IISER to popularize science, research in hinterland

Berhampur: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Berhampur will organise outreach programmes in interior areas to popularise science and create interest among the young minds on scientific studies and research as themes related to National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

“We have already started such programmes and webinars on scientific ethics in various schools and colleges in the vicinity. We are planning to make clusters consisting of educational institutions that will cover entire Odisha. This outreach programmes will reach even the interior educational institutions within one year,” said IISER Berhampur Director Ashok Kumar Ganguli.

Ganguli briefed the press about implementation of NEP at IISER Berhampur on the eve of ‘Akhil Bharatiya Siksha Samagam’ to be held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on July 29 and 30. The heads of top educational and scientific institutions in the country would deliberate on their views on aspects of New Education Policy in its third year of implementation. “IISER Berhampur is one of the youngest among seven IISERs created to be the centre for scientific excellence in India and it continues to attract young scientific talents and provides them a platform to learn cutting-edge science and conduct cutting-edge research in pioneering scientific fields,” said Ganguly.

Since the initiation of the NEP 2020, IISER Berhampur has started integrating the salient features of the policy in its own academic curricular framework. The basic tenets of the NEP 2020 model are already incorporated in the existing curricular framework of the 5-year integrated BS-MS programme. Transdisciplinary credit framework is the novelty of IISER Berhampur curriculum where students could earn credits across different subjects, he said. For example, a student pursuing a major in Physics may opt for a minor programme in Biology. Similarly, students of Earth and Environmental Sciences may opt for Biological Sciences.