Structural Integrity: A Technological Term Synonymous with Safety

Way back in 1972, on a nice sunny Wednesday (considered auspicious day in Karnataka), I submitted my Ph.D. thesis at the Indian Institute of Science, and stared into the sky thinking what future has in store for me. The mind of a young engineer who completes his Ph.D. program at a reputed University finds the research world to be of wider scope, vast, but hazy. Gone are the nice days when one was a student working with and guided by a distinguished Professor. The guide would define the problem, periodically keep track of the progress, change direction of work when the need arose and help when the student is stuck. Having received the degree, the student would have to look for a career in industry or academic career in an academic institution/research laboratory. In industry or research laboratory the work is many a time governed by the organisation depending upon where funding is available and only a few could successfully take up research lines of their own choice. In an academic institution where there is no hierarchy the young researcher needs to relate his/her program of work to possible funding sources for acquiring minimum scientific infrastructure. The present faculty are lucky that they get a substantial start-up grant, but this was completely absent in our days in 1960s.