OK.

Good day, Dr. P. Vinayagam. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing

I have started my teaching in the year of 2008 at Escape Engineering College and I have worked around six years and after that I moved to Chennai Vela Mall Engineering College. I worked around 4 1/2 years after that I moved to Savita Engineering College. Since I have completed my doctorate degree, I have moved to Savita Engineering College and after I joined there after two years I have been promoted to Associate professor and I'm still working at Sabitha Engineering College.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

Thanks for sharing that!

Thank you, Dr. Vinayagam, for joining this interview for the Professor position. Based on your impressive background in instrumentation and control, as well as your research endeavors, we will proceed to verify your skills and align them with the job requirements. Let’s begin: How would you explain the foundational concepts of digital image processing to a first-year graduate student who is new to the topic?

Image processing is one of my area of interest and for the first year students they are very new to the digital image processing. So I will make the students to know why we have to study the digital image processing and what is the necessity of that subject to study. Once they know the importance and why we have to study, they will have the interest on the subject and I will give some real time applications like taking picture over phone that is available in a very.

Normal day-to-day life. So with that picture how we are making some edit or corrections over phone. So that is 1 application of digital image processing. So like that I will tell that a real time applications I will tell and I will make them to understand the importance and why we have to study then automatically students will know.

The importance of the subject and they will automatically align with the subject.

That's a good starting point. You're emphasizing relevance by connecting the subject to daily applications, which is an effective way to engage students. However, could you elaborate on how you would structure this foundational course? For instance, how do you approach theoretical concepts like image enhancement versus practical tools or software demonstrations?

Yes, with the help of open source software that is freely available software. So I will make them to work in a little bit. For example, Adobe Photoshop is a open source and Canvas and some other softwares are available open source. I will give an image, I will tell them to take a selfie event and I will make them to do some background edit or having some extra pictures over them so that I will bring the involvement and commitment to the subject and.

After they they done the work I will I will give my feedback and I will appreciate them so that I will bring the interest on the subject.

That's clear. You're combining hands-on practice with theory, which is vital for students to bridge the gap between concept and application. Let's move to another area. Embedded systems and communication are key areas for this role. Can you briefly describe how you incorporate both into real-world problem-solving, particularly in guiding student projects?

Yes embarrass system and communication is one of the vital areas in a day-to-day life. So the very basic for ember system is microprocessor and microcontroller. So starting with microprocessor like 8086 or 8051 I will make them to.

Understand where and all this micro processor or microcontroller or even ordinal processes like processes or you know, you know where it is real in a real time applications where it is we are using for example in a day-to-day life in our household appliances where it is used so that whenever they come across those real time application devices, they will understand or they will even think that here the microprocessor is there. So which is a very basic part of the embedded system.

So in that way I will make them to bring attention to the subjects.

Understood. You emphasize foundational components like microprocessors and relate them to real-life applications, which is crucial for embedding concepts. To ensure clarity: when guiding student projects in this domain, how do you encourage innovation? For instance, transforming an understanding of microcontrollers into impactful, application-driven projects?

Yes, guiding the students for the many projects and even the main project is one of my passion. I will make the students to understand the importance of the doing the mini project, which is very, very uh, essential point when they go for any interview. So I will make them to understand why we are doing the mini project and what is the outcome of the many project so.

The in the many projects should be innovative enough and should be patented enough, and they should get some.

Real time output and with the help of that uh result I will make them to.

Extend the project work into a meaningful refresh publication or even a patent. I already did my students like this. I made them to work on many project and I extended the many project works till the conference publications and even that is corpus indexed publication and also I have filed a patent and the published.

Also.

Impressive. Extending student projects into patents or indexed publications reflects significant mentorship and innovation. Your approach not only encourages creativity but also provides students with career-enhancing outcomes. Next, I'm keen to verify your experience with teaching theory and laboratory courses. How do you strike a balance between imparting theoretical knowledge and practical skills in a lab setting?

