Harshit S. Lakra

Designation
Assistant Professor
Department of Architecture and Planning
Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
Roorkee, Haridwar
, hsl31fap@ iitr.ernet.in, / Permanent Address
Kokar Khorahtoli
Ranchi , Jharkhand ,India
011-651-2531222

Education

v  Cornell University, College of Architecture, Arts & Planning, Ithaca, New York

Masters in City & Regional Planning, August 2009

Major in Economic & Community Development

v  Center for Environment Planning & Technology ( CEPT) School of Planning , Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Planning, April 2001

Major in Environmental Planning

v  Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Department of Architecture & Planning, May 1999

Bachelors in Architecture

v  St. Theresa’s Girls School, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

High Secondary Board Exam, Madhya Pradesh Board, May 1994

v  St. Theresa’s Girls School, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Secondary Board Exam, Madhya Pradesh Board, May 1992

Scholarships and Awards

v  Nominated for Tribal Achiever Award in Education Section by Ministry of Tribal Welfare, India: 2010

v  Cornell Graduate School, Graduate Research Travel Award: 2008-2009

v  Cornell, City and Regional Planning, Graduate Research Travel Award: 2008-2009

v  Cornell Urban Scholarship Program (CUSP) Scholar: 2008

v  Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program (IFP) Fellow: 2006

v  Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) Scholar 1999 to 2001

Membership of professional Institutions and Societies:

Name of the Professional Institute/ Society / Type of Membership
v  Member of American Planning Association / Student Member 2007
v  Council of Architects (COA) / CA/2003/30862
v  Indian Society of Geomatics(ISG) / L-421
v  Indian Society of Technical Education(ISTE) / LM-44439
v  Institute of Town Planners, India(ITPI) / 2005-042/ATTP
v  International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) / Member ID:38656
v  International Planning Student Organization (IPSO ) / Officer 2008
v  Organization of Cornell Planners (OCP) / Member 2008
v  Women’s Planning Forum (WPF) / Member 2008
v  Minority Organization Architecture, Art and Planning (MOAAP) / Member 2008
v  Cornell International Christian Fellowship (CICF) / President 2008
v  SPARK, NGO, Jharkhand / Member 2006
v  Adivasi Development Network (ADN) USA / Officer, 2009
v  International Fellowship Programme, Ford Foundation / Alumni Member, 2009
v  Jharkhand Water Forum / Founder Member, 2009

Credited Coursework in Post Graduate Programme

v  Environment / :Environmental Science
Technology for Cleaner Production and Energy Planning / Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental Economics
Environmental Policy and Legislation
v  Planning Analysis / :Intro Methods of Planning Analysis
Urban Infrastructure Planning
Project Planning and Appraisal / Transportation Planning
Urban Management
Housing Marketing and Finance
v  Statistics / :Public Policy Analysis Management / Statistics for Social Science
v  Economics / :Intermediate Microeconomics / Environmental Economics
v  Advance Planning Tool / :Geographic Information System / Quant. Tech. for Policy Analysis Mgmt.
v  Community Development / :Community Development Seminar / Participatory Action Research

Computer Skills

v  Software / : MS Office, Auto Cad R2006, ArchiCad 9, Micro station, Oracle 8i, Adobe Premiere 6, Sonic Sound Foundry, Macromedia Flash MX, Macromedia Director MX,2004, Hyper Text Mark Language, Vensim Simulation Software, SPSS.
v  GIS Application / : ArcGIS, Arcinfo 8, Arcview 3.2a , Avenue, Map Objects, Visual Basic 6, MapObjects
v  Image Processing Software / : Cadoverlay, IRAS/B, Erdas Imagine 8.4, Adobe Photoshop 6

