Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research
Bhopal
IISER Bhopal
Motto विद्ययाऽमृतमश्नुते
(vidyayā amṛutaṃ aśnute)
(Sanskrit)
Motto in English
 Eat nectar through knowledge, i.e. be immortal through knowledge
Type Institute of National Importance
Established 2008
Director Vinod K. Singh
Undergraduates 750[1]
Postgraduates 200[1]
Location Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
Campus 200 acres[2]
IISER Bhopal IISERB
Website www.iiserb.ac.in

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal (Hindi: भारतीय विज्ञान शिक्षा और अनुसंधान संस्थान, भोपाल ; IISER-B; also referred as IISER - Bhopal) is an autonomous research and education institute in Bhauri, Bhopal district, Madhya Pradesh, India. It was established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India in 2008 in order to incorporate research in basic science at undergraduate and graduate level, with equal emphasis on higher education for research and education in science. It is an autonomous institution awarding its own degrees.[3]

Background

Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) were created in 2006 through a proclamation of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, under the category of institiutes of national importance, to promote quality education and research in basic sciences. Soon after the announcement, two of these institutes at Pune and Kolkata, respectively, were started in 2006. This was followed by an institute at Mohali (2007) and at Bhopal and Trivandrum in 2008. Each IISER is a degree granting autonomous institution with a prime focus to integrate science education and research.[4]

Academics

IISER Bhopal offer BS-MS (Dual Degree) programme, Integrated Ph.D. programme in Chemistry, Mathemetics and Physics and Ph.D. programme in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Chemical Engineering and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science.[5][6]

Bachelor of Science - Master of Science (BS-MS)

The five year BS-MS (Dual Degree) Programme is offered in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and Earth and Environmental Sciences. The institute will also be offering BS-MS (Dual Degree) programme in Chemical Engineering and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. All BS-MS students are eligible for either Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) or Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scholarship which amounts to Rs. 5000/- per month.

BS-MS (Dual Degree) programme consists of mandatory, common courses (core courses) for all disciplines during the first two years and discipline dependent professional courses during the remaining three years. Core courses include topics from all the four science disciplines in addition to interdisciplinary courses in earth and environmental sciences, computer science and humanities. In the final year, BS-MS students are required to undertake project work with a faculty supervisor, relevant to their major discipline.

In addition to majoring in one of the five (Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics) science disciplines, BS-MS students can also minor in another disciplines.

The Institute encourages and rewards academic excellence exhibited by its students. To this end, Professor C. N. R. Rao Education Foundation Prize with a prize amount of Rs. 5000/- per semester is awarded to a student scoring the highest CPI during the first year (in both the first and second semesters) of the BS-MS (Dual Degree) programme.

In addition, the Institute awards the President's Gold Medal for the best academic performance in the graduating class in all disciplines of the BS-MS program. Proficiency Medals are the awarded for the best academic performance in the each discipline of the BS-MS program to the graduating class. A Director's Gold Medal is awarded for outstanding all-round achievement and leadership in the graduating class in all disciplines.[7]

Integrated Ph.D. program (I-Ph.D.)

The Institute offers Integrated Ph.D. programme in Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. All admitted students will receive a fellowship of Rs. 10,000/- pm in the initial two years subject to satisfactory performance in their course work. Subsequently the fellowship will be revised to comply with the existing MHRD norms.

Students must successfully complete course work, qualifying examination, seminars, and a dissertation. Besides the mandatory requirements, students are encourages to participate in several professional activities such as workshops, review meetings and conferences.

Doctoral program (Ph.D.)

Admission to the doctoral program is after a Master's degree in science. Besides the students of the Integrated Master's program, postgraduate students with a Master's degree in science from other Universities/Institutes are also admitted to the doctoral program.

The Institute also offers Ph.D. programmes in all disciplines. All selected candidates not receiving external fellowship are awarded an Institute fellowship. Currently, the Institute offers Ph.D. programmes in the following disciplines: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics. All doctoral students are also expected to participate in the undergraduate teaching programme of the Institute as a part of their training.[8] The program involved course work, a qualifying examination, a state-of-the-art seminar, thesis work, open seminar and a thesis examination, leading to the award of a PhD degree.[9]

Postdoctoral Studies

Postdoctoral studies are possible in Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Earth Sciences.

