Bose Institute
Encyclopedia
Bose Institute is a research institute in the fields of Physics
, Chemistry
, Plant biology
, Microbiology
, Biochemistry
, Biophysics
, Animal physiology, Immunotechnology and Environmental science
. The institute was established in 1917 by Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose
, who was the founder of modern scientific research in India. Bose Institute pioneered the concept of inter-disciplinary research in India in synch with global trends. Its alumni have achieved renown in India and the world.
Acharya Bose founded the Institute on 30'th November 1917. In his opening speech he said: "I dedicate today this Institute as not merely a laboratory but a temple .... In the pursuit of my investigations I was unconsciously led into the border region of physics and physiology. To my amazement, I found boundary lines vanishing, and points of contact emerging, between the realms of the living and the non-living .... The lectures given here will not be mere repetitions of second-hand knowledge. They will announce new discoveries, demonstrated for the first time in these halls. Through regular publication of the work of the Institute, these Indian contributions will reach the whole world. They will become public property. No patents will ever be taken. The spirit of our national culture demands that we should forever be free from the desecration of utilizing knowledge only for personal gain."
Acharya Bose's early career included many marvellously inventive and pioneering experiments on electromagnetism which, in J. J. Thomson's words, marked "the dawn of the revival in India, of interest in researches in the Physical Sciences", and on the response of plants to electric and mechanical stimuli. Those early successes lay behind the stated purpose. Bose's successors remained true to that purpose. Dr. D. M. Bose and Dr. Biva Chowdhury made the first experimental recording of Meson tracks. Dr. Bose made further pioneering contributions on the susceptibility measurement of paramagnetic compounds. The institute was actively involved in pioneering discovery of Cholera Toxin and its role in the pathogenesis of Cholera by Prof. S. N. De. This led to breakthrough in understanding of the molecular mechanism of toxin-receptor interaction in microbial pathogenesis. Prof. B. B. Biswas and his group demonstrated multiplicity of RNAP from higher plant sources. His group also discovered the inositol phosphate cycle in plants.
The institute has evolved over the years into a multi-disciplinary research organization with stress on fundamental research in its pursuit of advancement of knowledge in Science and technology and at the same time developing highly competent and able scientific manpower. The institute has on its staff highly qualified and experienced scientists devoted to original and path breaking research in the fields of Biological, Biochemical, Chemical and Physical sciences placed in long established departments of Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics, and research sections on Plant Molecular & Cellular Genetics, Animal Physiology, Immunotechnology and Environmental science.
The institute's research activities today span a wide compass, a feature that makes it unique amongst all research institutes in India. It has succeeded in developing a vast intellectual resource in areas ranging from astrophysics, radiation physics, quantum mechanics to the frontline areas of contemporary biology such as systems biology, bioinformatics & computational biology, structure and functional dynamics of biomolecules, drug modeling, molecular genetics of microbes, development of transgenic plants etc. Based on the enduring development of scientific expertise for 85 years, the institute has scripted a programme of research in its recent five year plan that will allow it to retain the competitive edge in the 21st Century. Moreover, the steady high rate of peer reviewed publications from the institute and individual achievements of scientists in their respective area of specialization is a testimony of the excellent overall performance.
The Institute's staff and students mostly work out of three campuses in the city of Kolkata, which house its various academic departments and sections, together with a Library and other service units. The J.C. Bose Museum is a special attraction in the Main Campus. It houses a fine collection of the manuscripts, instruments etc. that record Bose's life and work which are on permanent display. The institute infrastructure includes the Acharya J. C. Bose High Altitude Research Centre at Darjeeling and experimental field stations at Falta and Madhyamgram in West Bengal catering to the need and requirements of scientists in their researches.
In recent years the impact of scientific research is assessed on objective criteria e.g. Citation Index, impact factors, Peer Review. In an independent assessment of research activities in India by the National Information System for Sciences & Technology (NISSAT) of the Government of India, the research work from Bose Institute was rated High impact in the areas of Biology and Biomedical research.
The eminence attained by Bose Institute in multi-disciplinary scientific research is evident from the fact that during the last 10 years, nearly a thousand research papers were published in high quality peer reviewed international journals (including Nature, Science and PNAS) and 167 students from the institute were awarded Ph.D. degrees during the period. The high quality of research at the institute attracted more than an Extramural funding support of more than Rupees thirty crore in its 9th Five year Plan. The scientists have received recognition in their respective areas of specialization from national and international research organizations. Current faculty include two S. S. Bhatnagar awardees; two Fellows of Indian National Science Academy; nine Fellows of National Academy of sciences; six Fellows of Indian Academy of Sciences. In addition, several research scientists have been awarded well known fellowships, such as Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship, Homi Bhabha Fellowship, Nehru Fellowship, KS Krishnan Fellowship and young scientists have received the DST, DBT and INSA Young Scientist Awards. Other awards won by Bose Institute Scientists include the Darshan Vigyan Samman, the DBT Young Women Bioscientist Award, and the Pratima-Sucharu Samman for Women Scientist of the Year.
