Reviving experimental physics in the universities - The IUC initiative

Abstract

There is widespread concern about the state and future of science in the universities - witness the recent presentation and discussion of the National Science University (NSU) proposal in these pages. One of the measures taken by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to provide improved opportunities for research level work in the university sector is the creation of several Inter-University Centres where unique facilities are shared by workers from all over the country. The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) is an example and a brief report by J. V. Narlikar appeared in Current Science some time ago (1993, 65, 730). The author of this article recently visited the Inter-University Centre for DAE facilities (IUC-DAEF) located on the university campus in Indore and was struck, as many others before him have been, by the many unique features of this institution, where a serious effort is being made to revive first-rate experimental condensed-matter physics in the universities, in a quiet, low-key, low-publicity style. The following sections on the origin of this institution and its facilities and activities have been compiled based on detailed information kindly provided by the staff at IUC-DAEF.