Big Science for Developing Nations

Particle accelerators are tools for exploring the sub-atomic world. Ion beams produced by accelerators also have myriad applications in research and industry.

The proposed book will describe the origins, establishment and working of a large-scale accelerator laboratory within the university system in India. The Inter-University Accelerator Centre (IUAC), which came into existence as the Nuclear Science Centre (NSC) in the mid-1980s, was the first inter-university centre (IUC) set up by the Indian government's University Grants Commission (UGC). The success of this unique model prompted the Indian government to replicate the same approach in other domains of higher education.

Besides leaving indelible footprints in many research areas, IUAC is a success story of managing human resources, state funding and achieving multiple goals within a relatively short time span. After nearly four decades of operation, this book takes stock of the achievements of the IUAC - as well as wider educational and research impacts - and outlines future scientific directions.

Key Features:

• With IUAC as its focus, the book will provide broader context for the creation and the mandate of the inter-university centres (IUCs) in India and their impact on the higher education ecosystem across the country - notably in the physical sciences and engineering disciplines.
• The book will outline the many innovations in the field of accelerator science and technology and allied instrumentation that have been achieved at IUAC; also the central role played by IUAC in accelerator-based research in the physical sciences domain in India, especially for the university sector.
• Creation of an accelerator laboratory, starting from the drawing board, involving very large human resources from diverse backgrounds.
• A discussion of transferable lessons for the management of other large-scale science initiatives - maximizing impacts in higher education generally and in STEM subjects more specifically.
• Finally, the book will provide readers with an accessible exploration of front-line research using low- and medium-energy heavy-ion beams.