Setting Engineering Bar High
Dr. Hirak Patangia believes in learning through doing. Perhaps that is why electronic and computer engineering students so enthusiastically endorse him and his teaching methods at the end of each semester.
“Dr. P. made this course very interesting,” wrote one such student. “He is always willing to help and his sense of humor about the material makes learning more enjoyable.”
From current students to alumni, all heap praise on Patangia for being a strong advocate. Several expressed their gratitude to him for securing internships and summer jobs for them that not only balanced out their textbook knowledge, but also provided avenues for employment.
Dr. Patangia’s self-designed lab exercises encourage a high level of critical thinking and provide excellent training for students participating in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers competition.
He sets the bar high, and the students strive to reach it. When a student fails to rise to the task, Patangia seeks to help each one understand what improvements can be made.
Alan D. Amis, a UA Little Rock alumnus and systems engineer at Rockwell Collins, credits Patangia for inspiring him to earn advanced degrees in computer science following his undergraduate experience.
“He has always been a firm but fair man of impeccable ethics and character and is most deserving of this award,” he said.
Patangia earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, M.S. degree in engineering from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, and B.S. degree in technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.