Dr. K. Ramani is the Program Head of the Department of Data Science at Mohan Babu University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. She has been part of Sree Vidyanikethan Group for more than 25 years. She has completed her Ph.D from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada. She has published 27 international journal research papers and 24 conference papers, 4 books and 5 book chapters. She has completed UGC-SERO Sponsored Research project on Fast Content based search Navigation and Retrieval System for e-Learning in the year 2019. She also worked as Chief Coordinator for AICTE sponsored Margdarshan scheme. She guided 03 Ph. D scholars at JNTUA, Ananthapuramu. She is presently guiding 07 Ph. D scholars at various universities

She is involved in research and scholarly activities, and her areas of interest include Image and Video Processing, Data Mining, Internet of Things, and Cloud Computing.

MBU - Mohan Babu University

Can you share your 25+ experience with the Sri Vidyanikethan Group and what do you feel is special at MBU compared to other universities?

It is one of the top colleges in the Rayalaseema region. It has good research mentoring support, infrastructure facilities and a very good library with digital access resources for knowledge enhancement. The college provides a myriad of opportunities to prove our mettle. After becoming autonomous the curriculum is designed as per the industry demand and revised regularly. Our lush green campus has a good Wi-Fi facility, and it is safe and hygienic. 

How do you balance the needs of faculty, students, and administration as a program head of DS?

Strategic goals are set for efficient management of the department which promotes equity, responsibility, openness, and flexibility. Clear workload policies are defined well in advance for the faculty and non-teaching staff. Apart from teaching, each faculty member is encouraged to participate in various administrative tasks to showcase their leadership qualities. Their research and other contributions are well recognized with appropriate incentives. They are allowed to represent their grievances which are resolved appropriately. We conduct class representative meetings regularly to know students' academic and other issues. If they can’t be resolved at the department level, issues will be escalated to higher authority to provide a quick remedy. Students’ clubs are available both at the department and college level for both co-curricular and extra-curricular activities to make students all-rounders. We provide mentors for each class to understand students’ difficulties and they will guide students to set the right career paths. The students are allowed to represent their issues to the HOD beyond college hours as well.

As a Program Head of Data Science, what is the USP or what are the differentiating factors that make MBU stand out from other colleges?

Tech CSE (DS) offers a curriculum in collaboration with IBM and L&T. These companies train the students as per industry demand. Data Analytics Research Center is available to carry out research activities. Courses are offered through MOOC to enhance self-learning ability among the students. We have global certifications in the Data Science domain. We include practice sessions for placements through global platforms as a part of curriculum labs. We also offer foreign university exchange programs.

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How do you stay current with the latest trends and developments in the field of Data Science & IT and incorporate them into the curriculum and programs offered by MBU?

We encourage faculty to attend faculty development programs/workshops conducted by premier institutions and industries. We also do online certifications through MOOC platforms and regularly interact with alumni working in industries to know the industry updates. The faculty at MBU follows blogs on data science, and read certain newsletters like Data Science Weekly, and KDnuggets News. Watching YouTube videos provided by data schools and doing courses in Udemy and Coursera also helps in staying updated with current trends and developments.

How well is MBU focusing on maintaining industry relationships with companies in order to leverage them for live projects, training, and placements for the students?

We regularly conduct training programs for both students and faculty by inviting industry experts. The institute offers courses in collaboration with IBM, SAP and L&T. We provide internship opportunities at various reputed industries and research organizations. A rigorous placement training from II B Tech in collaboration with Pearson Language Communication modules is offered at MBU. Appropriate guidance is given for aptitude, analytical and technical skill enhancement. Different elective options are given in the curriculum for choosing career verticals.

What measures would you take to ensure that MBU provides a conducive learning environment with state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure that are required for the program?

The university has established state-of-the-art laboratories for hands-on experience. There is a Wi-Fi internet facility throughout the campus. The institute has a library with digital access and works beyond college hours. We have interdisciplinary research centres with the latest equipment and software research activities.

What are the biggest challenges currently faced by the college in offering Data Science, and how do you plan to address them as a program head?

The enthusiasm for the upgradation of coding skills and making students participate in hackathons is a little bit challenging. We are planning to conduct internal hackthons monthly at the department level through Google Developer’s Club.

How would you promote experiential learning and practical application of knowledge within the college?

We provide experiential learning in all the courses. The faculty will give assignments, mini-projects, seminars, etc. to students. They are encouraged to do the certifications. MOOC is introduced for self-learning. We regularly conduct workshops/ training programs with industry experts. We have MoUs with industries for placements, internships, training, consultancy and research activities.