Nandini Raha Memorial workshop on physics experiments: A short-term certificate course

The Department of Physics of The Bhawanipur Education Society (BES) College and the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) had jointly organised a workshop – Nandini Raha Memorial Workshop On Physics Experiments: A Short-Term Certificate Course from 3rd of December, 2024 to 7th of December, 2024 in association with the IQAC and the Seminar/FDP/Workshop Committee, Science Section, The BES College, Kolkata.

The undergraduate physics curriculum encompasses a wide range of experiments across various papers. However, this workshop went beyond the syllabus by offering a unique opportunity to explore innovative experiments designed by experienced professors. These experiments, crafted in indigenous and interactive ways, aimed to illustrate the underlying physical laws prominently.
It is known that any interaction or dynamical system must adhere to relevant physical laws. An experiment, however, is a meticulously designed and systematic process that yields measurable quantities and reproducible results. This workshop had served to empower students to discover how simple arrangements can be designed to obtain measurable quantities.

Through this workshop, students had gained hands-on experience with physical laws, exploring complex concepts through simple yet effective experiments. The goal had been to inspire and guide students in their future pursuits in physical sciences.

Twenty three first semester students had joined the workshop from various colleges like Lady Brabourne College, S.A. Jaipuria College, The Heritage College, Bethune College, Asutosh College and seven more students from The BES College. Students from the fifth semester of The BES College had acted as mentors in this workshop. Twenty nine teachers including IAPT members and teachers from the Department of Physics, The BES College had attended and actively participated in this workshop.

All the participants had explored and experienced an interactive, exciting and enjoyable workshop on experimental physics. Few projects were arranged with smartphones after it was taught how a smartphone could be used as a powerful measuring device. One of the students shared that – “It was a wonderful experience with the teachers and the students. I gained a lot of knowledge about new methods of doing physics experiments.” Resource person, Prof. Manimala Das, former Vice-Chancellor of Netaji Subhas Open University had commented – “Physics Department, The BES College, has excellent infrastructure, teaching and supporting staff. Student participants are enthusiastic and picked up new ideas fast, very satisfying as a whole.”