National Institute of Science Education and Research

The National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) is an autonomous premier public research institute in Jatani (Khordha), Odisha, India under the umbrella of Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India. The institute is a constituent institution of Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI) and one of the best in the country in the field of basic science and research mainly known for its quality education and infrastructure and is intended to be the leading institute in the country in the field of basic sciences and research. The prime minister, Manmohan Singh (2004–2014), laid the foundation stone on August 28, 2006, establishing the institute along the lines of the IISc in Bangalore, and its seven sister institutions, the IISERs, established at Pune, Mohali, Kolkata, Bhopal, Brahmapur, Tirupati and Thiruvananthapuram in India.[8]

National Institute of Science Education and Research
Motto in English
Knowledge Imparts Immortality
TypePublic Autonomous Institute of Higher Education
Established2006 (2006)
AffiliationDepartment of Atomic Energy
ChairmanN. Vyas[1]
DirectorSudhakar Panda [2]
Students1136
Undergraduates636
Postgraduates380[3]
120[4]
Location
Jatani[5]
,
Odisha
,
India

20.171683°N 85.684782°E / 20.171683; 85.684782
Campus300 acres[6]
Colours          Black & White
NicknameNISERites
AffiliationsHomi Bhabha National Institute[7]
SportsCricket, Football, Table Tennis, Basketball, Swimming
Websitewww.niser.ac.in
Bhubaneswar
Location of NISER, Bhubaneswar.[5]

Unlike the IISERs, which will be governed by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, NISER operates under the umbrella of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). The government of India earmarked an initial outlay of ₹823.19 crore (US$120 million) during the first seven years of the project, starting in September 2007. It is considered to be one of the leading institutes of India in terms of research output, and was ranked 2nd in the country by the Nature Index 2020(compiled by Nature Research)[9]. It is a Constituent Institution of Homi Bhabha National Institute so the ranking of Homi Bhabha National Institute is considered the ranking for all of its constituent institutions.

The then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stated that NISER will compare with the best institutions in the country in terms of facilities and faculty. It was established to provide quality collegiate education in basic sciences coupled with cutting-edge research at the undergraduate level.[8] This move will help elevate the standard of research and education in Odisha.[10]

Academics

NISER is dedicated to graduate education and research only. It offers a five-year integrated MSc as well as PhD degrees in pure and applied sciences. Degrees at NISER will be awarded by the Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), a deemed-to-be University within the Department of Atomic Energy. Those performing well in MSc have a chance to be absorbed in R&D units and autonomous research institutions of the Department of Atomic Energy. Students with CGPA greater than 7.5 in the final semester exam have the chance to be directly called for interview (by skipping the main written exam) in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). Students seeking admission in Integrated Msc-PhD programmes or PhD programmes in NISER need to give and qualify exams like Joint Admission Test for M.Sc. (JAM)[11]. Candidates are then screened by interviews for final admission. In addition to that candidates should have qualified a national level entrance exam for PhD program in science (like GATE).

NISER has already started Integrated PhD in Physical Science department from 2016 and currently has Phd programmes in all departments. The first batch of NISER students graduated in 2012 and many of them have clinched handsome global offers in Foreign Universities. [12]

Rankings
University rankings
General – India
NIRF (Overall) (2019)[13]30
NIRF (Overall) (2020)[14]30
NIRF (Universities) (2019)[15]17
NIRF (Universities) (2020)[16]14

National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar was ranked 14 in the university category and 30 overall in India by National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2020. It is a Constituent Institution of Homi Bhabha National Institute so the ranking of Homi Bhabha National Institute is considered the ranking for all of its constituent institutions. [16]

The Nature Index 2020 Annual Tables highlight the institutions and countries that dominated high quality research in the natural sciences in 2019 as tracked by Nature Index. The rankings are based on an institution’s or country’s share of articles published in the 82 prestigious scientific journals selected by an independent panel of experts and tracked by the Nature Index database. According to Nature Index 2020, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) (a constituent institution of Homi Bhabha National Institute) was ranked at 2nd position[17] , behind Indian Institute of Science, among all academic institutions in India based on publications (count as well as share) during the period 1 March 2019 to 29 February 2020.[18]

NEST

The National Entrance Screening Test or NEST[19] is a compulsory test for admission to the 5-year Integrated MSc programme in basic sciences - Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics - at National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar and University of Mumbai - Department of Atomic Energy's UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai. Both NISER and CEBS are autonomous institutions established by the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, in 2007.

