Axis Bank Post-doctoral Programme at 51画鋼

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Accelerating scientific discovery in astrophysics using machine learning by Shravan Hanasoge

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���In science, if you think what you are doing is a burden then you are not doing it right���

Prof. Dipankar Bhattacharya���s research centres around a class of astrophysical entities classified as compact objects (which include Neutron Stars, White Dwarfs and Black Holes). His recent interest lies in investigating the origin of polarized high energy radiation in environments around these compact objects. 

���It is an exciting field because now we have brand new, highly capable observatories that are allowing us to probe this vital, yet largely unexplored, aspect of these exotic objects.��� 

One such mission that enables these observations in the hard X-Ray regime is India���s AstroSat - a project which Prof. Bhattacharya has been associated with since its inception. 

Prof. Bhattacharya joined the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune in 2007. He worked there for 15 years before joining 51画鋼 as the Sunanda & Santimay Basu Astrophysics Professor. 

When asked about his plan to establish Astrophysics at Ashoka, he elaborated, ���I realised there was a great interest amongst students to learn and a great interest amongst the faculty to grow astrophysics here. Furthermore, the fact that an astrophysics program does not already exist here gives me an opportunity to guide the effort - I can grow something new from scratch. I look forward to developing unique activities at Ashoka, replicas of which are not found easily in astrophysics programmes existing elsewhere���.

Sharing his plan on a prospective data initiative at 51画鋼, Prof Bhattacharya said ���One of the things that I want to do is to use the vast amounts of available data to extract new inferences ��� this will coexist with the already running data science and machine learning projects at Ashoka. The other thing that I would like to work on is to contribute to the various kinds of computer simulations (which include gravity, fluid mechanics, radiation and electromagnetism) that have become increasingly relevant in the field recently. I wish to build the capability here so that expertise in all these domains is available. This means whenever anything interesting is on the horizon we can unleash our machinery to analyse science from all angles.���

���In the near future I am also setting up a teaching undergraduate astronomy lab which would cover measurement methods, navigation, etc. Following this, we will set-up a data lab which would also be a part of the teaching program. It is likely that some of the people we hire may wish to build new instruments, in which case we will set-up the required instrumentation labs ��� but we���ll cross that bridge when we reach there���, he shared. 

Prof. Bhattacharya has worked extensively with High Performance Computing (HPCs) clusters and is teaching advanced methods in computational astrophysics and geophysics at 51画鋼. 

���I���ve been interested in computing since my early days as a physics student. Those were also the early days of computing itself. Though I did not have access to large computers, I was still interested in the kind of fundamental problems that computer scientists were engaging with. During my undergraduate years, we would have to write our program first on a piece of paper, then go to a card punch machine to program the cards and hand those cards to the people who would run the program. The output would then be printed and rolled around the program cards to be collected by us the next day. Sometimes all that the print out would say is ���SYNTAX ERROR���. As a student, I worked on a summer project which required engagements with numerical work at BARC, Mumbai���, he recalled. 

Gradually, by the 1980s, there was a growing interest in computing in India and places like Institute of Mathematical Sciences, IISc, DRDO, CDoT and others had started building High Performance Computers of their own design. Today, of course, generation and analysis of astoundingly large amounts of data computationally has become an essential component of astronomy ��� one which India has been actively participating in. 

Scientific research seems to fail at a high rate ��� experiments go wrong, probes are contaminated, measurements do not deliver anticipated results, models are misrepresentative, etc. When feeling stuck on a problem, Prof. Bhattacharya says ���letting your brain relax a bit always helps���. 

Sometimes when he goes to bed with a problem, he wakes up with a solution ��� he cautions, however, ���one cannot always rely on this method.��� 

For someone who is just entering college, he recommends the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. The broad theme of the book is to inspire oneself to free their mind. Another book that he recommends as a great way of seeing interesting connections is G旦del Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. He remarks, ���The point of science is to open your mind and unfold interesting connections���.

