part of Women’s Day Celebrations, senior women executives 

from M/s Acccenture conducted a session about Gender Diversity Initiatives to 

energize the girl students. Such seminars serve to boost the confidence among 

the girl students to excel in the corporate sector. 

A sexual harassment monitoring cell has been constituted with the following 

members to monitor any cases of sexual harassment or indiscipline in the 

campus. 

• Dr. B. Shanthi, Student Counsellor 

• Dr. M. Vijayalakshmi, Associate Dean, SCBT 

• Dr. S. Jayalalitha, Associate Dean, SEEE 

• Dr. R. John Bosco Balaguru, Associate Dean, SEEE


• Lawyer, Public representative 

Owing to the high levels of discipline and the emphasis on ethics and Indian 

culture in SASTRA, no cases of sexual harassment have been reported thus far. 

5.1.25 Anti–ragging Committee 

In accordance with the regulations prescribed by the University Grants 

Commission to prevent ragging in educational institutions, the University has 

constituted an anti–ragging committee where members of the public also find 

representation. The members of the anti–ragging committee are as follows: 

• Representative of the District Collector, Thanjavur 

• Representative of the Superintendent of Police, Thanjavur 

• Rtn. S. Kunchithapatham, Thanjavur 

• Mr. G. Srinivasan, The Hindu, Thanjavur 

• Dr. M.S. Mohan Raj, M.S. (Ortho), Vallam 

• Dr. K. Thiagarajan, Dean, Research, SASTRA University 

• Dr. M. Narayanan, Dean, Students Affairs, SASTRA University 

• Dr. Har Narayan Upadhyay, Professor, SEEE, SASTRA University 

• Dr. M. Chandrasekhar, Associate Dean, SEEE, SASTRA University 

• Mr. C. Swaminathan, Deputy Registrar (Admin), SASTRA University 

• Dr. P. Ravishankararaju, Head, School of Law, SASTRA University 

• Dr. M. Vijayalakshmi, Associate Dean, SCBT, SASTRA University 

• Dr. B. Shanthi, Students Counselor, SASTRA University 

In addition, an anti–ragging squad comprising the following members has been 

constituted by the Vice–Chancellor to monitor students throughout the campus 

and hostels and maintain a constant vigil to avoid any incident of ragging. 

S. No School/Department Name of the member 

1. Dr. K. Sridharan 

2. Dr. R. Arul Gnanaraj 

3. Dr. R. Kumaresan 

4. Dr. K. Uma Maheswari 

5. Chemical & Biotechnology Dr. K. S. Rajan 

6. Dr. N.T. Saraswathi 

7. Mr. K. R. Sugumaran 

8. Mr. A. Arumugam 

9. 

Dr. B. Saritha 

10. Civil Engineering 

Dr. K. Saravanarajamohan 

11. 

206 

Ms. M. Mahalakshmi 

12. Dr. S. Gopalakrishnan 

13. Dr. A. Uma Makeswari 

14. Dr. B. Shanthi 

15. Mr. T. Karthick 

16. Mr. D. Manivannan

207 


S. No School/Department Name of the member 

17. Computing 

Mr. D. Venkatesan 

18. Mr. S. Raghuraman 

19. Mr. B. Elangovan 

20. Mr. R. Raja 

21. Mr. V. Venkatesh 

22. Dr. M. Hemalatha 

23. Ms. V. Kalpana 

24. 

Ms. R. Devika 

25. Electrical & Electronics Dr. Har Narayan Upadhyay 

26. Engineering 

Dr. K. Vijayarekha 

27. Dr. R. Varadharajan 

28. Dr. M. Sridharan 

29. Ms. M. Subhashini 

30. Mr. N. S. Manigandan 

31. Mr. R. Sundarraman 

32. 

Mr. G. Balasubramanian 

33. Humanities & Sciences Dr. R. Srikanth 

34. 

Mr. N. Rajagopal 

35. Management 

Dr. V. Badrinath 

36. 

Ms. Reena Roy 

37. Dr. S. Pugazhenthi 

38. Mr. V. Shankar 

39. Mechanical Engineering Mr. Paavendan 

40. Mr. P. Paneerselvam 

41. Mr. C. Meenakshisundaram 

42. Mr. P. Edwin 

43. 

Mr. V. Natarajan 

44. Administration 

Mr. S. Kalyanasundaram 

45. 

Mr. A. Johnson 

46. Civil Maintenance Mr. S. Natarajan 

The first year students are also encouraged to report any incidents of ragging to 

the class counsellors or deputy wardens or members of the anti–ragging squad. 

Mobile phone numbers of select members of the anti–ragging committee are also 

prominently displayed both in the hostel rooms and classrooms. The senior 

students are informed about the strict regulations and consequences of indulging 

in ragging activities by the faculty to keep away from such undesired activities. 

As a consequence of the various measures implemented by the University, no 

major incident of ragging has been reported on–campus over the years and a 

salubrious environment is maintained to nurture academic, research and 

personality development of students.


5.1.26 Promotion of Women Participation 

SASTRA believes in gender–equality in academic, sports and cultural activities. 

Girl students are an integral part of any team representing the University. 

Separate women teams for basketball, volleyball, tennis, track & field events, 

badminton, table tennis and chess are available. They have represented the 

University in various sport events and have won laurels for the University. The 

institution has a physical directress who oversees the sports training of the girls. 

Separate well–equipped gymnasium, basket ball court, tennis court, jogging track 

are located in the girls hostel to enable the girl students to maintain their fitness 

and practise. 

Similarly, the eastern and western dance teams of the University boasts of a 

strong female representation, which has won numerous accolades in many events 

especially for their rhythm, grace, precise movements and flawless execution of 

the steps. The key ingredient in the success of the dance teams is their 

synchronization. Girls are also an integral part of the literary, music, arts and 

dramatics teams. The organizing teams of Daksh, Kuruksastra and Colosseum 

have significant number of girls. The student chairperson and secretary posts 

have been held by girl students also.. The excellent opportunities provided to 

girls at SASTRA is reflected in the admission process where the trend in the past 

three years show that girls outnumber the boys in admission to engineering 

programmes reinforcing SASTRA’s commitment to gender parity as well as to 

provide quality education to all. 

SASTRA has a separate NCC unit named 4(TN) Girls BN, Trichy with fifty–two girl 

cadets that took part in many social activities. In 2011, Cadet N. Janani was 

selected to represent Tamil Nadu NCC Directorate Contingent and participated in 

the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. 

5.2 Student Progression 

5.2.1 Student Strength 

The University admits students to all its degree programmes through a 

transparent merit based admission process. 

programme–wise student strength: 

The table below shows the 

I Year II Year III Year IV Year V Year TOTAL 

B. Tech. 2018 2115 2191 2143 – 8467 

M. Tech. 166 150 176 193 51 736 

(Integrated) 

M. Tech. 340 276 – – – 616 

MBA 127 115 – – – 242 

MCA 61 269 391 – – 721 

M. Sc. 124 66 – – – 190 

208

209 


M. Com. 19 25 – – – 44 

Integrated 

LL.B. 

118 66 31 27 8 250 

B. Sc. 363 336 298 – – 997 

B. Com. & 

B. Com. (CA) 

243 181 159 – – 583 

BBA 66 59 54 – – 179 

Education 80 38 22 33 5 178 

In addition, a total of 596 students are pursuing their Ph. D. at SASTRA. 

Student Progression % 

UG to PG 30 

PG to Ph.D. 15 

Ph. D. to Post–Doctoral ~2 

Employed 

• Campus selection 

• Other than campus recruitment 

Meritorious student population ably mentored by quality faculty adopting 

effective teaching–learning process results in consistently higher pass percentage 

of the students across all programmes. The table below shows the pass 

percentage of students admitted to various degree programmes. 

Programme 

2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 

No of Pass No of Pass No of Pass 

Students % Students % Students % 

A P 

A P 

A P 

B. Tech. 1929 1634 84.7 2250 2028 90.1 2287 2017 88.2 

M. Tech. (Integrated) 36 36 100.0 29 22 75.9 69 63 91.3 

PG Programmes 

(M. Tech., M. Pharm., 

MBA., MCA., M. Sc.) 

985 850 86.3 1161 1089 93.8 925 856 92.5 

Education 49 49 100.0 48 48 100.0 16 16 100.0 

Other programmes 551 254 46.1 668 454 68.6 593 429 72.3 

(A – Appeared; P – Passed) 

5.2.2 Competitive Examinations 

Apart from the excellent placement record, our students also excel in competitive 

examinations. On an average about 400 students emerge successful with 

excellent scores in competitive examinations like GRE, TOEFL, GMAT, CAT and 

GATE, every year. An analysis of available data from the online alumni portal of 

SASTRA shows that on an average about 56% have been successful in CAT, MAT 

and GMAT examinations while nearly 32% have excellent scores in GRE, IELTS 

and TOEFL examinations. About 10% of the students have cleared the Graduate 

Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) examination with flying colours. 

80 

10


MAT 

24% 

UPSC 

1% 

IELTS 

5% 

TOEFL 

12% 

GRE 

15% 

A few outstanding achievements by SASTRA students are: 

Deepa Rajagopalan from B. Tech. Industrial Biotechnology emerged as the 

All India topper in the GATE examinations, 2013 for the Biotechnology 

stream 

18 students of the 2013 batch have received interview calls fromm various 

IIMs 

2 students (2010 & 2011 batch) have joined the prestigious Young India 

Fellowship programme 

Three other students, Abinaya Badri, Nagammal and Preethi Narayani have 

secured ranks 13, 26 and 28 respectively 

C. Ajithavalli from B. Tech. Bioinformatics became the highest rank holder 

from Tamil Nadu state in the Bioinformatics National Certification (BINC) 

examination during 2012 

Nagaraj, a student of B. Tech. Industrial Biotechnology, secured an All India 

Rank of 33 in the GATE examinations in 2011 

K. B. Sivakumar, cleared the IAS examinations with flying colours and 

obtained an All India Rank of 38 in 2010 

Sindhuja Sridharan, B. Tech. Industrial Biotechnology, achieved an All India 

Rank of 22 in the GATE examinations in 2009 with a percentile of 99.84 

Prasun Kumar from B. Tech. Bioinformatics had emerged successful in the 

Bioinformatics National Certification (BINC) examination with an All India 

Rank of 9 in 2009 

210 

CAT 

22% 

State PSC 

1% 

GMAT 

10% 

GATE 

10%

211 


5.2.3 Ph. D. Thesis 

Quality of research work carried out by doctoral candidates is ensured through a 

multi–stage process comprising relevant course work, comprehensive viva, 

rigorous doctoral committee reviews and open seminars. As per the regulations, 

at least one publication in an international peer–reviewed journal is mandatory 

for submission of synopsis and two papers must have been accepted for 

publication before the submission of the thesis. In addition to this, the candidates 

are also required to successfully present their work before the Research Advisory 

Council. The thesis is evaluated by an Indian and foreign examiner and the final 

Ph. D. defense viva is conducted only after receiving positive recommendations 

from both the examiners. Due to the built–in quality assurance systems in the Ph. 

D. programme, the number of Ph. D. thesis rejections has been negligible. 

Year 

Number of Ph.D. candidates 

Submitted Accepted Rejected Resubmitted 

2012 13 12 1 2 

2011 12 12 0 0 

2010 15 14 1 0 

2009 23 22 1 0 

2008 11 11 0 0 

A list of the candidates awarded the Ph.D. degree from SASTRA University since 

2009 is provided below. 

Year Name of the candidate Area/Field 

2012 E. Koperundevi English 

P. Divya Biology 

N. Babu Biology 

Raaja Balachander Mathematics 

K. Geetha Pharmacology 

B. Subramanyam Civil 

R. Ramesh Computer Science 

R. Murali 

Sachithanandam 

Electrical Engg. 

