Sundar Raman, MIU alum and director of creative engineering at a New York City media design firm, says that Transcendental Meditation keeps him calm and gives him "the larger vision" that he needs in the challenging world of tech start-ups.

Merging technology and creativity
by Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA, Achievements
17 December 2015

Sundar Raman is the director of creative engineering at Local Projects, a New York City-based award-winning media design firm that creates innovative and interactive installations for museums and public places. Sundar is in charge of choosing the technology that best facilitates learning and understanding.

Sundar came to Maharishi International University (MIU) from Libya, though he is originally from India, and graduated with a BS in electronic engineering in 1994. “The engineering program was incredible,” said Sundar. “Claude Setzer challenged us to push our abilities. The result is that I gained the ability to think and solve problems, which is very important.”

Since then, Sundar has used his problem-solving abilities, working for companies in various industries such as solar energy, telecommunications, and social gaming. He likes his current job at Local Projects because it is a combination of everything he has done before: engineering, art, and creativity. He enjoys the challenge of creating unique installations that are inspiring, educational, and collaborative.

One of his recent projects, Timescape, is a 33-foot-wide wall projection inside the 9/11 Memorial Museum that analyzes millions of news articles, extracting coherent stories unfolding in real time.

Another thing Sundar values about his education at MIU is the practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs. He truly experienced their effectiveness after leaving MIU, when he entered the often challenging world of tech start-ups. “I work in a fast-paced environment,” he said. “My hours are 12-14 a day. I could not do that without TM. It allows me to be clear when I need it most. It’s something that keeps me calm and gives me the larger vision that I always need.”

Sundar is driven by the ultimate desire to make his environment better by creating fun, insightful, and engaging experiences for people. He finds that exposure to different cultures and constantly learning new things help him achieve his goal of contributing to the global community.

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