 Main building of the CMI | |
Former names |
|
|---|---|
| Type | Research and Education Institution |
| Established | 1989; 36 years ago (1989) |
| Dean | K. V. Subrahmanyam |
| Director | Madhavan Mukund |
| Director Emeritus | C. S. Seshadri |
| Location | ,, |
| Campus | Suburban, 5.4 acre |
| Acronym | CMI |
| Website | www |
 | |
 | |
Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) is a higher education and research institute inChennai,India. It was founded in 1989 by the SPIC Science Foundation, and offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes inphysics,mathematics andcomputer science.[1] CMI is noted for its research inalgebraic geometry, in particular in the area ofmoduli[2] of bundles.
CMI was at first located inT. Nagar in the heart of Chennai in an office complex. It moved to a new 5-acre (20,000 m2) campus inSiruseri in October 2005.[3]
In December 2006, CMI was recognized as a university under Section 3 of theUniversity Grants Commission (UGC) Act 1956,[4] making it adeemed university.[1] Until then, the teaching program was offered in association withBhoj Open University, as it offered more flexibility.
CMI began as the School of Mathematics, SPIC Science Foundation, in 1989. The SPIC Science Foundation was set up in 1986 by Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC) Ltd., one of the major industrial houses in India, to foster the growth of science and technology in the country.
In 1996, the School of Mathematics became an independent institution and changed its name to SPIC Mathematical Institute. In 1998, in order to better reflect the emerging role of the institute, it was renamed the Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI).[5]
From its inception, the institute has had a Ph.D. programme in Mathematics and Computer Science. In the initial years, the Ph.D. programme was affiliated to theBITS, Pilani and theUniversity of Madras. In December 2006, CMI was recognized as a university under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956.[6]
In 1998, CMI took the initiative to bridge the gap between teaching and research by starting B.Sc.(Hons.) and M.Sc. programmes in Mathematics and allied subjects.[7] In 2001, the B.Sc. programme was extended to incorporate two courses with research components, leading to an M.Sc. degree in mathematics and an M.Sc. degree in Computer Science. In 2003, a new undergraduate course was added, leading to a B.Sc. degree in physics.
In 2010, CMI launched a summer fellowship programme whereby they invited about 30 students from all overIndia to work under the faculty at CMI on various research projects.
Later, in 2012, the B.Sc. degree in Physics was restructured as an integrated B.Sc. degree in Mathematics and Physics.
CMI moved into its new campus on 5 acres (20,000 m2) of land at theSIPCOT Information Technology Park inSiruseri in October, 2005. The campus is located along theOld Mahabalipuram Road, which is developing as the IT corridor to the south of the city.
The library block and the student's hostel were completed in late 2006 and become operational from January 2007.
In 2006, CMI implemented agrey water recycling system on its campus. The system was designed for CMI bySultan Ahmed Ismail to treat waste water produced after cleaning, washing and bathing to be used for gardening or ground water recharge.[8]
Construction is underway for a new building that will house an auditorium, accommodation for guests, as well as additional academic space - faculty offices, library and lecture halls. This construction is funded by a grant from the Ministry of Human Resource Development through theUniversity Grants Commission.[3]
The founding director of CMI wasC. S. Seshadri, who was known for his work in the area ofalgebraic geometry, especiallymoduli problems andalgebraic groups. He stepped down in 2010, after whichRajeeva L. Karandikar was appointed as director.[9] Prof. Seshadri continued as Emeritus Director until his demise on 17 July 2020. Professor Madhavan Mukund was appointed as the new director in 2021.
CMI's funding comes from both private and government sources.
CMI has Ph.D. programmes in Computer Sciences, Mathematics and Physics. Recently, CMI has introduced the possibility of students pursuing a part-time Ph.D. at the institute.[12]
Since 1998, CMI has offered a B.Sc.(Hons) degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. This three-year program also includes courses in Humanities and Physics.[13] Many students, after completion of the B.Sc. degree, have pursued higher studies in Mathematics and Computer Sciences from universities both in India and abroad. Some students also go into industry while others take up subjects such as finance.[14]
In 2001, CMI began separate M.Sc. programmes in Mathematics and in Computer Science. In 2009, CMI began to offer a new programme M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics, which was replaced with a new M.Sc. in Data Science programme in 2018.[15]
In 2003, CMI introduced a new three-year programme in the form of a B.Sc.(Hons) degree in physics. The course topics are largely in theoretical physics. CMI now has its own physics laboratory. From the academic year 2007–2008, the Physics students are having regular lab courses right from the first year.[16]In the academic year 2005–2006, lab sessions for third-year students were conducted atIIT Madras based on an agreement.[citation needed] In the summer following their first year, physics students go toHBCSE (underTIFR) inMumbai for practical sessions and in the second year, they go toIGCAR,Kalpakkam.[10] However, in 2012, the B.Sc. degree in Physics was restructured as an integrated B.Sc. degree in Mathematics and Physics.