Sakthivel Gandhi Chemistry– nanomaterials 

R. Seethalakshmi Computing 

S. Balaji Mathematics 

S. Samundeeswari Computing 

2011 V. S. Gayathri Biology 

S. Shanmugam Pharmacy 

R. Amudha Management 

J. Ganesh Murali Mechanical Engineering 

K. Ramakrishnan Civil Engineering 

N. R. Raajan Communication Engineering 

T. Kavaskar Mathematics 

S. Anuradha Biotechnology 

P. Thiruvasagam Chemistry


Year Name of the candidate Area/Field 

S. Bharathiraja Mechanical Engineering 

D. Shanmugasundaram Mechanical Engineering 

G. Balasubramanian Instrumentation 

2010 N. l. Gowrishankar Pharmacy 

S. M. Girirajkumar Electrical Engineering 

K. Gayathri Pharmacy 

Irudaya Charles Dorni Pharmacy 

D. Narasimhan Mathematics 

S. Ariyanathan Pharmacy 

K. Manoharan Civil Engineering 

T. Rajaram Civil Engineering 

S. Vaidhyasubramaniam Management 

K. Ramkumar Electrical Engineering 

V. Rajeshkumar Geology 

R. Suthakaran Pharmacy 

2009 

G. Hariharan Mathematics 

R. Ravi English 

N. Kamakodi Management 

G. Venkataraman English 

V. Ponnuswamy Chemical Engineering 

V. Mohana Srinivasan Biotechnology 

R. Krishna Prasad Chemical Engineering 

S. Thilagavathi Civil Engineering 

A. Umamaheswari Computer Science 

R. Prasannakumar Civil Engineering 

T. Sangeetha Pharmacy 

K. S. Vidhyalakshmi Pharmacy 

S. Muralidaran Electrical Engineering 

R. Jayapradha Microbiology 

K. Chitra Computer Science 

R. Gowri Mathematics 

M. V. Judy Computer Science 

U. Subhashini Pharmacy 

R. Suresh Mathematics 

R. Francis Raj Mathematics 

S. Muruganatham Mechanical Engineering 

R. Muthaiah Computer Science 

K. Sridhar Computer Science 

P. Madhava Sharma Instrumentation 

5.3 Student Participation and Activities 

5.3.1 Participation in Competitions / Conferences in India & Abroad 

SASTRA encourages its students to participate in competitive events both in India 

as well as abroad. They are provided adequate support after class hours and 

212

213 


mentoring by senior faculty to enable them to showcase their skill and talent in 

the event. In case of International events, the University helps the student with 

the documentation required for visa processing as well as facilitates their travel. 

Some of the students who have represented the University in prestigious events 

in India and abroad are provided below: 

• Nair Vivek Sahadevan, Suma Prabhakaran, Praveen LR, Venkateswara Rao, 

Kaushik Mahadevan, Guru Krupa and Deepak Krishna represented the 

University at the Al Gore Sustainable Technology Venture Competition in 

2010 held at Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai and were 

placed first 

• R. Aparna represented SASTRA at Commonwealth Chess Championship at 

Singapore during 2009 and at Johannesburg, South Africa in 2011 winning 

the bronze medal on both occasions 

• A team of students from the School of Mechanical Engineering qualified for 

the finals of BAJA–2010 and also in BAJA–2012, a National level Contest 

organized by the Society of Automobile Engineers 

• Kumar Abhishek was selected by Sun Microsystems to participate in the 

Worldwide Education & Research Conference in 2008 held at San 

Francisco, USA 

• Rudra Prakash Ojha presented his work on Parkinson’s Disease at the 

International Conference on Oxidants and Anti–oxidants in Biology held at 

California, USA 

• Sakthivel Gandhi presented a posted on his work on mesoporous silica at 

NANOTODAY, an International Conference held at Singapore in 2009 and 

also in the Materials Society Conference in 2012 in Singapore 

• Priyadarshini Kumaraswamy presented a poster on Alzheimer’s disease 

therapy at the Alzheimer’s Association Conference at Vancouver, Canada in 

2012 

• Aarti Mohan presented her work on nanocarriers for oral cancer at 

RESVERATROL–2012 held at Leichester, United Kingdom 

• Mr. Jaidev presented a poster on magnetic nanoparticles for pancreatic 

cancer at the third International Conference on Multifunctional, Hybrid & 

Nanomaterials (HYMA–2013) held at Sorrento, Italy during 3–7, March, 

2013 

• Haritha R, a 3 rd year law stdnet complete dher internship at Washington 

Law School, USA which included a visit to the PENTAGON during May– 

June, 2013. 

The University also provides cash incentives to students who have won laurels at 

the events.


• Ms. Aparna received a cash incentive of Rs 1.5 lakh from the Vice– 

chancellor for her stellar performance at the Commonwealth Chess 

Championship held at South Africa. 

• Similarly, every member representing the cultural team of SASTRA are 

given cash incentive of for their excellent performance at various events 

across the country. 

• The three students who developed the open source student community 

applications were provided a cash incentive of Rs 10,000 each in 

appreciation of their efforts 

5.3.2 Student Activities 

The students of SASTRA organize events, which are well conceived, meticulously 

planned & executed attracting large number of participants across the country. 

The following is the list of such mega events organized: 

• Daksh: National level technical festival of SASTRA 

• Kuruksastra: National level cultural festival of SASTRA 

• Colosseum: National level sports festival of SASTRA 

• Carpe Diem: Intramural cultural festival of SASTRA 

• Fuera: Intramural sports festival of SASTRA 

In addition, individual departments in various Schools have their own 

associations with a calendarofactivitiesorganizingtechnicalsymposia / 

conferences every year. The following table lists the various student associations 

and their flagship technical events: 

Department Name of 

Name of the 

Association technical event 

Bioengineering BE@S Bahisprana 

Bioinformatics COMBIGS Prathyarth 

Biotechnology BIOTIKOS Samhitha 

Chemical Engineering SCHEMA Prakriya 

Civil Engineering CIVIL ENGINEERS 

ASSOCIATION (CEA) 

Hinges 


ACE Protocol 

Engineering 

Electronics & 

Communication 

Engineering 


Engineering 

Electronics & 


Engineering 

Information & 

Communication 

214 

SPACE Anubhava 

ELECTRA Sankalp 

INSTRUMAX Tag 

ICT@S Techcarnival

215 


Technology 

Information Technology SCANIT iCUBE 

Mechanical Engineering MECASSO Sakshama 

Management PHOENIX Progyan 

MCA AXIS Ganakotsav 

Physics COSMOS 

Commerce & Management 

(SRC) 

COM–MAN 


ExACT 


Electronics & 

Communication 

Engineering 



ELCOM DAIS 

ELPOWER 

Mathematics (SRC) MATHS FORUM 

Physics (SRC) RAMAN’S CLUB 

B.Com. Computer 

Applications (SRC) 

SAHITHYA 

Students of our University also actively participate in various co–curricular, 

extra–curricular and sports events conducted across the country and have won 

many accolades. SASTRA teams regularly participate in SAARANG hosted by 

Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Festember – organized by 

National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Riviera – conducted by Vellore 

Institute of Technology, Vellore, Pegasus – hosted by Christian Medical College, 

Vellore, Renaissance – organized by PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, 

Harmony – conducted by Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Revels 

Cup – organized by Manipal Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu Inter 

Engineering Sports (TIES) events, Moot Court contests, Youth Parliament etc. The 

students also participate and present posters as well as make oral presentations 

in many National and International conferences, symposia across various 

disciplines. 

5.3.3 Achievements in Co–Curricular Activities 

SASTRA students have a rich heritage of winning top awards at various technical 

and design competitions. They have won innumerable prizes at various 

conferences beating teams that are rated among the best in the country. The 

excellent academic and research environment at the campus has also lead to 

numerous accolades for the young research scholars both at the National as well 

as International forum. The following list provides a snapshot of few major 

achievements of our students:


• Kumar Abhishek was one of the five students selected from all over the 

world to participate in the ‘Worldwide Education & Research Conference’ 

organized by Sun Microsystems in 2008 at San Francisco, USA. 

• SASTRA team won the top honours at the group level Ninth Youth 

Parliament Contest in 2008. The team impressed the judges through their 

choice of issues for discussion as well as their fluency and convincing 

portrayal of the parliamentarians winning a special appreciation for their 

exuberance and debating skills 

• Aditya Shankar won the prestigious research internship by the Ecole 

Polytechnique Federale de Laussane (EFPL), Switzerland in 2008. He was 

among the 29 students selected worldwide from thousands of applicants. 

He carried out his research under the mentorship of Dr. Grapin Bottton 

Anne, ISREC Foundation on “ Early pancreatic development in embryos of 

chick and mice for the expression of specific protein bicaudal C” 

• Rudra Prakash Ojha presented a poster on “Modulation of mitochondrial 

complex I activity and NOS expression in experimental model of 

Parkinson’s disease” at the International Conference on Oxidants and 

Anti–oxidants in Biology organized by oxygen club of California during 

March 2008. He was supported by AYUSH, Department of Science & 

Technology and SASTRA University to participate in the Conference 

• Boddupalli Vijay Anirudh was among the 340 participants selected from 

thousands of applicants to participate in the Tata Jagruthi Yatra in 2008 

from Mumbai to awaken the entrepreneurial spirit and to connect with, 

learn and promote enterprise in 500 million Indians 

• Charles Prabhu bagged the ‘Best Performer Award’ instituted by Wipro 

Technologies Ltd., in 2008 

• C. Karthikeyan won the Rajiv Gandhi Talent Research Fellow Award in 

2008 from among 120 students who underwent summer research training 

at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and National 

Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore 

• A team of students from SASTRA bagged the second prize at Cognizance 

2009, held at Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee for their innovative 

idea on Green village 

• N. Niranjana won the Khorana Fellowship for 2009 by the Indo–US Science 

& Technology Forum to carry out research internship at University of 

Wisconsin–Madison 

• Venkata Madhav Kotha, Upender Bathula and Ravikiran Kunapa Reddy 

received the TCS best student project award in 2009 instituted by M/s. 

