Dr. N. Subramanian General Sponsor
Joined: 21 Feb 2008 Posts: 5538 Location: Gaithersburg, MD, U.S.A.
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2021 2:51 am Post subject: We lost Dr. N. Lakshmanan -A stalwart in Structural Engineering yesterday |
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We lost Dr. N. Lakshmanan - A stalwart in Structural Engineering yesterday
Dr. Narayanan Lakshmanan, Former Director of Structural Engineering Research Center (SERC), CSIR, Chennai, passed away to eternal abode at about 9.00 am on 2nd Feb. 2021 at his house in Periyar Nagar, Chennai.
He did his B.E.(Civil) degree from the Alagappa Chettiar Government College of Engineering & Technology (ACCET), Karaikudi, Madras University and earned M. Tech and Ph.D. degrees in Structures from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. His Ph.D. guide was (Late) Prof. D.J. Victor, who has written the popular text book on Bridge Engineering.
He started his professional experience as an Associate Lecturer at IIT Madras (1970 – 75). He then joined SERC as Scientist in 1975 and rose to become its Director in June 01 and held it till Nov. 2008. During this period he also held the post of Coordinating Director, CSIR- CMC. From Jan 09 to April 2012 he was a National Project Advisor of CSIR.
He was a scientist par excellence and a very eminent structural engineer and acted as advisor to government bodies in Tamil Nadu and India. He was a member of several professional bodies. Dr. NL was a very nice human being and was approachable to all his peers, juniors, and contemporaries irrespective of the positions he occupied in his life.
He has guided/co-guided for scientist of CSIR-SERC for doctoral degrees, Seven for Post Graduate Research and three students for INAE mentorship program. He has been the backbone of SERC from the time he joined there in 1975 and had been its strong pillar till the end.
He led the creation of State-of-the-Art world class test facilities-The Structural Dynamics Laboratory for planning, analysis, design and construction of the pile-supported medium duty floor; Tower Testing and Research Station (opposite to Chennai Airport) for planning, design and construction of heavy duty structures; Fatigue Testing Laboratory; setting up of wind engineering laboratory with an open ended Atmospheric Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Test Facility (ABLWT) for studying the effects of cyclones; Advanced Seismic Test Facility, and construction of various other labs in SERC, Chennai, and his studies on structures in cyclone prone areas stand as an proof of his excellence.
He has contributed 175 International / National Journal Papers, 250 International/National Seminar Papers and 285 Tech. Reports: R&D Reports, and 134 Consultancy Reports which are well acknowledged and cited in India and abroad. In addition he has contributed 9 Scientific books and filed 2 patents. He collaborated with eminent engineers in India and abroad during the past 5 decades and made solid contributions to the field of Civil and Structural Engineering in India.
He received several Awards and Distinctions (including fellowships of the learned societies) for his significant contribution in the field Civil Engineering, some of them are as follows.
1. Elected as Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering(Civil Engineering) in 2003
2.Elected as Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India)(Civil Engineering) in 1999
3. Received the Engineering Technology Shield of CSIR, New Delhi for Mitigating Damage due to Cyclones in 2000
4.A.S. Arya – University of Roorkee Award for Wind Engineering and Cyclone Disaster Mitigation in 2000
5. Outstanding Concrete Engineer of Tamil Nadu by the Indian Concrete Institute For overall contribution in concrete technology in 2008
6. Life time achievement of award of the Indian Society of Wind Engineering For outstanding contribution in the field of Wind engineering in India in 2013 and the
7. Life time achievement Award of the Indian Concrete Institute For his contributions in the field of Concrete structures in 2018.
He was also the Chairman of the Structural Safety Sectional Committee, CED 37, in addition to being a member of various other committees of Bureau of Indian Standards.
With red vermillion on his forehead and a warm smile on his face, he was always distinct and made his mark in the audience around him with his friendly nature. Dr. NL was a man down to earth and connected with every one and known for his warmth and humaneness. He was adored and loved by all his associates, all of whom will miss him dearly.
He left behind his wife Dr Gomathy Lakshmanan, his mother, his sons, daughter in law, grand daughters.
It is a great loss to me, as we were together at IITM, when I did my Ph.D. I still remember the jokes and other experiences shared with him during that time.
I wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to hid family and friends, and pray the almighty to grant blessings in heaven to this noble soul.
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