NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics
Department of Nuclear Physics School of Physical Sciences
University of Madras
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NUCLEAR PHYSICS Name of the Department 1969 Year of establishment Yes, School of Physical Sciences Is the Department part of a School/Faculty of the university? M.Sc. Physics Names of programmes offered (UG, PG, a. b. M.Sc. Electronics Science M.Phil., Ph.D., Integrated Masters; c. M.Phil. Physics Integrated Ph.D., D.Sc., D.Litt., etc.) d. Ph.D. Physics Members of faculty in Central Interdisciplinary programmes and Instrumentation Service and departments involved Research Laboratory of the University jointly teach our M.Sc. Electronics Science program. NIL Courses in collaboration with other universities, industries, foreign institutions, etc. NIL Details of programmes discontinued, if any, with reasons Semester (CBCS) Examination System: Annual/ Semester/ Trimester/Choice Based Credit System The students from various other Participation of the department in the departments register for some courses offered by other departments of the elective courses offered by the department. 10. Number of teaching posts sanctioned, filled and actual (Professors/Associate Professors/Asst. Professors/others) Sanctioned Professor Associate Professors Asst. Professors Others
Filled
2 1 6
1 0 5
1
Actual (including CAS & MPS) 1 1 (CAS) 4
NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics 11. Faculty profile with name, qualification, designation, area of specialization, experience and research under guidance Name Qualification Designation Specialization No. of Years No. of Ph.D./M.Phil. of students guided for the Experience last 4 years Dr. V. Ravichandran M.Sc., Ph.D. Professor & Materials Science 35 Ph.D. 1 awarded Head 1 awaiting adjudication Ph.D. 1 ongoing M.Phil. 1 awarded Dr. A. Stephen M.Sc.,M.Phil, Asst. Materials Science 23 Ph.D. 3 awarded Ph.D. Professor Ph.D. 7 on going M.Phil. 8 awarded Dr K. Ravichandran M.Sc.,M.Phil, Ph.D.
Asst. Professor
Dr C Venkateswaran M.Sc.,M.Phil, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dr K. Sivaji
M.Sc., Ph.D.
Asst. Professor
Dr J. Senthilselvan
M.Sc.,Ph.D.
Asst. Professor
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Materials science (Nanomaterials), Electronics Condensed Matter Physics (Experimental) Materials Science
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M.Phil. 8
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Surface Engineering Laser Materials Processing Nonlinear Optics
Research Experience: 14 Teaching Experience: 8 Years
Ph.D. 2 awarded Ph.D. 4 ongoing M.Phil. 12 awarded Ph.D. 3 Awarded Ph.D. 3 ongoing M.Phil. 3 M.Phil.: 10 awarded Ph.D.: 1 ongoing
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NIL List of senior Visiting Fellows, adjunct faculty, emeritus professors Percentage of classes taken by temporary M.Sc. Physics - 21% M.Sc. Electronics Science faculty – programme-wise information 5% M.Sc.Physics: 34:8 (4.25:1) Programme-wise Student Teacher Ratio M.Sc. Electronics Science : 40:7 (5.71:1) M.Phil. Physics : 6 : 6 (1:1) Number of academic support staff (technical) and administrative staff: Sanctioned
Filled
10
Actual 5
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NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics 16. Research thrust areas as recognized by major funding agencies UGC-SAP & UGC-ASIHSS Programmes 17. Number of faculty with ongoing projects from a) national b) international funding agencies and c) Total grants received. Give the names of the funding agencies, project title and grants received project-wise.
Sl. No
1.
