Department Profile

In view of lively rural surroundings and rich diversity in plants, animals and bio- culture, there has been a candid demand for opening Biological Science department in St. Thomas College and therefore in 1968 the Departments of Botany and Zoology was opened. Since the inception of the Department, the founder members of its teaching faculty and their successors worked relentlessly to establish high standards of teaching that brought recognition to the department at university level. The department has relentlessly been striving for excellence in teaching and overall development of the students. The department currently has three teaching faculties with doctorate degrees and one non-teaching staff. The faculties are actively engaged in research and publish research findings. The department has its faculty representative in the Board of studies of M.G. University and is actively engaged in curriculum designing and in upgrading and updating the academic curriculum. The department promotes participation of students in various extension activities like organic farming, mushroom cultivation, biodiversity conservation etc without any govt funding.

The Department was established in the year 1968. The first Principal Late Prof. K.A. Mathew was the HOD. The Teaching faculties were Prof. K.A. Mathew (1968-1983), Prof. P.T. Abraham (1968-1999), Prof. Santhamma Markose (1969-1999), Prof. K.O. Kuriakose (1970-2000), Prof. K.U. Chachiyamma (1970-2003), Prof. Annamma Chacko (1981-2009), Prof. Roshni Zachariah (1984-2006). There are 32 seats for B.Sc. students sanctioned by the university on regular basis. Earlier we had conducted pre-Degree and Degree courses but now only Degree programme is conducting with 4 faculties (3 permanent and 1 Guest).

Mission

• To explore and protect the plant world
• To be a centre of excellence for plant sciences.
• To maintain our position as the premier department of higher learning and research in Botany /Plant sciences and to further commit ourselves to academic excellence.

Vision

• To provide a student centred and professions oriented higher education that hasten academic environment
• To demonstrate and promote creative, intellectual inquiring with positive relationships among students, faculty and staff that enhance a fruitful and outstanding learning experience for future application
• To demonstrate and promote the excellence in plant sciences on a positive perspective to suit the dynamic world offering holistic education with apt practical orientation to produce leaders and researchers in various fields of plant sciences.

Objectives

The course introduces students to the importance of plants as an integral part of existence on the planet. The main motto of this Department is ‘Live with nature’. For that we made a Medicinal Garden which contains more than 50 medicinally important plants, some of them are considered to be rare and endangered. Through conducting seminars and the commercial selling of plantlets and herbal seedlings we encourage the local people to know more about the value of the medicinal plants. As part of community development programme we have a mushroom cultivation unit since 2004. Every year conduct seminars and workshop on mushroom cultivation and distribute spawns among locals. With the aim ‘earn while you learn’ we engage students in mushroom cultivation. In order to develop the inter-personal relationship among teacher and students who is expected to look after the academic non-academic requirements of the students for that particular year, every week one hour is set apart for tutorial work. For skill and knowledge development among students we frequently conduct debates, seminars, workshops, quiz programmes etc. Every year we are conducting field trip for 1st and final year students to know more about the vegetation in various natural habitats. These activities enable the students to understand the subject outside the classroom environment.