Tata Consultancy Services 

• A team of three students from the School of Law won the top honours at 

the All India Refugee Law Moot Court Competition, 2009, organized by 

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Department of Legal Studies, University of Madras in association with 

United Nations High Commission for Refugees 

• SASTRA teams bagged the first and second prizes at the Whiz Quiz–2009, 

an inter–collegiate quiz contest conducted by The Quizzociates, Trichy in 

2009 

• Nishwetha Kumar was selected as one of the British Council’s 52 

International Climate Champions of India 

• Reddy Mallidi bagged the first prize in model making at Build Intec 2010 at 

Coimbatore 

• Mallikarjuna Rao Kandla and Ishwarya Bhaskaran came first and second 

respectively in the Annual All India Essay Writing Contest conducted by 

Sahaj Marg Research & Training Institute in collaboration with the United 

Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan on the occasion of 

International Day of Youth in 2009 

• A team of B. Tech. Chemical Engineering students won the second place at 

Azeotrophy 2010, a National level technical festival organized by Indian 

Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai in 2010. The team won 

appreciation from the judges for providing a smart solution to the 

industry–defined problem of increasing the life–time of a catalyst during 

the desulphurization of diesel 

• The team of students from the School of Law once again won laurels for 

the University by securing the third place in the Dr. Bapuji Salunkhe 

Memorial Moot Court Competition at Osmanabad during 2010 

• The team of Shyam Kiruba, Ashwin, Parthasarathy and Balakrishnan blew 

the competition away and won the top place in the Great Mind Challenge 

contest organized by the IT major M/s IBM Corporation 

• Nair Vivek Sahadevan, S. Venkateswara Rao, L.R. Praveen, Deepak Krishna 

and N. Guru Krupa received the first place in the TECHTOP 2010, a 

National level Innovative Contest 

• R. Bharathi from the School of Law was adjudged the best judgement 

writer at the First National Trial Advocacy & Judgement Writing Contest, 

Nyayavalokam – 2010, at the S.V.K.M’s Pravin Gandhi College of Law, 

Mumbai in 2010 

• A team of students comprising Nair Vivek Sahadevan, Suma Prabhakaran, 

Praveen LR, Venkateswara Rao, Kaushik Mahadevan, Guru Krupa and 

Deepak Krishna won the ‘Al Gore Sustainable Technology Venture 

Competition’ in 2010 held at Indian Institute of Technology Madras, 

Chennai, for their solution to tackle climate change 

• Nithya Sharma from the School of Law was adjudged the Best Student 

Advocate at the ‘All India Refugee Law Moot Court Competition’ organized


by the Department of Legal Studies, University of Madras and United 

Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2010 

• SASTRA students swept the first and second places at TATA Crucible Quiz, 

the country’s biggest business quiz for campuses held at Trichy in 2012 

• S. Vidhyasagar was selected by Facebook for a three month summer 

internship at Palo Alto, California from May 2012, with a monthly stipend 

of US $ 6800. He was selected from among the many aspirants after two 

rounds of online interviews 

• Shruti Krishnan was adjudged the best speaker at the 4 th Pro Bono Enviro 

National Moot Court Competition held at the Dr. Ambedkar Law 

University, Chennai on March 27, 2011 

• The team of N. Guru Krupa, Deepak Krishna and S. Venkateswara Rao from 

the School of Chemical & Biotechnology won the top honours at BEST 

2011, a National level business plan contest sponsored by the Department 

of Biotechnology and Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises 

(ABLE), held at Bangalore between July 29, 2011 and August 1, 2011 

• The team of Sathish Prem, S.R. Raguvarathan, Ravikumar Swaminathan, N. 

Ram Kumar and R. Akshay won the third place at the Surana & Surana 

National Trial Advocacy Moot Court competition held at National 

University of Advanced Legal Studies, Cochin during September 2011 

• G. Karthikeyan was adjudged the best student advocate in the Shri Vile 

Parle Kelvani Mandal’s Nyayavalokam 2011, a National Trial Advocacy & 

Judgement writing Competition held at Mumbai in September 2011 

• Ishwarya Bhaskaran won a cash award in the state level essay writing 

contest conducted by Nandini, Voice for the Deprived, Chennai in 2011 

• The team of L. Theivanai, S.N. Varun and K. Sai Surya Prakash won the 

third place in the Design Contest at the National Level Technical 

Symposium conducted at Thyagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 

during September 2011 

• The team from SASTRA comprising Puneeth Gowda, Radhika Vasudevan 

and Akshaya Sachin won the 33 rd All India Moot Court Competition held at 

Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Pondicherry in October 2011 

• The team comprising A.N. Alagappan, S. Mukund and V.S. Gowtham won a 

Kodak Digital Camera from M/s IBM for securing a place in the top 20 in 

the TGMC 2010 projects competition organized by IBM 

• S.R. Srivathsan and K. Aravind from SASTRA were the only two students 

selected from SASTRA by AIESEC, the World’s largest student organization 

for promotion of peace. They attended the Winter Internship programme 

at Bandung in Indonesia from December 2011 for a period of six weeks 

• Anahita Bharadwaj and Deepa Rajagopalan won the Khorana Fellowship 

for 2012 instituted by the Department of Biotechnology and Indo–US 

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Science & Technology Forum. They carried out their internship at 

Georgetown University and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor respectively 

• Sathish Prem, S.R. Raghuvarathan, Ravikumar Swaminathan and Karthick 

Subramaniyam secured the Best Memorial Award at the First Saveetha 

National Moot Court Competition held in Chennai in 2012. Karthick 

Subramaniyam bagged the Best Researcher Award in the same 

competition 

• Sathish Prem and Swaminathan from the School of Law were adjudged the 

second and third best student advocates respectively in the prestigious 

Surana & Surana National Trial Advocacy Moot Court competition at Kochi 

in September 2012 

• B. Amrith Bhargav from the School of Law was adjudged the best delegate 

at the First Global Ethics and Values Convention, 2012 held at Ishaan 

Institute of Management & Technology, Noida 

• The SASTRA team of Veerabathran Prasanth, M. Senthil Kumar and 

Cynduja Crishnan won the Best Memorial Award at the 15 th S C Javali 

Memorial National Moot Court Competition held at Sir Siddappa Kambali 

Law College, Dharwad 

• The team of K. Sudharshan and Pranav from SASTRA emerged winners of 

the Tata Crucible Campus Quiz–2013, regional level, held at Trichy in 

February 2013. They received Rs. 75,000 for their winning effort. Three 

teams from SASTRA found a place among the top six in the contest 

• Ramamani Moot Court 

• BAJA 2012 

• Pune Moot Court 

• TISS paper presentation 

5.3.4 NCC Activities 

The National Cadet Corps (NCC) wing at SASTRA serves as a medium to develop 

the character, nurture leadership qualities, instil a secular outlook and selfless 

service in the minds of the students. The NCC unit at SASTRA, 4(TN) Girls BN, 

Trichy has fifty two girl cadets whohasbeenactivelyinvolved in many social 

activities, a few of which have been highlighted below. 

Cdt N. Janani participated in the Annual NCC Republic Day Camp held at 

New Delhi from 1st January 2011 to 29th January 2011 

15 cadets participated in the Annual Training Camp (ATC) held at 

Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Institution from 24th September 2009 to 3rd October 2009 

30 cadets appeared for NCC ‘B’ certificate exam in February 2010


Cdt N. Janani participated in the Orientation camp for Youth Exchange 

Programme (YEP), Singapore held at New Delhi from 24th November, 2011 

to 3rd December, 2011 

5 cadets and 1 ANO participated in the National Integration Camp (NIC) held 

at Nagercoil from 9th January, 2011 to 19th January, 2011 

Cdt N. Janani participated in the Youth Exchange Programme (YEP) held at 

Singapore from 4th December, 2011 to 13th December, 2011 

CATC cum Pre–IGC RDC I held at Agriculture College and Research Institute, 

Navalur, Kuttapattu, Trichy from 26th August, 2010 to 4th September, 2010 

saw the participation of 2 cadets (Cdt N. Janani and Cdt R. Supradha) 

Cdt N.Janani also participated in the CATC cum Pre IGC RDC II held at 

Agriculture College and Research Institute, Navalur, Kuttapattu, Trichy from 

14th September, 2010 to 23rd September, 2010, CATC cum IGC held at Boiler 

Plant Boys Higher Secondary School, Kailasapuram, Trichy from 26th September, 2010 to 5th October, 2010, CATC cum RDC Launch I held at CRPF 

training centre, Avadi from 9th December, 2010 to 18th December, 2010 and 

in the CATC cum RDC Launch II held at the same venue from 18th December, 

2010 to 28th December, 2010 

A rally on anti–female foeticide was undertaken from Jamal Mohammad 

College, Trichy to St. Josephs’ Anglo Indian School, Trichy in August 2009, in 

which around 25 cadets participated 

A seminar on ‘A Career in Armed Forces’ was organized jointly by 

Department of Training and Placement and NCC Army Wing in September 

2009. This was followed by Tree Plantation programme 

17 cadets participated in the Annual Training Camp (ATC) held at Montfort 

School, Kattur from 24th December, 2009 to 2nd January, 2010 

40 cadets participated in the Annual Training Camp (ATC) held at MAM 

College, Trichy from 9th January 2011 to 19th January 2011 

20 cadets appeared for NCC ‘B’ certificate exam held in February 2011 

8 senior cadets appeared for NCC ‘C’ certificate exam held in March 2011 

6 cadets participated in the CATC cum Pre IUC camp held at NIT, Trichy 

from 27th May 2011 to 5th June 2011 

3 cadets participated in the CATC cum IUC held at NIT, Trichy from 9th June 

2011 to 19th June 2011 

3 cadets participated in the CATC cum Pre IGC RDC I held at PMD college, 

Usilampatti from 22nd July 2011 to 1st August 2011 

3 cadets participated in the CATC cum Pre IGC RDC II held at Alagappa 

University, Karaikudi from 19th August 2011 to 29th August 2011 

18 cadets participated in the CATC cum Pre IGC RDC III held at MAM College, 

Trichy from 29th August 2011 to 7th September 2011 

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3 cadets participated in the CATC cum Pre IGC RDC IV held at ER school, 

Trichy from 9 th September 2011 to 19 th September 2011 

3 cadets and 1 ANO participated in the CATC cum Pre IGC RDC V held at 

National College, Trichy from 19 th September 2011 to 29 th September 2011 

3 cadets participated in the CATC cum IGC held at Yadava College, Madurai 

from 30 th September 2011 to 10 th October 2011 

Cdt Saranya V. Iyer participated in the CATC cum RDC Launch I held at Vel 

Tech College, Chennai from 9 th December 2011 to 19 th December 2011 and 

in the CATC cum RDC Launch II held at Vel Tech College, Chennai from 19 th 

December 2011 to 29 th December 2011 

Cdt Saranya V. Iyer participated in the Annual NCC Republic Day Camp held 

at New Delhi from 1 st January 2012 to 31 st January 2012 

15 cadets and 1 ANO participated in the Annual Training Camp (ATC) held 

at Periyar Maniammai University (PMU), Vallam from 12 th January 2012 to 

21 st January 2012 

A Green rally from Thanjavur Palace – Brahadeeswara temple, Railway 

Station – Ramanathan Hospitals, – Membalam – Palace was organized by the 

4 (TN) Girls BN NCC of SASTRA along with ECO – BRIGADE team 

34 Cadets participated in the CATC Cum RDC Training I camp, Periyar 

Maniammai University, Vallam from 27.10.2012 to 05.11.2012 

5.3.5 Extra–Curricular Achievements 

The table below provides a partial list of achievements and prizes won by our 

students in various extra–curricular activities. 

Year Event Team/Name of the 

individual 

Place won 

2013 Riviera – 13, Vellore Institute SASTRA cultural team Overall 

of Technology (VIT), Vellore 

Championship 



Championship 

SAARANG – 2012, Indian 

Music team Winner 

Institute of Technology, Dramatics team Winner 

Madras Arts team Winner 

Pegasus – 12, CMC, Vellore SASTRA cultural team Overall 

Championship 

Tanishq Swarna Sangeetham Ashwath Narayanan Golden Voice of 

– Reality Music Programme 

the year 2012, 

in Raj TV 

Winner of I prize 

of Rs 5 lakh 



Championship 

Eastern dance team II Place 

Western dance team II Place 

Dramatics team I Place


All India BSNL Cultural Meet, 

Haryana 

M. Ramakrishnan II Place (Violin) 

Airtel Super Singer 3 Kaushik 

Swaminathan 

Semi–finalist 

2010 Riviera 2010, Vellore SASTRA cultural team Overall 

Institute of Technology 

(VIT), Vellore 

Championship 

Inter–University South Zone 

Youth Festival, SASTRA 

University 

Literary team Championship 


Himachal Pradesh 

M. Ramakrishnan I Place (Violin) 

Senior Violin Contest, Rasika 

Ranjana Sabha, Trichy 


2009 Pegasus – 09, Christian SASTRA cultural team Overall 

Medical College, Vellore 

Championship 


Nashik, Mahrashtra 


2008 Riviera – 2008, Vellore SASTRA cultural team Overall 



Championship 

Vijay TV’s EQ2 SASTRA cultural team Winner 

Festember – 08, National SASTRA cultural team Overall 

Institute of Technology, 

Tiruchirappalli 

Championship 

South zone level cultural 

Syed Babu Second Prize 

meet, Association of Indian 

(Non–percussion 

Universities, Calicut 

instrumental 

music) 

Painting Exhibition, Trichy K.P. Gayathri Exhibition 

5.3.6 Sports 

The SASTRA team has made a mark over the years in the sport arena and has won 

praise from peers and superiors for their talent, competitiveness as well as 

sportsmanship. The major events participated in the past four years highlighting 

the laurels won by the SASTRA team members both in International and National 

levels are summarized below. 

