Department of Biotechnology

The Integrated M. Sc Course in Biotechnology was initiated in July 2006. Our first batch students have graduated in June 2011. The syllabus is indigenous to the department and has been approved by the Syndicate of University of Calcutta and subsequently by the Academic Council of St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous).

Under the integrated course in Biotechnology, topics are divided into core and ancillary. Core topics include various aspects of Biology - both classical and modern and Biotechnology. Ancillary topics include Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Ethics. As Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary subject, these enable students to get a firm grasp of various principles which they can then assimilate and utilize in their studies on research and technology.

The course is delivered in the form of formal lectures on the theory of implementation of contemporary methods in Biotechnology, practical classes and discussions of recent scientific literature. The visual mode of instruction is liberally used, with powerpoint presentations being used to impart information. As in the study of any science, practical are of utmost importance. Practical classes include Microbiology, Analytical Biochemistry, Immunology, Recombinant DNA Technology, Enzymology, Plant Biotechnology and Animal Biotechnology.

The department has a total of nine full time faculty members (Dr. Chandana Barat, Dr. Uma Siddhanta, Dr. Sudipa Saha, Dr. Aniruddha Banerji, Dr. Jhimli Dasgupta, Dr. Dipankar Chakraborti, Dr. Aryadeep Roy Choudhury, Dr. Ronita Nag Chaudhuri and Dr. Priyanka De Mukhopadhyay). The interdisciplinary subjects and specialized topics are taught by the respective departments of the College as well as by a number of guest lecturers.

Our students are extremely committed and intelligent and we, as teachers can say that it is a pleasure to teach such excellent young minds and mould them for the future. Not only do they do excellently in academics – they are at the forefront in extracurricular activities as well, winning numerous laurels and representing the college in the field of sports and performing arts.

Field trips are organized for providing students with exposure to the current biotechnological procedures. Lab visits are organized to Bose Institute and Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics with the students of Semester VI. An excursion for study of animal and plant biology is organized to reserve forests/national sanctuaries of India with the students of Semester VIII. Our students also attended seminars and workshops on Biotechnology at various institutes both in Kolkata and in other parts of India. The students of the final semester (Sem X) are sent for a four-month project work in reputed universities/research institutes to gather hands-on training on advanced research techniques in various fields of modern biological science and to obtain a true feeling of research.

The inaugural issue of the Biotechnology Departmental magazine, “Chiasma” with Dr. Aniruddha Banerji acting as editor and Dr. Dipankar Chakraborti as treasurer was released by the department on Oct 6th, 2010. We pledge to make this an annual event.

The faculty members have initiated research and a number of projects are currently running in the department. Currently three CSIR projects are running under the supervision of Dr. Chandana Barat, Dr. Jhimli Dasgupta and Dr. Ronita Nag Chaudhuri; two UGC projects are running, one each, under the supervision of Dr. Barat and Dr. Aniruddha Banerji. Dr. Dipankar Chakraborti is a co-investigator in an Indo-Swiss Collaborative DBT funded project as well as a PI in an ICAR-funded project. Recently Dr. Dasgupta has also been presented with ‘Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award (IYBA-2010)’, sponsored by DBT, India. Dr. Sudipa Saha and Dr. Uma Siddhanta have recently completed minor research projects funded by UGC. Our faculty members have good publication records and are continuing to publish articles in peer-reviewed journals.

MISSION AND VISION:

The post graduate integrated program in Biotechnology is for the duration of five years, at the end of which a certificate of Master’s Degree in Biotechnology will be provided. It allows no lateral movement at any intermediate level during the course.

The course intends to:

• generate adequate human resources trained in the multi-disciplinary field of Biotechnology to meet the requirement of trained personnel for the promotion of Biotechnology in India as well as abroad;
• equip students with theoretical and practical understanding of contemporary Biology and Biotechnology such that they can pursue research in frontier areas in Biotechnology.

The initial phase of the course provides an exposure to all relevant aspects of natural and physical sciences (physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and biology) with the simultaneous application of the above subjects for understanding more advanced concepts and methods in biology (both laboratory based and computational). This eventually provides the premise for the specialization in the different fields in Biotechnology.

PERFORMANCE RECORD OF OUR FIRST BATCH STUDENTS (2006-2011):

Our First Batch of Students (2006-2011) have graduated in June 2011. Strength of the Batch was 31. They have fared extremely well in all competitive exams and following is there result in a nutshell (exams of December 2010 & June 2011):

Fellowship Examinations:

• NET-CSIR fellowship – 10
• NET-UGC fellowship – 5
• GATE fellowship – 14
• DBT fellowship – 11

Special mention:

• NET-CSIR – 1st, 6th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 20th – National Level Ranks in Life Sciences were from our Department
• DBT – 2nd Position was from our Department
• One of our student has obtained SPM Fellowship in Life Sciences

The various institutes where our students are currently pursuing their research career are:

• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (Kolkata & Pune)
• National Center for Biological Sciences (Bangalore)
• University of Calcutta
• Arkansas Medical School (USA)
• National Institute of Immunology (New Delhi)
• Center for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (Hyderabad)
• National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (Kolkata)
• National Institue of Technology (Rourkela)
• Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore)
• Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (Kolkata)
• Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (Bangalore)