IISER Berhampur Looks To Further Popularise Science & Research In Odisha

Berhampur: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Berhampur will organise outreach programmes in interior areas to popularise science and create interest among young minds on scientific studies and research as themes related to National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

“We have already started such programmes and webinars on scientific ethics in various schools and colleges in the vicinity as social initiatives. We are planning to make clusters consisting of educational institutions that will cover entire Odisha.. the outreach programmes will reach even the interior educational institutions within a year,” said IISER Berhampur Director Prof. Ashok Kumar Ganguly at a press meet here on Wednesday.

“We have advanced research in various fields and sophisticated equipment worth crores of rupees. We have already purchased equipment worth Rs 200 crore since IISER Berhampur was established in 2016. We will spend a further Rs 150 crore towards purchase of heavy equipment in next two years for making it a truly global institution. We are working on advanced research on material science and physics, material properties, semiconductor properties, solar properties, flexible solar cells and many others. We are also working on earth science to identify, analyse and investigate minerals through remote sensing,” Prof. Ganguly stated.

He asserted that IISER Berhampur, one of the youngest among seven IISERs created to be centres for scientific excellence in India, continues to attract young talents and provides them a platform to learn cutting-edge science and conduct cutting-edge research in pioneering scientific fields.

“Our scientists are venturing to schools and colleges in the vicinity to show the brilliant young minds about how science and research can improve the way of life in various sectors including health, hygiene, drinking water, cosmology and others. Scientists are explaining in detail and some brilliant school and college students are being invited to the IISER campus to have a look at the infrastructure which automatically creates interest about science and research among them,” the Director informed.

Since the initiation of NEP 2020, IISER Berhampur has started integrating salient features of the policy into its own academic curricular framework.

The basic tenets of NEP 2020 model have already been incorporated in the curricular framework of the 5-year integrated BS-MS programme. Transdisciplinary credit framework is the novelty of IISER Berhampur curriculum, where students can earn credits across different subjects, Prof. Ganguly said.

For example, a student pursuing a major in Physics may opt for a minor programme in Biology, he explained. Similarly, students of Earth and Environmental Sciences can opt for Biological Sciences.