He has two pieces of advice for students interested in physics. First, he suggests ���one should not lose sight of the deeper concepts by strangling oneself in the algorithms required to solve a problem���. Second, he insists, ���Enjoy your work. In science, if you think what you are doing is a burden then you are not doing it right. Science is about getting a deeper comprehension of the universe and that can never be boring.���

Interview conducted by Mr Kartik Tiwari and Dr Yukti Arora

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51画鋼’s Faculty Susmita Saha awarded the prestigious Ramanujan Fellowship��

Susmita Saha, a promising and early career Physics Researcher at 51画鋼 has been awarded the prestigious Ramanujan Fellowship. During her tenure at 51画鋼, she aims to demonstrate the applications of artificial spin ice systems in magnonic devices that can process and store information. 

Elaborating on her research and her association with 51画鋼, she said: ���My current research is to address the understanding and controlling spin-dynamics of ferromagnetic  nanostructures by varying various physical and geometrical parameters such as shape, material, lattice  constant etc. This introduces us with a new research field called magnonics where spin waves are used  to carry and process information.��� 

���This research field is very active, competitive, and dynamic with  potential results of large importance for applications in spintronics. At 51画鋼, I am planning  to pursue the same research field but this time I aim to demonstrate the applications of artificial spin  ice systems in magnonics. The concept of geometric frustration observed in water ice is introduced in artificial spin ice systems. Artificial spin ice is an interesting research field full of rich physics. I want to use these artificial spin ices to demonstrate magnonic devices.��� 

The Ramanujan Fellowship has been instituted by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), under the Department of Science and Technology. 

The fellowship is meant for bright Indian scientists and engineers from outside India to take up scientific research positions in India. The fellowship is very selective and provides an opportunity to the scientists of Indian origin to return to their roots and contribute to Indian science and technology. 

Ramanujan fellowship is very prestigious and only those who have a proven/outstanding track-record as evident from their research publications and recognitions are awarded this fellowship.

���We are delighted to see Susmita Saha's research getting recognition. Indeed, her research proposal on artificial spin ice systems also received attention through a highly competitive Marie Curie Fellowship. We wish her success in setting up a new laboratory at Ashoka,��� said Somendra M. Bhattacharjee, Head of the Department, and Professor of Physics at 51画鋼.

Prior to joining Ashoka, Susmita Saha was working as a Postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala Universitet on the element specific ultrafast magnetization dynamics of magnetic materials by using the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect in the extreme ultraviolet regime (XUV).

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Ashoka���s nonconventional interdisciplinary approach towards natural sciences: The success of the maiden Physics batch

Studying sciences at a Liberal Arts research university like Ashoka is unique. Its research-based pedagogy taught by eminent global faculty, coupled with interdisciplinary approach to learning sciences, focus on critical thinking, state-of-the-art labs and infrastructure make Ashoka���s science programmes distinctive. 

Perhaps the most exciting part of Ashoka���s pedagogy is the amalgamation of an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach that makes up for a potent combination. And, putting them all together in a collective space and share ideas combining both education and research presents an unprecedented opportunity to do amazing science. 

For the students who are pursuing sciences programmes at Ashoka, learning what research is and getting hands-on experience helps them to critically analyse what is happening around the world, and that is enthralling. Case in point ��� the first Physics batch and their incredible performance. 

Physics is and can be many things to many people, and is the door that leads to the most incredible phenomenon in the universe. Albert Einstein once said, ���The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible,��� and physics makes it all possible. 

The first Physics batch which graduated this year is special. Out of the twelve students in the batch, six are going for their higher studies abroad with full scholarships. Professor Somendra M. Bhattacharjee, Head of the Physics Department, heaped praises on the batch. 

���They excelled in physics while, at the same time, honed their skills  in other fields, as varied as  dhrupad, sports, video photography to Biology, Economics, English, Entrepreneurship, EVS, International Relations, and Philosophy. We admire the first physics major batch as much for their enthusiasm as for their smooth blending of the Ashokan multidimensional education with the intellectual rigour of physics,��� Bhattacharjee was quoted saying. 

