1995 - Annual Report

Abstract

Since research and teaching are two sides of the same coin, it will be appropriate that strong linkages are developed between the Research Institutes, such as ours and the other Institutions such as IITs and Universities with their fresh continual stream of ever fresh students and their teaching cum research faculty. The specially designed academic programme of MSc (by research) for the exceptionally talented youngsters for an early start of research that we have in collaboration with Anna University is part of this endeavour. This year saw the first two graduates of the programme receive their degrees. There is now a perception that there is a need, felt both by the Institutes and Universities, for focussed interaction that could be of value for symbiotic growth for both. With the increasing adaption of credit system of courses in the Universities, it should be possible for the Institute faculty to offer courses, that can be taken for credit by students of the Universities/IITs and thereby add further dimension to our progress. Early systematic exposure of University UG/PG students to research can make their learning more effective and at the same time offer us an opportunity to spot talent and nurture the same. During the year under review the Institute hosted the XIV Conference on Foundation of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FST-TCS), organised jointly with

SPIC Science Foundation and IIT, Madras, during Dec. 15-17, 1994. The conference was preceded by a three day workshop on the Algebraic Methods of Complexity (Dec 11-13, 1994) and a one-day workshop for gracfuate students in TCS from all over the country on December 14, 1994. ' The International workshop on Novel Physics in Low-Dimensional Electron Systems (Recent Developments in Fractional Quantised Hall Effect, Quantum Dots and other Nanostructures) during Jan. 9-14, 1995 was inaugurated by the distinguished pioneer Klaus Von Klitzing (MPI, Stuttgart) and was attended by many distinguished physicists including Walter Kohn (Santa Barbara) and many front ranking state of the art experimentalists in micro electronics. The Institute hosted the first of the SERC schools (an advanced pedagogically oriented national activity sponsored by the DST) in the area of Lasers and Quantum Optics during Jan.23 - Feb.10, 1995. The school on ‘Coherence and Correlations in Modern Optics and Quantum Physics’ was directed by Professor R. Simon and is expected to be the trendsetter for the remaining set of schools in the sequence. In keeping up with the pace of development in the field of Information Exchange, which we recognise as essential for ensuring efficient access to various databases and preprint archives etc, the Institute has joined the select few with VSAT (Very Small Apartine Terminal) satellite link. This connects our ernet (Educational and Research Network) node with the Internet through an alternate reliable high speed link. Further augmentation of computing power has started with the arrival of the next generation (100 plus MIPS rating) workstation - Power Indigo of Silicon Graphics - and other necessary peripherals. It is our pleasure to record here that our faculty continue to win many laurels for themselves and hence for the Institute. I should like to make a special mention of Professor S. Nag, who has been elected a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences during the last year. This annual report has been compiled through the efforts of Prof. K. Srinivasa Rao, Dr. V. Arvind, Dr. P. Majumdar, Dr. D.S. Nagaraj and Mr. K.S. Santhanagopalan. Mr. G. Venkatesan, Mr. A.R. Balakrishnan and Mr. R. Ganapathy assisted in typesetting the annual report using LaTeX.