Name of the Principal / Co-Principal Investigator V. Ravichandran
2. A. Stephen
Title of the Project
Sponsored Amount Month & Year of Status by Sanctioned Commencement & (Completed/ Duration Ongoing)
Room temperature synthesis and UGC 5.13 Lakhs Sep. 2011, Ongoing characterization of (NCNSNT)) 3 years Boron Nitride Nanotube 75000/DST Purse DST 80000/- April 2011, 1 year Completed Programme Sep. 2012, 1 year Ongoing Electrodeposited Ag-Ni and Ag-Fe nanocrystalline NCNSNT 5,13,000 Sept 2011 , 3 years Ongoing Magnetic material for MR applications Dynamics of Radioactive isotopes UGC – in different seasons CPEPA in Gulf of Mannar Mangrove
DST PURSE Programme 3. C. Venkateswaran Exploration of CuInSe2 type DMS for Spintronics application DST PURSE Grant Investigation of thin films of novel high Curie temperature chalcopyrite DMS for SPINTRONICS applications 4. K. Sivaji Study of SHI induced…..Positron Annihilation DST Purse
DST
3,68,000
2012-2015
Ongoing
1,39,000
2011-13
Ongoing
UGC1.05 Lakhs 2007-10 DAE-CSR
Completed
DST
150500
2010-12
Completed
DRDO
32 lakh
2011-2014
Ongoing
NCNSNT
513000
Sep 2011:3 Years
Ongoing
DST
57500
2011: 1 year
Completed
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NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics 5. J .Senthilselvan
Synthesis and Characterization of Nanoscale TiO2, ZnO, SnO2 and Cu2O Oxides and DSSC for Photovoltaic Applications Development of Optically Transparent Scintillators for Radiation Detection and Medical Imaging Applications Surface Engineering of Ti Alloys by High Power Diode Laser Assisted Nitride, Boride and Boro-Nitride Coatings: Hardness, Microstructure, XRay residual Stress and Wearresistance Characterizations DST Purse First Installment DST Purse Second Installment
UGC
12,81,300 Oct 2012:3 Years
Ongoing
DST
11,45,520 Oct 2012: 1 Year
Ongoing
DST
45,51,000 Dec. 2012:3 Years
Ongoing
DST
30,000/-
March 2010:1Year Completed
DST
34,500/-
Jan 2013:1 Year
Ongoing
18. Inter-institutional collaborative projects and associated grants received a) National collaboration IUC – DAEF –ASR – Collaborative Research Project: Grants Received Rs.4.5 Lakhs UGC-DAE – CSR, Indore Centre : Grants Received R.1.05 Lakhs b) International collaboration – 19. Departmental projects funded by DST-FIST; UGC-SAP/CAS, DPE; DBT, ICSSR, AICTE, etc.; total grants received. Rs.98,00,000/-
FIST completed in 2009
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NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics 20. Research facility / centre with
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· state recognition- Research in the department and in its Materials Science Centre are recognized in the state · national recognition - By Central Funding Agencies · international recognition - Through various collaborations and MOU’s 21.
Special research laboratories sponsored by / created by industry or corporate bodies - NIL
22. Publications: *
Number of papers published in peer reviewed journals (national / international) :
18
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Monographs
:
-
*
Chapters in Books
:
1
*
Edited Books
:
-
*
Books with ISBN with details of publishers
:
-
*
Number listed in International Database (For e.g. Web of Science, Scopus, Humanities International Complete, Dare Database - International Social Sciences Directory, EBSCO host, etc.) : 15
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Citation Index – range / average
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4 to 35
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SNIP
:
-
*
SJR
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-
*
Impact Factor – range / average
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0.71 to 8
*
h-index
: 12 (Cumulative)
23. Details of patents and income generated
- NIL
24. Areas of consultancy and income generated – Utilisation of the X-ray powder diffraction facility of Dept. of Nuclear Physics and its techniques for various studies on chargable basis. Dr. A. Stephen and Dr. V. Ravichandran 25. Faculty selected nationally / internationally to visit other laboratories / institutions / industries in India and abroad Dr A. Stephen, Assistant Professor, Department of Nuclear Physics underwent IAEA -Training in Basic Radiation Materials Science and its applications to Radiation Effects Studies at Trieste, Italy during 10th -21st November, 2008 5
NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics Dr K. Sivaji, Assistant Professor, Department of Nuclear Physics was on lien to work in a Multinational Public Ltd. Company as Senior Vice-President for Research and Development and for International Operations during the period October 2006 to September 2008. Dr K. Sivaji, Assistant Professor, presented two papers at the International Workshop on Positron Studies of Defects 2011 (PSD-11) in Delft University of Technology, TU – Delft, The Netherlands from 28th August to 2nd September 2011. Dr C. Venkateswaran - 41st course on High-Pressure Crystallography, at Erice, International School of Crystallography, 2009. Dr V. Ravichandran, Professor and Head, visited Elettra Sinchrotrone laboratory in Italy under Govt. of India support through DST Indo-Italian Cooperation Scheme to perform experiments using Synchrotron Source during March 25–April 2, 2011 for a research project on Boron Nitride nanostructures. Dr J. Senthilselvan, Assistant Professor, attended International Symposium and presented a poster at 7th Laser Ceramics Symposium (7th LCS): International Symposium on Transparent Ceramics for Photonic Applications held during November 14-17, 2011 at Singapore. Dr K. Ravichandran, Assistant Professor, Department of Nuclear Physics attended International Conference on Nano Materials and Electronic Devices (ICNMED 2012) on 19th and 20th December 2012 at Hong Kong. 26. Faculty serving in a) National committees b) International committees c) Editorial Boards d) any other (please specify) -
