Indian Institute of Science facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Indian Institute of Science

Type	Public research university
Established	c. 1909; 116 years ago (1909)
Founders	Jamsetji Tata Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV
Accreditation	NAAC
Affiliation	ACU UGC AIU MISA
Budget	₹918.27 crore (US$160 million) (2024–2025)
Director	Govindan Rangarajan
Academic staff	525
Administrative staff	354
Students	3,842
Undergraduates	453
Postgraduates	947
Doctoral students	2,737
Location	Bangalore , Karnataka , 560012 , India
Campus	Urban, 440 acres (180 ha)

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a top public university in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. It focuses on higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It was started in 1909 with help from Jamsetji Tata, a famous businessman. Because of his support, it's also known as the Tata Institute by local people.

In 1958, IISc was given "deemed university" status, which means it has the same academic freedom as a university. In 2018, it was named an "Institute of Eminence," recognizing it as one of India's best institutions.

History

The idea for IISc came from a meeting between Jamsetji Tata and Swami Vivekananda on a ship in 1893. They talked about Tata's dream of bringing the steel industry to India. Five years later, Tata wrote to Vivekananda about his plan for a "Research Institute of Science for India."

Tata was very impressed by Vivekananda's ideas about science. He wanted Vivekananda to help guide his project. Vivekananda was very excited about the idea. So, Tata created a committee to plan a new institute for research and higher education. This committee shared their plan with Viceroy George Curzon in 1898. Later, Sir William Ramsay, a Nobel Prize winner, suggested Bangalore as the best place for the institute.

The land and other things needed for the institute were given by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV of Mysore and Jamsetji Tata. The Maharaja donated about 371 acres of land. Tata also gave several buildings. The Maharaja provided money for the initial setup and annual expenses. The Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, also contributed a large sum over many years.

The institute's official approval came on May 27, 1909. In 1911, the Maharaja laid the foundation stone. On July 24, the first students were admitted to the Chemistry and Electro-Technology departments. The Organic Chemistry department opened soon after. In 1958, the University Grants Commission of India officially recognized IISc as a "deemed university."

Morris Travers, who helped discover noble gases, became the first director of IISc in 1909. The first Indian director was Sir C.V. Raman, a Nobel Prize winner.

IISc was the first institute in India to offer master's degrees in engineering. It also started special doctoral programs for science graduates. In 2018, IISc was one of the first six institutes to be given the "Institute of Eminence" status. In 2019, IISc shared its mission: "Discover and Innovate; Transform and Transcend; Serve and Lead." In 2022, IISc received its largest private donation ever to build a new medical institute for postgraduate studies.

Bangalore Campus

The main IISc campus is in northern Bangalore. It's about 6 kilometers from the Bangalore City Railway Station. Several other research institutes are also nearby, like the Raman Research Institute and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Many of these institutes are connected to IISc by a shuttle bus.

The campus has over 40 departments. Its roads are named after trees, like Gulmohar Marga and Mahogany Marga. The institute is a residential campus, meaning students live there. It covers 400 acres in the heart of Bangalore. The campus has six cafeterias, a gym and sports complex, football and cricket grounds, dining halls, a restaurant, hostels for students, an air strip, a library, and shopping centers. Faculty and staff also live on campus.

The IISc campus has many different types of plants, both local and from other places. There are about 110 species of woody plants.

The main building, where the administration and Faculty Hall are, has a classical design with a tall, grey tower. In front of it is a monument by Gilbert Bayes in memory of J. N. Tata. An inscription there reminds everyone of Jamsetji Tata's generosity. This building was designed in 1912–13 and is a famous landmark in Bangalore. The buildings for the metallurgy and aerospace departments were designed by German architect Otto Königsberger in 1940.

Challakere Campus

IISc has a second campus in Challakere, which is much larger, covering 1500 acres. This campus has a Talent Development Centre and a Skill Development Centre. It also has a Solar Power Research Center and a Climate Observatory. A project called "C-BELT" (Centre for Bio-energy and Low-Carbon Technologies) has started its work here.

Janardhana Swamy, a Member of Parliament and an IISc alumnus, helped a lot in setting up the Challakere campus. He worked with Amalan Biswas, the District Commissioner, to find the land and get approvals.

Organisation and administration

Academic Divisions, Departments, and Centres

For teaching and research, IISc groups its departments and centers into two main areas: Science Faculty and Engineering Faculty. For managing the staff, departments are sorted into six divisions, each led by a chairperson. Every department or center also has its own chairperson.

Some centers report directly to the director, not to a division chairperson. These include:

There are also independent societies and centers based at the institute:

Academics

Academic Programs

IISc offers many different study programs.

Post-graduate Research Programs

Most students at IISc are doing research. They work towards a PhD degree in over 40 different subjects. These programs involve some courses, but the main focus is on doing research and writing a thesis. About 575 research students join each year.