Departments

Biological sciences

Department of Biology at IISER-Bhopal started functioning in August 2008 with the enrolment of the first batch of students for the BS-MS integrated course.

Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry at IISER Bhopal currently offers three programmes: BS-MS (Dual Degree), Integrated Ph.D. and Ph.D. programme.

Earth and Environment Sciences

The Department of Earth and Environment Sciences at IISER Bhopal currently offers BS-MS (Dual Degree) and Ph.D. programme.

Humanities And Social Sciences

The Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Department at IISER Bhopal has been set up recently with the aim of encouraging and inculcating a humanistic approach and awareness among students and researchers of science. We seek to encourage students to view science holistically as a domain of human knowledge which is not in isolation from, but in productive dialogue with society and culture, and with other areas of human production and thought like creative arts, philosophy and literature. The department has been conceptualized with this vision of foregrounding the interfaces between science, society and culture, and of initiating a dialogue between the basic sciences and the social sciences and humanities.

The sciences and the humanities were not always strictly segregated into distinct and watertight disciplinary compartments. The concept of ‘humanism’ in the European Renaissance, for instance, sought to produce an ethical and philosophical approach that seamlessly combined reason, scientific inquiry, and human interests and values. In the intellectual history of India and the world at large, science has deep connections and resonances with philosophy and ethics. Humanities and Social Science departments in science institutes like IISERs can encourage a valuable ‘humanist’ approach to the study of science, which challenges rigid and often artificial disciplinary boundaries. The HSS department aims to foster critical thinking, creativity and interdisciplinary study and scholarship. It proposes to help students be aware of and ask questions about societies, cultures, philosophy, history, economic and political thought, literary and creative arts, and the relationship of science to these diverse domains of human knowledge.

The disciplines currently represented in the HSS department are Economics, and English literature and language studies. The department offers core and elective courses in communication skills, English literature, Economics, Psychology and Intellectual Property Laws to all BS-MS students of the institute. We plan to introduce a multidisciplinary Ph.D. programme in the department in the near future.

Mathematics

The Department of Mathematics at IISER Bhopal currently offers three programmes: BS-MS (Dual Degree), Integrated Ph.D. and Ph.D. programme.

Physics

Department of Physics of IISER Bhopal offers BS-MS dual-degree, Ph.D. degree as well post-doctoral positions. The BS-MS course is a five-year program.

Engineering Sciences

IISER Bhopal is the first IISER to establish Engineering Sciences. Presently, the Engineering Sciences has two independent departments: Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. The key idea is to impart a broad knowledge of basic sciences and specialized knowledge of one of the engineering disciplines. The Engineering Sciences is specifically interested in developing programs that will enhance the industry-academia interactions, attract support from national and international organizations to conduct research in frontier areas and have an inter-disciplinary learning and research ambience at IISER Bhopal.

Currently, both the engineering science departments offer full fledged Ph.D. programmes. The students seeking admission in Ph.D. programme in any one of the engineering disciplines should have a master’s degree after GATE qualification in engineering from any reputed institutes approved by AICTE. During the programme, the students undergo vigorous coursework in advanced engineering topics followed by a research project as their Ph.D. Thesis.

The institute will be offering five years undergraduate BS-MS (dual degree) programme in Chemical Engineering and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science commencing from August 2017 - which will provide the students with a unique opportunity to understand and gain the knowledge to pursue an academic career in engineering sciences along with natural science. The eligibility criteria for admission in BS-MS (dual degree) programme will be the same as the existing criteria for IISER Bhopal. The curriculum of the BS-MS programme in engineering disciplines will be interdisciplinary in nature. This will allow the graduates from these programmes to pursue careers in the fields that lie at the interfaces between natural and applied sciences.

The Engineering Science Departments also offer 'minor' in Engineering Sciences to BS-MS students majoring in natural sciences. This programme is intended to BS-MS students after completion of their second year (i.e. 4th semester). In the first two years, students learn natural sciences (such as chemistry, mathematics, biology, physics, earth and environmental sciences) along with other basic applied science courses and clear the fundamental concepts. After the 4th semester, students are offered to take minor courses of their own choice. The final year students, along with the courses, can also undertake a project in any one of the engineering disciplines with a faculty member, which is evaluated by a committee.

