My journey is a series of unplanned events that have turned out well.
From the day I took the HPS entrance examination, I knew I was going to be part of a special place. Four years at HPS flew by in a blur. Many memories stick out such as listening to the Julius Caesar recordings in the rec room, the rifle-training on the cricket ground, the life-long friendships, and the wonderful teachers we had.
The first destination out of HPS was at R. V. College, Bangalore, joined by 12-A classmate T. V. Subba Rao. It was an isolated, almost primitive, campus, a few kilometers outside the city.
Quite a change from HPS. Graduation with a mechanical engineering degree in 1977 led to a Master’s Degree at IIT-Bombay, where I was re-united with HPS 12-A classmate, Deep Sagar. Not surprisingly, we ended up doing a lot of studying and extra-curricular activity together.
A memorable trip to Mahabaleshwar was a highlight.
My foray into the real world started with a three-year stint working for Tata Electric Companies in Trombay. I worked from 1979-82 as a project engineer on the construction site of the country’s first 500 MW fossil-fuel fired power plant. It was gratifying to watch a twenty-storey tall power plant take shape, knowing that you had contributed to something that tangible.
My parents had spent some time in America in the mid-1970s, as part of a Rotary Group Study Exchange Team. Their positive experience prodded me to explore the process of sending applications to pursue a PhD in America.
Good fortune led me to Iowa State University, where Latha and I met.
We graduated together in 1987, with Latha earning a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. The doctoral degree led to another stroke of good luck, a faculty position at Auburn University in Alabama and to an academic profession that I didn’t realize would suit me perfectly.
This Eagle from HPS landed, and continues to serve, at an institution whose cheer is “War Eagle.” What a wonderful coincidence! Being a professor while conducting research in cooling of microelectronics including those in data centers and dabbling in building several solar-powered race vehicles and solar-powered houses, has been a joy.
A research project that included data collection aboard the aptly-named NASA “vomit-comet,” zero-gravity aircraft, a few years ago, was interesting. And yes, I did!

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