Indian Association for the Cultivation Of Science (New Gate)

Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

, deemed,

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...

for higher education and research in basic sciences under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, situated at the heart of the Cultural capital of India. Established in 1876 by Mahendralal Sarkar, a private medical practitioner, it focuses on fundamental research in basic sciences. It is Asia's oldest

research institute A research institute, research centre, research center or research organization, is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often i ...

Located at Jadavpur, South Kolkata near Jadavpur University, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute and Indian Institute of Chemical Biology. It is spread over a limited area of 9.5

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

s and currently in the process of building a super-advanced SMART campus at

Baruipur Baruipur () is a town and a municipality of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is the headquarters of the Baruipur su ...

. The association is engaged in research in various fields of

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

, biological sciences, mathematical and computational sciences, materials sciences and various interdisciplinary areas.

Indian Journal of Physics (IJP)

'' Indian Journal of Physics'' was founded in 1926. It is published monthly. Springer distributes print version of the Journal worldwide. The present chief editor of the journal is Prof. Subham Majumdar, who is a senior professor in the School of Physical Sciences, IACS.

Second Campus (Offshore Campus at Baruipur)

Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Harsha Vardhan unveiled the foundation stone of the Syamaprasad Mukherjee Advanced Research and Training (SMART) campus of Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science(IACS) at Baruipur. It will have the facilities for cutting-edge research in multiple disciplines such as fundamental sciences, engineering sciences and medical sciences.

Academic Divisions

Starting from 2018, after being declared as a deemed university by MHRD, for academic purposes, departments and centres in the Institute are broadly assigned to six major schools, each headed by a Chairperson (School Chair): # School of Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences (SAIS) # School of Biological Sciences (SBS) # School of Chemical Sciences (SCS) # School of Materials Sciences (SMS) # School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences (SMCS) # School of Physical Sciences (SPS) Apart from these 6 major schools, there are a few centers, designed to perform specific and cutting-edge research, by the institute administration: # Centre for Computer Research, Education and Services (CCRES) # Director's Research Unit (DRU) # Technical Research Center (TRC) # Central Scientific Services (CSS) # Raman Centre of Atomic, Molecular & Optical Sciences # Polymer Structural Unit # Energy Research Unit

Administration

Indian_Association_for_Cultivation_of_Science

At its inception, the IACS was headed by a President, with the Honorary Secretary responsible for the day-to-day running of the Society. Until 1911, the office of President was ''de facto'' held by the

Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal The Governor was the chief colonial administrator in the Bengal presidency, originally the "Presidency of Fort William" and later "Bengal province". In 1644, Gabriel Boughton procured privileges for the East India Company which permitted them ...

, when the Lieutenant-Governor (Governor from 1912) became the co-patron of the Society alongside the

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

, whose office-holders were automatically Patrons of the Society until 1947.With the exceptions of Sir (later Lord)

Antony MacDonnell Lord MacDonnell Antony Patrick MacDonnell, 1st Baron MacDonnell, (7 March 1844 – 9 June 1925), known as Sir Antony MacDonnell between 1893 and 1908, was an Irish civil servant, much involved in the administration of India. He was Permanent Un ...

(Lieutenant-Governor 1893-1895), Sir Charles Cecil Stevens (Lieutenant-Governor 1897-1898),

James Bourdillon James Dewar Bourdillon (1811–1883), was a British civil servant in Madras (now Chennai). Life Bourdillon was the second son of the Rev. Thomas Bourdillon, vicar of Fenstanton and Hilton, Huntingdonshire. He was educated partly by his father, a ...

(Lieutenant-Governor 1902-1903), Sir Lancelot Hare (Lieutenant-Governor 1906) and Francis Slacke (Lieutenant-Governor 1906-1908). Following India's independence in 1947, the administration of the IACS was reconstituted, with the designation of "Honorary Director" substituted for "Honorary Secretary." The Director's prefix of ''"Honorary"'' was dropped in 1953.

Presidents of the IACS (1876-present)

* Sir Richard Temple, 1st Baronet FRS (1876-1877) * Mahendra Sarobar, IACS

The Hon. ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Sir

Ashley Eden Sir Ashley Eden (13 November 1831 – 8 July 1887) was an official and diplomat in British India. Background and education Eden was born at Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire, the third son of Robert Eden, 3rd Baron Auckland, Bishop of Bath ...

FASB The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is a private standard-setting body whose primary purpose is to establish and improve Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) within the United States in the public's interest. The Sec ...

(1877-1882) *Sir

Augustus Rivers Thompson Sir Augustus Rivers Thompson KCSI CIE (12 September 1829 – 27 November 1890) was a British colonial administrator who served as Chief Commissioner of the British Crown Colony of Burma from April 1875 to March 1878. He was Lieutenant-Governor ...

