Chennai Mathematical Institute
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Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) is an institute of higher education and research in the fields of mathematics and computer science. It is located in the Sipcot IT park, Siruseri, near Chennai in India.
CMI was earlier located in T. Nagar in the heart of Chennai in an office complex. It has moved to a new campus in Siruseri in October 2005. Currently, the CMI campus does not have a hostel facility, and its students have been provided accommodation in T. Nagar. The hostels are under construction, and students are expected to move into the hostels in January 2006.
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[edit] Educational Programmes
[edit] Course details
Since 1998, CMI has been offering a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. The course is of three years' duration and has 26 subjects, including two in the humanities, two in physics, and the rest in mathematics and computer science. Students, after completion of the B.Sc. degree, usually pursue research in mathematics or in Theoretical Computer Science, either in India or abroad. Some students also go into industry while others take up subjects such as finance.
In 2003, CMI started offering a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Physics. This is also a three-year course. The first batch for this course passed out in 2006. The course topics are largely in theoretical physics. CMI, now has its own miniature physics laboratory and the second Physics batch (passing out in July,2007) are having their 3rd year lab sessions there. From the academic year 2007-2008, the Physics students will have regular lab courses right from the 1st year. In the acdemic year 2005-2006, lab sessions for 3rd year students were conducted at IIT Madras based on an agreement. In the summer following their first year, physics students go to HBCSE (under TIFR) in Mumbai for practical sessions and in the second year, they go to IGCAR,Kalpakkam.
In 2001, CMI began separate M.Sc. degrees in Mathematics and in Computer Science.
Degrees for the B.Sc. and M.Sc. programmes are offered by MPBOU, the Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University.
In addition, there are Ph.D. and integrated Ph.D. programmes in both subjects. The Ph.D. degree are usually offered by Madras University.
The batch sizes typically vary from five to fifteen and the overall strength of CMI is about 60–70 students and 30–40 faculty members.
All the CMI programmes are run in conjunction and coordination with programmes at IMSc, a premier institute for research in mathematics, theoretical computer science and theoretical physics, located in Taramani, Chennai.
[edit] Grading system
Students are awarded a Grade Point on a scale of 0 to 10 in each course. The Cumulative Grade Point Average or CGPA is computed across the courses. The instructor has a lot of flexibility in determining the grade point of a student and may consider factors such as performance in mid-semester and end-semester examinations, submission and quality of assignments, regularity of attendance, and other unofficial factors.
Although the degrees are awarded by MPBOU, all examinations and assessments are done internally by CMI, subject to overall criteria and policies of MPBOU.
[edit] Admission criteria
The entrance to each of these courses is based on a nation-wide entrance test. The advertisement for this entrance test appears around the end of February or the beginning of March. The entrance test is held in the end of May and is usually scheduled so as not to clash with major entrance examinations. Results are intimated to students by the end of June.
Students who have passed the Indian National Mathematics Olympiad get direct admission for the B.Sc. (Hons) in Mathematics course, and those who have passed the Indian National Physics Olympiad are offered direct entry to the B.Sc. (Hons) in Physics Course. However, these students are also advised to fill in and send the application form some time in March.
Recently, a policy has been introduced whereby students who pass the Indian National Olympiad in Informatics may be granted admission to the B.Sc. (Hons) Mathematics course. Admission is not guaranteed but is decided on a case-by-case basis by the admissions committee.
[edit] Fee structure
The tuition fees are nominal and are waived for all students joining CMI. In fact, students are given a stipend to meet part of their monthly expenses. Depending on the performance in the internal examinations, the stipend may be stopped. If the performance is very poor, the fee waiver may be lifted. Hostel facility is offered (that is, rented accommodation) at a nominal cost of Rs. 3000 per semester.
[edit] Faculty and research
[edit] The director
The founding director of CMI, Professor C.S.Seshadri, is an eminent mathematician. His main area of work is algebraic geometry. He started his research career in TIFR, and has worked both in India and abroad, such as in the ENS at Paris.
[edit] Research interests
CMI has a large number of people working in algebraic geometry, representation theory, and Lie groups. The faculty of CMI interacts actively with the faculty of IMSc, a premier research institute for mathematics, physics, and computer science, located in Tharamani, Chennai.
CMI also has a vibrant department in theoretical computer science that, along with the TCS faculty in IMSc, is among the leading research groups in India. Focus in CMI's TCS department is largely on "Theory B": logic, languages and automata. The CMI faculty is actively involved with the Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS). Two of CMI's faculty members, Madhavan Mukund and Narayan Kumar, are responsible for conducting the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) Training Camp in India.
CMI has a small department in Theoretical Physics, and is on a mission to expand it rapidly to include young, talented, enthusiastic researchers in various disciplines of Theoretical and Mathematical Physics.
[edit] Arrangements with other institutes
- CMI's students receive their B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from MPBOU and their Ph.D. degrees from Madras University.
- CMI conducts its academic programmes in conjunction with IMSc. In fact, many of CMI's students enroll in courses at IMSc and many of IMSc's students enroll in courses at CMI. A regular shuttle service between the institutes facilitates maximum interaction.
- CMI also has agreements with TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) and with the Indian Statistical Institutes in Delhi, Bangalore, and Kolkata for cooperation on the furtherance of mathematical sciences.
- CMI has also made arrangements with IIT Madras for the practical work of physics students. The physics programmes are run in conjunction with IGCAR. The physics students spend one summer in HBCSE (under TIFR) in Mumbai and another in Kalpakkam, garnering practical experience.
- CMI has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ecole Normale Superiore in Paris, a leading research institute, especially in mathematics. Under this memorandum, research scholars from the ENS spend a semester in CMI, during which they may also teach elementary courses. In exchange, three B.Sc. Mathematics students, at the end of their third year, go to the ENS for two months. The selection of these students is based on CGPA up to the fourth semester.
- CMI recently entered into a memorandum of understanding with IFMR, the Institute of Financial Management and Research, located in Nungambakkam, Chennai. Students from CMI getting a CGPA of more than 8.50 are offered direct admission to IFMR's one year programme in Financial Mathematics, which is sponsored by ICICI bank. Faculty from CMI are involved in teaching this programme. In exchange, CMI gets its economics teacher from IFMR.
- CMI has had two sponsored research projects with Honeywell Technology Solutions, Bangalore, both in the area of formal verification.
[edit] Funding
CMI's funding comes from both private and government sources.
[edit] Government funding
- DAE: CMI receives support for its teaching programme from the Department of Atomic Energy, through the National Board of Higher Mathematics.
- ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organization also funds CMI substantially.
- DST and DRDO: For some of its specific projects, CMI receives funding from the Department of Science and Technology as well as the Defence Research and Development Organization.
[edit] Private funding
- The Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC) was an important funder of CMI during its initial years. In fact, CMI started as the Spic Mathematical Institute.
- Sriram Group of Companies is an important funder and also arranges for other funding for CMI.
- Matrix Laboratories has made a major contribution to the new campus.
