Ludhiana, Oct 28 2024 (Yes Punjab News)
Dr VP Sethi, Professor and Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), has been conferred with the prestigious “ISTE Best Teacher Award” for the year 2024 by the Indian Society for Technical Education, India’s largest technical education body.
Dr Sethi received the award at Mega Faculty Convention, held at Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology, Sangrur on October 25.
The felicitation award to Dr Sethi was presented by distinguished academicians, including Dr Pratapsinh Kakasaheb Desai, National President of ISTE; Dr Susheel Mittal, Vice-Chancellor of IKG Punjab Technical University (PTU), Jalandhar; Dr Buta Singh Sidhu, Vice-Chancellor of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Technical University, Bathinda; and Dr RP Singh Suker-Chakia, Chairman of ISTE North India region.
This recognition was a testament to Dr Sethi’s exemplary teaching and research credentials, which had already earned him a place among Stanford University’s elite list of top 2% best scientists at global level since 2019 till date.
With an illustrious teaching career spanning over three decades, Dr Sethi has been inspiring undergraduate and postgraduate students in Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering and Food Science and Technology since 1993.
He has guided over 40 students at UG and PG level as major advisor, advisory committee member and collaborative scientist, resulting in numerous national awards and research publications by the students in high-impact journals.
Several of Dr Sethi’s students have secured prestigious positions in universities and industries both abroad and in India. He himself has taught to the students of Mechanical Engineering at North Dakota State University (NDSU), USA during his consecutive visits to NDSU as Visiting Faculty in 2011 and 2012.
Dr Sethi’s contributions to academic excellence were multifaceted. He has also developed teaching manuals and e-courses, and introduced new courses in thermal and solar energy utilization.
Additionally, he has played a key role in revitalizing the M.Tech. programme in Thermal Engineering and spearheading the launch of a PG Diploma in Robotics and Mechatronics in Agriculture, commencing in the 2024-25 session.
Notably, Dr Sethi has been instrumental in establishing the School of Digital Innovations for Smart Agriculture (S-DISA) in the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology under the stewardship of PAU VC and Dean of COAET; this initiative underscored his dedication to integrating cutting-edge technologies like AI, ML, and IoT into teaching and research.
The PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Dean of COAET Dr Manjeet Singh and other senior officials congratulated Dr Sethi for this rare recognition and remarkable achievement.