The Department of Zoology is one of the
pioneering departments in the country. It has produced more than 1500 research
papers, published in world's most widely circulated reputed international journals.
Both the academic staff and research students have actively participated in more
than 150 National and International Conferences (held in India and abroad), Seminars
and Symposia. Department has successfully organized ten symposia and four refresher
courses.
Prof. K. Kumar had opportunity to visit Holland and collaborated
with Prof. Newkoop (Director) and Prof. Quwneel (Sr. Scientist) at the Uberet
Lab International Embryological Institute, under UNESCO/UNDP Programmes. He has
worked on the imaginal disc of Drosophila at Hungary. At Hungary he collaborated
with Prof. Szabad at BRC and was awarded Ph.D. in developmental genetics, sponsored
by Hungarian Academy of Science. Prof. C.P.M. Tripathi has obtained Fulbright
Fellowship and had worked at Texas A & M. Agric. Univ., Texas USA with Prof.
Vinson (Head, Entomology Division). He then went to England on the Fellowship
sponsored by Royal Society, London. There he worked at Rothamsted Agric. Res.
Station Harpended with Prof. Wilf Powell (Head, Division of Entomology). At both
the laboratories he worked upon Kairomones attracting the parasitoid Prayon. Prof.
K. Pandey and Prof. A.K. Singh are recognized internationally for their research
work on chronobiology, ecotoxicology and reproduction biology of fishes. Dr. Ajai
Kumar Srivastava has obtained INSA-DFG (Germany) Scientist Exchange Fellowship
(1989) to work with Prof. R. Ziegler (Head of Internal Medicine, Heidelberg University).
There he established a correlation between the mammalian calcitonin cells and
1,25- dihydroxicholecalciferol. Dr. Srivastava has visited Japan (1994) and worked
with Prof. Yuichi Sasayama (Head, Dept. of Biology, Toyama University) on the
various endocrine glands and for the first time reported the hypermagnesemic effects
of corpuscles of Stannius in elasmobranch. Also he has investigated the effect
of parathyroidectomy in the newts which was not reported earlier. During 1995
and 1999 Dr. Srivastava went to The Netherlands under the prestigious Marie Curie
Fellowship and worked at the Dept. of Animal Physiology, Nijmegen University with
Prof. S.E. Wendelaar Bonga (Dean, Faculty of Science). There he correlated Stanniocalcin
with Vitamin D metabolites which were not done earlier. Dr. Srivastava again visited
Japan under JSPS invitation and worked with Prof. Y. Sasayama (Director, Noto
Marine Laboratory, Japan) and determined for the first time the amino acid sequences
of N-terminal procalcitonin of some vertebrates. Also, he reported the occurrence
of calcitonin cells in goldfish intestine and in Amphioxus. Moreover, the effects
of 1,25 (OH)2D3 on the newt calcium regulation were also worked out for the first
time. Prof. Rajendra Singh has won international laurels to the department in
the field of biological control. He was requested by the Australian Government
to provide his expertise to suggest and provide parasitoids for controlling the
many aphids. He has published more than one hundred papers in Aphidology. Dr.
V.B. Upadhyay's Silkworm Laboratory is one of the leading laboratories where basic
studies on the silkworm are carried out. Dr. D. K. Singh and Dr. Ajay Singh have
established themselves internationally in the field of formulation and use of
biopesticides for integrated vector management. The Malacology laboratory have
successfully isolated and identified pure compounds from more than two dozen medicinal
plants. They have worked on the mode of their action at cellular level. Kinetic
of enzyme inhibition by these pure compounds have been established by them. Dr.
D. K. Singh has the honour to act as referee for the award of Third World Academy
Award sponsored by Italy. His expertization for controlling the snail has been
sought by scientific bodies of Philippines. Dr. Veena B. Kushwaha at present is
working on the controlled release of biologically active compounds. She is trying
to manage the population of snails by using synthetic as well as plant based molluscicides.
Dr. R. K. Upadhyay worked on the purification, isolation and characterization
of animal toxins which is of importance for the production of polygonal antibodies
against venoming insects and animals. He is now working to control the termites
by using natural active components from plants. Dr. P.H. Pathak is engaged on
insect physiology, reproduction and behaviour particularly with respect to non-host
plant volatiles. Study of hydrobiology of fresh water lake Ramgarh Tal has also
been conducted by him.
Several advanced research centres and highly professional
institutions are associated with the Department, viz. ITRC, CDRI, CIMAP, CIBC,
ZSI, Tribhuvan University (Nepal), etc.
Eight text books in English on
Physiology, Entomology, Biochemistry, Economic Zoology, Toxicology, Animal behaviour,
Fish & Fisheries, Invertebrate Practical and Regulatory Mechanism for undergraduate
and postgraduate students and a monograph on Fishes of Eastern Uttar Pradesh have
also been published by the members of this Department. In addition to the above,
staff members of the department have contributed several chapters in books published
by Live Kluwer Academic Press, Academic Press, Pergamon Press etc. The Department
has been recognized as the active centre for the researchers in biological control
by the Aphidological Society, India. Half yearly Research Journal of Aphidology
is being edited by Prof. Rajendra Singh and published since last eight years.
Dr. Ajai K. Srivastava has obtained Young Scientist Award from the highest scientific
body of the country Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi for his scientific
contributions in the field of calcium regulation in vertebrates.
