The Alumni Association, Dep. Botany, University of Calcutta
The Alumni Association of Botany, University of Calcutta, has at its disposal experienced and reputed teachers from all areas of expertise and specialization in Botany/Plant Biology, including the lower groups (algae, fungi, lichens); Plant diseases; Plant fossils; Plant communication; Microbiology; Ecology and Environmental Biology; Cell Biology, Genetics & Molecular Biology; and Biotechnology. The alumni are extremely keen to be of help to students of classes XI and XII irrespective of the school board, should the school authorities and / or the senior biology teacher seek such support and assistance with the Biology syllabus. This does not preclude career guidance/counseling in ‘Botany without Borders’. However, core areas of Zoology and Human Physiology do not fall within our purview. Our assistance is free of cost. All that we need is a white screen (or a white wall), a projector and a laptop computer. The duration will ordinarily be of one hour followed by interactive session with our subject experts, if time permits. The medium of lecture may be Bengali/English, as necessary. It will be tailored to the students’ specific needs or lacunae, if any. Other interested students or teachers may also attend our sessions. The name of the speaker, the date and time can be settled once we get to know the available dates the school can spare for us. We keenly look forward to your help, co-operation and valuable time, to enable proper appreciation of plants, the guardian of our planet. We outline below, possible components of our outreach programme.
1.Guest Lectures: on different topics of Botany/Plant Biology/allied fields as indicated above, providing real-world applications wherever applicable.
2.Career Guidance: Include sessions on career paths in plant biology, showcasing opportunities in research, teaching, entrepreneurship, and much more. We could explain how career paths in Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genomics, Forestry and Computational Biology open up, after completion of graduate and post-graduate studies in Botany, as never before. We could also invite researchers and other professionals working in plant-related fields to share their career paths and inspire students to consider future careers in the field.
[Q&A Sessions will enable students to interact directly with experts, asking questions about plant biology concepts, research, and career choices].
3.Technology Integration: We can seek to incorporate technology, such as virtual labs or interactive simulations, to enhance learning experiences.
4.Educational Resources: We shall endeavour to provide access to online resources, articles, podcasts and videos to deepen students’ understanding of plant biology beyond the programme. At the same time, we could foreground the latest discoveries and cutting-edge research in plant biology, from genetically modified crops to bioremediation using plants.
5.Help with plant dissection and preparing herbaria. We can get students up close and personal with the internal organs of plants, dissecting flowers & fruits, stems & roots, to unravel their hidden structures and functions.
6. Interactive Workshops: Engage students with hands-on activities like microscopy sessions and staining, plant physiology experiments, cues to plant identification, mushroom cultivation and so on. [Competitions/challenges/quizzes may be arranged around different themes, with a view to enhance critical thinking, observation and identification skills of students].
7.Foster science communication skills: It may include among others, activities focused on developing presentation and communication skills, allowing students to articulate their findings effectively. This will encourage students to participate in a plant biology-based science fairs in increasing numbers.
8. Collaborative Projects: Modern science is largely collaborative, not to speak of its interdisciplinary nature. We could facilitate group work/projects, where students can conduct time-bound small-scale experiments, that could foster teamwork and critical thinking.
9. Field Trips and Nature Walk: Wecould accompany students to botanical gardens, tissue-culture laboratories or research institutions, to expose students to different plant species and research facilities. Guided nature walks with a botanist will enable pointing out interesting plants and their structures, explain their ecological roles, and answer different questions from students.
10. Community Involvement: Encourage students to apply their knowledge by involving them in local community projects such as tree-planting initiatives or environmental conservation efforts, after discussing with them the crucial role plants play in maintaining the health of our planet and building a sustainable future — from regulating climate and air quality to providing habitat for wildlife.
We keenly look forward to your help to enable our programme to take off in real earnest. At the same time, we shall be grateful, if you spread the word about our initiative to other schools.
~ Dr. Shyamal K Chakraborty
Convener, Outreach programme, Alumni Association of the P.G. Department of Botany, University ofCalcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700019.
E Mail: skchakraborty040@gmail.com
Mobile no.: 9831910680