By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez
As originally published by Texas Border Business newsprint edition of August 2010
Recently Texas Border Business had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Subhash C. Bose, the current Director/Chair of the Manufacturing Engineering Program/Department at UTPA, who previously served for 12 years in that position. Visiting with Dr. Bose was a treat in the sense that I met with a great man who does not impose his high hierarchy in education or as a person on anyone. He is always ready to help in every way possible so others can shine and have a good start in life.
Dr. Bose has many daily activities as the head of the department which include monitoring student progress; provide guidance and advice to students on their degree program. In addition he gets students involved in research activities early in their degree program that will help them to get an internship with manufacturing industries. “This activity makes them stand out from other students with a much better chance to get a full time job even before graduation,” he stated. Dr. Bose knows of the importance of the internship and research project experience for all students.
The fact that under Dr. Bose’s leadership many students have been placed with different companies in an internship program or for a permanent job is possibly the crown of his career. Progreso ISD hired graduates from the manufacturing engineering program at UTPA with the plan to develop a Center of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).”
For his immediate plans, Dr. Bose is excited to continue working with Dr. Fernando Castillo, Superintendent of Progreso ISD in expanding the pre-engineering program in manufacturing engineering started in December 2009 and completed this summer. “24 students signed-up for the first engineering class at Progreso ISD on Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing in the spring, and 28 students attended the summer project based course on Alternate Energy, Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle and Biomedical Engineering,” he said.
In addition to his activities at UTPA, his other passion is to assist the School District to offer classes in Civil Engineering, Digital Electronics and Computer Networking and help them achieve the status of Center of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
He emphasized this is important because Progreso ISD will serve neighboring School Districts like Mercedes, La Villa, Santa Rosa and Monte Alto through their distance education classroom within a three year period and use this model in other Counties within five years.
Dr. Bose pointed out that it is important to improve STEM education in the Rio Grande Valley School Districts and develop infrastructure to assist manufacturing industries with rapid prototype design for tooling, precision engineering, and alternate energy. It will help to bring new manufacturing industries to the Valley, creating jobs for local graduates and dramatically improving the south Texas economy.
In addition he said that Progreso ISD has spent about $250,000 on equipment to develop the pre-engineering program. “Ground breaking for a new $8M Engineering/Technology and Science Building is set for December 2010.” Dr. Bose told Texas Border Business that he will continue to serve as advisor for Progreso ISD.
The fact that Dr. Bose works with leaders in high levels of these communities and aids in the planning they do to forge a better future for young people are a unique signature. That is why in 2005 the Student Chapter of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers at UTPA chose him as an outstanding faculty for his leadership and again last month.
Dr. Bose was born in the southern state of India called Tamil Nadu in Madurai. “My dad was a first generation college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and my mom had finished middle school,” he stated. Dr. Bose was one of six children, and his father had been a postal employee for 25 years. Dr. Bose studied agricultural engineering in India and mechanical engineering in Wisconsin.
Dr. Bose told Texas Border Business that he moved to the Valley on August 25th, 1993 from Logan, Utah. He was teaching at Utah State University from 1989-1993. He had taught at Wright State University in Dayton, OH from 1987-1989. He went on to say that in 1993, UTPA was looking for a leader to develop the new manufacturing engineering program as he was looking for an opportunity to lead and help young students in the field of engineering. “One should have passion for teaching and helping students to grow professionally,” he said.
As a member of the faculty, especially as a Chair of the Department, Dr. Bose has to budget his time between teaching, professional achievement, scholarly research, writing grants, publishing papers and professional service attending administrative meetings, submitting reports, building a network with industries to help students, and visiting high schools to recruit students among other responsibilities.
What excites him the most as a professor is he is in the enviable position of being part of a student’s life and of their family. “The best thing I can do in my life is to make a young man or woman an engineer in their family who will then be a role model to their brothers, sisters, their children and generations to come.”
What inspired Dr. Bose to become an engineer was that he was always anxious to find out how things worked. He always asks himself, “How I can contribute to make someone’s life better, especially by automating tedious or repetitive jobs, and continue to manufacture good quality products at less cost.” He told Texas Border Business that it is amazing to see what can be done with new technologies like nanotechnology, especially in the application of biomedical engineering.
Dr. Bose stated, “My wife is a pediatrician in the Valley.” His wife is Sarojini Bose MD and they have a daughter, Ashley who is attending the UTPA Baylor program. He loves to travel, especially to enjoy nature; photography and lately yoga. TBB
Written by Roberto Hugo Gonzalez the 2009 SBA Journalist of the Year Award Winner & The 2009 and 2012 Paul Harris Award recipient.
Dr. Bose’s Academic background
- Ph.D. 1987-Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- MS 1984-Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Ph.D. 1982-Agricultural Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
- MS 1979-Agricultural Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
- BS 1977-Agricultural Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering, Coimbator, India
