The buildings, compound wall, laboratories and even the pathways will resonate with science and enough care will be taken to inculcate scientific temper. In a nutshell, the upcoming campus of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) will stand as a ‘symbol of science.’
In four years, IISER Tirupati, the sixth in the series of national institutes meant to kindle passion for science and develop a rich talent pool of undergraduate and postgraduate students, will have its permanent campus on a sprawling 255-acre site at Panguru village abutting the Yerpedu-Venkatagiri highway. Work will begin soon, as the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is expected to get the Union Cabinet’s nod in three months.
Any campus can be developed with breath-taking grandeur, depending on an architect’s creativity, but IISER Director Prof. K.N. Ganesh wants it to be ‘special.’
In an exclusive interview to The Hindu, he explains how the campus should be a manifestation of science on all fronts. Every edifice will have a unique design, reflecting its purpose. Apart from a huge solar farm, every building will have rooftop solar plants and streetlights will also be solar-powered. Similarly, the entire campus will have rainwater harvesting structures.
The sewage water from the hostels and staff quarters will undergo effluent treatment to be used for horticultural plants and landscaping.
As Indian Institute of Technology (IIT -Tirupati) is also coming up a couple of kilometres away, the two premier institutes plan to collaborate in getting common facilities such as a medical centre and a Kendriya Vidyalaya in the vicinity.
“Apart from exchange of faculty, IIT and IISER will also have a common incubation centre by harnessing IIT’s strength in engineering and IISER’s prowess in science,” Mr. Ganesh said.