(1882-1887) *Sir Steuart Bayley (1887-1890) * Meghnad Saha stat

Sir Charles Alfred Elliott FASB (1890-1895) *Sir Alexander Mackenzie (1895-1898) *Sir John Woodburn (1898-1903) *Sir

Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser Sir Andrew Henderson Leith Fraser (14 November 1848 – 26 February 1919) was a British officer of the Indian Civil Service and the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal between 1903 and 1908. Early life and education Born in Bombay on 14 Novemb ...

FASB (1903-1909) *Sir Edward Norman Baker (1909-1911) *

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested ...

Pyare Mohan Mukherjee FASB (1911-1922) *Hon. Justice Sir

Ashutosh Mukherjee Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee (anglicised, originally Asutosh Mukhopadhyay, also anglicised to Asutosh Mookerjee) (29 June 1864 – 25 May 1924) was a prolific Bengali educator, jurist, barrister and mathematician. He was the first student to be awa ...

FASB,

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

, FRAS, MRIA (1922-1924) *Sir Rajendra Nath Mookerjee FASB (1924-1934?) *Sir Nilratan Sircar (1934-1942) *Prof.

Rai Bahadur RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many te ...

Sir Upendranath Brahmachari FNI, FASB (1942-1946) *Prof. Meghnad Saha FNI, FASB, FRS (1946-1951) *Prof. Sir

Jnan Chandra Ghosh Sir Jnan Chandra Ghosh or Jnanendra Chandra Ghosh (4 September 1894 – 21 January 1959) was an Indian chemist best known for his contribution to the development of scientific research, industrial development and technology education in Ind ...

FNI (1951-1954) *Hon. Justice Charu Chandra Biswas (1954-1957) *Hon. Chief Justice Phani Bhusan Chakravartti (1957-1958) *Prof. Satyendra Nath Bose FNI, FRS (1958-1962) *Hon. Justice Rama Prasad Mookerjee (1962-1965) *Prof.

Jnanendra Nath Mukherjee Jnanendra Nath Mukherjee CBE, FRSC (23 April 1893, Mahavdepur, Rajshahi District-today in Bangladesh – 10 May 1983), was an Indian colloid chemist. Early life Jnanendra Nath Mukherjee was the eldest son of his parents, Shri Durgadas Muk ...

FNI, FCS (1965-1968) *Prof. Basanti Dulal Nagchaudhuri FNA (first term, 1968–1970)Prior to 1970, the Indian National Science Academy was named the "National Institute of Sciences of India", and its fellows bore the post-nominal "FNI". The post-nominal became "FNA" in 1970 when the association adopted its present name. *Prof. Sushil Kumar Mukherjee FNA (first term, 1970–1973) *Prof. Sukumar Chandra Sirkar FNA (1973-1974) *Prof. Basanti Dulal Nagchaudhuri FNA (second term, 1974–1977) *Prof. Bimal Kumar Bachhawat FNA (1977-1983) *Prof. Sushil Kumar Mukherjee FNA (second term, 1983–1997) *Prof. Arun Kumar Sharma FNA, FASc (1997-2000) *Prof. M. M. Chakraborty (2000-2003) * Independence Day celebration at IACS

Prof. Ashesh Prosad Mitra FNA, FASc, FRS (2003-2007) *Prof. Shri Krishna Joshi FNA, FASc (2007-2014) *Prof.

Man Mohan Sharma Man Mohan Sharma FREng (born May 1, 1937 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan) is an Indian chemical engineer. He was educated at Jodhpur, Mumbai, and Cambridge. At age 27, he was appointed Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Institute of Chemical Techn ...

FNA, FASc, FRS, FREng (2014–2021) *Prof. Srivari Chandrasekhar, FNA, FASc (2021 – 2022) *Prof. Vinod K. Singh, FNA, FASc, FNASc, FTWAS (2022 - present)

Secretaries and Directors of the IACS

Honorary Secretaries of the IACS (1876-1947)

Honorary Directors of the IACS (1947-1953)

Directors of the IACS (1953-present)

Notable alumni and associates

Nobel Laureate

* Sir C.V. Raman, FRS, Former Faculty of IACS

Bharat Ratna (Highest Civil Honor in India)

* Sir C.V. Raman, FRS, Former Faculty of IACS * Prof. C.N.R. Rao, FRS, Former Chairman of Review Committee of IACS

Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), London

* Sir J. C. Bose, former faculty of IACS * Sir C. V. Raman, former faculty of IACS * Prof. Meghnad Saha, former faculty and Director of IACS * K. S. Krishnan, alumnus, former faculty of IACS *

S. N. Bose Satyendra Nath Bose (; 1 January 1894 – 4 February 1974) was a Bengali mathematician and physicist specializing in theoretical physics. He is best known for his work on quantum mechanics in the early 1920s, in developing the foundation for ...

