Quality Education STET - Sengamala Thayaar Educational Trust Women's College

Microbiology Department

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MICROBIOLOGY DEPARTMENT

  • Department of Microbiology was started in the year 1995. It has grown from strength to strength and offers up to the highest Research Degree.
    The Department has successfully graduated more than 1087 (UG), 592 (PG), 100 (M.Phil,) and 10 Ph.D., students completed their course successfully.
  • The Department has successfully organized Seminar/ Workshop/ Internship/ Webinars/ at National and International level.
    The Department has signed functional MoUs to promote the industry and institution interface. The Department has Centralized Instrumentation Facility (CIF) with sophisticated instruments providing a good research ambience to the students via HPLC, GC, and Multifocal microscope, PCR, Inverted Tissue Culture Microscope, Immuno fluorescent Microscope, AAS, Flame Photometer, Gel Documentation and Bioreactor.
  • Biominin Laboratories are functioning as the incubation center for Tissue culture, biofertilizers, vermicompost production, micro nutrient preparations for 14 crop varieties and mushroom cultivation to promote innovative business ideas and self-employment.
    Faculty member of our Department has received Patent for “Poly herbal Wound Healing” Ointment.
    Many funded projects (Management, UGC-SERO and TNSCST) are being operated by the Students and Faculty Members.
  • The students of our Department have excelled in both academic as well as extracurricular activities.
    The Department has an excellent academic record of 81 University Ranks in UG with 6 gold medals and 120 Ranks in PG with 4 gold medals.
  • All the faculty members have enrolled in NPTEL and SWAYAM online certification for effective teaching. The Department has made significant contribution to the fungal taxonomy. So far, 258 new species, 35 varieties, 4 new genera, 6 new generic records, 36 new records and 6 are rare foliicolous fungi from India were discovered by our Research Scholars. Free Bioinstrumentation training programme is being conducted every year during the summer for other College students.
  • Faculty members are active in teaching, extension and research in different areas such as Environmental and Agricultural Microbiology, Industrial Microbiology, Microbial Biotechnology, Biodiversity, etc. The Department serves as the portal for renowned placements in the life science sectors globally.
Vision, Mission & Objectives of Microbiology Department
  • Empowering the women students with quality education on utility of microbes, microbial
    processes, products, to make them academics and entrepreneurs to serve for the welfare of
    society.
  • To initiate, promote, develop, sustain quality and innovative research using
    sophisticated instruments in the field of Microbiology.
    To motivate the students so as to exploit the potentiality of microbes and
    microbial processes for the betterment of the society
  • To introduce and sustain the rich ancient tamil culture, civilization, tradition and practice them through literature.
  • To promote national integration through devotional literatures.
  • To promote human values and ethics through epics.
 
Programmes Outcome & Programmes Specific Outcome
Programmes Offered
S. No. Programmes Offered Year of Establishment
1 B. Sc., MICROBIOLOGY 1995-96
2 M. Sc., MICROBIOLOGY 1998-99
3 M.Phil., MICROBIOLOGY 2002-03
4 Ph.D., MICROBIOLOGY 2006-07
Faculty Details

Herbarium Unit

  • Our Robert Koch club started a fungal Herbarium Unit named “Centre for Mycological Research” for Foliicolous fungi/ leaf Infected fungi, which forms the first of its kind in Tamil Nadu and become the fourth in India (followed by HCIO, AMH and TBGT)  and is known with its acronym STET. Now around 200 collection have been housed in it. A team of fungal experts has been going on in different areas of Kodaikanal for collection work and the identification of fungi is in progress. Among these 12 new species, 2 new varieties and 2 new record to India are invented.
New Discoveries
One of our Research scholars, Mrs. R.Nithyatharani, the first candidate of the Department awarded Ph.D., by Bharathidasan University in 2013. Totally 78 species of Foliicolous fungi were recorded, in which 10 species and 2 varieties are new discoveries. It includes the Genus Asterina (6), Meliola (5) and Questieriella (1). Among the fungi identified, two are new record to India. The name of the Foliicolous fungi are listed below,  
S.No. List of New Species List of New varieties List of New record to India
1 Meliola cyperacearum Asteridiela solani var.kodaikalensis Meliola euonymi
2 Meliola hoveniae Meliola daviesii var. kodaikalensis Asterina clematidis
3 Meliola luculiae    
4 Meliola thiyagesanii
5 Asterina scutellariae
6 Asterina dhivaharanii
7 Asterina kukkalensis
8 Asterina phobegena
9 Asterina polygalae
10 Asterina  viburnii
11 Questieriella toddaliae
12 Meliola exacigena
 
  • Research work entitled “Fungal parasites on medicinal plants in Thiruvananthapuram
District of Kerala State” leading to Ph.D. Degree was carried out by A. Sabeena. She has completed the research work. She discovered 127 New species of foliicolous fungi; 16 New varieties and 18 New records to India; 2 New genera, 3 New generic records; and 3 rare fungi under the guidance of  Dr. V. B. Hosagoudar, Honorary Research Advisor and Dr.V.Dhivaharan, Co-Guide  of this institution
  • The Department of Microbiology has submitted the gene sequences of Lactobacillus,
Rhodopseudomonas sp., Saccharomycetes sp., Aspergillus niger and Penicillium citrinum to the Gen Bank and NCBI, USA and the accession numbers have been obtained
  • Department of Microbiology has ventured into the process of conversion of plant
lignocellulosic organic wastes into value added products. The ultimate bioconversion of the lignocellulosic waste leads to conversion of organic waste into value added products such as composts and organic manures  
MOU'S & COLLABORATION
Extension Activities
Internship
Research Activities