I'm working in a Savita engineering college autonomous where here the courses are theory integrated practical. So here almost 60 percentage of the courses are theory plus lab courses. So the staff who handle the theory class, they only will handle the lab. So here I am handling discrete time signal processing and microprocessor microcontroller subjects. Those are theory integrative practicals. So one unit consists of both theory.

On the lab, uh, like that. So we'll make, we'll take the theory class 1st and the same theory concepts we will be doing exercise in the lab as well. So every week, whatever the theory topics we are seeing in the class and we will do it in the lab. Also, we are using Mason softwares and even Silap softwares, which is open source. Even when they're app Center for the lab classes, they can do or they can practice the workouts, whatever we have seen in the theory.

Wherever they are. So in that way I can cope up with the theory classes as well as the lab course.

It seems like you've created a well-integrated approach with a strong emphasis on continuity between theory and practice. This ensures students can immediately apply theoretical knowledge in practical scenarios, which is an excellent educational strategy. Now, for the assessment of students, guiding research, and evaluating exams are crucial for this role. Can you explain your methods for student evaluation and how you ensure fairness and consistency in grading?

Is as I worked in a autonomous institution for the last 10 years. However, we focus on students to get good grades because grading is nowadays that is CGPS acting is a very important role when they go for higher studies as well and even for the placement. So I will tell the students or even guide the students to study all the topics present in the syllabus so that whatever the question. They are they are facing in the examination.

There they will be able to answer but some students they will study only the important question. But I will never go with the important questions or even some question bank like that. I We advise students to study all the topics that is syllabus wise so that even when some tough questions also will be asked, they will be able to attend the question. They will be give some valuable and correct meaningful answers to them. Instead of studying question wise I will make them. I will make the students to go for.

Rubrics as well. So whatever the question they will be asking for, it comes even if it's starting from two months till the 15 months. How to how to answer? What are the key points to be present so that students will not miss those meaningful marks?

Syllabus topics wise, in that way I will make the student so uh perform better in a uh end semester examination and I will give the.

Your detailed focus on guiding students through the syllabus instead of selective preparation demonstrates a commitment to fairness and holistic learning. Introducing rubrics ensures consistent evaluation, which is commendable. Now, let’s explore your experience guiding student research. Can you share how you mentor students in selecting research topics and ensuring the delivery of high-impact outcomes, such as indexed publications or innovative results?

Is Bing the anniversary? Recognize your supervisor. I am having 6 research scholars. They are doing the their PhD degree under my guidance.

And every year I guide 4 to 5 undergraduate students regarding the project. For the research scholars, I will tell them to understand.

Their strong areas which area they are very good like image processing or VLSI design or anything or IoT something like that and I will make them to search the papers recently published papers in a Google Scholar so that.

They will get some 10 to 20 papers in the recently published papers in their expected or favorite areas like IoT or image processing. I will tell them to study the abstract and the conclusion of those published papers so that they will come on understanding that this paper they have proposed to some this, this so and so and they have did so and so and there is there will be some conclusion under future scope. So I will tell them to identify what are the papers.

Having the future scope, so I will tell them to collect at least 5 to 10 papers, those who have conclusion and the future work. And I will tell the students to understand the conclusion and the future work. And I will ask them to know the feasibility of those extending the future work which was mentioned in those five or ten papers. And I will make the students to be the decision maker to select which papers. They are going to do the research.

So, I will tell them to bring 33 topics so that I will select whichever the topics they have selected in many aspects like recent publications, whether it is feasible to implement in that way. I will select the topic and I will make the students to register on that topic. After that, they will do the literature survey with the help of that recently published paper I will tell them to go through. The literature survey there is a related works published in the last 10 years.

And I will collect, I will tell them to collect the published papers and I will tell them to write the literature survey. With that understanding, they will be having some rough idea about what works have been done and what work they can do. So then I will tell them to publish in the survey paper in any international conference, that is corpus index, international conferences, or even some of the Scopus indexed journals. In that way I will. Motivate my research colors and even UG undergraduate students.