West Bengal°N date=December 2010°W
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, Plant biology
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, Microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
, Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, Biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
, Animal physiology, Immunotechnology and Environmental science
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
. The institute was established in 1917 by Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose
Jagdish Chandra Bose
Acharya Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, CSI, CIE, FRS was a Bengali polymath: a physicist, biologist, botanist, archaeologist, as well as an early writer of science fiction...
, who was the founder of modern scientific research in India. Bose Institute pioneered the concept of inter-disciplinary research in India in synch with global trends. Its alumni have achieved renown in India and the world.
History
| Directors |
|---|
|
Acharya Bose founded the Institute on 30'th November 1917. In his opening speech he said: "I dedicate today this Institute as not merely a laboratory but a temple .... In the pursuit of my investigations I was unconsciously led into the border region of physics and physiology. To my amazement, I found boundary lines vanishing, and points of contact emerging, between the realms of the living and the non-living .... The lectures given here will not be mere repetitions of second-hand knowledge. They will announce new discoveries, demonstrated for the first time in these halls. Through regular publication of the work of the Institute, these Indian contributions will reach the whole world. They will become public property. No patents will ever be taken. The spirit of our national culture demands that we should forever be free from the desecration of utilizing knowledge only for personal gain."
Acharya Bose's early career included many marvellously inventive and pioneering experiments on electromagnetism which, in J. J. Thomson's words, marked "the dawn of the revival in India, of interest in researches in the Physical Sciences", and on the response of plants to electric and mechanical stimuli. Those early successes lay behind the stated purpose. Bose's successors remained true to that purpose. Dr. D. M. Bose and Dr. Biva Chowdhury made the first experimental recording of Meson tracks. Dr. Bose made further pioneering contributions on the susceptibility measurement of paramagnetic compounds. The institute was actively involved in pioneering discovery of Cholera Toxin and its role in the pathogenesis of Cholera by Prof. S. N. De. This led to breakthrough in understanding of the molecular mechanism of toxin-receptor interaction in microbial pathogenesis. Prof. B. B. Biswas and his group demonstrated multiplicity of RNAP from higher plant sources. His group also discovered the inositol phosphate cycle in plants.
The institute has evolved over the years into a multi-disciplinary research organization with stress on fundamental research in its pursuit of advancement of knowledge in Science and technology and at the same time developing highly competent and able scientific manpower. The institute has on its staff highly qualified and experienced scientists devoted to original and path breaking research in the fields of Biological, Biochemical, Chemical and Physical sciences placed in long established departments of Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics, and research sections on Plant Molecular & Cellular Genetics, Animal Physiology, Immunotechnology and Environmental science.
The institute's research activities today span a wide compass, a feature that makes it unique amongst all research institutes in India. It has succeeded in developing a vast intellectual resource in areas ranging from astrophysics, radiation physics, quantum mechanics to the frontline areas of contemporary biology such as systems biology, bioinformatics & computational biology, structure and functional dynamics of biomolecules, drug modeling, molecular genetics of microbes, development of transgenic plants etc. Based on the enduring development of scientific expertise for 85 years, the institute has scripted a programme of research in its recent five year plan that will allow it to retain the competitive edge in the 21st Century. Moreover, the steady high rate of peer reviewed publications from the institute and individual achievements of scientists in their respective area of specialization is a testimony of the excellent overall performance.
The Institute's staff and students mostly work out of three campuses in the city of Kolkata, which house its various academic departments and sections, together with a Library and other service units. The J.C. Bose Museum is a special attraction in the Main Campus. It houses a fine collection of the manuscripts, instruments etc. that record Bose's life and work which are on permanent display. The institute infrastructure includes the Acharya J. C. Bose High Altitude Research Centre at Darjeeling and experimental field stations at Falta and Madhyamgram in West Bengal catering to the need and requirements of scientists in their researches.
In recent years the impact of scientific research is assessed on objective criteria e.g. Citation Index, impact factors, Peer Review. In an independent assessment of research activities in India by the National Information System for Sciences & Technology (NISSAT) of the Government of India, the research work from Bose Institute was rated High impact in the areas of Biology and Biomedical research.
The eminence attained by Bose Institute in multi-disciplinary scientific research is evident from the fact that during the last 10 years, nearly a thousand research papers were published in high quality peer reviewed international journals (including Nature, Science and PNAS) and 167 students from the institute were awarded Ph.D. degrees during the period. The high quality of research at the institute attracted more than an Extramural funding support of more than Rupees thirty crore in its 9th Five year Plan. The scientists have received recognition in their respective areas of specialization from national and international research organizations. Current faculty include two S. S. Bhatnagar awardees; two Fellows of Indian National Science Academy; nine Fellows of National Academy of sciences; six Fellows of Indian Academy of Sciences. In addition, several research scientists have been awarded well known fellowships, such as Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship, Homi Bhabha Fellowship, Nehru Fellowship, KS Krishnan Fellowship and young scientists have received the DST, DBT and INSA Young Scientist Awards. Other awards won by Bose Institute Scientists include the Darshan Vigyan Samman, the DBT Young Women Bioscientist Award, and the Pratima-Sucharu Samman for Women Scientist of the Year.
Location
The institute has three campuses with the main campus being situated in the former residence of Jagadish Chandra Bose on Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road.External links
- Official Website of Bose Institute
- Collaborative research on basic sciences with the University of Calcutta
West Bengal°N date=December 2010°W