APJ Abdul Kalam STEM ER center,(Indo-US collaboration),AMU.
APJ Abdul Kalam STEM ER Center,(Indo-US collaboration),AMU.
APJ Abdul Kalam STEM ER Center was established jointly as an Indo-US collaboration between
Aligarh Muslim University, India and Ohio State University, USA. The
center was initially the culmination of a five-year partnership of OSU with AMU
under the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative Award via a grant from
US- India Education Foundation (USIEF) (July 2013-2017) to support faculty
training of Indian postgraduate students in STEM (Science ,Technology,
Engineering& Mathematics) disciplines. Prof. Anil K. Pradhan and Prof. Sultana N .Nahar, Professor
of Astronomy, OSU, USA founded the center with the support of AMU
administration led by the past Vice Chancellor Zameer -Uddin Shah. The initiative aimed to strengthen collaboration and
build partnerships between American and Indian institutions of higher
education. Each project received an award of approximately $250,000 that was
utilized to train eight AMU students in a batch of two (4+4).
Later
in April 2017, The Center was formalized with legal and financial structures
and named with full designation as the APJ
Abdul Kalam Indo-US AMU-OSU Center for STEM Education and Research
(hereafter the Center). APJ Abdul Kalam was the former President of India and
an eminent scientist.
The objectives of the center:
continue
the program on STEM education and research for the postgraduate students and
extend it nationally to enroll students from other Indian institutions.
Promote STEM education and research in India
and in the U.S. through [joint] programs and projects devoted to
scientific, technological and engineering methodologies and pedagogies,
supplementing and complementing those covered under general undergraduate and
graduate curricula at both universities.
STEM
research projects funded by national and international agencies, governmental
and non-governmental, [and private initiatives] limited by available
resources at the Center.
Offer
research based and STEM courses and workshops for training for initiating
research projects, applications for higher degrees in the US.
Holding
seminars and events that promote choosing research in STEM disciplines by
students.
On-line
distance education courses offered by OSU and AMU and communicated via
electronic media, will be negotiated with relevant administrative units as to
cost, time, accreditation, support staff, etc.
Particular
attention is to be directed towards women, minorities and disadvantaged groups
at both institutions. - [this may include training in computer labs,
conference/event presentations, promoted participations.
Activities
of the Center during last five years 2015-2020:
1. For the USIEF project, OSU has developed a unique
two-year dual degree master¯s in education program that trained Indian students
to acquire world class teaching skills at the undergraduate level (in contrast
to high school) and carry out a research project with an OSU advisor in his or
her discipline that constitutes a chapter in their Ph.D. thesis. Such research
experience is of crucial importance so that the student can begin long-term
collaboration with colleagues in the U.S. and initiate and lead projects in
India. With its support, eight Ph.D. students of AMU from the departments of
Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, Mathematics,
and Zoology were trained at OSU during 2014-2017. Additionally, the center
organized an international conference at STEM ER in 2016, and collaborated on
two nanotechnology conferences, Aligarh Nano IV and V.
2.
To encourage and provide educational and professional opportunities in STEM for
girls and young women as an outreach for minorities and disadvantaged groups,
the ¯Women in STEM Roadshow¯ program of the US-India mission, supported by
the U.S. Department of State was organized in February 2018. Total nine
workshops (in Aligarh, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kurnool, and Patna) with
year-long follow-up activities to encourage and help female college students
study STEM fields in the U.S. and in India were held under this roadshow.
3.
The center also organized several interactive sessions with graduate students
of AMU in STEM disciplines to encourage students to choose &pursue higher
studies in STEM for their career . A
short course ¯Science education in Indian context: A short course¯ was also
organized by APJ Abdul Kalam STEM ER Center for Ph.D. students of AMU to make
them aware about modern teaching methods, etc.
4. In 2019, APJ Abdul Kalam Center conducted for the first time ¯Under graduate research projects¯ of 5-6 months duration, 30 students successfully completed their projects in cutting edge research topics of STEM disciplines under the mentorship of eminent faculty members of AMU . The final project dissertation were submitted in the center for evaluation and students gave presentations of their research outputs in APJ Abdul Kalam STEM ER Centre. The results of the research performed could be published in peer-reviewed journals of international repute.
5.In 2020, APJ Abdul Kalam Center for STEM
ER organized a symposium jointly by AMU
and the Ohio State University (OSU) entitled "International Collaborations
and Prospects for STEM Education and Research¯ . It was attended by 120
registered participants, and presided over by Prof. Anil K. Pradhan. A number
of topics were covered highlighting past accomplishments of the OSU-AMU
collaboration and future prospects for international expansion, including
South-East Asian and Mid-East countries, as well as funding opportunities to
support such initiatives. The agenda and more details are available from the
website http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~nahar/indousstemerc.html#foundation
6. In 2020, Center
organized a webinar on ¯Prospects of
7. There was an announcement of second phase of ¯Under
graduate STEM Research Projects-II¯ for B.Tech and B.Sc(Hons) students for the
period of three months to be commenced from 01 April 2020 but had to be
postponed due to COVID pandemic
lockdown.
Current team members of APJ Abdul Kalam STEM-ER Center
Prof.
Tauheed Ahmad- Director (AMU) Prof. Anil K. Pradhan- Director (OSU)
Prof.
Farukh Arjmand- Co-Director (AMU) Prof. Sultana N. Nahar- Co-Director
(OSU)
Prof. Ekram Khan- Co-Director (AMU)
STEM-ER Fellows
First Batch
1) Asim Rizvi 2) Hala 3) Azeem Malik 4) Nida Rahmani
Second Batch
1) Taqseer
Khan 2) Parvez Alam 3) Sabiha Parveen 4) Swaleha Naseem