VV2022

Vigyan Vidushi (VV2022) programme in Physics is a three-week programme for women students in the first year of their two-year M.Sc. degree in physics, or the fourth year of their Integrated B.Sc.-M.Sc. degree in physics. This programme will provide these students an exposure to advanced physics topics and research opportunities, and encourage them to take up research in physics as a career option. The students will also get an opportunity to be taught, inspired, and mentored by successful women scientist role models.

The programme for 2022 will have two parts – an online component followed by an on-site component (at HBCSE/TIFR, Mumbai). Selected students are expected to participate in both, online and on-site components of the programme.
The tentative schedules of the two parts are:

Online component: 5 July to 16 July, 2022
On-site component: 22 July to 1 August, 2022

Logistics and support: For the on-site component, lectures and experimental sessions will be at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) in Mumbai. All participants will be reimbursed travel expenses (AC 3-tier train or road travel as per norms). Accommodation and meals will be provided at the HBCSE campus for the duration of the on-site component.

Structure of the programme

The online component will have three courses, which will typically consist of lectures in the morning, and tutorials in the afternoon. Students may be divided into smaller groups during the tutorials. The highlight of the on-site component will be a course on experimental physics, where students will be exposed to advanced experimental techniques and encouraged to perform innovative experiments. There will be opportunities for visits to research laboratories at TIFR, Colaba. In addition, there will be interactive sessions on computational techniques and problem-solving.

While some of the courses will focus on strengthening basic understanding of physics essentials, most of the courses will be on topics that may not be normally covered in M.Sc. classes in a University. Even when the topics may be common, the elements of research or unique perspectives of active researchers will be essential parts of the courses. The courses are expected to lead to a review of current research in the area towards the end.

In addition to the regular courses, the VV programme will have the following unique features:

Special lectures by women scientists
Ample opportunities for interacting (online and in-person) with subject experts, including many women scientists
Special mentoring sessions dealing with gender-related issues, generally in the evenings
Exposure to Physics Education Research