Nomination ID:AN/221

Nomination Category: Best Virtual Laboratory for Engineering and Applied

Sciences

Name of the Project/Initiative: Hindustan University’s Centre of Excellence in Virtualization

Details of the Applicant (filing the nomination)

Investigator - Mr. Sudalai Muthu T

Co – Investigators - Dr.M Roberts Masillamani

Address

Asst. Professor, Computer Science and Engineering

School of Computing Sciences

Hindustan University, Chennai, INDIA.

Tele No +91 44 27474262

Mobile No +91 97861 43504

Mobile No +91 98400 47214

Email_id sudalaimuthut@gmail.com / deancs@hindustanuniv.ac.in

Details of Project/Initiative Implementing Agency

Name of the organization : Hindustan University

Address : No – 1, Rajeev Gandhi Salai (OMR)

City : Chennai – 603 103. Country INDIA

Head of the Project / Investigator: Mr. Sudalai Muthu T

Co-Investigator : Dr. M Roberts Masillamani

Mobile No 9786143504 / 98400 47214

Email-Id sudalaimuthut@gmail.com / deancs@hindustanuniv.ac.in

Web www.hindustanuniv.ac.in
Details of the Programme/Project/Initiative

Brief description of the programme/project/initiative

Conducting joint experiments by two participating institutions and also sharing costly resources
has always been a challenge. In developing countries, costly instruments and equipment need to
be shared with fellow researchers to the extent possible. Web enabled experiments can be designed
for remote operation and viewing. This would help in learning basic and advanced concepts
through remote experimentation. Most of the equipment used by aeronautical, civil, automobile
have computer interface for control and data storage. It is possible to design good experiments
around some of this equipment which would enhance the learning of a student. Internet-based
experimentation further permits sharing of resources – knowledge, software, and data available on
the web, apart from encouraging skillful experiments being simultaneously performed at points
separated in space.

Hindustan University’s Centre of Excellence in Virtualization was established on 5th

Oct’2007. The centre was substantiated with the virtual simulation and experimental
projects for the benefit of the students and industrial personnel collaborating with the
University.

- Modernized Nodal centre for e-learning, testing and research in

Structural Engineering with Computer Aided Laboratory (MNSECAL) – An
essential element of any Civil Engineering degree is for students to see how
concrete and steel structures actually behave through to failure. This provides
students with a ‘feel’ for structures and equips them for advanced engineering
design beyond the constraints of Codes-of-Practice. This element of a Civil
Engineering degree is normally taught in a laboratory and typically consists of
loading (to destruction) concrete structures of various forms. Virtual Labs allows
the student to perform experiments that could never be done in any physical lab.
E-learning makes concepts easier to see and understand than the conventional
methods. The course content is developed in house and the content is converted
into the e-form along with external professionals. 16 Experiments were developed
in the Structural Engineering Lab like Over Reinforced beam testing, Under
Reinforced beam testing, Beam Testing for shear, Column Testing, Testing of Stub
column, Cyclic loading of columns. Since 5 October 2007, 1378 students from
various R&D centre / Organizations / Colleges have been trained under this
project.

- Virtual ALSIM Flight Simulator - Flight simulation is an artificial re-creation

of aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This can remotely
simulate the aircraft flying, how the aircraft react to applications of their controls
and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external environment such
as air density, turbulence, cloud, precipitation, etc. The students from various
countries like Sudan, South Africa, and Dubai have benefitted from this project.
Apart from this many trainee pilots from aviation organizations, like, Blue Dart,
Orient Flight School, Etc have also been trained through this virtual simulator.
 - The following facility have been initiated and will be completed during this
academic year

o Virtual Vehicle Dynamic Simulator Lab – A virtual simulation of

driving a car on a road with frontal view of 180 0, and rear view of 1800. It
reduces the training cost. It is expected that 120 auto mobile students
could use this facility every year.

o Virtual R&D Project Lab – a computer R&D lab for sharing the
resources / Experiment’s results across the globe. It has various
software, for R&D experiments and simulation.

o Virtual Programming Lab - a virtual programming lab for sharing the

resources / experiment’s results across the globe.

o Remote Simulation Exercises – For research and developments in

other departments.

Why was the project started?

- To reduce the infrastructure

- To Provide Safety
- Remote accessing facility
- To provide better and faster access to the softwares
- To reduce the cost
- Reduce time taken to perform the simulation

Objective:

To provide remote-access to Laboratories in various disciplines of Science and Engineering.

To encourage students to perform more experiments from home or remotely.

To provide a complete Learning Management System around the Virtual Labs where the
students could use the various tools for learning, including additional web-resources,
video-lectures, animated demonstrations and self evaluation.

To share costly equipments and resources, which are otherwise available to limited number of
users due to constraints on time and geographical distances.

To create a virtual lab for e-learning, testing and research in Structural / Computer /
Aeronautical / Automobile Engineering.

Target group: Faculty from Hindustan University and other universities and Students across
the global. Pilots, engineers and employees of various aviation and automobile industries have
benefitted by this project.
 Geographical reach: Global

Date from which the project became operational : 5 October 2007

Is the project still Operational : Yes

10 points that make the programme/project innovative?

1. Wider opportunity to learn remotely – Providing a wide variety of access

to costlier instruments and resources remotely.
2. Allows the students to repeat demonstration and review of exams –
The facility can be accessible from anywhere.
3. Collaborates across time and space - 24 hours a day and 7 days a week
access.
4. Access to remote learning resources - Teachers and learners no longer
have to depend on printed books and other materials in physical media housed in
libraries (and available in limited quantities) for their educational needs.
5. The safety in the operation of instruments – The students are accessing
the resources / instruments virtually hence the hazards are totally eliminated.
6. Individual instruments for each student – The instruments/resources can
be replicated virtually hence each student can have individual instruments for
their experiments.
7. Interconnects students and increases group study – the students are
accessing the laboratory resources virtually and can communicate and clear
doubts.
8. Reducing the overheads – The virtual laboratory is managed by computer
system hence the manual overheads are reduced.
9. Improving the technical knowledge for career development of the
students -
10.Increasing the reach & exposure to Industrial personnel and
researchers.
List the 5 achievements of the programme/ project ?

1. Created an awareness to learn remotely

2. Increased exposure to the developments

3. Reduction in overheads, like, cost, space, time and resources

4. Increased better skilled students

5. Up gradation of technical knowledge of the industrial personnel, like, aviation

personnel, professionals, etc.

List the 5 key challenges faced while implementing the programme/project/initiative

and how they were overcome?

1. Acceptability of the concept by the management - display of better

standards in the students.

2. Implementation of technology - Demonstrating the use of modern hardware

and software.

3. Hardware issues / Connectivity issues – Handled in an effective way with

Experts.

4. Availability of industrial personnel – By explaining and convincing through the

methodology.

5. Budget for implementation – strongly emphasizing mandatory requirements.

List the 5 points how can the programme serve as a model that can be replicated or
adapted by others?
1. Industrial collaboration norms and methodology.

2. Pre Industrial training programme and list of industries offering them.

3. Various faculty and staff development workshops addressed.

4. List of challenges encountered and the problems solved.

 5. Embedding the cost and allocating funds for the project
List 5 points to elaborate on the scalability of the programme / project/initiative
1. Identifying the similar industries.
2. Creating a panel of skill delivery resources.
3. Identifying the bottlenecks and reducing the overheads.

4. Universities and industrial clusters have formed for sharing the virtual
laboratories.

5. Academia-industry interaction cloud may be formed and utilized.