Thursday, May 31, 2007

 

IISER, IIST to be underway in Kerala this year

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 31 : Amidst reports that Kerala is likely to lose the Centre's prestigious IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research) to neighbouring states, the Kerala government has announced that the proposed institute will start functioning in Kerala from this year itself.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has specifically assured as much, Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan told reporters after returning from the National Development Council meeting in New Delhi. Land for IISER has been identified and earmarked in Vithura, near Thiruvananthapuram.

Union human resource minister Arjun Singh also supported expediating the institute," Achuthanandan said.

The IISERs are conceived as national centres of excellence on the model of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. They are envisaged to integrate undergraduate and postgraduate science education as well as higher research under one roof.

In addition, ISRO will set up India's first Institute of Space Technology (IIST) in Thiruvananthapuram this year itself. "The Prime Minister has promised to give me a date on the ceremony of laying the foundation stone for the space institute,'' the chief minister told reporters, after a meeting of the state Cabinet here.

The Kerala Cabinet, which met on Thursday, also decided to develop Azhiekal and Beypore ports under PPP (Public Private Participation) model.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

 

More on UM-DAE CBS

UM-DAE CBS (University of Mumbai-Dept. of Atomic Energy Center for Excellence in Basic Sciences) will have a common entrance exam with NISER. Following is more information on UM-DAE CBS obtained from their brochure.

University of Mumbai � Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CBS) is being set up by the Department of Atomic Energy of Government of India at Mumbai, beginning with the academic year 2007-08, to impart high quality science education in a vibrant academic ambience, with a faculty of distinguished teachers and scientists. The aim of this special Centre is to nurture world class scientists for the country who will take up challenging research and teaching assignments in Universities, R&D laboratories and industry. UM-DAE CBS will be a residential campus, with suitable accommodation, boarding and recreational facilities. Besides their intensive involvement in stimulating academic work, students will also have ample time for sports, cultural and other enriching activities.

The permanent campus of UM-DAE CBS will be located in a beautiful area within the sprawling Kalina Campus of the University of Mumbai. It will have about 1000 students, 150 faculty members and a similar number of support staff. CBS will have state-of-the-art infrastructure including research laboratories, library and computer facilities, and is likely to be ready in few years. Until then UM-DAE CBS will function from a temporary location in the same campus. UM-DAE CBS will be affiliated to the University of Mumbai.

Mumbai, the commercial capital of the country, is known for its multi-cultural milieu, dynamism and rich scientific legacy. Besides science departments, the Kalina Campus houses departments in arts, languages and the humanities. The city boasts of some of the premier scientific and educational institutions of the country such as the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and IIT Bombay. Students joining UM-DAE CBS will be nurtured within this rich cultural and scientific environment.

Five year M.Sc. (Integrated) Programme in Basic Sciences

UM-DAE CBS will have a large variety of academic programmes for undergraduate and postgraduate education. To begin with, UM-DAE CBS will offer a 5-year M.Sc. (Integrated) Programme in basic sciences after 10+2 (or equivalent) schooling. The institute will have major schools in mathematical, physical, chemical, biological and computer sciences. After successful completion of the academic requirements students will be awarded the degree of M.Sc. (Integrated) of the University of Mumbai in one of the four subjects : mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. For the academic year beginning September 2007 admission will be in physics stream only.

The programme will have a balanced semester-based course structure with a flexible seamless curriculum that emphasizes interdisciplinary nature of science in the 21st century and promotes exploration, innovation and research. The curriculum for the first two semesters (first year) will be common to all and specialization will begin with the third semester. The core courses in the subject of specialization will provide strong foundations in both theoretical and experimental aspects of the discipline. In addition, students will be required to go through a certain number of courses in other subjects also. All students will be required to go through a small number of compulsory courses in humanities, technical communication, history of science, environmental and energy sciences.

The fourth year of the M. Sc. (Integrated) programme will be devoted to advanced courses in various disciplines. In the last year every student will undertake a guided research project. The outcome of the investigation will be reported in the form of a thesis. Throughout the five-year programme, students will be encouraged to take up summer projects and visit reputed national laboratories and universities. Eminent scientists from India and abroad will be regularly invited to give colloquia/seminars and interact with the students. In short the curriculum is designed to ensure depth in the area of specialization together with breadth of exposure and intellectual enrichment, and to prepare the student for high level professional research and development career in national laboratories, universities and industry.


 

Bhubaneswar to house one of five new basic sciences centres

Mumbai to house one of five new basic sciences centres
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 09:06 IST

Will commence academic session from 2007-08

There is some good news for those worried about the lack of efforts on the part of the government to popularise basic sciences. The central government plans to set up five new Centres for IITs of Basic Sciences in the country, to churn out the best minds in basic sciences. Calling it an innovative move — like the one taken 50 years ago to set up the IITs — Professor Arvind Kumar, Centre Head, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) said, “These special centres will nurture world-class scientists, who will take up challenging research and teaching assignments in universities, R&D labs and the industry.”

