Alumni in the news - Nov 29

Sachin Sapatnekar, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Henle Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota, will serve as General Chair of the 47th Design Automation Conference (DAC), the premier conference devoted to electronic design and design automation (EDA) and lead the Executive Committee. The 47th DAC will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, in Anaheim, California, from June 13-18, 2010 ... more.

The path to spirituality lies in giving up the material world to reach a higher realm, to be free of greed, wants, jealousy and power. To lead a spiritual life and yet manage a mammoth institution with all its material connotations, isn't the easiest of tasks to say the least. For ISKCON Bangalore, is about the size of a good-sized company and its president, Madhu Pandit Dasa ('81), has no less a daunting task than the CEO of a commercial enterprise. Of Iskcon's many multi-crore projects, the best known is Akshaya Patra, the mid-day meal scheme for schoolchildren. Dasa, with his unwavering belief in Lord Krishna, is able to strike that balance of high thinking and simple living. Academically oriented, Madhu Pandit Dasa found himself in IIT Bombay with a deep-rooted interest in physics, a passion that continues to this day. He had, by then, begun to develop streaks of the philosophical nature and was searching for the `cause of all causes', to seek the truth about life and God. "I nurtured the belief that physics was the answer to God," he says, of his days as an MSc student at IIT. He was, independently, pursuing his study in quantum physics. "Increasingly, I began to feel that the answer to my questions were not there," he says ... more.

Pune based Good Earth Winery plans to launch a premium range of Cabernet and Shiraz Reserve as a part of the Concerto Collection and a Sauvignon Blanc in the regular range of Raga Collection. Good Earth is a virtual winery owned by Girish Mhatre, an IIT Mumbai alumnus who left India in 1971 after finishing his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Post MS in New York, he stayed back and has been into Direct Marketing in the East Coast. During the last couple of decades he has been traveling to Italy and France, visiting various wine regions and wanting to make wine in India that I can be proud of. He does not own a winery but has selected two wineries after careful evaluation of equipment, skills and experience in the processing of the varietals he is interested in. His winemaker selects the top quality grapes grown in Dindori, for purchase ... more.

Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna, president of University of West Georgia, is a star on the higher education scene. Now in his 16th year at UWG, Dr. Sethna is the first known person of Indian origin ever to become president of a university anywhere in America. He is also the first person of any ethnic minority to become president of a college or university in Georgia other than of a historically black institution. Among other accomplishments, during Dr. Sethna's tenure, UWG has acquired university status, achieved designation as a member of the robust tier of doctoral comprehensive universities, started Georgia's first advanced academy for exceptionally-gifted high school students and increased in student size by almost 50%, while substantially increasing the University's admission standards. In addition to his work as president, Dr. Sethna has remained active in teaching and scholarship. He has taught undergraduates every year since arriving at UWG, which is extremely unusual for a university president ... more.