About

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:

About the Department - The Department of Zoology was established in the year 1947. Initially, the Department offered B.Sc. Zoology course, later from 1970 onwards the Department started M.Sc. Zoology course with specialization in Entomology. The Department is a Grant-in Aid Department for UG and PG courses. It is a Research Centre in Zoology recognised by Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune; since the year 2000. Presently, the Department offers graduate and post-graduate courses leading to B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees. About the Faculty - The department presently has 09 highly qualified and competent faculty. Of these, 05 are SET, 02 are NET, 05 are Ph.D. qualified. 04 faculty are Ph.D. guides recognized by Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune. The faculty actively participate and contribute in the design and development of curricula of university courses in Zoology. They are involved in effective teaching, timely consultancy, and extension activities. The faculty are involved in active research and have successfully completed 04 Major and 05 Minor Research Projects, since 2011. The faculty have successfully completed the requisite number of Orientation Courses, Refresher Courses and Faculty Development Programmes required as per the service conditions. The faculty actively participate in various International, National and Regional Symposia, Conferences, Seminars and Workshops. The Head of Department is Mr. D. G. Bhalsing, who has several years of teaching and administrative experience. He is also recipient of ‘Dr. Ambedkar Fellowship National Award – 2016’ from Bharatiya Dalit Sahitya Akademi, Delhi. About the Students - 03 research students have been awarded Ph.D. Degree between January 2011 to December 2017 and currently 09 students have registered for Ph.D. with the Research Centre of the Department. In the years 2006, 2007 and 2010, our PG students have been awarded Gold Medal by the University of Pune for securing highest score in Entomology. 12 alumni have cleared NET in Life sciences; 11 have cleared SET; and 03 has cleared GATE exam from 2011 onwards till date. Many students of this Department are placed in various capacities in different academic and research organisations.

About Research Centre in Zoology- 03 research students of the Department were awarded with Ph.D. degree from January 2011 till date. Different fields of Zoology such as Animal Diversity, Entomology, Apidology, Animal Physiology, Immunology, Reproductive Biology, Fisheries Management, Helminthology and Biochemistry are the major thrust areas of research at the Department. Ph.D. Guides of the Research Centre and their areas of research- 1. Dr. Balraj S. Khobragade – Fisheries management & Faunal diversity 2. Dr. Gajanan S. Pande – Animal physiology and Biodiversity 3. Dr. Ivan J. Aranha – Reproductive biology, Endocrinology & Immunology 4. Dr. Avinash I. Vanjare – Freshwater biology and Zooplankton diversity. Ph.D. Guides associated with the Research Centre and their areas of research - 1. Prof. Dr. Satishchandra G. Suryawanshi – Cestodology 2. Dr. Atulkumar R. Chourpagar – Aquatic Toxicology

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DEPARTMENT REPORT:

Learning resources - The Department Library has a collection of 1497 reference books and few Research Journals of national and international reputed publishers and authors. The laboratories are spacious and well equipped with necessary scientific equipment. The department offers high-speed Internet facility for staff and students. The department also has a collection of preserved insects, stuffed animals, wet preserved specimens, slides and scientific models. Infrastructure facilities - The department has 03 Classrooms, 03 Laboratories, 01 Research Laboratory and 01 Seminar Hall. Each classroom has Audio-Visual facility such as LCD projectors for delivering PowerPoint presentations during teaching. Students also have access to the LCD projectors for their seminars, project presentations, etc. The Seminar Hall is fully air-conditioned and equipped with LCD projector, screen and computer with internet facility and has a seating capacity of 50 persons. Seminars/ Conferences organized- The department had organised Refresher Course in ‘Environmental Studies’ (2007), District level Seminar on ‘Globalization and Environmental Issues’ (2008), UGC Sponsored One Day Seminar on “Entomological Research: Past, Present and Future” (2013), and State Level Seminar on ‘Tools & Techniques in Animal Sciences’ (2016).