Department of Zoology

About the Department

History

The Department of Zoology was established in 1974 with a limited number of Faculty and facilities. During the last 42 years, the Department has made all round progress and acquired a position among the leading departments of NEHU and other Universities of India. It offers specialization in several major disciplines of Zoology (e.g., Genetics, Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology, MolecularCell Biology and Immunology, Biochemical Adaptation and Metabolic Regulation, Limnology, Developmental Biology, Fish Biology, HelminthParasitology, Insect Physiology, etc.). For the last few years, the department has been selected by the UGC for conducting Refresher Courses in Zoology for the College and University teachers and has trained about 700 College and University teachers from the different states of N.E. India.

The M.Sc. syllabus of the Department is based on the UGC National Curriculum, and it is regularly revised and updated to incorporate recent developments. So far, about 850 students have been awarded M.Sc. degree. A careful analysis of the examination results indicated that about 500 SC/ST students and 250 General category students have been awarded M.Sc. degree in Zoology. The available trends indicate that the Department has played a significant role in the promotion of higher education among SC/ST students. Further, during the last 42 years, Ph.D. and M.Phil degrees have been awarded to 160 and 28 scholars, respectively. On average 3 to 4 research students qualify NET and GATE each year. A large number of its students are holding, besides government jobs, important faculty positions in the Colleges, Universities and Research Institutions of the N.E. region and other parts of the country. The students run a Departmental club called "Zoonic Society", which coordinates weekly seminars delivered by M. Sc. students and research scholars, organizes inter-departmental Quiz competition, debates/discussion and games, picnic etc., and an annual magazine 'Zoonic News' is published regularly. They also promote public awareness by celebrating the "World Environment Day" and "World Forest Day".

The Department has selected ‘Faunal Diversity and Ecophysiology’ as its major thrust area for research having special relevance to the North Eastern India. Based on the overall academic and research contributions, the Department was sanctioned DRS project by the UGC (New Delhi) in 1991 followed by 3 phases of DRS and 2 phases of DSA under ‘Special Assistance Programme’ of the UGC. The Department successfully completed the DSA II in 2016. It is important to mention that the Department has received a grant of rupees sixty six lakhs from the UGC under the COSIST programme, and rupees 2 crores from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the FIST I and FIST II programmes for development of infrastructural facilities in recognition of the academic achievements of this Department during the last 42 years. About 40 research projects (total cost: Rs 7 Crore approx.) sponsored by UGC, CSIR, ICAR, DST, DBT, DoEn, DAE, NEC, GTZ (Germany), Eco-development, State DST and Meghalaya Pollution Control Board have already been completed. These projects have a direct relevance to the socio-economic development of the N.E. region.

The faculty of the Department of Zoology is working in collaboration with National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, National Research Centre for Cold Water Fisheries, Zoological Survey of India, several Indian Universities, University of Mainz (Germany), University of Minnesota (USA), University Clinic of Dusseldorf (Germany) and Gray Laboratories (UK). In recognition of the distinguished academic and research contributions, most of the faculty members have been awarded prestigious national and international fellowships/awards (e.g., FNASc, FZS, FZSI, ISCA Young Scientist Award, National Associateship, Alexander Von Humboldt Fellowships, DAAD Fellowships, Roosevelt Fellowship, BOYSCAST Fellowship, Mount Vernon Hospital Trust Fellowship, etc.). The faculty members have been attending various international and national conferences/seminars/symposia etc., in which they have chaired several scientific sessions. The Department has so far organized ten national symposia, a COSIST Workshop,four international conference, one regional seminar, one DBT workshop, two Young Scientists’ National Workshop and 29 refresher courses. The faculty has published over 1000 research papers in reputed national and international journals, edited books, manuals and monographs.

Profile

Course offered by the department are:
1. M. Sc.
2. Ph. D.

Achievements

The Department has developed one of the best scientific infrastructural facilities of the country for to promote research and higher studies in the N.E region. Its Central Equipment Facility houses major state-of-the-art equipments like- UV-VIS Spectrophotometer, HPLC, Automatic scintillation analyzer, Automatic Gamma Counter, X-rays Generator, Image Analysing System, Gel Documentation System, PCR GeneAmp, Flameless Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS), High Speed Refrigerated Centrifuges, Lyophilizer, Gas Chromatograph, Ion Analyzer, ELISA Reader, Ultra Microtome, Ultra freezer (-80oC), Ice Flakers, CO2 Incubator, O2/CO2/N2 Incubator, Rotary Evaporator, Ultra Sonicators, Bead Beaters, Portable Cold Chamber, Column Chromatography System, Osmometer, Automatic Autoclave, Radiation monitor, Sophisticated Optical Systems etc. In addition, the Department has developed a Computer room with latest PCs, scanner and printers for its students. The PCs of the Faculty and computer room are connected to the VSAT- Facility of NEHU which provides a 24-hour online access to Internet and databases. Sophisticated techniques like cell and tissue culture, HPLC, radioimmunmoassay (RIA), radioenzym assay, spectrophotometry, PCR, ELISA, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, gel electrophoresis, chromosomal mapping etc. are being used for both teaching and research. The Department has established a Seminar Room and Seminar Hall. The Department has its own 15 KVA power generator in addition to a 75 KVA Generator as a school level facility to ensure power supply in case of failure of the power substations of NEHU. With these facilities, the Department of Zoology has become one of the best-equipped research institutions at both national and international levels.

Thus, during the last 42years the Department of Zoology of NEHU has emerged as a centre of excellence for higher education and research n zoological sciences in the North-Eastern region as well as in India. It has, thus, fulfilled the aspirations of Section 4 of the NEHU Act, 1973 in totality.

Students intake :

• M. Sc. - 30 no..annually.
• Ph. D. – 7-10 no. annually.