Karkala: Indians have in no way lagged behind advanced nations as far as research related activities are concerned, said Dr.  Nilesh J Vasa, Professor and Head, Department of Engineering Design, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Chennai.

Inaugurating a two-day international conference on “Emerging Trends in Engineering” (ICETE-’12) on May 15, Tuesday at NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte, he said a large number of mechatronics products with smart optical components have been launched in the market due to the  incorporation of optical technology in mechatronics systems.

Dr Apitep Saekow, Dean, Faculty of Science & Technology, Stamford International University, Bangkok, who was the chief guest, while appreciating the high standards of education in NMAMIT, said his University was considering an academic collaboration with the institute. Dr. S. Y. Kulkarni, Principal, NMAMIT, Dr.Niranjan N.Chiplunkar, Vice Principal and Dean (Academics) and Dr.S.O.Ojaowo, Professor from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbqomoso, Nigeria was among others present on the occasion.

Nearly 165 original technical research papers from all over the world were presented at the conference and the best ones will be published in the second issue of the annual research journal of the institute.