1963 - Annual Report

Abstract

The Institute entered the second year of its activities this year. The first anniversary was 'celebrated on Pongal Day. 14th January, 1963. The Hon’ble Sri M. Bhakthavatsalam, Finance Minister, Government of Madras, ‘presided over the function and the Hon’ble Sri C. Subramaniam delivered the Anniversary address.

Two professorships entitled " NIELS BOHR VISITING PROFESSORSHIP ” and RAMANUJAN VISITING PROFESSORSHIP ” were announced on the occasion. The first is a tribute to the memory of the creator of modern physics and the founder of quantum theory whose life has been a glorious example of the universality of science and the eternal quest for the laws of nature. His benign interest in the advancement of Indian science and in particular the work of the group of theoretical physicists at Madras was the immediate stimulus for the creation of the Institute.

Professor R. E. Marshak, Chairman, Department of Physics, University of Rochester, U. S. A. -accepted the first Niels Bohr visiting professorship for this year.

The Second visiting professorship (" RAMANUJAN VISITING PROFESSORSHIP ”) is to honour the memory of the greatest mathematician India has produced. Professor Marshall H. Stone, Distinguished Service Professor of Mathematics, Chicago University (U. S. A.) accepted the Ramanujan visiting professorship of 1963.

A symposium (which will be a regular feature of all future anniversaries of the institute) was 'held on January 14, 15 and 16, 1963 on the ”Resonant States in Elementary Particles”Professor R. E. Marshak and all the members of MATSCIENCE took part in the symposium. The proceedings of the symposium have been published as Matscience Report 1. Professor L.l. Schiff, Head of the physics Department of Stadford University released the Report on 27th February 1963.

The Visiting Scientist programme approved by the Government of Madras, under which distinguished scientists of established reputation are being invited periodically to give lectures, participate in seminars and symposia and to work in collaboration with the members of the Institute, got into full swing this year. With the assistance of tile Government of India, this scheme has now been extended to young post-doctoral workers from outside India who are willing to spend at least one term (three month's) in the Institute and participate in its activities.

A list of the visiting scientists under the above schemes for the year 1963 with the period of their visit and the titles of the lectures delivered by them is given at the end of this report.

Another feature was the introduction of the Research Training Scheme, the purpose of which is to train promising young people fresh from the M. Sc. classes in the methods of research and to provide them with facilities for attending lectures and seminars at the Institute. This scheme which is tenable for a year in the first instance maybe continued at the discretion of the Director.

The publications of the Institute include in addition to the research papers (which are published in scientific journals), the MATSCIENCE REPORTS and Seminar Lectures. A new feature introduced this year is a monthly report on the recent experimental data. Eighteen Reports were published during the period and a few others are under publication. A list of the MATSCIENCE Reports and Seminar Lectures are given at the end of the present report.