Rama Ramakumar to be Inducted into Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame
Thursday, June 21, 2018
STILLWATER, Okla. – Rama Ramakumar, regents professor in electrical and computer engineering and PSO/Albrecht Naeter Professor, will be inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame on Nov. 5, 2018.
Since 1994, the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society has recognized individuals, living and deceased, whose achievement and leadership in scholarship, teaching, research, administration, staff support, outreach and public service have brought honor and distinction to higher education in the state by inducting them into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame, according to their website. To date, more than 200 men and women have been so honored.
“I was fortunate to come to Oklahoma State University in 1967 when the field of renewable energy was in its nascent state, especially in the minds of the energy/power community,” said Ramakumar. “It has been a rewarding experience to be involved with the research group at OSU over the past 51 years and see the nation-wide and global growth of renewable technologies. I am humbled by the honor of being inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.”
Ramakumar received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in India and his Ph.D. from Cornell University. He joined the faculty of Oklahoma State University in 1967. What started as a 16 month visiting appointment turned into 51 years of successful continuous service at Oklahoma State University School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Over the past 103 semesters and 51 summers at OSU, Dr. Ramakumar has taught over 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students in 30 different courses, mentored 18 Ph.D. and numerous MS level students. During his tenure at OSU, he received over $2 million in grants and contracts for his research work and other activities associated with the Engineering Energy Laboratory.
Dr. Ramakumar’s research interests are in renewable energy, energy conversion, power engineering, energy storage, engineering reliability and the utilization of alternate energy sources to improve the human living environment in developing countries. His work has been documented in over 250 technical papers in various journals, transactions, and conference proceedings. He is a co-awardee of four U.S. Patents, and contributed chapters in four books, and sections in eleven handbooks in the areas of energy and power.
“Dr. Ramakumar’s dedication to the teaching and research mission of Oklahoma State University has been abundantly evident in each of his 51 years of continuous service in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering,” said Jeffrey Young, department head and OSURF Endowed Chair of Engineering in ECE. “The high honor of Dr. Ramakumar being inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society is most certainly well-deserved.”
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Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant university that prepares students for success. OSU has more than 35,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 24,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, Oklahoma State has graduated more than 240,000 students who have been serving the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.
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