Scholarship honors Watson College dean by aiding graduate students

Since joining the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science faculty in 1988, Dean Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari has advised, mentored and influenced hundreds of students who now have successful careers around the world.

In 2019, Nirmal Chandrasekaran and Balki Iyer, MS ’00, spearheaded an effort to establish an endowed scholarship in Srihari’s name so that future graduate students can get the help they need to pursue their education and career goals. More than a dozen alumni and friends made the Krishnaswami Srihari Scholarship in Graduate Excellence a reality.

“We are where we are because of what Dr. Hari did for us,” says Iyer, the chief commercial officer at Eos Energy Storage. “It’s not just Nirmal and me — there are dozens of students who benefitted from the scholarship he provided for us, so we had an opportunity to study here in this country. He’s sown the seeds for a lot of us.”

Starting in the 2021-22 academic year, the recipient of the Srihari Scholarship must be an international student studying for a PhD in industrial and systems engineering, with a preference for a female student. The scholarship is renewable for an additional year if the student maintains a minimum 3.7 GPA. One graduate student received the scholarship for 2020-21.

Since becoming part of the Binghamton University faculty, Srihari has been elevated to distinguished professor, and served for several years as chair of the Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering. In 1989, he founded the Electronics Manufacturing Research and Services program — now the Watson Institute for Systems Excellence (WISE) — which gives undergraduate and graduate students the chance to collaborate with government and industry sponsors at the sponsor’s site, alongside partner and faculty mentors.

“As a teacher, he sets a very high bar,” says Chandrasekaran, who is vice president of inventory and commodity management at Sanmina. “It’s important when you’re doing industry research to deliver and exceed expectations. We are inspired to at least catch up with him and operate at that level. He constantly pushed us to try for the next level and not to settle.”

Seeking donors among Srihari’s former students proved to be fruitful, as the two friends worked their contacts on both coasts — Iyer in the New York metro area and Chandrasekaran in Silicon Valley. Alumni from Dallas to Detroit to London have supported

the scholarship, with additional gifts from friends of the college who have known Srihari for some of his 30-plus years at Binghamton.

Among the scholarship’s major donors are Mani Munikrishnan, MS ’00; Kaustubh Ravindra Nagarkar, MS ’02, PhD ’05; Vaideeswaran Sampathkumar, MS ’00; Sunil Thomas, MS ’94; Mohammad Yunus, MS ’00; and Parag P. Diwe, MS ’01.

“Dr. Srihari brought out the best in me,” says Yunus, who is the vice president for global manufacturing and product distribution at Texas Instruments Inc. “His work ethic, compassion and genuine care for his students are great leadership examples that I carried into my professional career.”

Sandeep Tonapi, MS ’98, PhD ’01, founder and CEO at Anveshak Technology and Knowledge Solutions, adds: “The magnitude and quality of international collaborations have flourished under Dr. Hari’s leadership and put Binghamton University on the global map. You are fortunate if you have had a chance to interact or work with him.”

Looking to the future, Srihari’s former students hope to expand the “team” to raise more funds so the scholarship can aid multiple students each year.

The dean says he is “deeply humbled” by the honor: “This scholarship will build future generations of leaders in industrial and systems engineering, and Watson College is very grateful to the alumni and friends who have helped through their generous gifts.”