Debendra K. Das -RECR 1972 Batch

Debendra K. Das

EDUCATION
B.S. (with honors) Mechanical Engineering, Regional Engineering College (Presently National Institute of Technology) Rourkela, Sambalpur University, India, 1972.
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Brown University, Rhode Island, 1974.
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, 1983.

HONORS AND AWARDS
Recipient of national merit scholarship of Government of India during the undergraduate years 1968-1972.
Recipient of the best graduate gold medal (valedictorian) in 1972 for graduating with highest percentage of marks among five branches of engineering (civil, electrical, mechanical, metallurgical and chemical) offer­ed at two campuses of the Sambalpur University System, with an annual graduation of about 500 students.
Sadananda Memorial Award in January 1988 for the paper "Design and Economic Evaluation of Solar Water Heating System for Industrial Application in India," awarded by the Institution of Engineers (India), Orissa State Center.
Recipient of 1990 University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Engineering Merit Award.
The Institution of Engineers (India) Orissa State Center's best paper prize in January 1992 for the paper entitled "An Experimental Study of Flow Measurements Using a Laser Doppler Velocimeter."
Brundaban Sahu Memorial Award in January 1995, jointly with co-author Jeroen Bosse for the paper "Testing Methods and Results for Design Improvements of Outdoor Gas-Fired Heaters," awarded by the Institution of Engineers (India) Orissa State Center.
Nominated by faculty and inducted into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, April 1996.
Recipient of 1996 Professor of the Year Award from ASME Student Section of Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks.
Included in Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 1998, Education Comm. Assoc., 5th Edition.
Recipient of Engineer of the Year Award for 2000 from the ASME, Alaska Section.
Elected a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in February 2004.
Recipient of Dr. Carol Feist Outstanding Advisor Award for 2004-05 & 2005-06 at University of Alaska.
ASME Faculty Advisor Award for Region VIII in 2005

SOCIETY AFFILIATION & PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION
Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers from 1974Member, Institution of Engineers India (1988-2000)Registered Professional Engineer in Rhode Island (1978-1988) and Alaska (1987-present)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1997-1998 Department Head of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alaska1993-present Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alaska1988-1993 Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alaska.1984-1988 Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alaska.1983-1984 Research Engineer, Naval Surface Weapons Center, Dahlgren, VA.1979-1983 Mech. Eng. Staff Consult. (half-time); BIF, A Unit of General Signal, RI.1980-1983 Instructor (half-time), University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.1978-1980 Teaching Assistant, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.1974-1978 Mechanical Engineer, Tower Iron Works, Inc., Seekonk, MA. 1972-1974 Research Assistant, Brown University, Providence, RI.

Dr. Surya Mahapatra- REC Rourkela

Dr. Mohapatra is CEO and Chairman of the Board of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the leading provider of diagnostic testing, information, and services in the United States. Dr. Mohapatra has 25 years of broad experience in the healthcare industry, including cardiovascular research, design, manufacturing and marketing diagnostic imaging equipment and managing diagnostic testing. Prior to joining Quest Diagnostics, he was Senior Vice President and a member of the Executive Committee of Picker International, a manufacturer of advanced medical imaging technologies, such as CT, MRI, Nuclear Medicine, X-Ray, PACS, and Image-Guided Surgery, now part of Philips Medical System. He received a electrical engineer of 1971 batch, from erstwhile Regional Engineering College, Rourkela, now upgraded as a National Institute of Technology, India, and a Doctorate in Medical Physics from the University of London. He is the author of several publications and patents. Dr. Mohapatra joined Vasogen’s Board in 2002.

Bailochan Behera- electrical engineering from the REC, Rourkela,

It's payback time for Oriya NRI Bailochan Behera, who has opened the Indian arm here of a $7-million (Rs.300 million) IT company he owns in the US.
"I have always had an emotional attachment for Orissa and I cannot forget what the state has done for all of us. For example, free education is just one of the many benefits we received," Behera told IANS in an e-mail interview.
Behera's Systems Technology International Inc (STI), which he started in 1996, is running its Indian offshore development centre out of an 8,000-sq ft facility. The centre, which employs 60 people, is the company's third worldwide and its first in India.
The company employs 100 professionals at its headquarters at Novi in Michigan and in Georgetown, Guyana.
Born in Keonjhar, Behera has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Regional Engineering College, Rourkela, and a master's degree in computer engineering from Michigan's Wayne State University.
Behera, who left Orissa 25 years ago, is settled in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills in Michigan. He is married and has two children.
"I always had the sincere desire to contribute to the progress and development of my home state. Apart from this, I feel that Orissa is suitable for starting a company from a business point of view also," he said.
"For example, the cost of doing business in Bhubaneswar is far lower, compared to cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai or Delhi. This creates a very good competitive advantage for businesses in Orissa," he maintained.
According to him, overseas Oriyas "can make a difference in the development of the state by providing a momentum to the local economy.
"However, a lot of them are still sceptical about the business conditions in the state and are afraid of taking risks," Behera maintained.
"I personally feel that helping people by donating money is only a temporary solution and only makes them further dependent. By making people financially independent by providing jobs, we would be helping them in the long term.
"Creating well-paying professional jobs improves the economy, which will in turn contribute to the overall development of the state," Behara said.
STI provides professional services in the areas of IT, engineering and web development. Its most recent accomplishment has been the development of stiPASS, a Personnel Acquisition Software System that helps in automating the recruitment and hiring process.

sourced from news.yahoo.com