History:
The Inter-university centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
(IUCAA) was founded on December 29,1988 when Professor Yash
Pal the then Chairman, University Grants commission unveiled
the Foundation stone in front of a small gathering of well
wishers, on the grounds where the IUCAA campus was to come
up.
The idea of inter-university centres had ben introduced by
the University Grants commission in the mid-1980s in order
to provide advanced centralized facilities for subjects not
adequately covered in the university departments and
colleges. IUCAA was the second centre to be set up and its
mandate is to provide such facilities in astronomy and
astrophysics.
The brain storming for the propsed centre began in 1987 and
by the middle of 1988 its Project Report was prepared by a
Steering committee of scientists. The Project report defines
the aims and objectives of the centre, its modus operandi,
the required staff profile and the buildings needed for its
many activities and it has served as the guide document for
IUCAA right from Day one of its existence.
By a generous gesture the Government of Maharastra leased to
the Centre a plot of land admeasuring about twenty acres
situated within the pleasant campus of the University of
Pune. The distinguished Charles Correa was invited to give
shape toe IUCAA campus and not only did justice to all its
academic programmes and interactive role but also fulfilled
the highest aesthetic criteria.
Till such time as IUCAA had its own buildings its operations
were carried out first from a small room in the Golay
Bungalow of the University of Pune within a few hundred
metres of the IUCAA campus and then from a shed called ADITI
within the campus. The neighbouring institution, the
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) also provided
a few rooms in its newly built office block.
The IUCAAwas formally dedicated to all its users by the UGC
chairman Professor G.Ram Reddy on December 28,1992. Nobel
Laureate Professor S.Chandrasekhar gave a memorable
Dedication Lecture on that occasion.
The IUCAA Campus:
The plot of land given to IUCAA is divided into three
portions by two roads running between them. The Meghnad Saha
Marg runs between the Aditi complex which houses the Aditi
shed and the Chandrasekhar Auditorium as well as the Science
Park and the Devayani complex that houses the institutional
buildings. The Vainu Bappu Marg runs between the Devayani
complex and the Akashganga complex which includes the staff
housing and the recreation centre named Chittaranjan.
Indian astronomers will recognize that "Akashganga" stands
for the Milky Way Galaxy while "Devayani" stands for its
neighboring great galazy Andromeda. Aditi was the mother of
gods in the Hindu mythology.
The different blocks of buildings in the Devayani complex
also have names linked to India's past traditions. Thus, the
main office building is called Aryabhata afterthe 5th
century astronomer. The library and the computer centre are
housed in the block named after teh 6th century astronomer
Varahamihira. The instrumentation laboratory is housed in
the Brahmagupta block, Brahmagupta being an astronomer of
the 8th century noted for instrumentation. The lecture halls
are in the block named after the 12th century astronomer
Bhaskara.
The visitors hosteland flatlets are in buildings named after
two ancient universities in the subcontinent, Nalanda and
Takshashila.
IUCAA was created with the objective of reviving the
teaching, research and development in astronomy and
astrophysics in the university sector. It is indeed
necessary to adopt a multipronged approach which incolces
providing research facilities to the university academics,
arranging pedagogical activities like schools, workshops and
refresher courses, special efforts at instrumentation,
supporting guest-observations in astronomical observatories
and a science popularisation programme directed at all
strata of the general public, particularly the school
students.
At an inter-university centre , academics from universities
all over the country are welcome to visit and work on their
research problems. To this end an IUC provides centralised
facilities and makes it possible for the prospective users
to visit the centre as and when necessary.
Perhaps the most elegant of all IUCAA's building is the
library, housed in the Varahamihira block. Containing some
20,000 books and subscribing to about 100 scientific
journals, the IUCAA Library is one of the most advanced
modern libraries, specialising in astronomy and astrophysics
in Inida. It was the first library in the country to
dispense with the card index in favour of a computeriesed
database.
The computer centre and its assciated Astronomical Data
Cente have also proved to be indispensable to the
astronomical research at IUCAA. Tje computer centre has a
network of some 35 networked minisupercomputer work
stations, which can be shared by an ethernet link all
through the institutions building. The data centre provides
online computer access to workd's leading astronomy
databases. In addition, the elecronic-mail network and a
2Mbps internet link provide instant connection via the
internet to the international scientific community.
Instrumentation lab:
IUCAA's instrumentation laboratory is set up to encourage a
do-it-yourself culture in astronomical instrumentation in
the university departments and colleges. From simple
projects like photometers, to more extensive ones like an
automated 14 inch telescope or research instrumnets like an
imaging polarimeter, instruments are made here by the IUCAA
staff in collaboration with interested faculty memebers from
the university sector. The laboratory has optic wing and an
electronics wing to handle such projects.
The centre is headed by no other person than the Kalinga
award winner Prof Jayant Narlikar
The address:
INter-University centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Post Bag 4, Ganeshkind, Pune 411007, India
Tel: 91 20 354\1414
Email : root@iucaa.ernet.in
URL: http://www.iucaa.ernet.in
