Experiment of a different kind

Selected DU students can now attend workshops at premier science labs.

For the very first time, undergraduate students of Delhi University will get a chance to work at some of India’s best research facilities — the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) and Laser Science and Technology Center (LASTEC) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

In an initiative aimed at motivating more undergraduate students to opt for research in sciences, the University has tied up with these premier institutes to begin summer workshops for them. The students, who have made it after a rigorous selection procedure, will attend lectures delivered by scientists and will also work alongside the latter during the summer vacation.

“The workshops are aimed at exposing students to the best equipment and research being done in our country,” said DU Vice-Chancellor Deepak Pental. “The students will work in the area of nanotechnology, molecule discovery and physical techniques in biology, among others. The need of the hour is to make the students competent in both research and technology,” Pental said.

A total of 25 Physics students will attend workshops at NPL for two weeks and get an understanding of carbon nano tubes, high-resolution microscopes and other sophisticated equipment. “We want to expose students to equipment for which scientists have bagged the Nobel Prize,” said Prof RP Tandon from the Department of Physics. “This will help in retaining the interest in science subjects,” he added.

At INMAS, students will get a chance to see cutting-edge medical imaging equipment. “INMAS carries out special tests for detecting bone marrow cancer, thyroid and to understand the effect of radiation on the human body,” said Tandon. Applications were invited from second and third-year students and then screened.

“We had to disappoint many students since the intake in each organisation is limited to 25,” Tandon said. “However, we plan to expand the programme to include students from electronics next time,” he added. Students who do extremely well might also be sent abroad for more exposure, he said.

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