International 

Year Event Team / Name of 

the individual 

Place Won 

2012 Asian Selection – Karate B. Manikandan Gold medal (above 

Championship 

50 kg category) 

Bronze medal 

(team) 

R. Subramaniam Silver medal (team) 

N. Kathiravan Bronze medal 

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Year Event Team / Name of 

the individual 

International Karate 

Championship, Kuala Lumpur, 

Malaysia 

2011 Commonwealth Chess 

Championship, Johannesburg, 

South Africa 

2009 Commonwealth Chess 

Championship, Singapore 

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Place Won 

(above 70 kg 

category) 

V. Arjun Bronze medal 

(above 50 kg 

category) 

N. Kathiravan Silver medal 

B. Manikandan Bronze medal 

National 


2008 

2009 

Periyar Centenary Volleyball 

Tournament, Periyar 

Manniammai University, 

Vallam 

Udghosh, Indian Institute of 

Technology, Kanpur 

Colosseum–08, SASTRA 

University 

JETS–2009, St. Joseph’s 

College of Engineering, 

R. Aparna Bronze medal 

(Under 20 category) 

R. Aparna Bronze medal 

(Under 20 category) 

individual 

Volleyball team 

(men) 

Place won 

Winners of Periyar 

Manniammai Rolling 

Shield 

H. Balakrishnan, Gold medal in 

Weightlifting (above 

77 kg) 

L. Raghunathan Gold medial in 

Weightlifting (below 

62 kg) 

Chess team Gold medal 

Best physique team Overall first 

Football (men) Runners 

Volleyball (women) Runners 

Chess team Fourth place, 

Certificate of merit 

Chennai Badminton team Quarterfinals 

TIES–2009 (Tamilnadu 

Inter–Engineering Sports), 

Jayam College of 

Engineering, Dharmapuri 

Best physique team Overall third 

Periyar Memorial 

Football team Winners 

Tournament, Periyar Basketball (men) Runners 

Maniammai University, 

Vallam 

Basketball (women) Runners 

Colosseum–09 Best physique team Overall team 

championship 

2010 Junior Mr. Tamilnadu – 

2010, State level body 

V. Ashok Raj Bronze medal


Year Event 

building competition, 

Tiruvarur district body 

building association 

Team/Name of the 

individual 

Place won 

Revels Cup Invitation Football team Runners 

Tournament, Manipal Chess team Runners 

Institute of Technology, Athletics team Gold medal (4 x 400 

Karnataka 

m relay) 

Bronze medal (4 x 

100 m relay) 

Overall 

championship 

P. 

Muthukumarasamy 

Gold medal (1500 m) 

S. P. Palaniappan Gold medal (400 m) 

Gold medal (800 m) 

G. Yugandhar Silver medal (javelin 

throw) 

R. Vaisag Bronze medal (1500 

m) 

S. Adhiseshan Prithvi Bronze medal (triple 

jump) 


Basketball (women) Winner 

Tournament, Periyar Volleyball (men) Runners 

Maniammai University, 

Vallam 

Football (men) Runners 

Mr. Thanjavur – 2010, D. Premkumar Gold medal 

District level body building V. Ashok Raj Silver medal 

championships, 

Patteeswaram 

K. Ramesh Bronze medal 

Colosseum–10 

Basketball (men) Winners 

Table tennis (men) Winners 

Badminton (men) Runners 

Cricket (men) Runners 

Best physique Runners 

Basketball (women) Winners 

Table tennis 

(women) 

Winners 

Badminton (women) Runners 

2011 National Level Karate R. Subramaniyam Gold medal (above 18 

Championship, Salt Lake 

y category) 

Stadium, Kolkata N. Kathiravan Bronze medal (above 

70 kg category) 

Riviera, Vellore Institute of V. Ashok Raj Gold medal (Best 

Technology (VIT), Vellore 

Physique) & Mr. 

Riviera – 2011 

K. Vijay Anand Silver medal 

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individual 

Place won 

Mr. Thanjavur – 2011, 

District level body building 

championships 

V. Ashok Raj Silver medal 

Revels Cup, Manipal Athletics team Silver medal (4 x 400 


m relay) 

Karnataka 

K. Skandhan Silver medal (1500 

m) 

S. Gajendran Bronze medal (400 

m) 

S. Patrick Bronze medal (1500 

m) 

R. Giridharan Bronze medal (High 

jump) 

S. Dilip Raju Dominic Bronze medal (Triple 

jump) 

Cricket team Semi–finalist 


Basketball (women) Winner 

Tournament, Periyar Volleyball (women) Runners 

Maniammai University, Basketball (men) Runners 

Vallam Volleyball (men) Runners 

Thanjavur level body 

building competition, 

Thanjavur 

V. Ashok Raj Gold medal 

Sportiva, Parisutham Chess team Winners 

Institute of Technology, Table tennis Runners 

Thanjavur 

(women) 


Badminton (women) III place 

Volleyball (men) III place 

Table tennis (men) III place 

Colosseum–11 

C. Vimal Gold medal (Best 

physique, 55 kg 

category) 

V. Ashok Raj Gold medal (Best 

physique, above 85 

kg category) 

T. Tamilvanan Silver medal (Best 


category) 

R. Vijay Anand Silver medal (Best 


category) 

A. Prakash Silver medal (Best 

physique, 75 – 85 kg 

category) 

V. Ashok Raj Silver medal (Best



individual 

Place won 

physique, above 85 

kg category) 

S. Venkatesh Bronze medal (Best 


category) 

V.K. Mukundhan Bronze medal (Best 

physique, 75 – 85 kg 

category) 

Best Physique team Overall 

Championship 

Badminton (men) Runners 

Cricket (men) Runners 

Table tennis (men) Runners 

Volleyball (men) Runners 

Chess team (men) III place 

Table tennis 

(women) 

Runners 

Volleyball (women) III place 

Badminton (women) III place 

South Zone Inter–University Chess team 16th 2012 

place out of 68 

Championship, Vellore 

Riviera – 12, Vellore 



Revels Cup, Manipal 


Karnataka 

Sportiva – 12, Parisutham 


V. Ashok Raj III place 

Chess team Winners 

Volleyball (men) Winners 

Athletics team Overall 

championship 

II Place (4 x 100 m 

relay) 

N. Manigandan Individual 

Championship 

V. Ashok Raj I Place (Shotput) 

N. Srinivasan I Place (Discus 

throw) 

K. Arun I Place (Javelin 

throw) 

Dilip Raj Dominic II Place (Triple jump) 

S. Gajendran II Place (Javelin 

throw) 

C. Praveen Kumar III Place (100 m) 

S. Udayakumar III Place (1500 m) 

P. Rajaram III Place (High jump) 

Chess team Winners 

Snooker Winners 

Thanjavur Table tennis (men) Winners 

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individual 

Place won 

Tennis Winners 

Badminton (women) Winners 

Table tennis 

(women) 

Winners 

Football Runners 

V.K. Mukundhan II Place (Best 

physique) 

R. Saikrishnan III Place (Best 

physique) 

T. Tamilvanan III Place (Best 

physique) 


Basketball (men) Winners 

Tournament, Periyar Volleyball (women) Runners 

Maniammai University, Basketball (women) Runners 

Vallam Volleyball (men) III Place 

SPIRITUS, National Law 

School of India University, 

Bangalore 


5.3.7 Indian Values & Heritage Consciousness 

“Humanity turns to excellence as a flower turns to the sun”. SASTRA takes at 

most care to promote and preserve Indian values & heritage and imbibes them to 

the students. SASTRA’s passion for Indian values & heritage consciousness is 

strongly reflected in the University’s name, names of academic & hostel buildings 

(Saraswathi Sadan, Vishwakarma Joth, Chanakya, Sandipani Sadan, etc), roads in 

the campus (Sir CV Raman Ave, Sathish Dhawan Ave, etc), names of the technical 

(Daksh) and cultural festivals (Kuruksastra), name of the newsletter (ITIHAS), 

etc. In addition, SASTRA has procured and is maintaining the house of Srinivasa 

Ramanujan at Kumbakonam as an International monument. The University has 

established a Department of Oriental Studies, which offers MA in Sanskrit, 

Diplomas in Vedic Studies, Agama, Vedic Mathematics, Sanskrit; certificate 

courses in Sanskrit, Vedic Mathematics, Gnaneshwar, Epigraphy and 

Srivaishnavism. The Department also publishes a quarterly journal, Journal of 

Oriental Studies and organizes annual Vedic Samhelanas. In addition degree 

programmes in Bharathanatyam (BFA) & Astrology (MA & BA) are also offered. 

Strong ethics and social consciousness are inculcated to students through 

curricular, co–curricular and extra–curricular initiatives. Courses such as Indian 

Culture and Ethics, Vedantha, Human Excellence, Life & Message of Swami 

Vivekanandha, Yoga, Basics of Sanskrit, Essence of Bhagavathgita, Indian Political 

Thought, Organic Farming, Herbal Wealth, etc., are offered as open electives. 

Veda, Carnatic music, and classical dance classes are conducted for the interested


students in the evenings and weekends. SASTRA also conducts annual 

competitions to school students in Thirupavai & Thiruvempavai and Sanskrit 

recital competitions for SASTRA students. 

5.3.8 Student Associations 

To encourage students to maintain the unique identity of their respective 

disciplines by organizing and engaging in co–curricular activities and technical 

events specific to their discipline, each department has its own student 

association. The chairman of the association is a final year student who is ably 

assisted by a vice–chairman, also from the final years. The secretary and 

treasurers of the association are from the pre–final years while the joint secretary 

and joint treasurer are selected from the sophomores. The executive members 

comprise of students from each section in all years and all the students in the 

department are members of the association. Students are given ample 

opportunities to organize various events and in the process get exposed to 

various skill acquisitions – leadership, teamwork, negotiations, time management, 

project planning, etc. 

The curriculum development workshop has a wide cross–section of students 

representing different years and disciplines. Their inputs on the curriculum, 

training, evaluation and faculty are carefully considered to make any 

modifications in the existing curriculum. In addition, each class has a 

representative who interfaces between faculty and class students. The mess 

committee consists of student representatives who have a major role in deciding 

the menu for each day. Their inputs are also given a serious consideration to 

improve hostel amenities. 

Students organise national level technical festival ‘Daksh’, cultural festival 

‘Kuruksastra’ and a sports event ‘Colosseum’. All events of these festivals are 

conceptualized, developed, marketed and conducted by student event 

coordinators. Such events serve to nurture leadership qualities, organisational 

capability as well as team spirit among the students. 

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CRITERION VI: GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT 

6.1 Institutional Vision & Leadership 

6.1.1 Mission & Vision 

SASTRA’s mission and vision reflects its commitment towards providing quality 

higher education, undertake meaningful research and create overall progress 

amongst the stakeholders involved. The mission statement of SASTRA University 

is “To impart value–based higher education turning out good scholars who are at 

the same time good individuals and good citizens in order that they may become 

useful members of an enlightened humane society.” SASTRA’s vision is “To be a 

world class university engaging in meaningful research & development offering 

quality education to the students and other learners.” 