None -
27. Faculty recharging strategies (UGC, ASC, Refresher / orientation programs, workshops, training programs and similar programs). Dr A. Stephen attended a training course on Radiological Aspects in the Research Application of Ionizing Radiation, Dec 20-28, 2010, BARC, Mumbai and is at present holding the position as Radiation Safety Officer of University of Madras 28. Student projects Percentage of students who have done in-house projects including interdepartmental projects – 89% Percentage of students doing projects in collaboration with other universities / industry / institute – 11% 6
NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics 29. Awards / recognitions received at the national and international level by · Faculty – Dr V. Ravichandran : Fellow of Tamilnadu Academy of Sciences Dr A. Stephen :
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1. ICTP-TRIL fellow funded by UNESCO and Italian foreign Ministry,Sep. 2006 to July 2007 2. Science Direct Top 25, List of most downloaded articles for Materials Science and Engineering: C 2012 – Ranked 7th
· Doctoral / post doctoral fellows
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· Students
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Seminars/ Conferences/Workshops organized and the source of funding (national / international) with details of outstanding participants, if any. (Details furnished in Appendix II)
i.
Regional Workshop on Nanostructured Materials (in honour of Prof. S. Ramasamy) July 4 - 5, 2008 List of outstanding participants: (a) Dr C.S.Sundar, Director, Materials Science Group, IGCAR, Kalpaakkam (b) Prof. P. T. Manoharan FNA, Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Madras
ii.
One-day Seminar on Higgs Boson and Neutrino , December 7, 2012 List of outstanding participants: (a) Prof. G. Rajasekaran FNA, Institute of Mathematical Sciences (b) Prof. Prafulla Behera, IIT-M (Higgs Boson Discovery Group member)
31. Code of ethics for research followed by the departments UGC regulations on minimum standard and procedure for the award of M.Phil/Ph.D. degree – 2009 are followed.
32. Student profile programme-wise: 2011-12 Name of the Programme (refer to question no. 4) M.Sc. Physics
Applications received 225
Selected Male Female 8 8
Pass percentage Male Female 90% 95%
M.Sc. Electronics Science
82
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14
95%
95%
M.Phil. Physics
105
5
4
90%
90%
Ph.D. Physics
12
3
2
45%
50%
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NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics 33. Diversity of students Name of the Programme (refer to question no. 4)
% of students from the same university 58%
% of students from other universities within the State 31%
% of students from universities outside the State 11%
% of students from other countries
M.Sc. Electronics Science M.Phil. Physics
82%
11%
7%
--
78%
22%
--
--
Ph.D. Physics
90%
5%
--
5%
M.Sc. Physics
--
34. How many students have cleared Civil Services and Defence Services examinations, NET, SET, GATE and other competitive examinations? Give details category-wise. SET : 2 candidates in 2012-13 35. Student progression Student progression UG to PG PG to M.Phil. PG to Ph.D. Ph.D. to Post-Doctoral Employed · Campus selection · Other than campus recruitment Entrepreneurs
Percentage against enrolled -20% 38% 62% --
80% 14%
36. Diversity of staff Percentage of faculty who are graduates of the same university
50%
from other universities within the State
50%
from universities from other States
NIL
from universities outside the country
NIL
37. Number of faculty who were awarded M.Phil., Ph.D., D.Sc. and D.Litt. during the assessment period One – Ph.D. Awarded 8
NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics 38. Present details of departmental infrastructural facilities with regard to a) Library - Department Library stocking about 5000 volumes of books bought under UGC funds. b) Internet facilities for staff and students - Yes available c) Total number of class rooms
- 3 class rooms & 1 seminar hall
d) Class rooms with ICT facility
-1
e) Students’ laboratories
-2
f) Research laboratories
-10
