Tweet "Coimbatore": January 2011

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Friday, January 28, 2011

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Chennai-Coimbatore Duronto train

The inaugural service of theChennai-Coimbatore non-stop Duronto Express will be flaggedoff from here tomorrow, Southern Railway said.

The inaugural service will be flagged off by UnionTextiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran, a Southern Railway releasehere today said.

The regular service from Chennai will commence fromJanuary 27 and Coimbatore from January 26, the release saidadding it will run on six days of the week barring Tuesdays.

The train will leave Chennai at 6.50 am and reachCoimbatore at 1.30 pm.

The train with one executive AC Chair Car and seven ACchair car coaches will leave from Coimbatore at 3.05 pm andarrive here at 9.50 pm the same day, the release added.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced theinter-city non-stop express between the two cities in herdepartment''s budget last year.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Thursday, January 20, 2011

TNAU gets its first U.S. student - The Hindu

"This university has seen students from many countries. But not from the United States. That vacuum was filled when Megan Elizabeth Fenton from Penn-Yann, New York, walked into its portals.

She has travelled all the way to Coimbatore to pursue a master's degree at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU). Megan registered as a full-time student for the post-graduate degree programme in agronomy on Wednesday.

While the movement of Indian students to foreign shores, especially the U.S., for higher education is on the rise with every academic year, the reverse is not comparable to it. Even some of the students who come from the country on exchange programmes do so for attending short-term courses.

In this scenario, the girl, an agricultural science graduate from Cornell University, the U.S., has come to India on her own initiative.

The university has nearly 30 students from countries such as Africa, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Iran and Iraq. Though their entry began more than four decades ago, there has not been a single student from the U.S.

According to Vice-Chancellor P. Murugesa Boopathi, it is a matter of great pride. “It goes to show that the infrastructure and other facilities in TNAU are on a par with international universities. A student coming here from the U.S. is unique in the sense that even with the best facilities available in her own country, she has chosen to pursue it here”.

While those from other countries choose to study at TNAU for better academic and research prospects, the case with Megan is different. She was one among a group of students who came on a visit to India under the aegis of the International Agricultural Rural Development (IARD) programme of Cornell University and TNAU two years ago when she was a student of agricultural science in the former.

Inspired by the research and extension activities of TNAU, she decided to pursue any kind of programme here. Owner of 400-acre of agricultural land which Megan manages with a partner, she has both theoretical and practical knowledge of the subject. She also worked as an extension worker for a year before applying to TNAU. Her goal, however, is to become a teacher in international agriculture. Having decided her career chart, Megan took it upon herself to get admission in TNAU. “My most favourite teachers were those who have had practical experience. So, I believe that my work on my farm and also as an extension worker will help me be a good teacher. ”.

“I did not know where to begin. I sent an e-mail to the Dean of Post-Graduate Studies sharing my desire. He advised me on the application procedures and also gave me the provision to join the course mid-way,” Megan says.

According to Dean C. Udayasooriyan, Megan will be in class along with other PG students pursuing agronomy. Since she has joined mid-way, she will begin with the second semester and then do her first semester with the next batch of students. The second year will be research-oriented, both in the field and in the laboratory.

Megan has to obtain 55 credits from the papers she chooses to pursue under the Choice-based Credit System and her research work put together.

She was chosen by a Recognition Committee, set up to select such students who do not have to undergo an entrance test or other such selection formalities. Students from foreign countries will be admitted only if they apply through the embassy, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, or Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

A thoroughly ‘scared yet excited' Megan is all set to start her course. She reached Coimbatore on January 14 to see Pongal being celebrated. She is yet to come out of the euphoria of the three-day extended celebrations with a family of her IARD Indian counterpart Priyadarshini Murugan in Sulur.

She vows to go back to her country with the knowledge of agriculture, the Tamil language and the culture of the Tamils."

From SSC-CBE forum

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Robert Bosch opens reliability testing centre in Coimbatore - The Hindu

Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions (RBEI) has opened an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) reliability testing centre here.

The company opened a similar facility in Bangalore about 18 months ago and the combined investment in the two facilities is about Rs. 100 crore.

According to Vijay Ratnaparkhe, president of RBEI, the laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility for testing automotive and non-automotive ECUs.

Now, the company will be able to offer the entire service range of production development from concept and design to develop, test and release it for production.

The facilities will help meet the needs of Bosch world and external clients as it will follow the Bosch international and external standards.

Detlef Zerfowski, Department Head of RBEI, said the company would go for special certification of the two laboratories to cater to business from external clients too.

According to Klaus Maeder, senior vice-president Engineering – ECU of Robert Bosch GmbH, reliability was a key factor for success in any market.

The laboratory was a reliability testing centre. Bosch wanted to strengthen its presence in India and at Coimbatore, which was a talent centre.

“Coimbatore and Bangalore are two growth cities for us,” he said.

Mr. Ratnaparkhe added that the Coimbatore facility currently had about 2,500 employees and Rs. 135 crore investment had gone into it so far.

Works would start soon for the second phase of the facility here. RBEI offered engineering, Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing services and the company was looking at growth in all the three segments.

Friday, January 14, 2011

From SSC-CBE forum

Park Plaza Coimbatore

With smart, spirited service, Park Plaza hotels' trend-setting designs capture the energy and style of each individual location. There were six properties in operation in India at the end of 2010 and a contracted pipeline of 13, leading to a total portfolio of 19 Park Plaza properties in the country. There are five properties set to open in 2011, including:

The Park Plaza Coimbatore. Only four kilometers away from the Coimbatore International Airport, the 110-room hotel will feature four suites, 14 deluxe and 92 executive rooms. Food and beverage options will include a restaurant, coffee shop, rooftop restaurant and bar. There will also be two banquet halls that can accommodate up to 500 guests each, as well as two boardrooms seating up to 40 people.