1999 - Annual Report

Abstract

As we approach the middle of the Ninth Five Year plan, the extension to the Guest House that provides space for 30 more visitors is complete and we have just commenced the construction of the new three storey academic building that will add more office space, lecture halls, computing stations and a state of the art auditorium. In about two years time, we should be able to find necessary space to relieve the current space crunch and look forward to adding new activities for the next millennium. It is, hence the right time now to review the progress Institute has made over the decade and draw up concrete plans of action for the next decade. It may be useful to look for a body of external experts to join us in such a task,so that we may derive vital objective input to supplement our experiences and aspirations.During the year under review, we organized, on behalf of the High Energy Physics Community, the Third Puri Workshop on Quantum Field Theory, Quantum Gravity and Strings at Toshali Sands, Puri, during December 9 - 19, 1998. This series has become an important national effort to project activities in this area in the format of a significant workshop with wide international participation. Similarly the 18th Meeting of the FST & TCS (Foundation of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science), that was hosted by us turned out to be an yet another successful annual International Conference of the research community of Theoretical Computer Scientists in the country. The report also includes other topical meetings that were hosted at the Institute to serve the needs of research community in the Institute and our colleagues elsewhere in the country.The Institute conducted for UNESCO an International Conference to serve the needs of training of teachers in Mathematics of the developing countries in our neighbourhood. And our TCS faculty conducted a highly appreciated orientational course on foundational aspects of TCS for local college teachers. We continue to foster international research collaboration through programmes with ICTP (International Centre for Theoretical Physics), TWAS(Third World Academy of Sciences) and joint projects such as Ulm-IMSc Joint Project in Theoretical Computer Science supported by DST-DAAD.Among the laurels won by members of the Institute, I must highlight that of S. Nag, who won the coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for 1998. However, he is no more with us, as he succumbed to a massive heart attack on December 22, 1998. We propose to hold an annual event to remember him, particularly his infectious enthusiasm for quality mathematics. We are proud to have the bust of Professor S. Chandrasekhar adorn the foyer of the Institute.It is nice to recall that Professor Chandrasekhar formally inaugurated this Institute, and was an Honorary Professor of the Institute in the formative years. Shri Sethuraman completed his tenure as Chief Administrative Officer of the Institute during this year, and I am very pleased to record our gratitude for his forthright and dedicated service during the period of development of the Institute.This Annual Report has been compiled through the efforts of a committee that consists of R. Sridhar, G. Date, T.R. Govindarajan, S. Kesavan, Venkatesh Raman, R. Simon and K. S. Santhanagopalan.