Ranking

University rankings
General – India
NIRF[10] 98
Careers360[11] 27

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal ranked 27th by Careers360 in "Top Government University In India 2017"[11] and 98th rank by NIRF [10] in overall ranking.

Admissions

BS-MS (Dual Degree)

Students are admitted to the programme through the following channels[12]

Integrated Ph.D. (I-Ph.D.)

Admission to the Integrated Ph.D. programme will be made once a year during May/June. Advertisement would be floated between March/April. Candidates must have a Bachelor's Degree. A written or oral exam will be conducted at the campus. A prospective candidate should have completed a graduate programme (B.Sc./B.Tech./B.E.) in a discipline relevant to his/her choice of Integrated Ph.D. programme. Candidates seeking admission in Chemistry should have a valid JAM score.

Ph.D.

Applications are invited twice a year. A prospective candidate should have completed a postgraduate programme (M.S./M.Sc./M.Tech./MBBS) in a discipline relevant to his/her choice of Ph.D. programme along with qualifying a national entrance exam. Students should have a valid rank in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and/or have qualified the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)/University Grants Commission (UGC)/National Eligibility Test – Junior Research Fellowship (NET-JRF), or other equivalent examinations. All selected candidates not receiving external fellowship will be awarded an Institute fellowship.

Student life

Students Activity Council

Students Activity Council (SAC) is a union of the students for organisation of extracurricular activities in the Institute and to address their concerns. It is totally managed, organised and maintained by the students themselves. SAC contains 6 different Activity Councils:

And a Representative Council. The Activity Councils manage the extracurricular affairs that come under their realm, while the Representatives Council works as the channel to address all the issues of the students related to academics, hostels and student life in general. The Students Senate is the overall governing body of SAC; all the decision-making regarding the students is done here. SAC Elections are conducted once a year to appoint the President, Vice-President, Treasurer of SAC and the Secretaries of the respective Councils. All the students except those in their first year are eligible to take part in these elections. Students are also appointed for various other responsibilities in SAC. SAC ensures smooth and continuous conduct of student activities in the Institute. It also aims at quick and proper resolution of the issues of the students. SAC also provides an opportunity to the students to be engaged in the extracurricular activities apart from their regular curriculum, and present and enhance their creativity, technical and managerial skills.

IISER Bhopal has hosted the 4th INTRA IISER SPORTS MEET (IISM 2015), 9 institutes participated in this event ( 6 IISERs, IISc, NISER, CBS Mumbai).

Enthuzia

Enthuzia is the cultural festival of IISER Bhopal. It was started in 2010. Four editions have been conducted till now and the fourth edition was in January 2017.

Singularity

Singularity[13] is the annual science festival of IISER Bhopal. It was started as a science club by a group of Science enthusiasts in IISER Bhopal to promote scientific thinking and rationale. Many science activities, talks were organised by this club in their initial years. In 2014, a step ahead was taken to promote science not only in the institute but beyond, in colleges and schools of India by conducting a Science fest of the same name. It witnessed students of all ages, who got inspired and excited about pure science through workshops, talks by eminent scientists of India, competitions, and other science related events. Singularity'14 was inaugurated by then Governor of Chhattisgarh, Shekhar Dutt. Singularity'15 was organised from April 3–5. Singularity'16, the third edition of annual science festival witnessed K. Radhakrishnan as Keynote Speaker and Chief Guest. Students from IIT's, IISER's and various other institutions participated in various competitions held from 3–5 September 2016. Soccer Robotics workshop[14] was also organised in Singularity'16 in coordination with Roboversity.

References

  1. 1 2 "MS Students". Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  2. ↑ "Location". Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  3. ↑ "Institutions of Higher Education". Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
  4. ↑ "Background".
  5. ↑ "BS-MS Program". IISER Bhopal.
  6. ↑ "PhD Program". IISER Bhopal.
  7. ↑ "Academics". Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Admissions open for PhD at IISER-Bhopal". One India Education. April 7, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Academics". Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  10. 1 2 "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2017 (Overall)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Human Resource Development. 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Top Universities in India 2017". Careers360. 2017.
  12. ↑ "Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal". iiserbhopal.ac.in. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  13. ↑ "Singularity'16". singularity.iiserb.ac.in.
  14. ↑ "Roboversity Soccer Robotics Workshop in Singularity'16, IISER Bhopal". www.roboversity.com.

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