The department of Sciences was started in the year 1994 as a result of merging former departments of physics and chemistry. Both the physics and chemistry division, besides teaching fundamental engineering physics/chemistry, offers five-year integrated Masters in both physics and chemistry, two-year Masters in both physics and chemistry and Ph.D programmes.
The department of sciences has 32 faculty members from various reputed institutes in India and abroad. Faculty members of both the physics and chemistry division are actively involved in research activities. The following are the expertise in various fields is listed below.
Physics Division: Theoretical Nuclear and Quantum Physics, Quantum Optics, Non-linear optics, Ion traps, Atomic physics, Laser Materials Processing and Thin films.
Chemistry Division: Biosensors, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Biomaterials, Fuel cells, Electrochemistry, Organometallics, Medicinal Chemistry, Computational Chemistry, Solar cells, Corrosion and Environmental Chemistry.
The Five-year Integrated M. Sc. program is in consonance with the National vision of strengthening Science Education and Research. The program aims at creating youngsters with strong fundamentals in basic science which equips them to take up cutting edge research in Science and Technology. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has several research laboratories and expertise which creates a right ambience for a vibrant research culture. We facilitate exchange program with international universities and also give training to face national level scholarship examinations to take up high quality research. Amrita with its commitment towards excellence coupled with programs in various fields in Engineering, Biotechnology, medicine and strong interdisciplinary research is the right place for anyone looking forward for a productive carrier in research.
The faculty members of department of Science pay equal importance to both teaching and research. Both the five-year programs provide a good foundation in basic as well as emerging areas of Physics and Chemistry.
The curriculum is updated to the current trend in sciences as per the recommendations from Board of Studies. The department also organizes various lectures from reputed institutes to share their knowledge and experience with students.
The following programs are offered under department of sciences
Most of the faculty members of department of sciences are actively involved in research by obtaining grant from various funding agencies. The department also actively involved in interdisciplinary research in collaborating with various engineering departments in Coimbatore campus, School of Biotechnology (Amritapuri Campus) and School of Pharmacy (Kochi Campus). Many full time research scholars are taking up their doctoral research in cutting edge research in chemistry and physics.
Faculty members in the department are enthusiastically involved in conducting conferences, workshops, seminars, guest lecturers throughout the year. These events provide a good platform to students, research scholars and faculty members to showcase their talents and ideas. Students from physics and chemistry background, in the department, have consistently been taking part in many contests happens across nation.
The department also involves in organizing various events through the following club activities,
ASTHA - Amrita Science and Technology Action Forum is the science club under Department of Sciences. The Club has been formed with the idea of inculcating genuine interest in the various facets of science and technology.
This club is about discovering new things, exploring the world around us and experimenting with the world around us. The objectives of the club are as follows:
ASTHA also organizes various seminars, workshops, quizzes, popular lectures and promotes interdisciplinary activities. Astha is the grooming ground for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Faculty members or students present their project ideas, inviting students and faculty who are interested to join the project, contribute and provide guidance. You are most welcome to join this club. For further details contact Ms. Lakshmi Mohan, department of sciences (Physics division).
ASTRA - Astronomy Club is an eminent student association functioning under the Department of Sciences, Coimbatore campus. This is one of the youngest clubs which is started to enrich the fundamental and scientific knowledge for the students and to implicate the basic and applied science with engineering.
This club was started in the year 2011, since then it is actively involved in conducting various programmes related to space. Talks on cosmology, evolution of astronomy, astronomy related scientific movies, quizzes are few such programmes where the club organizes in the past years. The club also organizes periodical lectures to create awareness regarding current development in astronomy among the students.
ASTRA also organizes events like “The night sky observation” which includes the identifying and monitoring the Planets, familiar stars, constellations etc. The best millstone of the night sky observation includes the observation of five visible planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in the evening sky during March 2012 and examined the trajectory for couple of days. An extension of this event few of the constellations like Orion, Gemini, Leo as well as the bright star Sirius were identified and monitored. A plenty of students from various branches were enjoyed and enriched their knowledge in this events.
Interested students/faculty members can join this club to make this more active. You are free to contact Dr. Murugadass, Sciences department, for further details.
Most of the faculty members of department of sciences are actively involved in research by obtaining grant from various funding agencies. The department also actively involved in interdisciplinary research in collaborating with various engineering departments in Coimbatore campus, School of Biotechnology (Amritapuri Campus) and School of Pharmacy (Kochi Campus). Many full time research scholars are taking up their doctoral research in cutting edge research in chemistry and physics.
The Department has several Research labs with state-of-the-art facilities which include Biosensor Research Lab, Materials Synthesis and Processing Lab, Biochemistry Materials Research Lab, Dhanvanthri Lab, Nonlinear Optics Lab and Particle Dynamics Lab.
The department has funded projects from various agencies like DBT, DST, CSIR, DRDO, ISRO, and MHRD to the tune of 460 lakhs. 30 research fellows are working towards their PhD and they are supported with fellowships from CSIR, INSPIRE-DST etc.
Research Expertise | Infrastructure |
---|---|
Theoretical Nuclear Physics | UV-Visible Spectrophotometer (Shimadzu) |
Quantum Optics | Millipore Water Purifier (Millipore) |
Nano Technology | Electrochemical Workstation(CHI660C) |
Laser Material Processing | Electrochemical Analyser (CHI608D) |
Biosensors | Atomic Force Microscope (Park Systems) |
Lab-on-a-chip | High Speed Centrifuge (Eppendorf) |
Bio-Diesel from Non-edible Oils | Biospectrophotometer (Eppendorf) |
Organo Metallics | Photo Lithograhphy Unit (Hiedelberg) |
Porphyrin | Spray Pyrolysis Equipment |
Cobaloximes | Polarizing Microscopy with Heating Stage |
Corrosion Science | |
Industrial Electrochemical processes | |
Cancer Related Chemistry | |
Computational Chemistry | |
Fuel Cells |
Dr. T. G. Satheesh Babu | Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) |
Dr. Prasanna Ramani | Young Scientist Award, Department of Science and Technology (DST) |
Dr. M. Karthega | Young Scientist Award, Department of Science and Technology (DST) |
Dr. R. Yamuna | Young Scientist Award, Department of Science and Technology (DST) |
The digital library page provides links to various online sources like books, lectures, handouts relevant to science and engineering. The Amrita Digital library– VIDHYA is hosted by ICTS on the campus network. The current archive volume is 2 TB comprising learning material on various disciplines, including an extensive collection of Audio/Video lectures by renowned persons.
The Department of Sciences has set up a few labs to cater both physics and chemistry graduates to perform their regular academic and research activities.