SASTRA’s GUIDING MODEL 

The goals and objectives of the University are: 

1. To become a role model institution for higher learning 

2. To offer need–based courses in collaboration with industries 

3. To establish Schools of Excellence 

4. To promote research as a tool for social and rural development 

5. To explore the applications of ancient technology, sciences & arts and 

incorporate the same into the curriculum to meet modern requirements 

6. To provide inter–disciplinary courses of study and research and to allow 

flexibility in the curriculum as opted for by the students and user agencies 

7. To establish relations with renowned Indian and Foreign Universities and 

facilitate mutual exchange programmes 

8. To undertake extra–mural studies, extension programmes and field outreach 

activities for societal development

Criterion VI 

9. To extend the benefits of higher education to the economically backward and 

the physically disadvantaged 

10. To establish meaningful linkages with business and service sectors and hence 

offer quality education 

6.1.2 Leadership 

The Vice–Chancellor heads the apex body of the University, the Board of 

Management and heads of the University and is responsible for the overall 

growth of the University. The Vice–Chancellor is responsible for the following: 

Defining the Mission, Vision & Goals for the growth of the University in 

terms of size, and physical outreach 

Providing the strategic directions for the University in the core functions of 

teaching & learning and research and development, in order to achieve the 

vision of being a world class University 

Ensuring the academic quality and credibility of the University’s operations 

Setting the priorities for the development of new programmes at all levels 

and ensuring that the quality of the existing programmes are constantly 

enhanced 

Identifying and nurturing new areas for research & development and take 

adequate measures to protect Intellectual Property generated 

Developing various faculty– and student–welfare schemes and ensuring that 

the role of the University in society–building is never undermined 

Developing and implementing policies and procedures in conjunction with 

various bodies which are adequate and appropriate for maintaining proper 

levels of academic, administrative and financial control 

Appellate authority in the case of grievance redressal decisions. 

The Vice–Chancellor is ably assisted by the Registrar, Deans, Associate Deans and 

Senior Professors each of whom have individual responsibilities. Realizing the 

need for strategic planning and development, the Management has appointed a 

Dean – Planning & Development who is responsible for providing strategic inputs 

in various functional areas like finance, operations, academics, collaborations, etc. 

The University also has separate Deans for Student Affairs, Examination, Research 

and Sponsored Research. The Training & Placement department is headed by a 

Director. 

Each School is headed by a Dean and is ably assisted by Associate Deans, faculty 

members and supporting staff. Registrar is the administrative head of the 

University assisted by four Deputy Registrars and three Assistant Registrars. The 

financial administration is looked after by the Finance Officer and a team of 

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dedicated professionals. By policy, none of these leadership positions has been 

vacant. 

The University’s Vice–Chancellor is the senior most Vice–Chancellor from the 

south zone and was the Governing Council member of the Association of Indian 

Universities. The Vice–Chancellor has been continuously contributing articles of 

educational relevance in leading national dailies and magazines. Our Vice– 

Chancellor frequently engages in knowledge sharing with industrial houses for 

the betterment of the University in particular and higher education in general. VC 

leads the faculty, staff and students by example towards achieving excellence in 

every endeavour. 

Ever since the institution became a University in 2001, the management of the 

University has provided key policy leadership in various issues and has been 

instrumental in turning SASTRA into a comprehensive integrated university. The 

university in addition to conventional and self–made best practises has also been 

following Systems Approach implementing e–governance in admissions, fee 

collection, students’ attendance, CIA marks, examinations, library transactions, 

HR management, payroll generation, purchase, etc. The software has been 

designed to accommodate changes whenever required. 

6.1.3 Participative Management 

The University believes in participative management, decentralization of power 

and delegation of authority for its effective functioning. The Deans of the Schools 

are given adequate autonomy in decision–making. The Management has created 

the post of Associate Dean to groom and develop second–level leadership. The 

Deans work very closely with the Associate Deans and faculty members to handle 

day–to–day activities. 

Decisions related to faculty appointments, career advancements, rules & 

regulations, student admissions, etc., are taken after a careful discussion with 

Deans, Associate Deans and senior faculty members. Opinions are obtained from 

the potential beneficiary before certain major decisions are made. The entire 

decision–making process is transparent ensuring the smooth flow of information. 

The Management is easily accessible to all staff members and students for 

grievance redressal, if any. 

The University involves faculty members and industry experts as members of 

Boards of Studies and Academic Council to plan and design the curriculum. 

Selected student representatives are invited to attend the Curriculum 

Development Workshop and offer their suggestions.


6.1.4 Knowledge Management Strategy 

The University adopts a multi–pronged approach to identify, acquire, share, 

nurture and promote knowledge for the benefit of faculty, staff, students and 

society at large. Some of the initiatives are: 

New Faculty Induction Programme & FDPs: Faculty members are given 

orientation at the time of recruitment and periodic training through FDP 

Doctoral Club / Journal Club: Faculty members across disciplines meet 

periodically to share and update knowledge, strengthening the 

interdisciplinary research culture 

Author Workshop: The University frequently organizes Author Workshops 

to provide information in the nuances of writing technical manuscripts to 

faculty members and students 

Knowledge Sharing: Staff seminars, group emails and SASTRA website 

serve as platforms for knowledge sharing and networking. Updates on the e– 

resources available are provided as and when required. Faculty members 

also share knowledge by offering courses under the NPTEL project and 

developing Pedagogy tools under the NMEICT. Knowledge Leadership Forum 

provides a perfect knowledge exchange platform through knowledge leaders 

from various spheres. 

Managing IPR: The Office of the Dean (Sponsored Research) facilitates filing 

of both National and International patent applications 

Open Source: Faculty and students are involved in developing various open 

source tools for different applications. SASTRA led a huge initiative, which 

involved the cloning, expression and purification of proteins of the 

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) genome as part of the Open Source Drug 

Discovery programme against Mtb. SASTRA has been well recognised for 

leading this unique ‘crowd sourcing’ initiative of completing the cloning of 

major drug targets in the Mtb genome. The University has hence been chosen 

to host in its campus, a National Clone Repository of Mtb genes, which will 

provide clones for researchers all over the country. 

Open House: The University conducts annual open house to create 

awareness of the state–of–the–art research facilities available on campus and 

also on the areas of research 

Students Clubs & Forums: Students interact and enrich their knowledge 

through various workshops and technical contests organized by different 

student clubs and forums 

6.1.5 Core Values 

Contributing to 

national development 

High quality professionals for industry, 

academia and research 

Skilled manpower development in line with the 

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Fostering global 

competencies among 

students 

Inculcating a sound 

value system among 

students 

Promoting use of 

technology 

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mission of National Skill Development Agency 

Establishment of TIFAC–CORE in Advanced 

Computing & Information Processing 

Establishment of Centre of Excellence in 

Scientific Preparation of Rasa Aushadhies & 

Bhasmas 

Establishment of National Facility for the 

Development of Herbo–metallic preparations 

Recognized Drug Testing Laboratory 

Undertaking extramural projects of national 

importance 

National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National 

Service Scheme (NSS) 

SASTRA Community Out REach (SCORE) for 

societal and humanitarian development 

SAGE for encouraging students to engage in 

Indian public service 

Exposure to state–of–the–art infrastructure 

Balanced curriculum of international standards 

Faculty with international exposure 

Access to leading online journals and e–books 

Inculcating the practice of updating knowledge 

through journal clubs, seminars, technical 

forums 

Semester abroad and student exchange 

programmes 

Collaborations with premier institutions 

Global exposure through international 

conferences, workshops and seminars 

organized on campus 

Opportunity to learn foreign languages in 

campus like Japanese, German, French, etc. 

Strong ethics and social consciousness 

inculcated through curricular, co–curricular 

and extra–curricular initiatives 

Core course on Indian Culture and Ethics for 

freshmen 

Open elective courses on Human Excellence, 

Life and message of Swami Vivekananda, Basics 

of Sanskrit, Manuscriptology, Vedanta, Music, 

Vedic Mathematics, Yoga, Herbal wealth of 

India, etc. 

Encouragement provided to students to follow 

their traditional values 

Sensitization to reach out to victims of natural 

calamities 

SASTRA’s Community Outreach Programme 

Wi–Fi enabled campus with 1Gbps fibre optic 

backbone


Automation of admissions, course registration, 

payment of fees, students’ progress, 

examination wing, hostel registration, leave 

application, salary & remuneration 

disbursement, etc. 

ICT enabled teaching and learning 

Use of renewable energy 

Potable and sewage water treatment 

Quest for excellence Transparent merit based student admissions, 

faculty recruitment & career advancement 

policy 

Emphasis on research 

Self–introspection to improve academic and 

research outcome 

Willingly subjecting to assessment and 

accreditation by statutory bodies and industries 

Frequent visits by knowledge leaders and 

luminaries 

Establishment of Centres of Excellence 

Sophisticated analytical, instrumentation and 

testing facility 

World–class manufacturing facility 

Frequent modernization of laboratories 

6.2 Strategy Development and Deployment 

The guiding model for the University forms the fundamental block for the 

perspective planning. The vision to become a world–class university is the 

underlying force that drives all planning exercises. Various short, medium and 

long–term goals are set out in the IQAC meetings, which are discussed at length 

and implemented after getting necessary approval. 

During the last five years strategic and effective planning has led to initiation and 

successful implementation of the following: 

Recognized as a Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) from 

the Government of India 

Enhancement of e–learning resources and expansion of physical 

infrastructure 

Successful implementation of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and 

Accelerated Course Registration Scheme (ACRS) 

Creation of integrated research facility to enable interdisciplinary ambience 

Increase in the number of funded R&D projects making SASTRA a premier 

research University 

Recognition as a Centre of Excellence in the Scientific Preparation of 

Ayurvedic & Siddha – Rasa Aushadhies and Bhasmas by the Department of 

AYUSH, GoI 

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Establishment of a National Facility for the Development of Herbo–metallic 

preparations by the Department of Science & Technology, GoI 

Continuous recognition and funding for research to the Centre for 

Nanotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials from the Nano Mission, 

Department of Science & Technology, GoI 

Partner in the Open Source Drug Discovery programme of the Council for 

Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) for the cloning, expression and 

purification of proteins of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) genome 

Recognized to set up a National Clone Repository of Mtb genes to provide 

clones for researchers all over the country 

Establishment of a world–class facility to train students and manufacture 

components of stringent standards 

Establishment of high–tech laboratories with industry support 

Identified as a remote centre for FDP through NMEICT, IIT Bombay 

Enhanced research output in the form of publications, patents and citations 

Increased number of full–time Ph. D. scholars through Teaching 

Assistantship Programme 

Recognized as Associate Partner in the NPTEL and NMEICT to create course 

content and pedagogical tools 

Empowerment of the rural unemployed through skill development 

programmes 

MoU with renowned Universities, industries and research agencies 

Improving student placement record 

Creating an IT–enabled teaching–learning mechanism 

Transparent research initiatives to foster a competitive research ecosystem 

6.2.1 Organizational Structure 

The organization structure and the various University bodies are as per the rules 

governing the University. The Vice–Chancellor is the Head of the Board of 

Management and other principal University bodies. Vice–Chancellor nominates 

senior academicians to head special committees. The Board of Management, 

Academic Council, Research Advisory Council, IQAC, Boards of Studies and other 

University bodies hold regular meetings. The Board of Management meets at 

least four times a year; the Academic Council & the Research Advisory Council 

meet at least two times a year and the IQAC meets every quarter. Other 

University bodies meet as and when necessary from time to time. 

