Grey collared approach to hydrology research is need of the hour
Workshop on hillslope hydrology and field research conducted
cityairnews
Jan 16, 2020 11:35
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Mysuru: The National Institute of Engineering (NIE), one of the top engineering colleges in the country, conducted a three-day workshop on ‘Hillslope Hydrology and Field Research’ during 09-11th January 2020 at Mysuru. The workshop was organized by the Department of Civil Engineering and was sponsored under the grants of the World Bank-aided ‘Third Phase of Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme’ (TEQIP).
The three-day workshop was inaugurated by Dr Lakshman Nandagiri, Professor and former Dean, National Institute of Technology-Karnataka, Surathkal, and aimed at popularising and promoting field hydrological research. The first day of the event witnessed a series of lectures at the NIE campus on ‘Research in Hillslope Hydrology’. Fieldwork in the ‘Kumaradhara field hydrological laboratory’ developed by the NIE in Kodagu and at ‘Berambadi’ by IISC near Gundlupet was conducted on the second and the third days respectively.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr Nandagiri, remarked: “Enhancement of knowledge in hydrology calls for the ‘grey collared’ (grey-collar is sometimes used to describe elderly individuals working post their retirement, as well as occupations incorporating elements of both blue- and white-collar work) approach to research, rather than the ‘blue-collared one’.
He further added, “Because of the proliferation of computing tools, open-source software and the availability of information on fingertips, research in Hydrology has tended to be confined to the computer centres and field hydrology has become a dying art.
As a result, the student has failed to expose himself to the ground realities. While the use of mathematical models and software is bound to enhance the quality of results, on-field investigations are necessary to procure data on the processes at a micro-scale, analysis of which alone will enhance knowledge. Hence, it is necessary to encourage and promote field research.”
Over 50 delegates comprising of members from among the Civil Engineering faculty in the state, Ph.D scholars and M.Tech students attended the workshop. Resource persons from NIE, National Institute of Hydrology, Belagavi and IISc, Bengaluru imparted training during the workshop. It provided enthusiasts with a brilliant platform to learn and gain research insights.