“These centres are being set up in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhubhaneshwar and Mohali. The Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS) at Mumbai University, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)-Kolkata, IISER-Mohali and the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISEC)-Bhubhaneshwar in Orissa will be the new major centres for basic sciences,” Professor Arvind added.

The Mumbai and Kolkata centres will commence their academic sessions from 2007-08. “The motto of all five institutes will be ‘teaching embedded in a research environment’, with faculty comprising eminent scientists and experts,” Arvind asserted.

Equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and libraries, these institutes will provide world-class facilities for research and higher studies in basic sciences.

“A very feasible inter-disciplinary curriculum will be introduced, for the studies under the integrated courses in these institutes,” he added.

IISER and NISER will be recognised as centres of excellence in science education and research in four basic sciences viz. biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. At a later stage, the activities will be expanded to include earth and planetary, engineering and computer science.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

 

Hindu: 200 acres land handed over for setting up of IISER project

National
200 acres land handed over for setting up of IISER project

Kalyani (WB), May 13. (PTI): The West Bengal Government on Saturday handed over 201.65 acres of land in West Bengal's Nadia district to the Centre for establishing the India Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER).

The 201.65 acres of land located in the Haringhata Dairy of the district was handed over to the IISER Registrar D Gunusekharan by Nadia District Magistrate Onkar Singh Meena, , officials said.

A sum of Rs 1,000 crore has been sanctioned by the Centre for the IISER project.

While the institute had already started in Kolkata, a target has been set to start 2009 academic session at the campus in Haringhata.

The IISER would work towards integrating education with research so that under graduate and post graduate teaching as well as doctoral and post doctoral research works are carried in tandem.

Officials said, the land was being given to the institute in exchange of Re one as token money.


 

IISER Kolkata gets land for its permanent campus

IISER gets land for permanent campus

Statesman News Service

KALYANI, May 13: Ten months after the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, laid the foundation stone for the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata, the institute yesterday received more than 200 acres from the state government for setting up its permanent campus at Haringhata here.

In a formal ceremony, the Nadia district magistrate, Mr Onkar Singh Meena, on behalf of the state government handed over 201.65 acres in Haringhata mouza to the institute’s director, Professor Sushanta Dattagupta, in exchange of Re 1 as token money.

Prof Dattagupta said at the ceremony that the permanent campus had been proposed at Haringhata after detailed survey and discussion with officials of the higher education, animal resource development and land and land reforms departments of West Bengal. “I hope the campus can be started from next year,” he said.

Functioning from its Kolkata campus at Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Salt Lake since 17 August last year, thirty- eight students got admitted in the first year of the five-year Integrated Master of Science Programme through the extended merit list of IIT-JEE, last year.

This will increase and the institute will take in 200 MSc students and 200 research fellows when the new campus starts functioning.

The institute will also select 100 students who qualify any of the IIT JEE-2007, Olympiad Examination - 2007 and Kishore Vigyan Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)-2005 for admission in the first year of the academic session beginning in July.

The fully residential programme at IISER provides students a fellowship of Rs 3,000 a month.

“Like the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, a BSc student here can complete his or her PhD directly, without going through a formal MSc degree,” Prof Dattagupta said. The institute’s five-year integrated Master’s Degree course in Science offers students the freedom to choose modules. Currently, the institute has several schools of faculties and a few inter-disciplinary centres. It has got curriculums in the fields of Life Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computer, Geo Science and Information Technology, among others. “We have aims to involve young students in the field of Science and Research from a very tender age,” Prof D Gunasekharan, the institute’s registrar, said. IISER aims to counter the country’s steady slide in the field of Science and Research.
The Central government has sanctioned the institute Rs 500 crore for five years.

Friday, May 11, 2007

 

Telegraph: Research hub to open

Research hub to open

Bhubaneswar, May 11: Institute of Physics (IOP) is all set to receive the first batch of students for the new National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), a research institution set up on the lines of internationally-reputed IISc-Bangalore, that’s coming up on IOP premises.

Though the institute will finally be set at Naraj near Cuttack, it will start functioning from IOP from this year till the new building comes up. The new academic block, comprising three laboratories and a classroom is coming up within the campus of Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, to house the new institute.

“The construction is on schedule and we have already approved the plan,” said IOP director Y.P. Viyogi.


Thursday, May 10, 2007

 

New Indian Express: Set up NISER in city by August says HC

Set up NISER in city by August: HC
Thursday May 10 2007 14:23 IST

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday directed the Central Government to set up the National Institute of Science Education and Research at Bhubaneswar by August 2007.

Disposing of the PIL filed by one Prasanta Kumar Das challenging the shifting of National Institute of Science from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata, a division bench of Justices I.M. Quddusi and AK Samantray directed the Centre to abide by the affidavit filed by it in the High Court.

The HC had earlier stayed the shifting but the order was vacated by the Supreme Court, which directed the Centre to dispose of the matter in three months.

Pursuant to such directions, the Union HRD Ministry had filed an affidavit before the High Court stating that NISER, which was at par with NIS would be established and start functioning by August 2007.

Considering the statements made in the affidavit, the High Court has disposed of the litigation.


Wednesday, May 09, 2007

 

Sambada: High Court Orders NISER to start by August end


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