Professional Experience

v  Department of Architecture Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, JH / April 2004- November 2012
Assistant Professor (Senior Lecturer )
·  Initiating Research scholars promotion for institute and region as a nominated representative for USIEF.
·  Coordinate ST/SC matter for institute as a nominated member of ST/ Sc cell.
·  Initiated and coordinated product design solutions and training system to reinforce employment opportunities for the indigenous communities in the urban setup of Ranchi.
·  Accomplished urban design solutions with the group of architecture students to support informal economic activities in the urban core. Design received appreciation and approval of Urban Design Secretary for implementation.
·  Initiated & conducted series of e-learning workshops for the staff from neighboring colleges.
·  Coordinated Human Settlement Analysis course work using Remote Sensing techniques & created digital database for the institute with the group of graduate students.
·  Undertook research work to evaluate the performance of Urban Local Bodies and Non Government Organizations in managing urban environment with the focus on drinking water facilities in Slums of Ranchi.
·  Assist in the formation of Undergraduate Students’ Environmental Action Group & established in-house Resource Center.
·  Compile & co- edit journal ABACUS, an Internationally Refereed Bi-Annual Journal of Architecture Conservation and Urban Studies’, published by the Institute.
v  Global Consultancy Marga Incorporated, Park Avenue, New York, USA / May 2008- July 2008
Graduate Research Scholar
·  Responsible for conducting interviews with officers of Health Department of the State to identifying community approach to deal with obesity in United states.
·  Responsible for preparing technical report for Bush Clinton Katrina Fund for Southern part of America.
v  Dept. of City and Regional Planning, Cornell University, New York, USA / August 2007- July 2009
Research Assistant
·  Responsible for assisting Professor Porus Olpadawala in collecting and developing research material for publications from news paper articles and journals.
·  Responsible for assisting Professor Stephan Schmidt site inventory of Urban parks in New York City for his GIS project, ‘Security Factors in Urban Parks in New York City’.
·  Responsible for covering lecture series colloquium 2007-2008 and publishing videos on school web for School of Architecture, Arts and Planning.
·  Responsible for GPS site inventory of hiking trail for Rescue project of Fire Department through GIS Cell Water Supply Department Tompkins County.
v  Department of Architecture & Planning Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, MP / Mar 2003- Mar 2004
Lecturer
·  Co-assisted in Planning Techniques, GIS & Remote Sensing Courses for the graduate students.
·  Coordinated Architectural Design, Urban Design, Architectural Graphics, Professional Practice & Energy Efficient Design course work for undergraduate students.
·  Assisted in establishing Material Museum for the undergraduate students.
·  Monitored and maintained Remote Sensing & GIS lab.
·  Guided undergraduate students for National Design Competition.
·  Developed model primary school design for urban poor.
v  Geographic Information Systems Cell Genesys International Corporate Limited, Mumbai, MH / Apr 2001- Feb 2003
Senior Executive
·  Assisted in creating in-house staff training system & imparting theoretical & practical training
·  Developed GIS application for site identification and prioritization, Land suitability analysis, Real estate Management, Route Planner, Census data viewer plus analyzer and Business application.
·  Digitized land-cover map, parcel map and contour map using remotely sensed data.
·  Evolved Management Information System for tracking & assessing employee’s skill set and identifying the improvement areas.
·  Prepared business development plan to identify potential market to expand company’s business
·  Coordinated proposal and pilot project for various GIS applications
·  Prepared GIS application user manual for different applications developed by the company.
v  Mumbai Project Office Infrastructure Professional Enterprise, Green Park Ext, New Delhi / Dec 2001 - Feb 2003
Project Coordinator (Part time)
·  Coordinated redevelopment project of dilapidated municipal staff quarters in Mumbai city.
·  Communicated with municipal officers, slum residents, and head office staff in Delhi
·  Assisted in preparing management & financial proposal
·  Coordinated inventory of all twenty seven sites

Papers in Refereed Journals

S.No. / Author(s) / Year / Title / Complete Reference of Journal
1 / Harshit Lakra, Ajit Roshan Tete / 2010 / Indigenous Habitat / Vol 5 No 1 - special issue on HOUSING - published in 2010
2 / Harshit Lakra, Sashi kant Pandey, Ritu Agrawal, Smriti Mishra, , / 2008 / Fact Sheet Human Development Index / Abacus Vol. 3. No 2 Monsoon 2008 (Page I-VI)
3 / Harshit Lakra, Smriti Mishra, Ritu Agrawal , / 2007 / Fact Sheet Slums a Step Above Homelessness / Abacus Vol. 2. No 1 Spring 2007 (Page 23)
4 / Harshit Lakra, Smriti Mishra, Ritu Agrawal , / 2007 / Project news for NBJK, The Success Story of Clean Jharkhand Project / Abacus, Vol 2 , No 1, Spring 2007 (Page 67 )
5 / Lakra Harshit / 2003 / News column: General Agreement on Tariff and Trade / Council of Architecture , 2003
6 / Gharat Kedar, Lakra Harshit, / 2003 / GIS Based Application for Sales and Marketing’ / ISG Newsletter March 2003, Volume 9, Number 1.

