A Niser student receives his graduation certificate during the convocation in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, June 16: A gold medal and PhD offers from various foreign universities made the day for Sonisilpa Mohapatra.

A graduate in chemical sciences, Sonisilpa hogged the limelight at the second convocation of National Institute for Science Education Research (Niser) here on Saturday, received offers from Wisconsin, Colorado, Pittsburgh varsities in the US and University of Kiel in Germany.

Muna Naik, a student of school of mathematical sciences, who received a silver medal and two memorial awards on the occasion, has got offers from the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, and Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, for higher studies. He has also cleared several top-notch eligibility tests to pursue research work.

With diverse choices from several reputed universities across the world to pursue PhD studies, 23 students of Niser received their integrated MSc degrees at the convocation. The students have already secured berths at universities such as Yale, University of California Los Angeles, Florida, Utah, Ohio, Wisconsin, Stony Brook, Minnesota, Emory, Siena, Michigan, Texas-Houston and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to do their PhDs.

“At Niser, we were updated with the current research and development trends around the globe, so we had an edge over students from other institutes in facing the challenge,” said Sonisilpa, daughter of a cost accountant.

While Sonisilpa received a gold and a silver medal each as well as a memorial prize for her academic performance at the convocation, Roli Esha of the school of physical sciences received one silver medal and two memorial prizes for her thesis and overall performance. Niser was conceived with the idea of dedicated careers in research and development among the young students wanting to pursue basic science courses after Plus Two, said institute director T.K. Chandrasekhar.

“This year’s results have proved that our students are doing better to keep that philosophy high,” said Chandrasekhar.

Chief guest at the convocation and former director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Shri Krishna Joshi, however, advised them to “come out of the confinement of the ivory towers (laboratories)” and find solutions to problems that the country is facing in the rural pockets.

“Young researchers should think about easy, economical and easy-to-implement solutions for safe drinking water, health and sanitation and curbing environment pollution as India is facing many such problems,” Joshi said.

Former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and chairman board of governors Niser Anil Kakodkar said at present the institution was functioning under the Homi Bhaba National Institute, a deemed university under the department of atomic energy, “but we are planning to provide autonomy to Niser in future’’.

A separate Niser Act has been drafted and submitted to the Centre through department of atomic energy to take the institute to the level of other national institutes such as IITs, Indian Institute of Science and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research.