S UNNIKRISHNA PILLAI AND DEVDAS MENON

Dr. S Unnikrishna Pillai pursued his engineering education at the University of Kerala and Queen?s University, Canada. He has taught at College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram; Queen?s University, Canada; University of Sulaimaniya, Iraq; Royal Military College of Canada and Regional Engineering College (presently NIT), Calicut. As the Founder-Director of the Co-operative Academy of Professional Education (CAPE), he has built up five Engineering Colleges and a Medical College in Kerala. His major research interests have been in the areas of Limit States Design of concrete structures, Strength and Stability of Beam-Columns in metal structures and Rehabilitation of structures. He also has wide experience in design and construction of various RC structures. Dr. Pillai has published several technical papers, authored the book Reinforced Concrete Design (McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Canada) and co-authored ?Ch. 8 ? Beam-Columns? of SSRC Guide to Stability Design Criteria for Metal Structures, 3rd Ed. (Edited by Bruce G. Johnston; John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1976). He has received several awards, including Kerala University Scholarships for First Rank, Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship, UP Government National Award, and Fellowship of NRC, Canada. Prof. Devdas Menon pursued his civil engineering education at IIT Madras and IIT Delhi. Soon after graduation, he worked as a structural engineer at New Delhi, and later took to academics, teaching initially at REC Calicut and later at IIT Madras (since 1998). He is presently Professor & PC Varghese Institute Chair at the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Madras. He is a structural consultant involved in various infrastructure projects. Prof. Menon?s primary research interests are in the area of structural concrete design. He has also carried out innovative research and development in affordable and sustainable building systems and in biomechanical orthopaedic devices. He has published numerous technical papers and has been conferred several awards for his contributions to teaching and research. He has a special interest in developing codes of practice and has served as Chairman of the Bureau of Indian Standards CED38 Committee on Special Structures since 2006. He is the author of textbooks titled Structural Analysis and Advanced Structural Analysis, and the editor of Trends in Prestressed Concrete and Handbook on Seismic Retrofit of Buildings. Prof. Menon promotes a holistic approach to education and on finding meaning and fulfilment in life through self-awareness and inner transformation. He has given numerous invited talks on this theme and is the author of popular books titled Stop sleepwalking through life! and Spirituality at work.