I will tell the same but they are very small students when compared to research college. However, I will tell them to select the domain like VLSI or image processing or communication whatever it is there their interested area because we cannot force the students to do under our own area or our own topic. So you just students, I will tell them to select their ideas especially the domain like IoT or image processing authorities and I will tell them.

To collect the titles I will tell, I will bring. I will write them to work and make them to be the decision maker. They themselves have to select the project title. The same way I will follow for the UG students and I will stop up to their international conferences. Since they are undergraduate students. I will not go for the Copper Syntax journal. They are not up to that.

Your structured mentorship, starting from topic selection to literature surveys and culminating in publications, is thorough and student-focused. Allowing students the autonomy to decide while guiding them ensures they are deeply invested in their research. Scaling expectations appropriately between UG and research scholars also reflects your understanding of their capabilities. Let’s now focus on your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly. How do you adapt your teaching style to accommodate students with varying levels of understanding in the classroom?

At the initial stages of the classes itself, I will identify students who are very good in grasping and average and in some cases slow learners. Slow learners they need some more attention with small diagnostic tests like by asking the questions in the 1st 5 minutes or 10 minutes. Itself we can identify what are Who are all the students able to answer?

Whatever the questions we are and some students they will try to answer by their own also. And some students they never open at all. The thing is they, those students are identified as the slow learners. I will identify them and I will have a mentoring session with them and I will I will have a talk with them. I will make them to understand that the subject is very easy and I am a friendly moving person so that they will like both the subject and the subject handling stuff so that they will think that Oh yes, this is.

Understand and first they will listen in the class and when comparing to some other students like fast learning or average students, I'll give some more. Uh, attention to the slow learners by, uh, asking, uh, after completing every topic, are you able to understand any doubts over there like that? I will ask them and if they have any doubts or they have any struggles, I will sit along with them and I will make sure that they are crossing their barriers. And I will have a, uh, like a mentorship I will maintain whenever they have a doubt, they can approach me at any time like that I will.

Subject Osps, our stuff like that, the comfort zone I will bring so that they will.

Make them to feel comfort.

Your awareness of different student learning paces, coupled with tailored mentoring and support, demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusive education. Identifying needs early and fostering a comfortable environment sets a solid foundation for all students to succeed. Lastly, let’s discuss research dissemination. With your experience in publications, can you describe how you decide which journals or conferences are appropriate for submitting research?

80 percentage of the colleges they are conducting conferences but very few colleges are being reliable. So I choose I triple E sponsored conferences which are have been conducted continuously for the past five years or six years.

Is conferences. I also I always prefer IEEE conferences and Procedure Computer Science conferences, which I believe it is reliable because almost.

Because we have the reliability over them. And regarding the journals, I always prefer for the Scopus indexed journal and uh, SEI indexed, uh, journals, uh, especially free journals, I will always suggest.

Because the quality is important, especially I try for Q1 or Q2 journal. If not based on the paper quality and the work carried out, I prefer, uh, whether the paper can be submitted to QN journal.

RQ 2 journal are normal Scopus index to journal RQ three key 4 or even if it is submitted to the UH, I triple international conferences, the first I will uh, know the quality and the work done, the quality of the work done. If it is too much good, I'll go for the Q1 or Q2 like Scopus or AC index journals. And if it is some, if it is done by my uh project students, I always prefer them to go with. The conferences in conferences also.

I, I have two different uh, options, going for uh, I triple E conferences and going for procedure that is elsewhere, uh, procedure computer science conferences, if the students have produced some good output and if it is having some real time applications. And I, I, we uh, encourage them to go for procedure computing because it is published by elsewhere, which has a slightly higher value than the I triple conferences. I have experience of guiding students and publishing their own papers in.