University Body Meeting Dates 

Board of Management June 23, 2013 

March 2, 2013 

December 15, 2012


September 26, 2012 

Academic Council May 13, 2013 

November 30, 2012 

May 19, 2012 

December 2, 2011 

Research Advisory Council May 24 & 25, 2013 

May 7 & 8, 2012 

September 19 & 20, 2011 

January 22 & 23, 2011 

IQAC July 14, 2013 

June 26, 2013 

May 14, 2013 

May 10, 2013 

6.2.2 Academic Autonomy & Accountability 

All Schools of the University enjoy 100% academic freedom in terms of proposing 

new programmes, introducing new courses, restructuring the curriculum, 

revising the syllabi, design of question papers, etc. Every teacher prepares a 

course plan independently based on the course requirements and student needs. 

Individual teachers enjoy autonomy to adopt suitable pedagogical and evaluation 

methods. At the end of the semester, each faculty member has to submit the 

course completion form. Irrespective of the cadre, all faculty members are 

encouraged to submit research proposals for intramural and extramural funding. 

The Schools propose their annual budget after taking inputs from the laboratory 

in–charges, which is sanctioned by the Management after discussion in the Dean’s 

meeting. Deans of the respective Schools purchase consumables and equipment 

costing less than Rs 5 lakh from the available annual budget. Deans and Associate 

Deans of the Schools are provided an imprest to meet any incidental expenditure. 

The imprest is replenished upon submission of expenditure statement to the 

Finance section. 

Every School is provided Rs 1 lakh to organize lectures under the aegis of 

Knowledge Leadership Forum and the faculty coordinator submits the statement 

of expenditure at the end of each year. In case of intra–mural research projects 

funded through Prof. TRR Research Fund (up to Rs 2 lakh) and Research & 

Modernization Fund (up to Rs 10 lakh), the entire sanctioned amount is released 

to the concerned faculty. The principal investigators enjoy full autonomy to utilize 

the funds and submit accounts at the end of project duration. 

New requirements for capital equipment are identified and proposed by the lab 

in–charges in consultation with their faculty colleagues. Purchase committee 

comprising faculty members across disciplines is constituted for major purchases 

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to discuss the techno–commercial aspects with the different vendors. The Vice– 

Chancellor approves the recommendations of the purchase committee. 

Faculty and staff requirement planning is done by Dean and Associate Deans in 

the Schools. The selection of faculty, through a personal interview conducted by a 

committee comprising senior faculty members of the School, is approved by the 

Vice Chancellor. 

6.2.3 Quality Policy 

Quality is the watchword of SASTRA and hence the motto of the Institution has 

been ‘Progress through Quality Education’ since its inception. As the progress and 

development of the nation is largely influenced by quality education, SASTRA 

University strives to generate Quality Individuals through Quality Education. The 

University’s quest for excellence is the driving force in all its Quality sustenance & 

enhancement initiatives. 

SASTRA ensures quality in all aspects beginning with students admission, faculty 

recruitment, curriculum design, infrastructure, administrative & support services, 

global exposure, training, etc., as shown below: 

MeritbasedAdmissions 

Global 

Exposure 

Support 

Services 

Valuebased 

Education 

QUALITY 

State-ofthe-artInfrastructure 

High 

Quality 

Faculty 

Balanced 

Curriculum


The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) meets regularly to set the standards of 

quality for various administrative and academic functions and puts in place 

mechanisms to ensure implementation of the same. Care is taken to ensure that 

the decisions are properly implemented by means of an effective internal 

coordination mechanism. As and when a decision is made it is communicated to 

the concerned unit. If necessary, committees are constituted for implementation 

of the same. The implementation is reviewed in the IQAC meetings and remedial 

actions taken if necessary. 

The IQAC implements and monitors the decisions taken and any revision is based 

on the quality inputs from IQAC, industry feedbacks and opinions from external 

experts. Major policy decisions are discussed at length in the IQAC meetings and a 

democratic approach is followed during decision–making. 

6.2.4 Court Cases 

SASTRA is a reasonable litigant seeking justice to all its stakeholders. In 2010, the 

Government of Tamil Nadu failed to recognise the B. Ed. degrees of SASTRA 

though the course was started with the approval of the National Council for 

Teacher Education and University Grants Commission. SASTRA University filed a 

writ petition in the High Court of Madras and won the same as a result of which 

the Government of Tamil Nadu considered the teacher candidates for promotion 

and increment benefits. 

The Trichy–Thanjavur road (NH–67) along which SASTRA is situated was taken 

up for expansion by the National Highways Authority of India in 2007. As per the 

detailed project report, the road was aligned in such a way that the in–house 

hospital, entrance arch and the entire compound wall of the University needed to 

be demolished. SASTRA filed a writ petition in the Madurai bench of the High 

court of Madras since a major portion of the land opposite to the campus was 

vacant and also belonged to the government. SASTRA won the single bench order 

and NHAI filed a writ challenging the single judge order, which was allowed by 

the Bench. 

6.2.5 Grievance Redressal 

SASTRA’s quality initiatives and practices with empathy result in rare events of 

grievances. Grievances, if any, are addressed through the following mechanisms: 

Student counsellors 

Provision for photocopy and revaluation in the exam system 

Anti–ragging committee, anti–sexual harassment committee, mess 

committee, etc. 

Apart from the above, student or parent or faculty member can approach the 

Associate Dean, Dean, Registrar or Vice–Chancellor for redressal of their 

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grievances. All stakeholders have access to Vice–Chancellor, Registrar and the 

Deans. A suggestion box is also placed outside the Registrar’s Office for all 

stakeholders to register their complaints or concerns anonymously. All 

complaints and suggestions are looked into and suitable actions taken 

maintaining the anonymity of the complainant. 

In addition to online feedback elicited from students on courses as well as 

teachers every semester, feedback from the graduating batch is obtained on 

programmes and their on–campus experience. Their suggestions related to 

curriculum are actively considered by Boards of Studies. The Office of the 

Registrar and Dean, Student Affairs seriously consider other suggestions. 

6.2.6 Performance Audit 

The University has a performance audit system to evaluate the efficiency of the 

various administrative and academic functioning of Schools / Centres. Every 

year, the Schools and Centres submit the data in the prescribed format. The data 

is analyzed & discussed in the IQAC and follow–up actions are suggested. 

6.3 Faculty Empowerment Strategies 

SASTRA encourages both teaching and non–teaching staff to update their 

knowledge and skills through various quality improvement programmes. Some 

of the initiatives taken are: 

Sponsoring faculty for Ph. D. programmes in premier institutions with leave 

and full pay 

About 200 faculty members from various Schools have been empowered by 

Wipro Mission 10x programmes with innovative teaching practices 

Induction and orientation programmes for new faculty members to 

familiarize them with CBCS, ACRS, etc. 

Periodic author workshops are conducted to enhance quality of technical 

publications 

Encouraged to attend short–term courses, conferences, workshops, etc. 

Periodic Knowledge leadership forum lecture series 

Professional hands–on training on sophisticated equipment / machinery 

Non–teaching staff are encouraged to enrol for higher qualifications 

The performance of the faculty is evaluated based on students’ feedback, research 

output, contributions to design of new experiments / courses, FDPs attended, 

involvement in the activities of the School / University, etc. Based on the periodic 

appraisals, the University has taken the following major decisions to improve 

teaching, learning and research: 

1. Creation of a new faculty cadre – Assistant Professor (Research) 

2. Enhancement of intra–mural seed money grant for research


3. Creation of Research & Modernization Fund and Teaching Assistantship Fund 

4. Research incentives for faculty 

5. Periodic author workshops 

6. Creation of Professional Virtual Community (PVC) to promote teacher– 

learner interactions outside class hours 

6.3.1 Welfare Schemes 

The Management of the University has implemented various welfare schemes to 

both the students and employees even though they are not required as per the 

statutory norms. Some of the welfare schemes are: 

Provident Fund: All employees are governed by the Employees Provident 

Fund Miscellaneous Act, 1952 

Gratuity: Employees are governed by the Gratuity Act 1972 with a ceiling of 

Rs 10 lakh and Management has contributed Rs 520.68 lakh in the last three 

years 

Superannuation Fund: The Management contributes 8% of the total 

emoluments of each employee to the Superannuation Fund. On the date of 

superannuation, or on his / her becoming incapacitated prior to 

superannuation, or in the unfortunate demise of the employee, the amount 

will be disbursed along with interest. In the last three years the Management 

has contributed Rs 831.53 lakh 

Medical Insurance: All employees along with spouse and two children are 

covered under the University’s Health Insurance Scheme. In this scheme, an 

annual premium of about Rs 45 lakh is paid to cover the medical expenses 

including maternity. Annual permissible claim per employee is up to Rs 3 

lakh. In the last three years, 163 employees have benefited to the tune of Rs 

61.46 lakh 

Accident Insurance: Apart from the medical insurance the Management 

covers all the students and employees under the group accident insurance 

policy by paying an annual premium of Rs 9.00 lakh 

Professional Development Allowance: All employees are provided with 

professional development allowance every month along with their salary to 

take care of faculty members personal & professional growth. 

Apart from the above schemes, the Management is benevolent and considerate 

towards its employees at the time of special and needy situations. 

6.3.2 Faculty Recruitment & Retention 

SASTRA appoints talented, experienced and meritorious candidates as faculty 

irrespective of the vacancy position. This has led to innovations in teaching and 

research in all disciplines aiding SASTRA’s march towards becoming a world– 

class University. To recognize and laud the efforts of the deserving faculty 

members based on their performance in teaching and research fast–track 

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promotions and accelerated increments are awarded. Incentives are also 

provided in the form of extended vacations for faculty members with funded 

research projects and publications. Also, an annual retention bonus of Rs 1.00 

lakh is provided to each faculty member with doctorate qualification in blocks of 

six years. Ten percent of the extramural research grant is awarded to the 

investigator(s). All these encourage the faculty members to excel further and 

facilitate their career advancement. In addition, this also serves in the retention 

of talented faculty. All staff members are paid their full salary on the first 

working day of each month and the management contributes the statutory 

amount toward provident fund. There has never been a single instance of delay 

in salary payment since inception. 

SASTRA University treats all its employees as members of a family. On special 

occasions, gifts in the form of articles as well as cash are provided to all 

employees. For example, Rs 1,500 per month for the entire year amounting to Rs 

18,000 was given to all employees as special allowance as part of Silver Jubilee 

Year Celebrations (2008–09). Besides, the Management extends its support to 

employees on expenses occurring due to higher education, marriage in the family, 

medical exigencies, etc. 

6.3.3 Gender Audit & Sensitization 

Based on the increasing number of girls students joining SASTRA, adequate 

facilities such as hostels, sporting facilities & gymnasium, rest rooms in all 

academic buildings, availability of woman doctor, departmental stores in the 

hostels, etc., have been created. Women students largely represent student 

associations and serve as organizers of technical, sports and cultural events. Due 

to the constant efforts of the Administration to cater to the needs of the student 

population and to provide a safe campus, women students & staff and their 

families feel secured. The feeling of homely environment and healthy culture 

further increases enrolment of women students. 

6.4 Financial Management and Resource Mobilization 

All the planned and unplanned expenditure for operations and maintenance are 

taken care of by tuition fees, loans from banks and research grants. The 

Management plans its finances in such a way that the growth and development of 

the University is constrained due to the non–availability of funds. The institution 

has an internal and external auditor. 

All fees such as tuition, examination, mess bill, hostel rent, etc., are collected only 

through online transactions and receipts can be generated by the payee. Since 

the financial transactions are transparent and scrupulously maintained, there has 

not been any instance of objections from the auditors.