Papers presented in Conference

S.No / Author(s) / Year / Title / Name and Place of Conference
1 / Lakra Harshit / 2012 / Vernacular Architecture Education
Defining, Professional Scope and Creating Inclination / Accepted : ISVS -6 International Seminar on Vernacular Settlements-2012
Contemporary Vernaculars: Places and process and Manifestations, April 19-21, 2012, Eastern Mediterranean University, Famagusta, North Cyprus
2 / Lakra Harshit / 2011 / Higher Education Institutions, Local Labor and Regional Economic Competitiveness / Tribal and Development
National Workshop by Rashtriya Manav Sanghrahliya and Sidhu Kanu University , Hazaribagh 15th -16 November 2011.
3 / Lakra Harshit / 2010 / ‘Environment, Development and Tribal Community’ / Environment lecture series
Tarang Uday ,
Theological Center, Kanke on 7th Sept 2010. ( oral presentation )
4 / Lakra Harshit, Tete A. Roshan, Agarwal Ritu, Mishra Smriti, Pandey Shashikant / 2010 / Developing Model for Empowering Domestic Laborers in Jharkhand / 58th National Town Country Planners Congress on Inclusive Planning for Empowering Urban Poor, Nagpur
5 / Lakra harshit, Tete Roshan, Ekka Rashmi / 2009 / ‘State and NGO relationship in Jharkhand’ / Eighth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, organized by United Nation Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) from 18 - 29 May, 2009 at United Nations Headquarters, New York.
6 / Lakra Harshit / 2008 / State of Higher Education Institution Bush Clinton Clinton Katrina Fund / Cornell Urban Scholar Program
30th July 2008
Cornell University Extension Center New York. (oral presentation )
7 / Mishra, S., Ritu Agrawal, Lakra Harshit, Richa Sharma. / 2007 / “Performance Measurement of NGO’s and ULB’s Initiatives in Urban Environment Management: Case Study of Slums of Ranchi.” / 9th International Congress of Asian Planning Schools Association (APSA 2007), August 27th -29th, 2007, Colombo, Sri Lanka. [Accepted for oral presentation]
8 / Lakra Harshit, Mishra Smriti, Agarwal Ritu / 2007 / Socio-Physical Environmental Assessment of Slums, A Remote Sensing and GIS Application Case Study of Slums, Ranchi, Jharkhand / 6th Annual International Conference and Exhibition on GIS Technology and Applications Map Asia 2007 14-16 August, 2007 Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
9 / Lakra Harshit / 2007 / Participated / East Zone Planning Conference of Institute of Town Planners, India at BIT Mesra Ranchi, on 4th August 2007.
10 / Mishra, S., Ritu Agrawal, Harshit Lakra. / 2007 / “Performance Measurement of NGO’s and ULB’s Initiatives in Urban Environment Management: Case Study of Slums of Ranchi.” / ANZEE Conference entitled “Re-inventing Sustainability: A Climate for Change,” July 3rd- 6th, 2007, Queensland, Australia. [Accepted for oral presentation]
11 / Lakra, H., Smriti Mishra, Ritu Agrawal. / 2007 / “Women Empowerment Indicators- Critical Appraisal for the State of Jharkhand.” / ANZEE Conference entitled “Re-inventing Sustainability: A Climate for Change,” July 3rd- 6th, 2007, Queensland, Australia. [Accepted for oral presentation]
12 / Agrawal, R., Smriti Mishra, Harshit Lakra, and B. Arch-2006 Batch students / 2007 / Physical Planning in achieving Sustainable Development: Students Perspective and Approach for Ranchi Beautification Project.” / ANZEE Conference entitled “Re-inventing Sustainability: A Climate for Change,” July 3rd- 6th, 2007, Queensland, Australia. [Accepted for oral presentation]
13 / Lakra Harshit / 2007 / Participated / One day workshop on “Model Building Byelaws for Safety Against Natural Hazards” on 12th March, 2007, organized by Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Department of Urban Development, Government of Jharkhand