39. List of doctoral, post-doctoral students and Research Associates : Enclosed a) from the host institution/university b) from other institutions/universities 40. Number of post graduate students getting financial assistance from the university. - Six to eight students per year 41. Was any need assessment exercise undertaken before the development of new programme(s)? If so, highlight the methodology. NO 42. Does the department obtain feedback from a. Faculty on curriculum as well as teaching-learning-evaluation? If yes, how does the department utilize the feedback? Yes. Feedback received from the faculties is placed before the Departmental Committee to revise the curriculum. b. Students on staff, curriculum and teaching-learning-evaluation and how does the department utilize the feedback? Students on staff – every academic year feedback is obtained by the IQAC and the findings are communicated to the faculty individually every year. The feedback is taken into account for confirmation/ promotion. c. Alumni and employers on the programmes offered and how does the department utilize the feedback? YES – Representation from Industries are members of the Board of Studies
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NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics 43. List the distinguished alumni of the department (maximum 10) Prof. V. Devanathan, Vice-President, Tamilnadu Academy of Sciences Prof. P. R. Subramanian, Alexander-von-Humbolt Fellow Prof A. Narayanasamy, MRSI-Medal Awardee Prof. S. Ramasamy, Alexander-von-Humbolt Fellow 44. Give details of student enrichment programmes (special lectures / workshops / seminar) involving external experts. Sunday classes for CSIR/NET competitive exams open to all students and FREE. Classes are conducted on voluntary basis by dedicated teachers from various institutions in Chennai and even Pondicherry University. It is very popular and is attended by applicant students from Tamilnadu and even Kerala. Summer Training Programme offered each year for 1st year PG students from rural areas of Tamilnadu by the department under State Government funding. 45. List the teaching methods adopted by the faculty for different programmes. Teaching methods include lectures, group discussions, ICT, seminars and tutorials. 46. How does the department ensure that programme objectives are constantly met and learning outcomes are monitored? By periodical sessional tests, assignment, quiz, tutorials and counselling. 47. Highlight the participation of students and faculty in extension activities. EPIX 2012 programme was conducted and many students from various city colleges participated in the educational programmes conducted. 48. Give details of “beyond syllabus scholarly activities” of the department. Weekly seminars by Research Scholars of the department. 49. State whether the programme/ department is accredited/ graded by other agencies? If yes, give details. Yes. UGC SAP, COSIST and DST-FIST
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NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics 50. Briefly highlight the contributions of the department in generating new knowledge, basic or applied. The department has research activities in areas such as semiconductor nanomaterials, multi ferroic and magnetic materials, materials for environmental remediation, material surface processing and detector materials. New knowledge, both basic and applied is thus generated and disseminated through international publications.
51. Detail five major Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges (SWOC) of the department. Strengths: 1. One of the very few nuclear physics departments in the country 2. Active researchers since inception have contributed and are contributing to research in theoretical nuclear physics, materials science, nanomaterials and application of nuclear techniques to material evaluation. 3. Courses in physics and electronics science offered at PG level are offered drawing upon the strength available in the department in experimental physics involving electronics and with active collaboration from the university Central Instrumentation Research and Service Laboratory. 4. Moderate in-house material characterization facilities acquired through UGC SAP, COSIST and DST-FIST programmes and maintained very well by the inhouse technical officers which are also made available to users from all over the southern region. 5. Collaborations with other university departments and major research institutions in India and abroad. Weaknesses: 1. Shortage of staff. Opportunities: 1. Opportunities exist to attract funds for research in our areas of interest since they are also currently frontier areas 2. Department has developed expertise in applied areas of materials physics and has potential for industrial consultancies. Challenges: 11
NAAC Reaccreditation - Evaluative Report School of Physical Sciences Department of Nuclear Physics 1. Challenging to provide placement opportunities to the PG students 2. Challenging to attract right talent to basic science areas at PG/Doctoral levels 3. Challenging to provide teaching programmes with inadequate faculty strength and at the same time is active in research front. 52. Future plans of the department. The department would like to strengthen the research activities with more collaborations and participative programmes. Department has plan to participate in the nationally significant research programs such as Indian Neutrino observatory, Nuclear waste disposal and Solar Non-conventional Energy programs.
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