The Dr. Arkal Shenoy Research Endowment Award has been instituted in 2023 in the Division of Mechanical Engineering by alumnus Dr. Arkal Shenoy and his wife Dr. Vasanthi Shenoy through endowment to IISc.
The Dr. Arkal Shenoy Research Endowment Award is open to all Ph.D students, as well as, Research Project to materially advance Science and Technology in the field of Mechanical Engineering. This annual award (starting from academic year 2023-24) consists of cash prize of Rs. 100,000/- and citation to the awardee. The award ceremony will be held every year in November second week.
Dr. Arkal Shenoy attended BDT College of Engineering, Davangere in 1959-64 and received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Mysore, and graduated (1964-66) from Department of Mechanical Engineering (1964-66) of Indian Institute of Science with Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was a student of Dr. Arcot Ramachandran specializing in the field of Heat Power Engineering. Following completion of his education in India he travelled to United States and completed his Master’s degree (1967) and doctoral degree (1969) in Nuclear Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. His doctoral thesis supported by NASA involved measuring the radiant heat transfer properties of very hot hydrogen containing extremely small refractory materials. The data he took can be useful in designing nuclear fission reactors for power and propulsion applications.
Following completion of his formal education in 1966 he joined General Atomics, an energy and diversified technologies company in San Diego, California and retired as Director in 2012 after working in various nuclear energy Programs at General Atomics, San Diego, USA and responsible for program management of High Temperature Modular Helium Reactor (MHR) systems and TRIGA research reactors. In this position he programmatically and technically directed the fission work funded by United States Government, U.S. nuclear utilities and universities. HTGR Gas-Cooled Reactor programs at General Atomics also include direct cycle Gas Turbine MHR program, GEN IV Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR), Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GCFR), Hydrogen producing Modular Helium Reactor (H2-MHR), and other fission commercial programs. Forty-two years of professional experience in management, design, development, and operation of nuclear power projects. Extensive experience of programs involving nuclear core design, systems engineering, safety analysis and licensing.
As a Member of Professional Societies, Dr. Shenoy took keen interest in Sigma XI, American Nuclear Society Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In 1972 he was granted Professional Engineer certificates by State of California in both Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering fields and in 1995 he was recognized as active member of New York Academy of Sciences.