, former faculty of IACS * A. P. Mitra, former Chairman of the IACS Council *

C. N. R. Rao Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao BR, (born 30 June 1934), is an Indian chemist who has worked mainly in solid-state and structural chemistry. He has honorary doctorates from 84 universities from around the world and has authored around 1,77 ...

, former Chairman of the Review Committee of IACS and IACS Fellow * M. M. Sharma, former Chairman of the IACS Governing Council and IACS Fellow * TV Ramakrishnan (IACS Fellow) * Ajay Sood (IACS Fellow)

Padma Vibhushan (Civil Honor in India)

, former Chairman of the Review Committee of IACS and IACS Fellow * M. M. Sharma, former Chairman of the IACS Governing Council and IACS Fellow

Padma Bhusan (Civil Honor in India)

* K. S. Krishnan, alumnus, former faculty of IACS Padma Shri (Civil Honor in India) * Vinod K. Singh, Chairman of Governing Council, IACS

TWAS Prize

, former Chairman of the Review Committee of IACS and IACS Fellow *

Animesh Chakravorty Animesh Chakravorty FNA, FASc (born 30 June 1935) is a Bengali Indian inorganic chemist. In 1975, he was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in chemistry by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. ...

, former faculty of IACS * Kankan Bhattacharyya, former student, faculty and Director of IACS * Santanu Bhattacharya, former Director of IACS *D. D. Sharma, former faculty member, IACS

Alexander von Humboldt Research Award

* D. Mukherjee, former student, faculty and Director of IACS

Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (FTWAS)

, former Chairman of the Review Committee of IACS and IACS Fellow * D. Mukherjee, former student, faculty and Director of IACS * Kankan Bhattacharyya, former student, faculty and Director of IACS * Santanu Bhattacharya, former Director of IACS * T. Saha-Dasgupta, former Faculty of IACS

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize

* K. S. Krishnan, alumnus, former faculty of IACS * S. Basu, received in 1965, former faculty of IACS *

, former Chairman of the Review Committee of IACS and IACS Fellow * U. R. Ghatak, former Director and faculty of IACS *

, former faculty of IACS * Mihir Chowdhury, former faculty of IACS * D. Mukherjee, former student, faculty and Director of IACS * Kankan Bhattacharyya, former student, faculty and Director of IACS * Akhil R. Chakravarty, former Student of IACS * D. S. Ray, former student and faculty of IACS *

Sourav Pal Sourav Pal is an Indian theoretical chemist, a professor of chemistry at IIT Bombay, and the director of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata. He was a director of CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, and an adj ...

, former student of IACS * Santanu Bhattacharya, former Director of IACS * Samaresh Bhattacharya, former Student of IACS * Krishnendu Sengupta, present faculty member, IACS * Pradyut Ghosh, present faculty member, IACS * P. S. Mukherjee, former Student of IACS * Jyotirmayee Dash, present faculty member, IACS

Notable research works

Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman conducted his work on the

Raman effect Raman scattering or the Raman effect () is the inelastic scattering of photons by matter, meaning that there is both an exchange of energy and a change in the light's direction. Typically this effect involves vibrational energy being gained by ...

in this institute. His work was first published in the Indian Journal of Physics, which is published by IACS. At the university, Debashis Mukherjee developed the Mk-MRCC method to account for electron correlations in molecular systems. Another important discovery has been in the area of solvation dynamics of molecules and particular the dynamics of water molecules around the surfaces of membranes. These experiments performed by Professor Kankan Bhattacharyya provided an insight into the behavior of water near biological surfaces and led to his coining of the word "biological water".

Notes

References

External links

* *

Ray–Dutt twist The Ray–Dutt twist is a mechanism proposed for the racemization of octahedral complexes containing three bidentate chelate rings. Such complexes typically adopt an octahedral molecular geometry in their ground states, in which case they possess ...

Raman Effect Raman scattering or the Raman effect () is the inelastic scattering of photons by matter, meaning that there is both an exchange of energy and a change in the light's direction. Typically this effect involves vibrational energy being gained by ...

{{authority control Nanotechnology institutions Deemed universities in India Research institutes in West Bengal Research institutes in Kolkata Council of Scientific and Industrial Research 1876 establishments in India Scientific organizations established in 1876 Educational institutions established in 1876