THE UNIVERSITY The University of Roorkee, a temple of learning is over 150 years old and is situated amidst verdant surroundings not far from the stately Ganga Canal. Historically, the University has its roots in the Roorkee College established in 1847 as the first engineering college in the British Empire, which was soon rechristened Thomason College of Civil Engineering in 1854 after its greatest mentor James Thomason on his demise in 1853. In the march for continuing industrial development, this college has played a vital roal in providing indigenous technology and technical manpower to the country. The distinguished services of this in stitution to the nation were recognised when it was presented the Charter on November 25, 1949, elevating it to the first engineering University of independent India. The University has had a phenomenal growth over the past 150 years and now offers 10 undergraduate courses in engineering and architecture and 56 postgraduate courses in engineering and technology, architecture, science and management, besides research at doctoral and post doctoral levels. The University has a highly qualified and motivated faculty, about 425 in number, who are engaged in research in addition to teaching. They also offer their expertise through consultancy services to private and public sector industries as well as to government agencies. The university has about 1500 undergraduate students, 1130 postgraduate students and nearly 260 research scholars . About 280 of these are girls and nearly 130 are from a number of developing countries of Asia and Africa. There are a number of centres carrying out interdisciplinary research and many collaborative programmes exist between the University and other institutions in India and abroad. The teaching and research work at the University is amply supported by central facilities such as the Central Library with more than 2, 70,000 volumes of books, periodicals, etc., an Audio Visual Research Centre with a full-fledged television studio, a modern Computer Centre, University Science Instrumentation Centre with high quality analytical instruments, Information Superhighway Centre with INTERNET connectivity. The University prepares students to meet the ever increasing technological and social changes with its traditions of self discipline, hard work, allround personality development and a creative approach to problems. An extensive inf rastructure exists to imbibe and cultivate these attributes amongst the students. Well-designed and amply serviced Bhawans (hostels) for both boys and girls, sprawling sports ground, a modern swimming pool, boat club and a host of students' clubs with Tennis, Squash and Billiard facilities, societies and associations a long with activities like NCC, Rangering and Rovering provide considerable oppor tunities for self development. ROORKEE TOWN Roorkee, a quiet town of moderate size in the district of Hardwar (Uttar Pradesh), is located on the banks of the Upper Ganga Canal, which takes off at Hardwar, 30 km away. About 30 km south of the Shivaliks, 170 km north of Delhi and situated on Amritsar Howrah main line, it islinked by rail to many important towns such as Delhi, Calcutta and Mumbai. Located on the Delhi - Hardwar Nation al Highway (NH 58), and on the Delhi - Dehradun Highway, Roorkee is also well connected by road. The town is 268 m above mean sea level (Latitude 29o52' N and Longitude 77o 53'52" E), and has cold winter. The summer months, though hot, are moderated by the proximity of the Shivaliks. The rainfall, mainly takes place between July and September, the average being 1050 mm. Besides the University, which has a 150 hectare campus, the town is an important centre of engineering activity with the headquarters of Bengal Engineers, the Central Building Research Institute, the National Institute of Hydrology, the U. P. Irrigation Research Institute, the U. P. Irrigation Design Organisation and an important army base located here.