The Physics Department was set up four years ago. One of the main people behind its establishment, Bikram Phookun, currently the Assistant Professor of Physics at St. Stephen���s College, University of Delhi talked about this in detail. ���In setting up the Physics programme at Ashoka we had to fit a rather large number of ���absolutely necessary��� courses and labs into the constraints of the Ashoka system, which requires students to do a lot of courses outside their major. I think we were able to use the constraints creatively to design a programme whose core courses cover all the basics of physics and whose electives offer students the possibility of deepening or broadening their knowledge of physics. The Physics programme also contains many courses of interest to those wishing only to do a minor or a concentration in physics (or even just to dabble in it!),��� said Phookun. He was the Professor of Physics at Ashoka between 2017 and 2019. 

Apart from Phookun and Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, former CV Raman University Professor at Ashoka and current Director, TCG-CREST, Amin Nizami and Pramoda Kumar, who joined the department as assistant professors, helped in designing the courses and implementing the experiments. In addition, there are a few names whose undeniable contributions helped the process of setting up easier ��� Lab Superintendent Sudarshana Baneree, Lab Assistant Pradip Chaudhuri and the Teaching Fellows (TF) including Philip Cherian, Ojasvi Khare, Shreya Arya, Manpreet Kaur, Malavika Srivastava, and Aditya Jain. Chaudhuri���s skill in the lab is exceptional, and he helped to make it a place where students wanted to be wherein the TFs helped in setting up the labs, doing a lot of the initial work of procurement of equipment, exploring options for experiments, and also helped develop the theoretical courses, among others. The department gained immensely from the contributions of all them. Every one of them was a friend, philosopher, and a guide to the entire batch. 

We got in touch with some of the students who received full scholarships for their higher studies abroad and asked them to share their experience of pursuing Physics at Ashoka. 

���The liberal arts curriculum helped me critically analyse my ideas and beliefs. My learning was not limited to a science textbook, instead in all Physics and Biology courses students were motivated to understand the history behind any scientific development. This approached encouraged me to understand that science does not exist in a vacuum. Religion as well as political ideas can direct scientific analysis in particular directions. One needs to understand these ideas to get a holistic view of scientific discoveries,��� said Yajushi Khurana who is going to pursue a Ph.D. in Computational Biology at the joint University of Pittsburgh-Carnegie Mellon programme. 

Rahul Menon jumped in, ���I was a little skeptical when joining Ashoka, we were the first batch of Physics students which meant we did not have any seniors to look to for advice nor any alumni to turn to, to see what this programme would offer. I am happy to say that it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I have always had a knack for visualising physical systems, allowing me to grasp new concepts very quickly and over the last three years I have been given an environment where I could refine this skill.��� 

For Menon, the lab courses were one of the highlights of the course. He continued, ���At Ashoka, instead of being confined to a formulaic procedure, we were confronted with problems and given the necessary apparatus to discover a solution ourselves, often prompting me to come up with innovative albeit sometimes unorthodox setups for collecting and analysing data. 

���The Professors and TFs were incredibly supportive in and out of the classroom. They were invested in seeing that we were developing a deep understanding of whatever we were studying and gave us a lot of opportunities to test and apply these skills. We were introduced to ongoing research through weekly colloquiums that allowed us to expand our view of what we could pursue after graduating and how the concepts we were learning would translate to real-world research.��� Menon is going to pursue an MA in Physics with specialisation in Quantum Technology at the University of Waterloo. 

For Shwetabh Singh, however, the answer was fairly simple. ���Ashoka is possibly one of the best places I could have pursued natural science in the country.��� Singh is going to pursue an MA in Aerospace Engineering at Virginia Tech. 

For Rashmi Gottumukkala, one of the main factors for the Physics programme���s uniqueness is the excellent laboratories. She said, ���We were able to do sophisticated experiments like the Michelson Interferometer and the Zeeman Effect using top-class equipment. Our TFs also encouraged us to develop programming skills using Python in the lab, which later on became indispensable during projects and research work. At Ashoka, instead of looking at the labs as a chore (which is common for science students to do), we thoroughly enjoyed them, and for me, they were usually the highlights of the day!

���Ashoka has encouraged student endeavours, giving us funds to purchase a telescope for amateur astronomy, a diffraction grating for stellar spectroscopy, and a solar astronomy kit, amongst other things. Through these activities at the Astro Club, I was able to discover my love for amateur astronomy, which pushed me to seek an astronomy research project in my third year. This finally led me to realise that astronomy and astrophysics were fields I would like to pursue, the hope being to eventually become an astronomer.��� Gottumukkala has received an Inlaks Scholarship to pursue an MA in Astrophysics at the University of Geneva. 