Eligibility criteria for NEST-2020:-

  • Candidates in General and OBC category should be born on or after August 01, 2000. The age limit is relaxed by 5 years for SC/ ST/ Divyangjan candidates.
  • Class XII qualifying examination should be passed in either 2018 or 2019. Candidates appearing in 2020 are also eligible. (Where only Letter Grade is given by the Board, a certificate from the Board specifying equivalent percentage marks will be required. In the absence of such a certificate the decision of the respective Admission Committees will be final.)
  • At least 60% marks in aggregate (or equivalent grade) in Class XII (or equivalent) examination from any recognized Board in India. For Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates and for Divyangjan candidates, the minimum requirement is 55%.

Academic programmes

Integrated MSc Program

Students get selected for integrated M.Sc. programs through a competitive annual examination, the National Entrance Screening Test (NEST). The first batch was admitted in September 2007. From more than 80,000 applicants nationwide in 2018, very few were qualified for admission. In upcoming years the exam is becoming more and more popular and competitive among students because many students now want to pursue their career in research and it is estimated that more than 1,00,000 students will apply per year (in the next few years) to seek admission in any of the two institutions.

PhD Program

In 2010 January, NISER started offering a Doctoral Programme under the guidance of faculty members of NISER to students with a master's degree in basic sciences, e.g., Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. To get admission, students have to qualify the - NET (CSIR/UGC) / GATE / NBHM or equivalent examination valid for the current year in the relevant area of research.

Integrated Doctoral Programme (Int. Ph.D.)

Integrated Ph.D. involves a master's degree (M.Sc.) followed by a doctorate (Ph.D.). Students after three years of undergraduate education can join the program.

Curriculum

To broaden the intellectual horizon of the students, there are compulsory liberal arts courses drawing from Humanities and Social Sciences areas such as; Technical Communication, Sociology, Economics, Psychology, Philosophy, etc. Each of the undergraduate students carries out research projects that last more than a year. The training makes them ready to embark on a research career by the time they graduate from NISER.

Scholarships

NISER has been included in the list of a selected few institutions where students directly qualify to receive a scholarship under the Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) category of the INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research)[20] programme launched by Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.

All admitted students receive a scholarship of ₹5,000 (US$70) per month which should be sufficient to meet the course fees and boarding costs. Students also receive a contingency grant of ₹20,000 (US$280) per year to facilitate their academic pursuits.[21] [22] Students may also avail the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana scholarship if they have qualified for it.

List of schools and departments

NISER has eight schools. They are:

  • School of Biological Sciences
  • School of Chemical Sciences
  • School of Mathematical Sciences
  • School of Physical Sciences
  • School of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • School of Computer Sciences
  • School of Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences

The logo of the institute symbolises important aspects of the four major sciences. The DNA in the centre acknowledges the discovery of its double helix structure by Watson and Crick as a major breakthrough in biology, perhaps "the most important step forward in life sciences after Darwin's theory of evolution". The benzene ring on the left represents Kekule's radical ideas that revolutionised organic chemistry and stimulated the growth of quantum chemistry and quantum optics. The object on the right depicts a black hole's event horizon, representative of the major challenges presented by the black hole to the conceptual foundations of physics, and serves as a reminder of Chandrasekhar's seminal work based on the general theory of relativity. The ornamental fractal-like structure on the boundary portrays a genus-2 compact Riemann surface of constant negative curvature, meant to reflect the beauty and elegance of mathematics, the theory of Riemann surfaces having led to significant advances in physics and neuroimaging.[23]

Campus

The Odisha government had provided 300 acres (1.2 km2) for the permanent campus near Barunei Hills, between Bhubaneswar, the state capital and Khurda. This location is a few km southwest of Bhubaneswar. The institute is located at Jatani, about 20  km away from Biju Patnaik International Airport.

