Honeywell Brings Nobel Laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji And Its Science And Engineering Initiative To India

VELLORE, India, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today introduced Professor Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Nobel laureate in physics, to the students and faculty of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), India, as part of its global Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering (HISE).

Professor Cohen-Tannoudji is among 23 Nobel laureates that Honeywell has sponsored at universities worldwide since 2006.  The event marks the eleventh time Honeywell Hometown Solutions, Honeywell's corporate social responsibility organization, has delivered HISE to a university in India, and the first time the program is taking place at VIT University.  HISE has benefitted thousands of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students and teachers across the country.

Cohen-Tannoudji was awarded the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics for the development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light to near Absolute Zero.  This discovery has given rise to a number of recent developments in this field. 

"One interesting development concerns ultra-precise atomic clocks using cold atoms, with errors less than one second in one billion years," Professor Cohen-Tannoudji told the young audience of more than 1,500. "These atomic clocks allow one to perform more refined tests to improve international time distribution services, to control the wave frequency of television broadcasts, and to be more precise in global navigation satellite systems such as GPS."

Afterwards, students engaged in a lively discussion with the laureate, asking many questions and interacting directly with him throughout his visit.  "Always consider yourself a student of life, and never let go of your curiosity," he advised them.

"We are delighted to host HISE and Professor Cohen-Tannoudji for this two-day event," said Dr. G. Viswanathan, Founder and Chancellor, VIT University. "Honeywell and VIT University share common goals that help us inspire our students to pursue fields in science and engineering. With this visit by the Nobel laureate and the exchange program we've established with Honeywell, we hope to energize today's students to become tomorrow's great leaders."

"As a world leader in innovating cutting-edge technologies, Honeywell's Technologists, Research / Engineering centers across the globe continue to innovate to address world's toughest challenges like energy efficiency, clean energy generation, urbanization / HGR development, safety & security, and customer productivity," said Suresh Venkatarayalu, President, HTS – Global.  "It is important for us to inspire future engineers to demonstrate uncompromised empathy to understand the environment we live in, accompanied by a relentless focus and drive to innovate to make positive impact on the lives of consumers across the globe."

Honeywell sponsors scholarships, R&D projects, and intern opportunities for students in partnership with universities in India and around the world.

Through HISE, Honeywell partners with top universities in China, Czech Republic, India, Mexico and other high growth regions to inspire students to pursue careers in science and engineering. The initiative includes a series of lectures by laureates, career discussions with Honeywell's top engineers in the region, and informal and interactive exchanges between the laureates and students. 

VIT University is one of several Indian universities selected to take part in the HISE program. To date, Honeywell has brought the program to India 11 times, the most of any country since Honeywell began a laureate program in 2006.

About Honeywell India
Honeywell is a Fortune 100 company (www.honeywell.com) that develops and manufactures technologies to address some of the world's toughest challenges linked to global macrotrends such as energy efficiency, clean energy generation, safety and security, globalization and customer productivity. Each of the company's four businesses – Aerospace, Automation and Control Solutions, Performance Materials and Technologies, and Transportation Systems – has a significant presence in India. Honeywell's India commitment is evident in five state-of-the-art manufacturing and engineering operations for its automation, turbocharger, and refining businesses, and five global centers of excellence for technology development and innovation. Honeywell employs close to 13,000 people across 50 locations including Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Gurgaon and Madurai. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.  

About Honeywell Hometown Solutions
The Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering program is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company's corporate citizenship initiative, which focuses on five areas of vital importance: Science & Math Education, Family Safety & Security, Housing & Shelter, Habitat & Conservation, and Humanitarian Relief. Together with leading public and non-profit institutions, Honeywell has developed powerful programs to address these needs in the communities it serves. For more information, please visit: http://citizenship.honeywell.com/.  

About VIT University, Vellore
Founded in 1984, VIT University is technological university with programs in science, engineering management, and social sciences. With campuses in Vellore and Chennai and 26, 000 students, VIT is highly selective in its admission process. A diverse student body, representing all regions of the country and more than 30 countries around the world, an outstanding faculty, strong ties to industry and international institutions and its research output are the basis for VIT's place among the best of the institutions in the country. VIT has been transforming itself from a teaching institution to research intensive university. Physical and biological sciences, health sciences and technology, engineering design and manufacturing, electronics and communication and digital and information technologies are some of the key areas of research focus at VIT.  VIT offers 60 academic programs, ranging from bachelors to doctoral level studies. Currently VIT is ranked 8th among more than 600 universities in India. Institutional details may be found at: www.vit.ac.in.

SOURCE Honeywell