14 / Mishra, S., Harshit Lakra, Ritu Agrawal. / 2006 / ‘Urban Environmental Management, performance Measurement of NGO’s and ULB’s initiatives, Case study of Slums of Jharkhand’ / In 9th Biennial Conference of International Society for Ecological Economics on Ecological Sustainability and Human Well-Being, December 15th -18th, 2006 , New Delhi, India. [Poster presentation]
15 / Lakra Harshit, Mishra Smriti, Agarwal Ritu, / 2006 / “Women Empowerment Indicators: Critical Appraisal for the State of Jharkhand.” / In 9th Biennial Conference of International Society for Ecological Economics on Ecological Sustainability and Human Well-Being, December 15th -18th, 2006 , New Delhi, India. [Poster presentation]
16 / Lakra Harshit / 2006 / Participated / International Conference on ‘Advisory Services in Environmental Management ‘ organized by Urban Development Department of Jharkhand on 19th July 2006 , at Capitol Hill , Ranchi
17 / Lakra Harshit / 2006 / Participated / ‘Stake Holder Workshop on City Development Plan of Ranchi’ organized by Meinhardt Singapore Pvt. Ltd., Ranchi Municipal Corporation, Ranchi during 26-27 June 2006.
18 / Lakra Harshit / 2006 / Participated / International Conference on ‘The Role of Socio-Economic & Spatial Planning in National Development ‘ 14,15 April 2006, New Delhi, India , organized by FBE, Faculty of Built Environment , University of New South Wales , School of Architecture & Planning , Delhi, HUDCO, Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, CEPT, Ahmedabad , Australian Habitat Studies.
19 / Lakra Harshit, Mishra Smriti, Agarwal Ritu, / 2006 / ‘Indicator Identification for Energy Efficient Urban Growth’ / All India Seminar in Architectural Engineering’, The Co-ordination of Various Engineering Wings in Architectural Planning for Building Construction’, 8-9 March 2006 , organized by the Institute of Engineers (India ) in association with Department of Architecture, BIT Mesra, Ranchi. [Oral presentation]
20 / Choudhary Suniti, Lakra Harshit
Mishra Smriti, Agarwal Ritu, / 2006, / Bamboo: Natural Resource Utilization and Conservation’ / National Conference on’ Recent Advances in Environmental Biotechnology for Bio-diversity Management’ February 11-12, 2006, organized by Inter Disciplinary Forum, Ranchi College in Collaboration with CVS. [Oral presentation]
21 / Lakra Harshit, Mishra Smriti, Agarwal Ritu, / 2006. / ‘Green Buildings : An Approach Towards Sustainable Development’ / Workshop on Modern Buildings and Sustainable Building Practices in Jharkhand’ organized by Building Construction Department Government of Jharkhand, 9-10 January, 2006. [Oral presentation]
22 / Lakra Harshit, / 2005 / ‘National Resources Management in Jamunia Watershed’ / National Seminar on GIS and Geo-informatics conducted by Society of Remote Sensing, hosted by Birla Institute of Technology Mesra, Ranchi. [Oral presentation]
23 / Lakra Harshit,
Kullu Nishi Jaya,
Zehra Perveen / 2005 / Rural Employment; Perspective and Achievement Critical Appraisal of Jharkhand State / Paper presented in 25th ISRS Annual Convention and National Symposium in “Emergence of Geoinformatics for Development : Trends & Opportunities” from December 6-9, 2005 Ranchi Jharkhand, India
24 / Lakra Harshit / 2005 / ‘Sports Architecture ‘ / National Seminar on Physical Education, Sept 05 Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra Ranchi. [Oral presentation]
25 / Lakra Harshit / 2005 / Participated / International Conference on Art and Architecture of Eastern India from 8th -11 Feb, 2005 organized by Department of Architecture Birla Institute of Technology Mesra in collaboration with International center for Study of Bengal, Art, Dhaka and National Archives Dhaka.
26 / Ahmed Seemi, Lakra Harshit / 2003 / Ecological Aspects of Appropriate Techniques in Building Construction for Different Geographical Regions’ / 19th National Convention of Architectural Engineers’ on ‘Planning for Sustainable Built Environment’ 1-2 Nov 2003, MANIT, Bhopal.

Books / Journal published