Vision Create research Universities of the highest caliber in which teaching and education will be totally integrated with the state of the art research. Evolve undergraduate and post-graduate teaching in an intellectually vibrant atmosphere of research. Make education and careers in basic sciences more exciting through excellence in integrative teaching and learning of sciences Mission Create quality education and research in basic sciences that will nurture curiosity and creativity Combine undergraduate and postgraduate teaching with cutting edge research in frontier areas. Provide entry into research at a younger age through flexible borderless curriculum and research projects Forge actively strong relationships with existing universities and colleges and network with laboratories and institutions Establish advanced research laboratories and central facilities to encourage interdisciplinary and Our Values Dedicate to learn, teach and serve the society through excellence in education, research and public service Celebrate the spirit of academic excellence Create learning and working environment based on integrity, fairness, dignity and professionalism to provide equal opportunities for everyone Encourage creativity of students, faculty and staff, recognising individual and collaborative achievements Strive to develop tolerance of diversity in community, free of all acts of discrimination and harassment Respect, support and value the civil and respectful expression of individual beliefs and opinions Develop and encourage sense of environmental responsibility KALPA 2009 where tomorrow's science begins today Campus - I : 900, NCL Innovation Park, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008. Tel.: 020 - 2589 8021 / 23 Campus - II : Sai Trinity Building, Garware Circle, Pashan, Pune 411 021. Tel.: 020 - 2590 8000 www.iiserpune.ac.in The Chairman & Members of Board of Governors, IISER, Pune 1. Prof. N. Kumar, Chairman BoG, IISER-Pune & Homi Bhabha Distinguished Professor Raman Research Institute, CV Raman Avenue, Bangalore - 560080 Members 2. Shri R.P. Agrawal, Secretary, 10. Dr. P. S. Goel, Secretary, Govt. of India Dept. of Higher Education, Ministry of Earth Sciences Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India, Shastri 1st Floor, Mahasagar Bhawan, Block No.12 Bhawan, New Delhi-110001. CGO Complex, Lodhi Rd, New Delhi - 110003 3. Prof. K. N. Ganesh 11. Chief Secretary, Director, IISER, Pune Government of Maharashtra National Chemical Laboratory Campus, Room 518, 5th Floor, Mantralaya, Pune-411008 Mumbai 400032 4. Prof. S. Sivaram 12. Prof. D. Chatterjee Director, National Chemical Laboratory , Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Pune Science, Bangalore - 560012 5. Prof. P. Balaram 13. Prof. R. Parimala Director, Indian Institute of Science, School of Mathematics Bangalore-560012. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai 400005 6. Prof. S. Dattagupta Director, IISER, Kolkata 14. Prof. Arup Kumar Raychaudhuri IIT Kharagpur Kolkata Campus, Director, Kolkata 700091 S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences Salt Lake, Kolkata 700098 7. Prof. S. G. Dhande Director, Indian Institute of Technology, 15. Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan Kanpur - 208016 Director, National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, UAS-GKVK Campus, 8. Dr. G. Madhavan Nair Bangalore 560065 Secretary, Department of Space Antariksh Bhavan, New BEL Road, 16. Shri Sanat Kumar Ray Bangalore 560094 Financial Adviser & Joint Secretary, MHRD, Dept. of Education, Govt. of India 9. Dr. Anil Kakodkar Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi 110001 Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India, Anushakti Bhavan 17. Shri Basavaraj Swamy Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Marg, Registrar & Secretary, Mumbai 400001 Board of Governors, IISER, Pune, KALPA 2 0 0 9 The Message “Dear Students of IISER PUNE, It is with much expectation that I look forward to the release of the third issue of the IISER PUNE Magazine--KALPA 2009. KALPA has already become the inner voice of IISER. I know that it is being heard now, and may that it be heard far into the future. Let it inform and critically analyse. Let it bring light and delight to the concerned readership. Well done. CONGRATULATIONS!” My best wishes for 2009, N.Kumar Chairman, BOG IISER PUNE i KALPA 2 0 0 9 From the Director's desk…. Dear Friends, Academic courses I have great pleasure in presenting the third issue of IISER With the beginning of third year, students had to choose Pune Magazine ‘KALPA 2009’. With the first two issues in courses as per their interest from a potpourri of courses years 2007 and 2008, KALPA has already become a tool to offered in different disciplines. One set of 4-credit main discover the hidden talents of students and faculty and a courses (40 lectures/semester) and another set of 3-credit window for the stakeholders to see the real growth of IISER courses (30 lectures/semester) of interdisciplinary nature Pune. It has been well appreciated by the recipients in the have been offered in each of the disciplines of biology, past and I am sure this year’s issue