Sreya Dey summed it up perfectly. ���Had I not come to Ashoka, I would not be who I am today. The kinds of conversations and topics I engaged with at Ashoka made me confront some of the most difficult questions that I have had about myself. I faced several challenges, both personal and academic. Even though I constantly struggled, in hindsight, I know that it helped me understand myself. Physics was a difficult subject. Going into the programme, I knew that I loved it. And now, I still love it, but it is a different kind of love. I have learnt to appreciate the difficult parts and realised that to become good at it or do something substantial in it, one needs to make a dedicated effort for a long time. This realisation coupled with the realisation that I wanted to put in that effort which led me to choose a Master���s in Physics. My professors and peers helped me throughout, and none of it could have been possible without their support. Plus, I had a lot of fun!��� Dey has an acceptance from the University of Jena, Germany for an MA in Physics but is exploring other options as well. 

Their batchmate Heer Shah is going to pursue an Elite Masters in Advanced Materials and Processes at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universit辰t Erlangen-N端rnberg, Germany.  

The Physics programme at Ashoka was enriched by the presence of many extraordinary minds like them and was designed in such a manner that other students pursuing it as a minor could also benefit from it, thereby upholding Ashoka���s interdisciplinary pedagogy. 

A prime example of this is Kabir Bakshi. The Physics Department has contributed significantly to his success.  And guess what did Kabir major in? Philosophy. Yes, you read that right! Kabir majored in Philosophy but took almost all the Physics Theory courses that the subject majors did, and not just that, he was at or near the top of the class in all of them. Last year he received the Felix Scholarship to get into the extremely prestigious BPhil programme in Philosophy at Oxford University, with the declared intention of specialising in the philosophy of science. 

Phookun said, ���I have no doubt that the training in physics he received from the department, and the strong recommendation I wrote in support of his applications, contributed to his being admitted to Oxford (and, I hope, his continued success there).��� 

Vidur Singh, a Computer Science major is another example who took no theory courses in physics but was the top student in all the lab courses. Presently, he is pursuing his Master���s degree in artificial intelligence from Aarhus University, Denmark. 

Ashoka congratulates everyone involved in making the Physics programme a stellar success! We are sure that these graduates with their knowledge, skillset, problem-solving skills and critical thinking with a passion to make a difference will go onto do many great things in the world. 

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Webinar – Why Study Physics at Ashoka? with Prof. Gautam Menon

51画鋼 invites high school students and teachers for a webinar on ���Why study Physics at Ashoka?��� on Tuesday, 23 February at 6 PM.

A few broad topics that will be covered in this session -

• What's unique about the programme?
• Interdisciplinarity of the subject
• Classroom environment and pedagogy
• Faculty, guest lecturers and renowned visiting scientists
• Research opportunities available to students
• Innovation and developments in the field
• Awards and accreditations
• Career opportunities and higher studies

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51画鋼 and Life Lab Foundation Host Science Seminar on Higgs Boson particle

51画鋼 and Life Lab Foundation bring to you a science event like no other wherein eminent scientists Dr. Mick Storr, an experimental physicist and the pioneer of CERN���s international teacher training programmes, and Dr. Archana Sharma, senior scientist in the CMS Experiment at CERN, will take students on a journey to learn about the origins of the universe, the world's greatest experiment and the Nobel Prize winning 'God Particle'.

( Image courtesy : )

This event is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for high-school students and teachers to delve into the realm of High Energy Physics, learn about cutting edge research and gain access to advanced research facilities through a virtual visit. During this event, participants will gain a deeper understanding of modern scientific discoveries and their impact on the world.

Schedule

Friday, August 4, 2017

9:30 am ��� 1:30 pm

Talks:

A Gateway to Science, Technology & Innovation by Dr. Archana Sharma

The Big Bang Machine by Dr. Mick Storr

Venue: 

NCUI Auditorium, 3, Siri Institutional Area

August Kranti Marg

New Delhi, Delhi 110049

About the scientists

Dr. Mick Storr was awarded a PhD in Particle Physics from the University of Birmingham, UK. Dr. Storr is currently a retired member of personnel, CERN, Honorary Fellow of the UK universities of Birmingham and Brunel, Education Advisor to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia, and a CERN user. Mr. Storr worked for 40 years as an experimental particle physicist, software engineer, and notably in the last 20 years in the field of education and outreach as member of the CERN Academic Training Committee and Head of the CERN Teacher Programmes and Visits Service.

