HT Bureau
JORHAT, April 27: The IUCAA-sponsored workshop on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2025 was successfully held from April 24 to 26 drawing active participation from students, researchers, and faculty members from across the region.
The three-day workshop was organized as part of the initiatives under the IUCAA Centre for Astronomy Research and Development (ICARD), Tezpur University, Assam. The first day’s sessions, titled “Workshop on Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics,” were hosted at Bahona College, while the second and third days, focusing on “Applications of Quantum Mechanical Calculations in Observational Astronomy,” were held at Jagannath Barooah University, Jorhat.
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The inaugural session began with warm welcome addresses by Sumbit Chaliha, Principal of Bahona College, and Utpal Jyoti Mahanta, Principal of Jagannath Barooah University.
Durgesh Tripathi (IUCAA, Pune), Principal Investigator of the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) onboard India’s Aditya-L1 mission, delivered an insightful keynote address on solar astrophysics. He discussed phenomena such as sunspots, solar cycles, space weather, and the uniqueness of the Aditya-L1 mission.
Tripathi highlighted Aditya-L1’s capabilities in observing the solar atmosphere across a broad range of wavelengths—from hard X-rays to infrared—and its contributions toward understanding the Earth’s stratospheric chemistry, including ozone and oxygen layers, as well as magnetic field measurements in the solar corona and interplanetary space.
Over the next two days, the workshop provided a deep dive into quantum mechanics and the application of Density Functional Theory (DFT) in astronomical data analysis. The program offered a balanced mix of practical exercises, advanced scientific lectures, and training in essential research skills, empowering graduate and postgraduate students, research scholars, and early-career faculty in the field of molecular astronomy.
The workshop was coordinated by Ranjeev Misra and Durgesh Tripathi (both from IUCAA, Pune), Aishawnnya Sharma (Bahona College), and Ankur Gogoi (Jagannath Barooah University).
The distinguished panel of resource persons included Durgesh Tripathi (IUCAA, Pune), Amit Pathak (Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi), Gazi A. Ahmed (Tezpur University, Assam), Rupjyoti Gogoi (Tezpur University, Assam), Mridusmita Buragohain (University of Hyderabad), Nishant Shukla (The Assam Kaziranga University, Jorhat), Satyam Srivastava (Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi), Anshika Pandey (Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi), Shivani Mishra (Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi)
The workshop witnessed enthusiastic participation from over 50 attendees representing premier institutions including IISER Bhopal, Dibrugarh University, Tezpur University, Sibsagar University, DKD College, Bahona College, and Jagannath Barooah University, among others.
As part of its outreach initiatives, the Department of Physics at Jagannath Barooah University also organized a satellite programme titled “Invitation to Astronomy” on April 26. This special event, aimed at school and college students, featured interactive sessions and inspiring talks, igniting a passion for astronomy among young minds and nurturing the next generation of scientists.
The workshop concluded on April 26, leaving a lasting academic impact on all participants and strengthening the foundation for future astronomical research and collaboration in the region.
