1965 - B.Tech - Civil Engineering Professor, Department of Civil Engineering @ West Virginia University
Prof. Hota V. S. Ganga Rao has earned a name in academic circles in the field of fiber-reinforced polymer composites. He is a visionary leader whose exceptional research and development contributions in his chosen field make him the world expert in the application of composites to constructed facilities. His research focus is on theory, design, development, production and implementation of fiber-reinforced polymer composites, including recycled polymers, for constructed facilities with emphasis on high strength and stiffness structures, utility poles and underground structures. His contributions in this field have resulted in his being appointed as the Head of the multi-University Center for the Integration of Composites into Infrastructure (CICI) sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA. He handles research and other projects worth more than two million dollars per year.
Prof. Hota showed his merit right from the student days. His academic record at IIT Madras, from where he graduated with a B.Tech. in Civil Engineering in 1965, was excellent, and he continued to show his scholastic prowess in his higher studies at North Carolina University, Raleigh, USA, where he received his M.S. and Doctorate in Civil Engineering in the short span of four years (two years each). He is highly knowledgeable and well-respected as a teacher and academician. More than 250 M.S./ Ph.D. students have graduated under his expert guidance. He has published more than 300 technical papers, with several of his papers winning best paper awards.
Prof. Hota has been recognized as an innovative researcher in his chosen field for the past thirty years. He is a scholar of extraordinary insight, whose contributions in his field were recognized on several occasions. To name a few, he received the Benedum Distinguished Scholar Award for 1990-91. Cited as one of the Top Five Outstanding Leaders for the year 1988-89 in the College of Engineering, he was awarded Udanis Best Concrete Engineer Prize for the year 1983 on Innovative Design and Construction of Precast Concrete Panels with Passive Solar Devices. He has co-authored a textbook titled FRP Reinforcements for Concrete, and has also contributed chapters in his area of specialization in many reference books and encyclopedias. He holds several patents in the area of application of composites in infrastructure. He is an active member of several professional societies such as ASCE, Advanced Composites Manufacturing Association – Composites Institute, SPI, and SAMPE.
He is a dedicated, community service-oriented person, and organizes the American Indian Students Association at West Virginia University. Prof. Hota has given generously of his time, expertise, and financial resources to make a difference to the lives of the Indian students on campus. He is a Board Member of Sahasra Deepika Foundation, Charleston, WV.
In recognition of Prof. Ganga Rao Hotas outstanding contributions in the application of composites in constructed facilities, IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer on him this award.
