LUCKNOW, April 14 -- Lucknow University's executive committee approved a slew of academic, administrative initiatives on Monday, most notably launching a bachelor of science (BSc) in computational astrophysics that makes it the first public university in India to offer such a program. Computational astrophysics courses teach numerical techniques to simulate complex astronomical phenomena such as galaxy formation, star evolution, black hole collisions that cannot be solved analytically. The new undergraduate course joins a graduate program in Wildlife Sciences that will welcome students from any discipline. Both approvals signal the university's push toward interdisciplinary education, according to vice-chancellor prof. JP Saini. "By launching this course, LU became the first public university in India to offer such a course. Currently, such programs are available only at the Indian Institute of Space Science Technology, the Indian Institute of Science, the Indian Institute of Science Education Research, plus a few private universities such as Ashoka University," Saini said. Globally, leading institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, University of California Berkeley, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge offer comparable programs. The university also formally linked all academic institutions to their respective faculties for better integration. Previously, these institutions operated independently under their Board of Governors. The council constituted an AI Steering Committee to integrate emerging technologies into education, administration. An Institutional Ethics Committee will maintain ethical standards in research, institutional practices to boost international-level research publications in humanities subjects. The executive body approved a new medal along with a Rs 100,000 annual scholarship for three-year law degree students. Lakshmi Singh established the award in memory of her father, the late Indra Dev Singh, to recognise academic excellence among meritorious students. Teachers hired through proper selection in self-financed programs will now be placed at the UGC pay scale entry level of Rs 57,700....