#1: A Story for Everything
Published April 19, 2021
Our guest in this first episode of NiSERCast is Prof. Varadharajan Muruganandam, from the School of Mathematical Sciences at NISER. In this episode, we discuss his long journey in academia — his PhD days at IIT Kanpur, teaching at Pondicherry University, his experiences teaching in France, and setting up institutes like NISER. We also touch upon the impact of computers on academia and, in particular, research in mathematics.
Listen in to hear about his meandering journey as an Indian academic!
Episode Notes:
Ravi Shankar and Carnatic music
Marshall Stone and Stone–Weierstrass theorem
Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)
Moore machine, Punch cards and Intel processors (286, 386, and Pentium)
Hyderabad University, Pondicherry University, Benaras Hindu University
S Kumaresan, VS Sunder, and Mathematics Training and Talent Search Programme
René Descartes and Cartesian coordinates
George Mallory, Tenzing Norgay, and Edmund Hillary
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