Dr. Archana Sharma, a senior scientist at the CERN Laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, is active in the field since 1989 mainly working on radiation detection and applications. With a degree in Nuclear Physics from BHU Varanasi, India, Particle Physics Ph.D. from Delhi University in 1989, and an ���Instrumentation for High Energy Physics��� D.Sc. from the University of Geneva in 1996 Dr. Sharma also earned an executive MBA degree from the International University in Geneva in 2001. She has over 800 publications and many review articles, and is an internationally recognized expert invited regularly for giving keynote speeches at global topical conferences, technological and outreach events. She is part of the Horizon 2020 new and emerging technologies program and well recognized as a science education strategist. Dr. Sharma is also the founder and mentor to Life Lab Foundation, the main objective of which is to enable knowledge exchange between schools, colleges and global experts.

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51画鋼 and Life Lab Foundation host virtual science seminar on the Higgs boson Particle

New Delhi, 4th August, 2017 ��� 51画鋼, a Liberal Arts and Sciences University, in association with the Life Lab Foundation, hosted a virtual science seminar ���The God Particle���.  The seminar gave high school students and teachers an opportunity to delve into the realm of High Energy Physics, learn about cutting-edge research and gain access to advanced research facilities through a virtual visit. The event saw participation from over 700 students across 35 schools, such as Doon School, Dehradun, Neerja Modi, Jaipur, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Shri Ram School, Vasant Valley and Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram. The seminar included insightful sessions by renowned scientists from the European Organization for Nuclear Research - CERN and faculty members from 51画鋼.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/f74iHedTOIA

This seminar is in line with the University���s vision to go beyond Humanities and launch its Sciences Programmes in Physics and Biology, both of which will commence in August 2017. Sciences is an integral part of Liberal Education and historically, it is said that there was no separation between the Sciences and the Humanities. Commonalities and overlaps in the Sciences and Humanities will help us come up with novel, creative and relevant solutions. By incorporating Sciences, 51画鋼 hopes to complete a picture which was only partially drawn.

Dr. Mick Storr, retired member, CERN and Dr. Archana Sharma, senior scientist at CERN took the students on an incredible journey to learn about the origin of the Universe, the ���World's greatest experiment��� and the Nobel Prize winning 'God Particle' study.  

Elaborating on the idea behind the seminar, Vineet Gupta, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Founder, 51画鋼, said, ���Through this virtual seminar, we intend to help High School students gain a deeper understanding of modern scientific discoveries and its impact on the world. We are thankful to CERN and Life Lab foundation for lending their support to make this possible.���

Speaking at the event, Dr. Archana Sharma, said, ���CERN is working at the frontiers of science, technology and innovation. We are opening new doors, pushing envelopes, opening new vistas of knowledge and working together with industries. We cannot do that without inspiring the next generation. At CERN, we have many educational programmes for students providing hands on training and scientific research. This is an inspirational setting where the whole world is coming together to work on mega projects, collaborating with each other, sometimes not even speaking the same language; but speaking the same language of science. CERN is happy to work with the Life Lab foundation and appreciates Ashoka���s support in organizing this event to encourage students to venture into new horizon of practical learning."

Addressing the students, Dr. Mick Storr added, ���One of CERN's strategic mission is to educate the scientists and engineers of tomorrow. This event is an amazing example of how this can be achieved. Congratulations to all of the organisers for facilitating this.���

The seminar included a session by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, advisory committee member at 51画鋼, on the integral relationship between the Arts and the Sciences. This was followed by a view into the ���Nature of the Sciences at Ashoka��� by Prof. Bikram Phookun, who teaches Physics at 51画鋼. To help students learn and contextualise Science with inputs from the Humanities and Social Sciences, the University has introduced Majors in Physics and Biology from this academic year.

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