Department of Molecular biology offers 5-Year Integrated M.Sc. Molecular Biology course. This course was started in Yuvaraja’s college during 2005-06 and in the same year our college got the autonomous status. Prof. B.K. Jagadeesha was the first course co-ordinator who laid the foundation to this unique research oriented course. After his tenure the responsibility of running the programme was entrusted to Dr. N.S. Devaki who was deputed from the Department of Botany during 2008 and since then she is serving as course Co-ordinator of the Department. For nearly one year Dr. B.P. Harini, served the Department as Deputy course co-ordinator. Department of Molecular biology was provided with independent space during 2009-2010 academic year with one lecture hall and two laboratories in the applied science block where basic facilities and few advanced facilities are created. Multimedia facility is provided in all the three teaching rooms which are being used regularly by the teaching faculty. Within the staff room a computer lab is created with ten desk top computers connected with internet facility. Students are continuously using this facility and training is given in bioinformatics to the students of IX semester by using this set up.
At present 68 students are undergoing training from all the five semesters put together. Since this is an advanced research oriented course, efforts are made to give individual attention to impart practical skills as well as theoretical knowledge. Departmental seminars, class seminars, assignments, chart preparation, model preparation is assigned to the students from time to time. Regular seminar is helping the students to develop good communication skills. Many laminated high quality charts made by the students with different themes such as Nobel prize won scientists and their contributions related to Molecular biology are hung on the walls of the Department gives an academically rich view. Apart from few permanent faculty of our college, guest faculty of other departments, 4 guest faculty of molecular biology Department , more than 10 invited faculty from the Institutes and Post Graduate Departments of Manasagangotri are imparting knowledge to the students. Department has a small library with about 160 books, many of which are new and recent editions pertaining to the subjects of students interest. Since some of them are rare books, these are borrowed and returned by few post graduate Department of teachers also for reference. Students are encouraged to use these books daily in the Department when they are free and also till 8 PM. A ledger is maintained to keep the record of the usage of these books. Department has maintained log book for the use of Instruments, Computers, movement register for the staff members, opinion book for the visitors and thus data on many aspects on the Department is easily traceable.
A workshop was conducted for revision and completion of syllabus for all 10 semesters to include advanced and modern topics which are application oriented in the month of August 2008 involving experts from different institutes, University P.G. Departments, and senior staff from our college numbering 25. The workshop has successfully given shape to a new syllabus which has recognized the recent trends in the development of the discipline. Further as per the present day needs syllabus is being upgraded during the BOS meeting held every year. This syllabus is taken as reference syllabus by some institutes to frame their M.Sc. Molecular biology syllabus.
Since 2011-12 , students are applying for summer fellowships offered by Indian Academy of Sciences. In the same year three students of VI sem were selected for the program and these three students got advanced training in Molecular biology in reputed national institutes such as NIRRH, Bombay, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, New Delhi and CFTRI, Mysore. During 2013-14 , two students of VIII Sem were selected for their advanced training in IISc., Bangalore and IIT, Delhi. Besides these, our students are encouraged to participate in the seminars and symposia conducted by various institutes.
M.Sc. students have to do one semester project work in institutes of repute of our country or abroad. Till now our students got opportunity to do their project work in Institutes of repute such as Singapore-MIT alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, Tata Institute of Fundamental research, Bombay, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Bombay, Veterinary Research Institute, Assam , IIT, Gauhati, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, NIMHANS, Bangalore, CFTRI, Mysore, CFTRI, Mysore, CSR&TI, Mysore etc. Presently (2014-15) the students of X semester are going to carrying out their project work in NCBS (branch of TIFR),Bangalore, CCMB, Hyderabad, IISc., Bangalore, and CFTRI, Mysore.
Every year students are taken on educational tour outside our state to expose them to research activities and to have an opportunity to interact with the scientists of International repute to shape their carrier. Current year (2014-15) students will be taken to Pune and Bombay to research Institutes such as NCL,Pune, ISER, Pune, BARC, IIT, TIFR, NIIRH, ACTREC and NIIH in Bombay. All students passed out of the course are working either for their Ph.D program or in research projects or are placed in Industries in India and abroad (USA, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Finland).
We are very proud to say that some of our students have cleared KSET and UGC-CSIR National Education Test and one of our student B.R. Asuthosh of 2013-14 batch of students obtained 9th Rank in UGC-CSIR NET exam.
Thus the Department offers a course which is very much suitable for the students who have passion for biological science research and want to have profession in an advanced area of biological science.