will further expand its physics, chemistry and mathematics. Each set comprises appeal. of 3-4 courses and students can choose them across the disciplines (minimum 2) summing up to 21 credits. The 4- IISER @SAI TRINITY credit courses are designed towards majoring in a We have now completed two and half semesters at SAI particular discipline, while the 3-credit courses impart TRINITY CAMPUS since January 2008 and all entrants breadth. Some courses also have experimental or project have appreciated its functional planning, facilities and components. It was gratifying to see that the students had maintenance. Till a month ago, it housed only physics, made a rational and meaningful choice of courses from biology and mathematics (faculty and laboratories) and their interests to majoring in specific subjects. This system the chemistry faculty had to shuttle between NCL would also give each faculty an opportunity to design 3- Innovation Park and Sai Trinity building for lectures, credit courses in their research relevant topics to develop seminars, colloquia, meetings, etc. We also encountered students’ interests. Thus in this semester, IISER Pune is difficulty in successfully conducting the chemistry running a total number of 47 courses! While this allows a practicals. Due to space problems at NCL Innovation greater flexibility to students to pursue their interests Park, we decided to lease out 3 additional floors (21,000 without compromise, from an operational point of view, sq.ft.) in the west wing of Sai Trinity Building. In this space, scheduling of lectures without overlaps for students, we have now established Chemistry UG Laboratory for 40 poses unexpected complications. This may perhaps students, research laboratory for about 24 Ph.D students continue to be a limitation as we expand further with this on the 1st floor, a modern instrument hall on the second system. We are implementing on-line registration and floor which houses all major analytical equipments such management of courses using customized software from as advanced spectrophotometers (UV, IR, and next semester. fluorescence), HPLCs, peptide synthesizer, MALDI-TOF, Faculty appointments GC-MS, ITC, DSC-TGA, and the sophisticated laser rd spectroscopy system. The 3 floor houses faculty offices in Excellent faculty is a key component of any educational addition to 3 tutorial rooms. Thus, all student activities institution and I am pleased to inform you about the and teaching / research activities of faculty are now in one faculty appointments. The faculty selection process at site at Sai Trinity campus. IISER Pune has become extremely competitive and we have begun to attract the best of the candidates in all iii KALPA 2 0 0 9 disciplines. Several new faculty have joined IISER Pune academicians participated along with Indian speakers during 2008-2009 and a few selected will join later this from IISER and other institutes (such as TIFR, NCCS, IISc, year. Faculty appointment is a continuous process and etc.). More than 150 UG students / research scholars from there is a pipeline of excellent shortlisted candidates. The IISER and neighbouring institutions enthusiastically number of regular faculty at present has reached 35, with participated in the meeting. An off-shoot of this a good balance in every discipline. Thus future faculty symposium has been the selection of Surojit Sural (2007 selections need not be based on teaching requirements, batch), a second year IISER student for an 8 week but mainly for their research potentials and capabilities. internships programme in Japan. In the Inter-IISER The low number of faculty in mathematics during the first Chemistry meet organized here during 23-24th December two years was worrisome, but this year it is showing a 2008, all the chemistry faculty of all 5 IISERs, including healthy trend with this number reaching 6. In this context, the Directors made scientific presentations on their I should welcome Prof. Sujata Ramadorai, a distinguished research programmes. The key note speaker Prof. C.N.R. mathematician from TIFR as an Adjunct Faculty at IISER Rao delivered a lecture extraordinaire on his work in the Pune, who would not only be involved in some teaching area of nanoscience which was not only exciting, but also programme, but also in faculty development. motivating for all faculty on ways to discover new problems and invent novel solutions. This meeting Research Publications provided an excellent opportunity for young chemistry Notwithstanding the establishment of complete research faculty of all IISERs to know each other’s science for future facilities, IISER Pune faculty has been active in pursuing interactions. One session during the meet was to share research through collaboration with other Institutions. UG teaching experiences and challenges and ways to find This along with the work done at IISER Pune has already solutions to common problems. IISER Pune also co- hosted National Symposium in Chemistry (NSC-11) led to about 50 research publications. In particular, I th should draw special attention to a few publications in during CRSI meeting at NCL, Pune during 5-8 , February high impact journals such as the one in J.