DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY

Bio Science (General Course) course was started in the year 1982 in this department and then in the year 1989 Honurs course in Botany was started under the University of North Bengal . The first Honours batch was admitted in 1989-90 session. Besides teaching, some research activities are the regular curriculum of this department. The areas of the research interests are mainly cyto-genetics, Plant tissue culture, Microbial biotechnology and Ecology, Biodiversity and Medicinal Importance of Plants.

Teachers Profile:

Dr. Dipayan Chattopadhyay (HOD)   Reader

            Dr. Nirmalendu Das                            Reader

            Sri. Saikat Naskar                                Lecturer

Non-Teaching Staffs:

Learning Resources of the department:

Library: Apart from the central library there is a rich departmental library consisting of  210 books exclusively for Hons. sudents.

Computer: one computer with Printer, Scanner and internet facilities is available.

Laboratory: The laboratories are highly equipped with different instruments for B. Sc. Honours Course, like considerable number of compound and 6 dissecting microscopes, lminar air flow, incubator, hot air oven, gel electrophoresis apparatus, digital photo colorimeter, electric balance, microtome, pH-meter, camera Lucida, double distilled water plant, water bath, autoclave, centrifuge, hot plate, a few spring and pan balances etc. Different chemicals and glass wares are in adequate amount for smooth running of the Honours practical classes. The museum of the department is enriched with a large number of Botanical specimens and Herbarium.

Participation of the teachers in academic and personal counseling of the students:

• Tutorial classes are taken in the end of the week for eliminating any confusion about the subject taught in previous five days.
• Notes are given to the students for critical topics after lecture.
• Teachers of the department are available beyond the class hours for eliminating any confusion about the subject.
• Necessary books are given to the students from seminar library.
• For advanced students books and journals are provided from the teachers personal collections.
• Special care is taken to the average students and extra time is given to them beyond the class hours.
• Students are regularly encouraged to sit for different competitive examinations like S.S.C., W.B.C.S., W.B.F.S. etc.

Details of Faculty development programmes and teachers who have been benefited during the last two years:

Teachers upgrade themselves by attaining refreshers and orientation courses (for teaching) and by participating workshops, conferences and seminars (for research). The department also jointly organized a seminar on “ Conservation of Biodiversity : Information and Documentation”  (18 th March, 2007) and all the teachers of the department were actively participated.  Besides this, a two days workshop on “ Conservation and Documentation of Peoples’ Information of Biodiversity of Cooch Behar Municipality” ( 1^st -2^nd December, 2007) was organized by the department to initiate a project on the above mentioned subject. All the faculties of the department were present on the Workshop and exchange their views with other distinguished participants.

Research:

      Teachers are actively engaged in different research works in the field of Cytogenetics, Mushroom Biotechnology, Ecological adaptation of different mangroves as well as documentation of Biodiversity.

Collaboration with other departments: 

            As per as collaboration is concerned one of the faculty members Dr. Nirmalendu Das is conducting some research works with Dr. Mina Mukherjee of Biotechnology Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata and completed two sponsored (one-DST, one-UGC) research projects. Dr. Das recently received a collaborative project with Dr. Biswadev Bishayi of Dept. of Physiology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata from DBT. He has published Two research papers in two internationally reputed journals and one of his review work is accepted to include in  edited volume of ‘Biotechnology Application” edited by C.S.K. Mishra & Pascale Champange.

            Another faculty Saikat Naskar is doing his predoctoral research work at Central Research Institute of Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, West Bengal under the guidance of Dr. P. Palit on “ The Physiology and Biochemical basis of Salt Tolerence of Some Plants of Indian Sundarbans”.

Priority area of research and detail of ongoing projects, important and note-worthy publication of the faculty during last two years:

             Priority areas of research of Dr. N. Das : Study, Cultivation and improvement of mushroom strains as well as the regulatory role of different enzymes in various developmental phases of mushroom and implication of mushroom enzymes in some biotechnological processes. Priority areas of research of Prof. S. Naskar: The study of salt tolerance (physiological and biochemical basis) of mangrove plants and documentation of peoples’ information on biodiversity of cooch Behar municipality.

Ongoing Minor Project-

Samiran Ghosh and Saikat Naskar: Survey and Documentation of Peoples’ information on Biderversity of Cooch Behar Municipality- West Bengal Board of Biodiversity (Kolkata).

Ongoing Major Project-

Dr. Nirmalendu Das: Highly Efficient and Simple Methods for the preparation of active Laccase antibody-conjugates for enzyme- immunoassay and immunoblots- DBT (New Delhi)

Placement:

Almost 60% of the passed student is employed mainly in various High School through SSC.

In addition to normal assignments of the faculties the teachers take some extra classes for the students appearing in SSC, WBCS and to the qualified students for interview.