Degrees for the B.Sc. and M.Sc. programmes were earlier offered byMPBOU, the Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University and doctoral degrees byMadras University. After CMI became a deemed university, it gives its own degrees. CMI awarded its first official degrees in August 2007.
The batch sizes typically vary from 10 to 50 and the overall strength of CMI is about 150–200 students and 40–50 faculty members.[17]
Nearly all the CMI programmes are run in conjunction and coordination with programmes atIMSc, an institute for research in Mathematics, Theoretical Computer Science and Theoretical Physics, located inChennai.
The entrance to each of these courses is based on a nationwide entrance test. The advertisement for this entrance test appears around the end of February or the beginning of March. The entrance test is held in the end of May and is usually scheduled so as not to clash with major entrance examinations. Results are given to students by the end of June.[18]
Students who have passed theIndian National Mathematics Olympiad get direct admission to the programme B.Sc.(Hons.) in Mathematics and Computer Science, and those who have passed theIndian National Physics Olympiad are offered direct entry to the B.Sc.(Hons.) in Physics programme. However, these students are also advised to fill in and send the application form some time in March.[19]
Students who pass theIndian National Olympiad in Informatics may be granted admission to the B.Sc.(Hons.) Mathematics and Computer Science programme. Admission is not guaranteed but is decided on a case-by-case basis by the admissions committee.[citation needed]
Till 2018, all students, including undergraduate students, were given a monthly stipend, subject to academic performance. The tuition was waived for students in good academic standing. In 2018, the fees were increased for all students with waivers available for students in good academic standing.
Inmathematics, the main areas of research activity have been in algebraic geometry, representation theory, operator algebra, commutative algebra, harmonic analysis, control theory and game theory. Research work includes stratification ofbinary forms inrepresentation theory, the Donaldson-Uhlenbeck compactification inalgebraic geometry,stochastic games, inductive algebras ofharmonic analysis, etc.[21]
The research activity intheoretical computer science at CMI has been primarily incomputational complexity theory, specification and verification of timed and distributed systems and analysis ofsecurity protocols.[21] A computer scientist at CMI extended the deterministic isolation technique for reachability inplanar graphs to obtain bettercomplexity upper bounds for planarbipartite matching.
Intheoretical physics, research is being carried out mainly instring theory,quantum field theory andmathematical physics.[22] In mathematical physics, research included developing apath integral approach toquantum entanglement. CMI string theorists study problems such asBig Bang like cosmological singularities, embeddings ofBKL cosmology,dyons in super-Yang–Mills theories etc.[21]
The on-campus hostel was opened in January 2007. All students are expected to stay in the hostel. Security guards are posted in the campus round the clock, including women security guards for the girls wing on all floors. Washing machines are installed in the hostel which is managed by the students. A vehicle is parked in the campus at night for emergencies. Wi-fi facility is available in the campus.[23]
The students of CMI organize an annual inter-collegiate student festivalTessellate (earlier known as Fiesta, renamed in 2018), supported by corporations, IT companies, and local businesses. Tessellate enjoys participation from students of several Chennai-based colleges includingIIT Madras,SRM Institute of Science and Technology,Sathyabama University,KCG College of Technology. Tessellate comprises academic, cultural, technical and sports events. From 2018, Tessellate also includes a social initiative for the benefit of the underprivileged in Chennai.[citation needed]
Also, as a part of Tessellate, a nationwide contest called S.T.E.M.S. (Scholastic Test of Excellence in Mathematical Sciences) is organised for students from 8th grade to Final year UG in different categories for the subjects: Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. Toppers get to win exciting prizes and are invited to a fully funded 3-day camp at CMI.[24]
CMI faculty coordinate the training and selection of students to represent India at theInternational Olympiad in Informatics through theIndian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS). CMI hosts the official IARCS website. From September 2004, a monthly online programming competition has been conducted by the CMI faculty via the IARCS website.[21]Two of CMI's faculty members,Madhavan Mukund andNarayan Kumar, lead the Indian team to the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). Madhavan Mukund is also the National Coordinator for theIndian Computing Olympiad.[25]
Media related toChennai Mathematical Institute at Wikimedia Commons12°49′42.34″N80°13′12.33″E / 12.8284278°N 80.2200917°E /12.8284278; 80.2200917
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
