Updates on NISER Bhubaneswar
January 22nd, 2008
During my visit to Bhubaneswar, I met various people involved with NISER. Following is a quick update.
- Apparently the cabinet approval of NISER had a condition that said "subject to finance ministry clearance." Apparently that clearance has not come yet and its delay is guessed to be due to the difference between the IISER and NISER budget amounts. Its expected any day. But that clearance has some role in NISER not being able to hire a director and hire regular faculty. On the other hand DAE has its plate full with the atomic energy agreement and negotiation between India and US, so perhaps it is not moving at the speed as it should. I think Orissa government and people of Orissa should push DAE on this.
- The first batch just finished their first semester. I was given the impression that the professors are teaching very diligently, have made the syllabus quite tough and are driving the students quite hard.
- The land has not yet been handed over to NISER by the Orissa government. I am told there is no big problem but it is just moving slow. The NISER folks are a bit unhappy at this tardy pace because they would like the full campus to be built as soon as possible. I hope the ad means that there has been some movement, since I met them.
- Several new buildings have been made and are being made in IOP campus to accommodate NISER classes until its own campus is done. The construction of these buildings have been quite fast.
- Currently, in the absence of a director of NISER, the director of IOP is in charge. The main persons helping him are Prof. Jnana Maharana, Prof. D. P. Mohapatra and Prof. P. C. Das. Prof. Das is in charge of the M.Sc integrated program. Prof. Mohapatra is making sure that the buildings are made in time, the labs are equipped in time, etc. so that the classes can go on in time.
- Following are some of the temporary teachers who are teaching the stduents.
- Biology: Prof Rabi Nayak of IISc Bangalore is on leave from Bangalore and is the leading person. He has a new laboratory for his research and teaching at IOP. Other names that were mentioned to me were Prof. Anita Roy , Prof. K. M. Das and Prof. Chaini. I am told Prof. Santosh Kar will be teaching for a month in 2008 and some faculty from Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar will also teach.
- Chemistry: Prof. Anadi Das (retired, Utkal) is in charge and is helped by Prof. Chandrasekhar Panda (retired Berhampur U, Ph.D IIT Kanpur) and Prof. M. Mohanty
- Physics: Prof. N. Barik (formerly from Utkal University), Prof. Ansari (retired from IOP), Prof. Minaketan Panda (formerly at NEHU) and Professor Pathak (from IOP)
- Mathematics: Prof. Padhee (formerly from Berhampur University, PhD IIT Kanpur) and Prof. P. C. Das.
Entry Filed under: Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri- Khurda area (1),NISER, Bhubaneswar