The annual budget is prepared by individual Schools and approved by the Board 

of Management. The Vice–Chancellor along with the Deans and Finance Officer 

ensure that the financial resources are properly deployed. Major purchases are 

made after obtaining competitive proposals, followed by detailed negotiations 

and involves meticulous follow up for expeditious supply, installation, 

commissioning and financial payment after being fully satisfied. AMCs and 

periodic performance checks ensure productive financial resource deployment. 

The University engages qualified auditing firms for both internal & external 

audits. The internal auditors complete periodic accounting audits and ensures 

that all information is ready before the statutory auditors visit for external audit. 

Auditing is a regular process and there have been no major audit objections as the 

University follows generally accepted accounting principles. 

The University raises finance through various mechanisms: 

Bank Finance – The Vice–Chancellor & Dean – Planning & Development with 

their banking and finance expertise are mainly responsible for generating 

finance through bank loans. The detailed proposals prepared by them 

facilitate the bank negotiation and loan sanction process. With their 

exhaustive knowledge on various financial markets at national and global 

levels have resulted in obtaining banks loans at competitive interest rates. 

The Indian Overseas Bank has also established an endowment for Rs.25 lakh 

in appreciation of the University’s efforts in financial resource mobilization to 

study rural financial & development models. 

Research Grants – The Office of the Dean – Sponsored Research & the 

Management incentives offered to promote research provide a strong 

combination that provides adequate encouragement to faculty to submit 

proposals for various research projects involving financial grants. 

Industry Collaboration – The Dean – Planning & Development and the 

Department of Training & Placement spare no efforts to establish strong 

linkages with various industry partners leading to major corporate like TCS, 

Accenture, TVS Group, etc. provide financial support for various activities of 

the University. 

Philanthropy & Goodwill – The philanthropic attitude of the management 

and the good deeds of the University’s faculty, staff and students have also 

earned the goodwill of various like minded individuals and organizations 

who have also provided some minor financial support. 

Tuition fees – The tuition fee paid by students is also a major financial 

resource input and amongst comparable institutions, SASTRA University’s 

tuition fee is the lowest. 

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The following table shows the current fees structure for the different 

programmes: 

S. No Name of the Programme Tuition Fee 

per Semester 

(in Rs) 

1. B. Tech. / M. Tech. (Integrated) 45,000 

2. B.B.A., LL.B. / B.Com., LL.B. / B.A., LL.B 40,000 

3. B.Sc. / B.B.A. / B.C.A. / B.Com. 7,500 

4. M.A., B.Ed. / M.Sc., B.Ed. 10,000 

5. B.Com. (C.A) 10,000 

6. M. Tech. 45,000 

7. M. Sc. 10,000 

8. M. B. A. 40,000 

9. M. C. A. 40,000 

10. M. Com. 10,000 

11. B. Ed. 35,000 

12. M. Ed. 40,000 

The University has also created Corpus Funds for various activities that touch 

different dimensions of the university. They are: 

• Research & Modernisation Fund 

• Innovation Fund 

• Desh–Videsh Fund 

• Student Training & Development Fund 

• Faculty Development Fund 

• Conference & Seminars Fund 

• SASTRA Anukula Sikshan Fund 

• Student Welfare Fund 

• Faculty Superannuation Fund 

6.5 Internal Quality Assurance System 

With a conscious effort to provide quality and need–based education, SASTRA has 

evolved various internal quality assessment mechanisms. SASTRA gears itself to 

achieve the specific goals and objectives through the Internal Quality Assurance 

Cell (IQAC). Periodic assessments of the teaching–learning and evaluation 

process are carried out and suitable mid–course corrections are made, if 

necessary. As early as 2003, SASTRA had formed a quality circle comprising of 

the Vice–Chancellor, Registrar, Deans, Senior Professors and select faculty 

members. The major functions of the quality circle are: 

i. To achieve and ensure quality performance in every educational service 

ii. To acknowledge innovative classroom / laboratory / workshop procedures/ 

practices


iii. To identify the opportunities and challenges in teaching, learning, 

evaluation, research and administration so as to provide quality education 

and service 

iv. To examine critically and continually, all processes to remove non– 

productive activities 

v. To develop a team approach in problem–solving 

vi. To review continuously the processes and to develop strategies for 

betterment of the same 

vii. To encourage and promote healthy practices in academic and 

administrative activities 

These members meet frequently to study the inputs and to initiate efforts to 

enhance and sustain the quality of work and also make mid–course corrections if 

the feedback is otherwise. This quality circle has evolved into the Internal Quality 

Assurance Cell (IQAC) of the University. 

SASTRA ensures the quality of our academic programme at different levels. First, 

the curriculum for each programme is framed by the Board of Studies, which has 

both academic and industrial experts to maintain the relevance of the contents in 

each course for every programme. Secondly, the programmes are approved by 

the Academic Council of SASTRA, which again evaluates the contents and 

relevance. The IQAC periodically arranges meetings and facilitated sharing of 

inputs obtained from industrial and academic experts across various disciplines 

through the Schools and Department of Training & Placement of the University 

regarding relevance and quality of the programmes. Academic audit is also done 

to access the performance of various Schools. 

Some of the salient initiatives taken by the University based on the IQAC’s 

recommendations: 

i. Introduction of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) with online registration 

of courses every semester facilitating different mix of students 

ii. Introduction of Accelerated Course Registration System (ACRS) enables 

students to undertake full semester project work in leading research 

laboratories in India and abroad 

iii. Introduction of Semester Abroad Programme (SAP) with financial support 

through the Desh–Videsh Scheme 

iv. Students are offered open elective courses, which they can choose from a 

common pool irrespective of their semester and discipline 

v. Online remote information access of the wards by the parents through the 

Parents’ Corner web portal 

vi. All information and services to the students such as curriculum, academic 

rules, calendar, bona fide, transcripts, hostel permissions, etc., are provided 

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through the Students’ Toolkit web portal 

vii. Online payment of tuition fees, examination fees, hostel rent, mess bill, etc., 

to save time 

viii. M. Tech. students are encouraged to publish their project work in peer– 

reviewed international journals 

ix. Setting up of interdisciplinary and central research facilities 

x. Enhancement of e–resources such as e–books, journals, back volumes, 

databases, etc., to facilitate learning and research 

xi. Creation of a new faculty cadre, Assistant Professor (Research) and a corpus 

to support full–time Ph. D. scholars through Teaching Assistantships to 

foster research 

xii. Introduction of comprehensive viva–voce and public seminar for Ph. D. 

candidates 

xiii. Reduction of total credits for the B. Tech. and M. Tech. (Intg.) programmes 

from 234 to 225 and from 270 to 261 respectively so as to provide time for 

assimilation and innovative team projects 

xiv. Encouraging faculty and students to check the similarity index of 

manuscripts, project work, etc., before submission using Turnitin ® software 

xv. Online feedback on the courses and faculty obtained from the students 

every semester 

xvi. Allocation of 10% seats each for students from Thanjavur and Trichy 

districts in B. Tech. & M. Tech. (Intg.) programmes 

xvii. Supplementary exams are conducted twice a year irrespective of the 

semester in which the course was offered 

xviii. Introduction of Engineering Practice Laboratory for the I year B. Tech. 

students to impart basic engineering skills 

xix. Offer soft skill training programmes during the course of study as part of 

their curriculum 

xx. A value based approach in developing the individual personality of every 

student and faculty 

Thus, with the different layers of our internal quality check and balances, we are 

able to maintain the quality of our programmes and a testimony to this is the 

number of students being recruited by various companies, students selected for 

summer training in various research laboratories, academic institutions and 

industries and students admitted to programmes in top–notch institutions 

around the globe. 

Apart from ensuring quality in curriculum development, workshops on 

laboratory courses are conducted by each School before the commencement of 

every semester. The purpose of the workshop is to evolve thought–provoking,


innovative and conceptual experiments designed to be in phase with the latest 

development in the respective fields. 

All major academic and co–curricular decisions are taken in the IQAC meetings 

chaired by the Vice–Chancellor. The decisions are communicated to teaching & 

non–teaching staff and students through circulars, website and through 

orientation programmes such that the decisions are implemented to the fullest 

extent. 

SASTRA has always voluntarily subjected itself to accreditation in line with its 

commitment to continuous improvement and to evolve into a world–class 

University. When the National Board of Accreditation by the All India Council for 

Technical Education to assess the quality of technical education was constituted, 

SASTRA was the first private unaided institution to get all of its eligible 

programmes accredited. SASTRA was granted the Deemed–to–be–University 

status in April 2001. Within a short span of one year, SASTRA offered itself for 

accreditation by NAAC in April 2002 and was re–accredited with ‘A’ grade in 

2008. M/s Tata Consultancy Service and M/s IBM have accredited SASTRA with 

the highest grade thus bringing it in the company of elite institutions in the 

country. M/s Wipro has recognized SASTRA as ‘Trusted Academic Partner’. The 

Institution of Engineers (India), Kolkata has accredited all eligible programmes of 

SASTRA. The Department of Scientific & Industrial Research has recognized 

SASTRA as a Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (SIRO). All these 

voluntary efforts by SASTRA, reflects its attitude to subject itself to quality check 

by various external agencies and in the process improve and innovate 

continuously. 

The “continuous evaluation system” being followed in the University provides 

flexibility to the learner, with marks scored in best two of three midterm tests 

being used for computation of internal marks. This helps the learners to 

circumvent the risk of securing low internal marks due to poor performance in 

one of the midterm tests owing to untoward circumstances. Slow learners are 

identified and additional support in the form of tutorial classes, remedial classes, 

bridge courses, etc., is provided to enhance their learning. 

The success of the University has been possible because of the combined efforts 

of the leadership, faculty, staff and students who have ensured to generate 

coherent synergy through functional model that promotes the spirit of 

collaborative growth. 

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CRITERION VII: INNOVATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES 

247 


7.1 Environment Consciousness 

The University is conscious about the environmental issues and is proactive in 

initiating the following activities in the campus: 

1. Energy Audit: The University conducts annual energy audit to provide a 

benchmark for managing energy and also to plan more effectively the use 

of energy in the campus. Based on the suggestions of the audit report, 

suitable measures have been implemented for efficient use and 

management of energy. 

2. Water Audit: The University conducts periodic water audits to assess the 

supply and demand of water at different locations so as to effectively plan 

the water supply. This ensures equity in supply and avoids wastage or 

spills. Based on the audit report, additional water sources such as bore 

wells, purchase of water from external agencies, etc., are planned. 

3. Sewage Treatment Plants: In our efforts towards zero liquid discharge, 

the University has three plants to treat the sewage. The sewage from 

hostels, administrative and academic buildings are pumped to the 

treatment plants. The treated water is recycled for gardening purposes 

only. Four personnel man the treatment plants and quality of treated 

water is continuously monitored. 

4. Rainwater Harvesting: The University has implemented the rainwater 

harvesting throughout the campus in 2005 itself as part of ground water 

recharge strategy. The University has laid channels about 1.5 km long with 

appropriate gradient for water flow without stagnation. In addition, 25 

bores to a depth of about 50 feet each have also been drilled to increase 

the ground water table. 

5. Solar Water Heater: SASTRA University has installed two solar water 

heaters of 5000 litres per day capacity. The water is preheated to about 

70–80°C before being charged to the boiler for producing steam, which is 

used for cooking purposes in the hostel. This has not only resulted in 

considerable savings in the use of firewood but has also contributed in the 

reduction of carbon footprint. 

6. Roof top solar power plants: To tap the virtually inexhaustible source of 

solar power, we have commissioned a pilot plant roof top photovoltaic 

system 6.75 kW capacity. This unit is used to meet the energy

Criterion VII 

requirements of the power electronics laboratory. The success of the pilot 

plant has further reinforced the University’s drive to harness solar energy 

culminating in the commissioning of 1 MW roof top systems. 

