Following is an excerpt from a report in Statesman.
The new campus of Institute of Mathematics and Applications inaugurated here today was, in many ways, an idea conceptualised by chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik and a reflection of the fact that ‘Tata Steel was as much a state of mind as a corporate house’.
It is spread over 23 acre and laid out from spiral lines of the golden equation. Mathematical equations apart, the institute’s golden formula is not only to become a world class centre of excellence but also to train and teach rural tribal students. From conceptualisation to construction, it had taken just three years.
Inaugurating the institute campus, the CM praised Tata Steel for having contributed to the development of the institute and architect Mr Karan Grover. "We are committed to make this a world class institute," he asserted.
"Bhubaneswar has become a hub for education be it engineering colleges, management institutes, the IIIT, NISER or the IIT," he said. "Very soon I will hold a meeting with mathematicians and others to get a proper feedback on the problems and lacunae as well as to get ideas on developing this institute, from international quarters," he informed.
The institute will also have facilities like computer labs, class rooms, library rooms as well as residential accommodations for the faculty and researchers.
The campus of this institute has been built in 7000 sq metre complex, with an investment of Rs.140 million.
As many as 96 students can undertake higher research in mathematics.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said the Institute of Mathematics and Application would be made a world class institute. "The new buildings of the institute and other infrastructure would be ready within one month," he said.
Patnaik said this while distributing prizes to the winners of the regional mathematic Olympiads in a glittering function at Jaydev Bhawan. "Mathematics plays an immense role in development of science and technology," he said, adding that the Mathematics Institute should play a pro-active role in spreading the knowledge of mathematics in the tribal dominated areas. "More tribals would come up to take up mathematics as a subject," he said.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the eminent mathematician Professor Gokulananda Das. Science and Technology Minister Duryodhana Majhi, Professor Venkata Chela of Indian Science and Technology, Bangalore also delivered their speeches. Director of the Institute Professor Swadhin Patnaik delivered the welcome speech.
The Chief Minister gave away first prizes to Debakanta Mallick (1st) Anup Biswanth Dixit (2nd) of Bhubaneswar, Siddharth Satpahty ( 3rd) and Abinash Das (4th)
Institute of Mathematics and Application (IMA) here is contemplating to introduce a five-year integrated M Sc programme in computer science.
The course would seek to churn out computer scientists who would use their expertise in providing solutions to a number of fields.
All in all, its scope would go far beyond what is taught at the MCA level today. This should lead to a research programme in computer science in the areas of cryptography, digital image processing and bio-informatics.
Institute director Prof. Swadhin Pattnaik said the integrated programme will help students save one year. Students have to put in additional two years after graduation for pursuing such a programme from other institutes.
The success of the programme would immensely help several sectors recruit highly skilled computer professionals as the country is currently facing crisis for such hands.
Even though a number of technical institutes offer similar programmes today, the product they churn out fail to meet employers’ expectations. IMA, with its level of academic standards, promises to solve this problem.
… The Tata Group is supporting in the development of the infrastructure. However, he ruled out any knowledge of naming the institute after the Tata Group.
Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph. (Thanks to Sanjoy Das for the pointer.)
After Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, it is now the turn of a national-level mathematics institute from the house of Tatas.
The steel major has decided to come up with an advanced institute in mathematical studies in Bhubaneswar. To be called Tata Institute of Mathematics, the project is being launched in association with Utkal University in Orissa.
“The decision behind coming up with the institute was development of pure mathematics as a research subject and also to arouse interest among youngsters for the subject,” said H.M. Nerurkar, the chief operating officer of Tata Steel at Jamshedpur today.
Scheduled to be opened in two months, the centre is based on the lines of institutes of mathematics located in Pune and Chennai. Once functional, it would work in areas like fundamental research in frontier disciplines of the mathematical and physical sciences: mathematics, theoretical physics among others.
“The institute has been envisaged with the vision of promoting advance studies in different mathematical faculties and practices. It will offer postgraduate and post-doctoral research programme in different mathematics disciplines,” said Nerurkar, adding the place would be an architectural delight with the design by Vadodara-based Karan Grover and Associates.
… The centre will also conduct special courses for schoolchildren to help them develop interest in mathematical studies.
Pioneer reports on this teaming up to give training to selected children from several Tribal department run schools. Following are some excerpts.
The SC & ST Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) under the ST & SC Development Department has been organising a number of training programmes for the teachers as well as students of tribal schools to promote effective education among the tribals.
The institute, in collaboration with the Institute of Mathematics and Application (IMA) headed by eminent mathematician Professor Swadhin Pattnaik, identified 47 meritorious tribal students of Class VI from different Tribal Department-run schools and provided them an eight-day-long residential training course from July 17 to 24 to prepare them for the Mathematics Olympiad.
The training programme is considered to be unique and innovative, director of the institute, AB Ota, indicated that more and more such programmes would be held in future in the interest of tribal education.
New Indian Express reports that Institute of Mathematics in Bhubaneswar is taking a lead in creating a new and improved high school Mathematics text in Oriya. Following is an excerpt from that report.
… the citybased Institute of Mathematics and Applications (IMA) has come forward with a project on textbook in two volumes in Oriya.
“The USP of these books are their content: Need-based, contemporary and specially written for those HSC passouts of Oriya medium schools,” says IMA Director Prof Swadhin Pattnaik.
The project, which began earlier this year would be completed in June so that by July the students will get the books through the Textbook Bureau, he says adding these books, apart from inspiring the students to take the subject more seriously, would help in easy understanding of the subject without going for tuitions.
The panel of writers include eminent mathematician and former vice-chancellor of Utkal University Prof Gokulananda Das, Prof PC Das of IIT Kanpur and Prof Pattnaik and mathematicians drawn from the apex colleges of the State.
From the psychological point of view, students can do better if they understand the subject in their mother tongue.
