Mr. G. Shiva Kumar is an accomplished professional currently serving as the Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Dr. K. V. Subba Reddy Institute of Technology, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. He holds a Bachelor's in Engineering (BTech) from JNTU Anantapur and pursued his Master's in Technology (M.Tech) with a specialization in CAD/CAM from G. Pulla Reddy College of Engineering. With a career spanning 14 years in the education sector, Mr. Kumar brings extensive expertise and leadership in mechanical engineering pedagogy. Complementing his academic endeavors, he has accrued 1 year of invaluable experience in the Design and Fabrication Industry, further enhanced by an additional 1 year in the software field. Mr. Kumar's diverse professional background underscores his commitment to advancing engineering education and his adeptness in practical industry applications, strengthening his contributions to academia and beyond.

Dr. K. V. Subba Reddy Institute of Technology

Which factors make the Mechanical program of your institute the best and worth pursuing for students?

There are several key factors that make the Mechanical program of our college worth pursuing and best fit for ambitious youths and future Engineers. First and foremost, we have a well-rounded and industry-oriented curriculum and covers core Mechanical Engineering subjects like Thermodynamics, Mechanics and Robotics and we also offer various elective courses to them. Apart from this, we have an amazing academic team of highly experienced and knowledgeable professors to educate students and make them ready for the outside competitive world. And we also conduct workshops, rigorous experiments and practical sessions through our state-of-the-art laboratories to provide required exposure to students about the latest happenings, trends and developments of the corporate world and help them utilize their classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios.

Then there are strong partnerships which we have maintained with renowned companies for offering internships and placement opportunities to students and organizing guest lectures for them from time to time. Last but not the least, our institution has world class research facilities, initiatives and a stellar placement record which we have achieved over the years. And we provide our full support and guidance to students as and when needed for pursuing their individual interest or career paths.

Which best practices have been adopted by your department to make the course more practical and industry oriented?

Our department emphasizes a lot on providing practical exposure to students to strengthen their subject understanding and theoretical concepts and for the same we have ultra-modern labs and events like workshops. In addition to this, we regularly collaborate with leading industries for offering internships, cooperative programs and research projects to them to foster in them real-world skills. And we have also made it very easy for students to collaborate across disciplines like Robotics, Computer Science, or Material Science so that they become competent and timely address complex Engineering challenges. 

We also encourage our young and ambitious minds to participate in research and conferences and also to publish papers so that they can explore a specialization and innovate new things. Career counseling is also available for them in college and our college organizes skills development training programs to make students ready for the job market or higher education. Lastly, our teachers have maintained good relations with students, guide them about the subject and available career opportunities from time to time and they have full access to cutting-edge software, equipment, and latest technology relevant to the field for practical learning. 

How do you establish a strong connection between your institute courses and industry demands?

For the purpose of bridging the gaps between academia and industry, establishing a strong connection between our college courses and their ever-evolving demands, helping students gain practical experience and build good relations with industry professionals, we have internship programs and industry-driven research projects for them. Also, career fairs, workshops, seminars, guest lectures, career fairs, alumni meetup and networking events are conducted as per requirement in association with corporate experts and eminent academicians, wherein they share their experiences and expectations with us. Another benefit of this approach is that it helps us to connect students with potential employers, offers us collaborative research projects and creates avenues for future collaborations as well. And we have even signed MOUs with many companies to address practical challenges and innovations.

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What challenges have you faced while inculcating a B.Tech program in the curriculum of your college?

Although I have not been involved in developing a B.Tech program, the most prominent challenge in my opinion while inculcating such a program in the curriculum would be the need for designing a dynamic and comprehensive that gets changed every time a new corporate demand or technological advancement comes into picture and also one that can incorporate a perfect balance between theory and practical. 

Other notable hurdles could be timely training and recruitment of experienced faculty members to equip them with latest knowledge and pedagogies, efficient allocation and timely upgradation of college resources and infrastructure including laboratories, classrooms and research facilities, regular enhancement in our processes, teaching methodologies and policies, students undivided engagement in studies and college activities and most important getting accreditation from NBA and NAAC to ensure that our programs are of industry standards.And to tackle these hurdles on an earliest basis and successfully implement the courses, we have garnered support and involvement of various stakeholders including faculty, students, industry partners and administration.

On what types of projects students of your department usually work on?

Students of our department usually work on a diverse range of projects related to domains like design and fabrication, renewable energy, automotive engineering, material science, robotics and automation, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, environmental sustainability and innovative design etc. to utilize their classroom knowledge in real-time scenarios and develop new skills needed to step into competitive corporate world. In other words, they build prototypes or design innovative mechanical systems such as engines, robots or machinery. 

And to be more specific, if I talk about the renewable energy system projects, so in this, students develop prototypes related to solar, wind, and hydro energy systems and in automobiles, they design and optimize vehicle components like improving the safety, performance and fuel efficiency. While in automation and robotics, they generally design machines and equipment related to healthcare. Also, we recently did a project regarding a system and developed an Aloe vera plant. And by using an aloe vera plant we generated the power and stored it in the batteries. And we run the system nearly 50 to 60 kilometers without any complications. Apart from this, we have developed an e-bike system which can move with the help of aloe vera. Then, we have access to modern equipment like 3D printing and CAD/CAM software.

Being the Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, what are your key responsibilities towards students and the institute as a whole?

As a Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, I am primarily responsible for ensuring that curriculum is developed and updated on time in accordance with leading trends, developments and requirements of the industrial world. Apart from this, I am responsible for providing much needed guidance and support to students, suggesting necessary changes in teaching pedagogies and policies based on corporate trends and emerging technologies. Then, providing information and learning resources like textbooks, research materials and online tools to students, organizing workshops, seminars and guest lectures in collaboration with industry partners, maintaining strong relations with amazing companies, offering career guidance and opportunities to students and sharing information with our fellow faculties on the latest developments, innovations and trends of mechanical engineering from the broader perspective also comes under the scope of my day-to-day work.