Arcot Ramachandran

Born in a Tamil-speaking Arcot Mudaliar family in the Indian state of Karnataka, Arcot Ramachandran graduated from the Madras University and went to the Purdue University, USA, from where he obtained MS degree in engineering. He continued at the university for his doctoral research and obtained his PhD. Ramachandran came back to India, in 1957, did a summer course at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Subsequent to that, IISc invited him to head the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 1965, he was transferred as the head of the Department of Industrial Management and, two years later, in 1967, he became the director of IIT Madras. • Central Electronics Limited In 1977, Ramachandran was made the chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development. He was also involved with the UNESCO Expert Group Meeting on Engineering Education, in the capacity of its chairman. U.N. ESCAP Regional Centre for Transfer of Technology Bangalore, started on 16 July 1977, owes its origin to the recommendations of this Expert Group. The next year, he was selected as the Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), headquartered in Nairobi. He also had the additional charge of the Administrator of the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation. In 1993, Dr. Ramachandran retired from the UN. under the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources, the Ministry of Urban Affairs and the Department of Ocean Development. ==Legacy==

Arcot Ramachandran has made many contributions, both social and educational, during his academic and administrative careers. During his tenure as the Under Secretary General at the UN Centre for Human Settlements, he proposed the introduction of World Habitat Day, which was accepted, leading to observing the first Monday of every October as a special day to remind the world of sustainable progress with regard to environment. He was also instrumental in the proclamation of the year 1987 as the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless, as a part of the Global Strategy for Shelter for the year 1987. On the academic front, Ramachandran is the founder of a School of Research in Heat and Mass Transfer. and by way of keynote addresses and lectures, delivered at various platforms and seminars, a few of which are: • Keynote address on Sustainable communities through partnership at the meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments at Edinburgh, Scotland in October 1997 • Keynote address on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development at the Maharashtra Association for the cultivation of Science, Pune in 1998 • Keynote Address ''on 'Metropolitan Concentrations of knowledge based industries'' at the International Conference, Ottawa, Canada, in September 1997 ==Positions==

• Under Secretary General, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (HABITAT) • Chairman – Preparatory Committee of UN Conference on Science and Technology • board member – Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore • Chairman, International Jury – UNCHS (Habitat) and the United Arab Emirates • President – Solar Energy Society of India • President – National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi • Chairman – Governing Council – Tata Energy Research Institute, New Delhi • Chairman – Science and Technology Advisory Committee for SSS-Nire, M.N.E.S., Government of India • Hon. Visiting Professor – National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore • Chairman – Engineering Staff College of India, Hyderabad • Member – American Society of Engineering Education • Member – UK Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer • Member – National Council of Science Education ==Awards and recognitions==

• Padma Bhushan – Government of India – 2003 • Sir M. Visvesvaraya Life Time Achievement Award in Engineering – 1999 • Indian National Academy of Engineering Life Time Achievement Award – 1999 • World Federation of Engineering Organizations Award – 2005 • Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Gold Medal – 1998 • World Habitat Trophy – Building and Social Housing Foundation of UK – 1995 • Heat Transfer Memorial Award – American Society of Mechanical Engineers – 1986 ==Honorary degrees and fellowships==

Arcot Ramachandran has been honoured by several prominent educational and research institutions, by way of Fellowships and Honoris Causa Doctoral degrees. Honorary doctorates • Purdue University, USA • Stuttgart University, Germany • University of Roorkee, India • Andhra University, India • Jawarharlal Nehru Technological University, India • Anna University, India • Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India • University of Venice, Italy Fellowships • Life Fellow – Institution of Engineers • Fellow of the Indian Institute of Science • Fellow – American Society of Mechanical Engineers • Fellow – American Society of Engineering Education • Fellow – Institution of Mechanical Engineers • Fellow – Indian National Science Academy • Fellow – Indian Academy of Sciences • Fellow – Indian National Academy of Engineering ==Writings==