7. Tree Plantation: The University has embarked on a mission “Go Green” 

through which 3500 saplings have been planted in the last three years. 

8. Use of Renewable Energy: SASTRA University has a 600 m 3 biogas plant, 

which is capable of harvesting 2.80 million kcal of thermal energy from 

waste products. The uniqueness of this plant is that it uses a composite 

feed consisting of solid waste from the campus such as cow dung, kitchen 

& dining hall waste, sanitary napkins, dried leaves, and night soil. The 

biogas produced by the plant is utilized to run two generators, which are 

used to supply power to the School of Civil Engineering during the day and 

to the ladies hostel during the night. This plant apart from generating 

renewable energy serves as an effective solid waste management system. 

9. Biohazard Waste Management: The University has a tie–up with a 

government approved biomedical waste treatment plant facility, which is 

located 4 km from the campus. All research labs, which utilize biological 

samples, keep the waste in a secure location within the campus. The waste 

is periodically collected from the campus and taken to the plant. 

10. Efforts for Carbon Neutrality 

Cycle to students: As a part of Green Campus initiative, SASTRA has 

provided 200 bicycles to students, faculty and staff. This ensures better 

health for the individual and the environment. 

Air–conditioning: The University is replacing ductable air conditioning 

units with variable refrigerant volume (VRV) and variable refrigerant flow 

(VRF) systems. These smart systems consume less power for the same 

tonnage. In spite of these intelligent systems costing double the 

conventional systems, the University has installed about 500 tonnes of 

VRV / VRF systems in line with its commitment. 

LED lighting: It is well known that conventional lights utilize more power 

and are cheap when compared to LED lights. Though LED lights are 

expensive, the University has already invested about Rs 1 crore to replace 

and install LED lights in the campus. Anusandhan Kendra (Phase I) is 

totally illuminated with LED lights. 

Use of renewable energy: The utilization of renewable energy such as 

biogas and solar power is a step towards carbon neutral campus. 

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e–Governance – Minimal use of stationery: The use of Management 

Information System (MIS) coupled with campus–wide Wi–Fi has resulted 

in the minimal use of stationery. Internal communications are sent to all 

members concerned through e–mail. All announcements, events and 

invitations are made available online minimizing the hardcopy versions. 

All transactions, such as payment of tuition fees, examination fees, hostel 

fees, hostel permissions and other routine student requests are through 

the e–portal thereby conserving time and energy. 

Replacement of CRT monitors: The University has replaced all its CRT 

monitors, even though they were in working condition, with LCD monitors 

as a part of the energy conservation initiative. 

7.2 Innovations 

The following are the innovative practices introduced in the last four years: 

Integrated Programmes – SASTRA has introduced the integrated M. Sc., 

B. Ed. Programme in Mathematics and Computer Science along with M. 

Com., B. Ed. & M. A., B. Ed. with the sole aim of providing quality teachers 

at the school level. Similarly integrated M. Tech. programmes were also 

introduced in various engineering disciplines 

Choice based Credit System (CBCS) – CBCS has been implemented to 

provide flexibility to the students to opt for courses of their choice 

adopting ‘cafeteria’ approach 

Open Electives – The University offers a large pool of courses across 

disciplines, which do not need prerequisites and are primarily aimed at 

broadening the outlook of students 

Accelerated Course Registration System (ACRS) – This system enables 

fast–learners to earn the required course credits within seven semesters 

and utilize the eighth semester exclusively for project work 

Semester Abroad Programme (SAP) – This provides an opportunity to 

the students to acquire international experience by spending a semester in 

premier universities and industries abroad 

Desh–Videsh Scheme – SASTRA provides round trip economy airfare and 

a monthly stipend of US$ 200 to all students selected for the Semester 

Abroad Programme 

Dean’s List – Top 2% of students are placed in the Dean’s list and 

provided 20% fee waiver and between 3 and 10% are provided 10% fee 

waiver 

SASTRA’s Hub for Research & Innovation (SHRI) – This provides an 

integrated multi–disciplinary environment to foster innovation and 

research 

Student Leadership – Student volunteers plan, organize and conduct all 

mega technical, cultural and sports events


Knowledge Leadership Forum – Periodic lectures in which eminent 

persons share knowledge 

SASTRA Anukula Sikshan – A student initiative to help slow learners 

Long–term Internship for Fast learners – Provides scope for extended 

internship in premier organisations and research labs 

SAPHIRE Award – To increase research publications in SCOPUS/SCI 

Journals 

Research & Modernisation Fund – Twin benefit to promote research and 

remove obsolescence 

Innovation Fund – To promote the spirit of inquiry and creativity 

International Conference Fund – To encourage relationship building and 

sharing of knowledge by organising periodic international conferences & 

workshops 

Free Boarding – Hostel students with securing CGPA ≥ 9 and attendance 

more than 90% are provided free boarding 

Student Welfare Scheme – Students are provided full–fee waiver in the 

unfortunate event of losing the sole bread winner in the family 

Assistant Professor (Research) – A new category designated as AP(R) 

has been introduced to encourage young faculty to devote quality time for 

research 

e–Governance – All activities pertaining to students’ progress from 

Admission to Graduation are governed through online Management 

Information System 

Seed Money for Research – Seed money provided through Prof. T. R. 

Rajagopalan R&D Cell, Student Innovation Fund and Research & 

Modernization Fund 

Incentives – Performance based incentives to sustain quality teaching and 

research 

SASTRA Community OutREach – SCORE promotes a sense of being 

human for the student human beings. 

Encouragement to NPTEL/PEDAGOGY/NMEICT – the pride of being 

part of a National Mission 

Cloud based HRMS & LMS – Easy teaching–learning transactions 

250

251 


7.3 Best Practices 

Title Objective Context Practice Evidence of 

Transparent 

Admission 

Process 

Curricular 

Design & 

Reforms 

To attract 

meritorious 

students 

from all 

over the 

country 

To offer 

relevant and 

need based 

courses 

“Let your 

marks do the 

talking” 

“To honour 

merit and 

not money” 

To offer wide 

range of 

choices to 

the students 

To keep pace 

with the 

demands of 

the industry 

Social 

relevance 

No capitation 

fees 

Admissions to 

all B. Tech. 

programmes 

are based on 

higher 

secondary 

marks or marks 

obtained in JEE 

(Main) 

Admissions to 

all M. Tech. 

programmes 

are based on 

aptitude test 

and marks 

obtained in the 

UG/PG 

programme 

Feedback from 

all stake holders 

Curriculum 

workshops with 

student and 

industry 

representation 

CBCS, ACRS & 

SAP in vogue 

Open elective 

courses to 

broaden the 

outlook 

Success 

National 

character of 

students 

Excellent all 

round 

performance 

of students – 

academic, co– 

curricular & 

extra– 

curricular 

activities 

Increased 

number of 

companies 

visiting 

campus 

Student 

campus 

placements & 

employer 

satisfaction 

Progression to 

higher studies 

Strong and 

balanced 

curriculum 

Promoting and 

nurturing 

creativity 

International 

exposure at 

premier 

universities 

and 

laboratories 

Outstanding 

performance 

in competitive 

examinations 

Most number 

of students 

securing IAS 

Fellowships 

from a single 

institution


Promotion 

of Research 

Resource 

Augmen– 

tation 

To 

strengthen 

higher 

learning and 

research 

To keep 

pace with 

the 

technology 

develop– 

ment 

Identification 

of thrust 

areas of 

research 

Creation of 

Centres of 

Research 

Excellence 

Global 

visibility & 

recognition 

Latest 

technology 

Elimination 

of obsole– 

scence 

“Click of 

mouse” 

Stay abreast 

252 

Access to state– 

of–the–art 


Creation of a 

new cadre – 

Assistant 

Professor 

(Research) 

Intra–mural 

funding 

Doctoral club & 

Journal clubs 

Incentives & 

awards for 

Research 

Emphasis on 

research ethics 

Strong linkage 

with industry 

Continuous 

upgradation of 

laboratory 

equipment, IT 

resources, 

sports facilities, 

etc. 

Subscription to 

leading online 

journals, books 

and dissertation 

databases 

Ergonomically 

designed class 

rooms, staff 

rooms and 

auditoriums 

Interdiscipli– 

nary research 

Increased 

number of 

extra–mural 

funded 

projects and 

number of 

full–time 

Ph. D. scholars 

High impact 

publications 

with good 

number of 

citations 

Research 

initiatives in 

niche areas 

Industrial & 

academic 

collaborations 

Ability to 

attract & 

retain 

researchers of 

international 

standards 

Involvement 

of UG & PG 

students in 

research 

leading to 

publications 

Funding from 

industry 

partners 

Establishment 

of state–of– 

the–art 


Effective 

teaching– 

learning 

Excellent 

research eco– 

system 

Enhanced 

efficiency 

Better 

standard of 

campus life

Student 

Mentoring 

System 

Calendar of 

Activities 

To facilitate 

the progress 

of students 

through 

guru–sishya 

culture 

To schedule 

curricular, 

co– 

curricular 

and extra– 

curricular 

activities in 

an academic 

year 

Global citizen 

Career 

planning 

Cut–throat 

competition 

Turbulent & 

soft 

distractions 

Changing 

world order 

Multi– 

dimensional 

student 

require– 

ments 

Availability 

of common 

information 

to all stake 

holders 

253 

Student 

counsellors to 

help in 

academic & 

other issues 

Parent’s Corner 

HR and soft skill 

development 

programmes 

Inspirational 

lectures by 

knowledge 

leaders 

Remedial 

classes for slow 

learners 

Calendar is 

meticulously 

designed well in 

advance and is 

made available 

online 

Strict adherence 

to academic 

calendar 


Student 

discipline of 

the highest 

order 

Continuous 

monitoring of 

students’ 

progress 

Improved 

cultural, 

emotional & 

social 

intelligence 

Harmony in 

cultural 

diversity 

Parents faith 

and 

employers 

delight 

Illustrious 

alumni 

Socially 

responsive 

individuals 

Smooth 

functioning of 

the 

University 

resulting in 

ease of 

administra– 

tion 

No loss of 

instructional 

days 

All co– 

curricular & 

extra– 

curricular 

activities 

accommo– 

dated in an 

academic 

year 

Helps all 

stake holders 

to plan their 

activities


Human 

Resource 

Manage– 

ment 

Participative 

Manage– 

ment 

To attract 

and retain 

talent 

To achieve 

the goals of 

the 

University 

involving 

employees 

Job 

satisfaction 

Career 

advancement 

Loyalty 

Competition 

Attrition 

Open– 

minded 

approach 

Team work 

Decentrali– 

zation 

254 

Transparent 

recruitment 

process 

Implementation 

of VI pay 

commission 

Salary credited 

to bank account 

of the employee 

on the first day 

of every month 

Creation of 

different cadres 

Performance 

based 

incentives 

Accelerated 

increments & 

out–of–turn 

promotions 

Group medical 

insurance for 

employee, 

spouse and 

children 

PF, gratuity & 

superannuation 

benefits 

Academic 

Council and 

Research 

Advisory 

Council 

meetings every 

semester 

Frequent IQAC, 

Deans’ meetings 

and staff 

meetings 

Staff members 

involved in the 

conduct of major 

events through 

various 

committees 

Free access to all 

authorities 

Motivated 

and happy 

staff 

Well qualified 

faculty with 

global 

experience 

Improved 

academic 

results and 

research 

output 

Academic 

freedom 

Greater 

involvement 

of employees 

Creative 

tension 

Social 

recognition 

Low faculty 

attrition 

Collective 

decision 

making 

Hassle free 

administra– 

tion 

Sense of 

ownership 

amongst 

employees 

Continued 

academic 

excellence 

Introduction 

of new 

programmes 

Establish– 

ment of 

research 

centres

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