The Integrated PhD program is for students who have completed a 3-year Bachelor of Science degree. It allows them to do advanced research in biological, chemical, mathematical, and physical sciences, leading to a PhD.

Post-graduate Coursework Programs

The two-year M.Tech. program is offered in almost all engineering departments. Students take core courses and can choose other courses. They also complete a research project.

Other master's degrees include the Master of Management (M.Mgt.) for engineering graduates and the Master of Design (M.Des.) for product design.

IISc also offers an online Master of Technology (M.Tech. (Online)) degree. This program is for working engineers and scientists who want to improve their skills in areas like Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Electronics.

Recently, IISc started new MSc programs in life sciences and chemical sciences. These two-year programs include foundational courses, lab training, and an independent research project.

Undergraduate Program

An undergraduate program in science for students after Class 12 started in 2011. It offers a four-year Bachelor of Science (Research) degree. There is also a five-year integrated Master of Science course in subjects like Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. This program helps students learn how different science fields work together.

A new B.Tech. program in Mathematics and Computing focuses on preparing future leaders in advanced technologies that use a lot of math, computer science, and data science.

Students can get into these undergraduate programs through exams like JEE Main, JEE Advanced, NEET, IISER Aptitude Test, and KVPY.

J. R. D. Tata Memorial Library

Besides the main library, IISc also has smaller libraries in different departments. The main library moved to its current building in 1965. It was named the "J. R. D. Tata Memorial Library" in 1995. This library is recognized as a special center for mathematics in South India.

The library spends a lot of money each year on books and journals. It receives over 1,734 different journals, and more than 10,000 journals are available online. The library has over 411,000 documents in total.

Central Computing Facility

The Computer Centre started in 1970. In 1990, it became the Supercomputer Education and Research Centre (SERC). It provides computing power for students and faculty. SERC has India's first petascale supercomputer, the Cray XC40, which was once the fastest supercomputer in India.

SERC also teaches and does research on supercomputer development. It works on many research projects with government and private organizations.

Academic and Industrial Collaborations

The Indian Institute of Science works with many government groups. These include the Indian Ordnance Factories, DRDO, ISRO, and CSIR. IISc also partners with private companies and research labs.

Some companies have even started at IISc through its Society for Innovation and Development (SID). IISc supports new businesses started by its faculty, students, and alumni. For example, Strand Life Sciences and Ittiam are successful companies that came from this initiative. In 2016, a science startup from IISc created the world's first food-grade DNA/RNA stain. This could help diagnose conditions like HIV much faster.

Rankings

IISc is highly ranked around the world. In 2023, it was ranked 155th globally and 52nd in Asia by the QS World University Rankings. IISc has been ranked 1st or 2nd globally for citations per faculty for many years, meaning its research is often referenced by others.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed IISc between 251–300 in the world in 2023. It was 42nd in Asia and 18th among emerging economies universities in 2022. The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked it 301–400 in the world in 2022.

In India, IISc was ranked 2nd overall by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2023. It was also ranked 1st among research institutions and 1st among universities in India. Outlook India ranked IISc 1st among universities in 2020.

Campus life

Events

Pravega is the annual science, technology, and cultural festival at IISc. It started in 2013 and is usually held in January.

Vijyoshi is a yearly national science camp for school and college students, hosted by IISc.

IISc also has active sports teams in cricket, football, badminton, and volleyball. They compete in various tournaments and events, including the IISM (inter IISER sports meet).

Alumni Associations

IISc has an alumni association in Bangalore and other branches, like IISCAANA in the USA. These groups help former students stay connected.

Music Club

Rhythmica musicians performing for their annual Founders day Show in March 2022.

The oldest and most active music club at IISc is called Rhythmica. Its members are students and professors from IISc.

IISc also hosts a local branch of the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY), which started around 1984.

Notable People

Notable Alumni

Many famous people have studied at IISc. Here are some of them:

Notable Faculty

Many important people have also taught at IISc. Two former directors, C. V. Raman and C. N. R. Rao, received India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. Four former directors were also knighted (given the title "Sir"). Many IISc alumni have become Fellows of the Royal Society or members of other science academies. Hundreds of IISc faculty members have won the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for their great contributions to science.

Images for kids

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  Jamsetji Tata, founder

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  Sudha Murty, Chairman of Infosys Foundation

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  Rajagopala Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India

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  K. Sivan Chairman of ISRO

See also

In Spanish: Indian Institute of Science para niños

• Indian Institutes of Technology
• Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
• National Institute of Science Education and Research
• Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research
• IISc Guidance, Control and Decision Systems Laboratory
• List of universities in India
• List of autonomous higher education institutes in India
• DoMS, Indian Institute of Science
• Open access in India