Dr. S. Mani Kuchibhatla is an Associate Professor and the Head of the Department of EEE at the ACE Engineering College, an autonomous institute under JNTUH. With over 20 years of teaching experience, she has been associated with ACE Engineering College since 2014. She holds a diploma in EEE, a B.Tech., an M.Tech. from NIT Warangal and a doctorate degree from JNTUK. Dr. Mani is the chairperson of the Board of Studies and a subject expert for various academic committees and various selection committees. Her areas of interest include power quality improvement using AI techniques, renewable energy sources, FACTS, PLC and SCADA.

Dr. Mani has published ten papers in national and 18 papers in international journal publications. She is also a peer reviewer for several reputed journals and a lifetime member of the Indian Society of Technical Education (ISTE) and the Indian Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications (IETE). She has organized and attended several national conferences and workshops in her teaching career. Moreover, she holds several NPTEL certifications in core as well as in trending technologies. She was the recipient of the "Young Researcher Award” by INSC, India.

ACE Engineering College

What motivated you to pursue a career in academia and take on the role of the Head of the EEE Department at ACE Engineering College?

Teaching is my passion and I am a born teacher. During my entire education period starting from my diploma to my doctorate, I have been inspired by my gurus and taught about the necessity of teachers in the field of Electrical Engineering. Good teachers are the need of the hour. If everyone uses electricity, then who will teach them how to generate, transmit and distribute power to consumers? We, the teachers, can produce the future Electrical Engineers who will serve our society. I took on the role of HOD of EEE at ACE Engineering College in 2021, before which I was an Associate Professor. As a HOD EEE, my roles are Chairperson of the Board of Studies (BOS), member of most of the central committees, convener for the national conferences, workshops and all technical events organized by the department for students and FDPs organized by the department for faculty. Last but not least my role is to encourage all my EEE students to reach their individual goals, such as good placement in software and core companies, higher education in India or abroad or becoming entrepreneurs.

What is your vision for the EEE Department at ACE Engineering College, and how do you plan to achieve it?

Our vision for the EEE department is to be a leading technical centre, to achieve international standards in the areas of education, research and services, and to develop students with an engineering professional attitude. We want our students to be equipped with a strong technical foundation required for critical reasoning, and analytical and technical skills to face global challenges, succeed in competitive examinations and promote a creative environment for developing young entrepreneurs with social- concern. I am in the process of conducting various technical events like EEE IDEATHONs, technical quizzes, technical poster presentations, just a minute contests, electrical clinches, academic tests and industrial visits. We also organize a national conference on "Applications of Soft Computing Techniques in Engineering,” project expos and so on. These are conducted mostly every academic year to make our EEE students strong techies, all rounders and industry-ready.

How do you ensure that the department's curriculum remains current and aligned with the latest advancements in the field of EEE?

In terms of the department’s curriculum, it remains current and aligned with the latest advancements in Electrical Engineering as it is updated regularly. Regarding this, students can opt for their professional electives in current technology related courses in the field of EEE. Additionally, students will also have the option to do NPTEL certifications and minor degrees in trending technologies. Above all, in every academic year, the department will organize several technical events to keep our EEE students on par with the latest technologies and finding solutions to real-time problems.

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What measures and programs are in place to support the holistic development of students within the EEE Department, including academic, personal, and career growth?

The ultimate goal for us is to provide an excellent path for our students to reach their target. This may be through good placements, to get admissions into prestigious institutions like IITs, or NITs for higher education through GATE, for doing MS in foreign universities, or for entrepreneurship. Our students are motivated to complete Cambridge University Linguaskills certifications from the first year onwards, as they will be used for foreign studies. Students who aim for jobs in Navratna companies and for higher education in reputed institutions are motivated to attempt the GATE exam. I also want to mention here, that the backbone of the ACE Engineering College is the ACE Engineering Academy, a PAN India level institute known for GATE coaching. They provide valuable coaching for our students. In addition to this, students with innovative ideas are motivated and supported through the ACE Founders Lab, where their ideas can take shape and they can become entrepreneurs. This year, to make our students industry-ready, with the support of management, we started the "Core Specific Software Trainings" initiative, where training is offered to the current third and fourth-year students so that they have an edge over the others in the placements. This is how we are supporting students by conducting various programs for their holistic development within the EEE Department, including academic, personal, and career growth.

How do you attract and retain experienced and qualified faculty members within the department, and what strategies are in place to ensure their professional development?

I am very happy to share that our ACE EEE has a good reputation in the education society. This is primarily because of the facilities the college provides to the faculty, the working environment, and encouragements to the teachers to pursue higher education, and continuous motivation for the faculty to upgrade. There is an appreciation for their contribution to the growth of the department. Sponsorship is also given to the faculty to do NPTEL certifications to enhance their technology education. The EEE Department regularly conducts workshops, and FDPs are organized for the benefit of the faculty. Specific incentives are given to faculty for their R&D contributions in terms of research paper publications, book/ book chapter publications, patents, or funding projects. These are the strategies we implement to ensure our faculty members for their professional development.

What efforts has the department made to foster collaboration with industries, and how do these collaborations benefit students and the department as a whole?

Collaboration with the industry is very much needed in technical education. In the EEE Department, we encourage students to do internships in the industries and take up industrial oriented mini-projects on a regular basis every academic year. We have signed MOUs with HIEE, and NSIC along this line as well. Another unique aspect of our department is that we allow our students to do real-time projects on our campus rooftop solar power plant. Recently, the EEE Department collaborated with Myra’s Academy, in which core specific software training is offered to EEE students at different levels. This is how the department is putting efforts to do collaborations with industries for the benefit of the students and the department as a whole.

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Could you highlight recent improvements in departmental infrastructure and laboratories that have enhanced the learning experience for students?

Regarding laboratory infrastructure, we received AICTE funding under MODROB for PSCAD software, where students can perform their mini and major projects. The EEE Department also has an excellent laboratory with modern infrastructure facilities. We also provide core specific software training to third and fourth-year students. Recently, the EEE Department organized the Second National Conference on “Applications of Soft Computing Techniques in Engineering NCASCTE-2023” on 23rd and 24th November 2023 in which 26 of our papers were selected related to innovative applications in various fields for finding solutions to societal problems.

In your opinion, what are the primary challenges facing the field of EEE today, and how is the department addressing these challenges?

There is one challenge that we face, the lack of awareness among parents and students about the upcoming or future requirements of Electrical Engineers. There are, in truth, many opportunities in the Electrical Field for Electrical Engineers presently and in the near future as we are all moving towards the utilization of renewable energy sources to make our globe environmentally friendly. So, in this context, in the near future, there will be a lot of demand for Electrical Engineers. I am motivating parents and students by creating awareness about this. Coming to the trending technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Science these can be implemented in our electrical systems like applications to make our Power system strong as well.

What advice would you offer to students and aspiring professionals interested in pursuing a career in EEE?

I advise all my students to learn more core related software’s during their four year graduation course simultaneously with their academic requirements. They need to do more real time projects so that they become industry ready by the time they complete their graduation. Then only students can get placed in suitable companies and can start working with confidence with their skills to handle any situation.