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 Rare honour for Chennai graduate
 Arvind Ramanandan, a mint-fresh graduate of Sri Sairam Engineering College, West Tambaram, is setting off for the US (August 18) to do a direct Ph.D. course in the University of California, Riverside.
He has been selected for the
university's Dean's Distinguished Fellowship Award, which carries a total amount of $ 121,597, which would cover his studies and his living expenses as well.
We spoke to Arvind just before he left India and this is what he had to say:
Q: Congratulations on your winning a fellowship in the US. Tell us something about your college life.
A: I am a student of Sri Sairam Engineering College. I belong to the 2002-06 batch of Electronics and Communication Engineers.
Q: What is the fellowship all about?
A: It is called the Dean's Distinguished Fellowhip Award from the University of California, Riverside. My final year project did wonders for me. Prof Farrell invited me to do my Ph.D. course with a fellowship of $ 121,597. I was amazed and honoured by the offer.
Q: What is your area of research that it won you such a rare honour?
A: My area of reseach is applied optimal estimation primarily for non-linear systems. It deals with estimating the next state of the system given the details of the present state and measurements till then. All measurements and hence the states are perturbed by noise whose effects we try to reduce using filtering algorithms like Kalman filtering.
For example, in future we can develop devices that control the dynamics of cars supported by GPS satellites (measurement data) to steer it from the starting point to the destination without user intervention. It can be programmed to take the shortest route and greatly increases road discipline and thus reduce accidents and traffic jams.
Q: What prompted you to take up research in this area?
A: I was interested in hoe machines track some other independent objects. I used to write small C programs ealier where a tracking dot would pursue and in time merge with an independent dot. It was simple and the tracking dot would orient itself according to the direction of the line of least distance between the two. I got so engrossed that I looked up the Net for the latest technology in the area. This slowly made me learn filtering and estimation techniques, from books and the Net. This matured into a research interest and I ended up doing my project on simulating a missile guidance system that predicts the path of the incoming missile minimising the effects of acceleration and measurement errors. It intergrates the GPS systems and
the INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the recursive Kalman filtering
algorithm.
Q: How do you react to this fellowship?
A: I am very proud of the fellowship since not many get to do a Ph.D. directly after
undergrad, even less are supported by financial aid, further less by fellowships because it is a form of US Federal aid that is long term and is usually awarded after demonstrated ability to perform. Moreover, University of California, Riverside, is quite expensive, compared to other universities. California itself, as far as I can understand, is a more expensive place than other states of the US. So it would have been impossible for me to fund my education as I come from a middle-class family.
Q: How did you get the fellowship?
A: I was overjoyed when I read the mail confirming the fellowship. I also felt grateful to God because I believe it is His work. My gratitude is a manifestation of my trust and love for Him.
Q: How many years are you likely to spend in the US?
A: The normal period of completion of the Ph.D. programme is four years. But I intend to complete it before that period.
Q: Are you planning on taking up a career in the US?
A: I want to bring back the knowledge accquired in the US to India. I plan to gain some years of industry experience to see how it can be used in India. If this field is properly exploited, it has fantastic possiblities. I wish to spearhead that revolution in India.
Q: Who inspired you in college and at home?
A: My granny was my inspiration or driving force. Like a great scientist said (I think it was Einstein, but I'm not quite sure) "If you cannot explain your theory to your granny then it means that you have not perfected it properly". When she asks me something and I find myself not able to explain it properly to her, then it forces me to study more and think of more innovative analogies so that she understands.
Q: Do you have any other interest?
A: I play table tennis and chess. I read a lot of Jeffrey Archer. I like listening to music right from fast rock to slow blues, and both Western and Indian. My favourite band is Backstreet Boys. I also paint a bit and write travelogues.
Q: Tell us about some of the awards and scholarships you have won in college.
A: The college felicitated me on getting the fellowhip for the direct Ph.D. I have not won any noteworthy prize other than winning some odd quiz competetions.
S Chitra
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