Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore

About College:

The Amrita Group of Institutions is one of the most well – known and respective brands in South India. Its footprint stretches across three different states in the region – Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. The base though is in the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the biggest and most heritage- rich cities across the region. The engineering college was the first to be set up back in 1994. Later the other schools were started. These schools are in the fields of- Business, Biotechnology, Communication and Arts & Sciences. The entire group is managed by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math. Mata Amritanandamayi is one of the most respected spiritual leaders in the region. She is lovingly called “Amma” here.

That is the reason that the social imperatives have been given substantial focus on. One of these initiatives is the Amrita SeRVE. This was started in 2013 on Amma’s 60th birth anniversary. in line with the UNSDGs (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals). The focus of this initiative is to help rural inhabitants cope better with their surroundings, and prosper through models of self- reliance. Another initiative is Ayudh. It is an annual leaders’ training summit. The four pillars supporting the Ayudh movement are- social service, green initiatives, cultural heritage and personal empowerment. The third such move is known as “embracing the world”. As the name suggests, this involves social benefits and empowerment on international frontiers. To cite an instance, Amma was part of the Interfaith Summit to Protech Children Online held in Abu Dhabi. 

The Amrita School of Engineering (ASE) was the first to be set up within the group back in 1994 in Coimbatore. Its 420- acre worth campus is located on a scenic spot near the Western Ghats. AT the UG level, the ASE provides programmes in eight areas of Engineering, which are in – Aerospace, Chemical, Civil, Mechanical, Computer Science, Electrical & Electronics, Electronics & Communication and in Electronics & Instrumentation. At the PG level, MTech programmes are available in twelve areas which are in – Cyber Security, Embedded Systems, VLSI Design, Engineering Design, Power Electronics, Automotive Engineering, Bio- medical Engineering, Communication Engineering & Signal Processing, Computational Engineering & Networking, Computer Science & Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering and in Remote Sensing & Wireless Sensor Network. Doctoral programmes may also be pursued here. One unique aspect of this university is the presence of its internal ERP system known as AUMS (Amrita University Management System).

Research is another area that the ASE has always taken pride in. That is the reason for several specific centres being set up within the campus. Some of these centres are for the purposes of – analytical research, computer & human interaction, biomedical engineering, biosensor research, allied health sciences, digital health, cyber security systems & networks, entrepreneurship, economics & governance, environmental studies, human operations & management, industrial research & innovation, Nano-sciences & molecular medicine, sustainable energies, cell biology, sustainable future, spiritual studies, Ayurveda and many more. Cyber security, nanotechnology, biosciences, management, solar, wireless, engineering and learning technologies are few of the areas where the research focus lies on. There are over a hundred patents that have been filed by the university’s research wing. Twenty- six patents have already been granted. Several projects have also been undertaken with the concerned government bodies. The university also works with multiple funding agencies. Prominent examples of them include- ISRO, Naval Research Board, CSIR, DST, DRDO, DBT, MHRD, MNRE and AICTE, plus a few others. 

Two more campuses of the ASE were opened in 2002 in Bengaluru and in Amritapuri. The Amrita Vishwa University has long been on the forefront for international collaboration with other universities or research institutions. These collaborations could be for student exchange, faculty exchange, study tours or research projects. Collaborators exist across all continents. The diversity of collaborators is reflected in the fact that the Amrita Vishwa University has partners even in Africa and South America. They are the Durban University of Technology in South Africa and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. They have three such partners in Australia and two of their collaborators in Asia are the Japan- based University of Tokyo and the Doshisha University. The majority of these partners are in Europe and North America. In Europe, prominent examples include- the Malardalen University in Sweden, Sofia University in Bulgaria, Ecole Central Paris in France, Politecnico di Milano in Italy, Universidad de Sevilla in Spain, Aachen University in Germany, University of Turku in Final, University of York in the UK, University of Porto in Portugal and the University of Twente in the Netherlands among several others. In North America, some such allies include- the University of Maryland, Wright University, Marymount University, Clemson University, University of New Mexico, Columbia University, University of Wyoming, University of Central Florida, University of Missouri, University of Buffalo, Ryerson University, Oakland University, North-eastern University and University of Georgia among others.