The campus has been built on 300 acres of land and houses both academic and residential complexes. The academic complex consists of a total built up area of 72700 m2 spread in 11 buildings, major amongst which are the Administrative block, Schools of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Humanities and Social Sciences, Library, Auditorium and Meditation Centre. The residential township has a built up area of 102000 m2 comprising nine buildings for hostels, adequate numbers of faculty and staff quarters and one Director's bungalow.

NISER started shifting to the new campus during the summer vacation after 2014–15 academic session. The new batch of students joined the permanent campus at Jatni and academic activities for the session 2015-16 have started from the permanent campus. A separate 3-acre (12,000 m2) campus near the Bhubaneswar city center is also being contemplated.[24]

Amenities
  • Health Centre
  • Auditorium
  • Meditation Centre
  • Computer Centre with High-Performance Scientific Computing cluster like Kalinga Cluster and Hartree Cluster[25]
  • Accommodation & Transportation
  • EMW Department
  • Well Integrated Library
  • Aquatic Sports Complex
  • Integrated Sports Complex for Basketball, Tennis, Volleyball, Cricket, Football, Table Tennis, Jogging track etc.

Notable people

Annual festival

The students of NISER hold an annual cultural festival called Udbhava, usually in the months of September/October. Many activities like fashion show, Squint (Inter-college short film competition held by the Film Club of NISER), Abhivyakti a street dance competition where some of the best dancer and dancing group take part from all over Odisha, General Quiz show, debates and discussion on current issues are held.

gollark: Or aeroplanes.
gollark: Well, it could be attached to a bicycle.
gollark: Just because a human cannot practically produce 1MW of useful power output doesn't mean you couldn't make a bicycle generator theoretically capable of producing that much, and run it off some other mechanical device.
gollark: Actually, the elves have mostly been replaced by automated manufacturing nowadays.
gollark: It's been sentient for ages, did you REALLY not notice?

See also

References
  1. "Board of Governors". NISER. NISER. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  2. "History". National Institute of Science Education and Research. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  3. "Students: 5 year Integrated M.Sc". National Institute of Science Education and Research. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  4. "Students: Ph.D." National Institute of Science Education and Research. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  5. "Address". National Institute of Science Education and Research. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  6. "Campus". National Institute of Science Education and Research. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  7. Press Information Bureau English Releases. Pib.nic.in. Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
  8. "PM announces setting up of National Institute of Science Education and Research at Bhubaneswar".
  9. "Institution Output 1 March to 29 February 2020". natureindex.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  10. "Cry to End Higher Education Divide".
  11. Kharagpur, IIT. "::: JAM 2019 :::". jam.iitkgp.ac.in. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  12. "First batch of NISER students grab handsome offers". The Times of India. 22 February 2012.
  13. "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2019 (Overall)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Education. 2019.
  14. "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2020 (Overall)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Education. 11 June 2020.
  15. "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2019 (Universities)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Education. 2019.
  16. "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2020 (Universities)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Education. 11 June 2020.
  17. "Institution Output 1 March to 29 February 2020". natureindex.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  18. "Institution Output 1 March to 29 February 2020". natureindex.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  19. "National Entrance Screening Test".
  20. "Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research".
  21. "Scholarships for NISER students".
  22. "INSPIRE Scholarship".
  23. "About Logo | NISER". www.niser.ac.in. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  24. "Govt committed to support educational ventures". Archived from the original on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
  25. "NISER Computing". National Institute of Science Education and Research.
  26. "ICTP Prize Winner 1989". Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  27. "Fellow Profile — Sen, Prof. Ashoke". Indian Academy of Sciences. Bangalore: Indian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  28. "Prizes and Awards". The World Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  29. Pulakkat, Hari (19 December 2013). "How many of us know about Breakthrough Prize winner, Ashoke Sen?". The Economic Times. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  30. The Year Book 2014 // Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi.
  31. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  32. Infosys Prize 2009 Mathematical Sciences
  33. http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/institute/index.php?page=honors
  35. "New annual US$3 million Fundamental Physics Prize recognizes transformative advances in the field". Breakthrough Prize. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  36. "Indian scientist Ashoke Sen bags top physics honour". The Times of India. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  38. "Rajesh Khanna, Sridevi, Mary Kom, Rahul Dravid on Padma list". The Times of India. TNN. 26 January 2013.
  39. "IIT Bombay's fifty first convocation". Embide. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  40. "Dirac Medallists 2014".
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