Procedure computer science as well. I triple conferences and my research scholars, I always, uh tell them to go for UH Scopus indexed and UH indexed journals and my students have published their review papers in the Scopus index journals and their.

Main research papers they have submitted to ACA journals UH and UH. Both are in UH under review.

Your meticulous approach to selecting high-quality, reliable platforms for dissemination reflects your dedication to maintaining academic standards. Emphasizing Q1/Q2 journals and reputable conferences like IEEE-sponsored events significantly enhances the credibility and visibility of your research and your students’ work. I have verified all key skills relevant to this position. Please hold on while I finalize this phase.

Sorry to interrupt, we're down to the last 5 minutes.

Professor, could you share which specific course in your field you find most rewarding to teach and why?

I have handled the discrete time signal processing that a subject for the more than 7 or 8 times since my starting of the carrier. I'm handling that subject and still for the past six semesters I'm handling discrete time signal processing. That is one of the problematic paper. Even some students still has a degree stopping paper always as well. That is a very important paper for the every electronics and communication engineering students I love to handle.

In addition to that, I have handled the VLSI design, uh, which is, uh, one of the emerging area, uh, especially third year students or finally students will study that subject and microprocessors, microcontrollers is one of the, uh, next to my, uh, favorite subject. These three subjects mostly I will handle.

Dr. Vinayagam, let us delve deeper into your research and teaching capabilities. I see you have undertaken significant projects as a Principal Investigator, including "Smart Security System using AI and IoT" and "3D Obstacle Avoidance and Automatic Maneuvering." Could you briefly outline the primary objectives and outcomes of either of these projects, and how you incorporated these into a classroom setting to enhance student learning?

Yes, those two projects I have received a 2.5 lakhs each funding from DST Government of India towards the news and IEDC projects. I have my students batch 5 to batch 5 to 6 students. They have proposed their idea to the new Gen. IEDC and they have sanctioned the first project. Is 3D obstacle avoidance in automatic manuring the main main idea of this? Project is to design A nano drone.

Where a normal drone cannot travel and identify the automatic GPS locations, this nano robot nano drone will go and identify the objects and with GPS with correct GPS locations. This idea will be used in some real time applications like. Any malls where the fire like incidents happen?

Operate the drones so there here automatic manually so automatically this drone will identify the location uh GPS locations it will share and uh it will send the uh camera or video uh depends on the uh program, what we set.

Or even, uh, landslide or, uh, cyclone affected area like this situations this because there we cannot go under simply, uh, uh.

Thank you for explaining, Dr. Vinayagam. Your work on designing a nano drone for inaccessible areas, equipped with GPS and video capabilities, is indeed innovative and impactful given its real-world applications in emergencies like fires or landslide zones. How do you ensure that your students grasp both the theoretical foundations, such as the principles of GPS and AI, and the practical aspects, like programming and implementation, as part of their learning while working on these projects?

Yes, AI is one of the most dominating and every day-to-day life we are using it. And I will tell the students even to use for the ChatGPT or Gemini AI for the day-to-day life applications. Even I if I give any even a small problem they will solve by their own. If I give some bigger problem where they have no idea, I will tell them to use ChatGPT the way they give the prompts that that determines.

How the students are ability, how they are approaching to solve the, those problems, not simply by finding the answers for that, uh, how the they are able to split the bigger problem into small, small modules. So in that way we can, we can decide the students mentality and the way of problem solving skills.

It is commendable that you guide your students to leverage modern tools like ChatGPT and Gemini AI, not just for answers, but as a means to develop structured problem-solving skills by breaking down challenges into manageable components. Given this approach, how do you evaluate or measure the effectiveness of their learning—not only in terms of technical outcomes but also in fostering critical thinking and innovative solutions during such projects?

Our scheduled time for the interview is now up. Before we conclude, do you have any questions related to the role or the company?

No, I'm playing with that.

Understood. If you're ready to conclude the interview, just confirm, and I'll wrap things up. Would you like me to end the session?

Yes, of course.