Honours Programme

Magneto-reception in the Living World

Magnetic forces are all pervading and equally penetrating on this earth. Living systems are known to get affected by this force. The proposed project expects students to read current and available scientific literature to find possible mechanisms by which living individuals cope with this stress at physical, physiological and molecular levels.

Mode of evaluation: Literature review report submission and viva.

Course coordinator: Dr. Prashant Ratnaparkhi prashant.ratnaparkhi@xaviers.edu

No. of students: 5 SY and/or TY

Course duration: Tentatively starting in January 2020 for the duration of the semester.

Credit: 1

Course fee: Rs. 300/-

Gene and Genome Analysis

Advanced methods of Genome analysis and its applications in various fields. This lecture series will be conducted online on Zoom platform. Total of 5-6 lectures of two hours each (Evenings or weekends). Attendance compulsory for all sessions.

Mode of assessment: Continuous evaluation and report or assignment to be submitted at the end of the program, continuous quizzes will be conducted.

Course coordinators: Dr. Priya Sundarrajan priya.s@xaviers.edu and Dr. Sangeeta Shetty sangeeta.shetty@xaviers.edu

No. of students: 10-20 SY and/or TY of all Biology disciplines

Course duration: Tentatively starting, December-January, depending on the end semester exams, the course will be conducted over three months.

Credit: 1

Course fee: Rs.700/-

Economical brain

The activity is aimed at introducing the students to the field of Neuroeconomics and Neuromarketing through lectures and discussion sessions conducted by experts from industry and academia. There will be 6 sessions of two hours each scheduled in the month of January and February. The knowledge gained will then be put to use by each student individually by conducting a literature search in the field, selecting a relevant topic and reviewing it through a presentation. The latter activity will be conducted in the month of March and April.

Mode of assessment: Attendance and active participation in lectures, the review presentation and a viva will be used for assessment.

Course coordinator: Dr. Radhika Tendulkar radhika.tendulkar@xaviers.edu

No. of students: 20 SY and/or TY students from Biological Sciences

Course duration: Tentatively, January to April

Credits: 2

Course fee: Rs. 1000/-

Surfing through Stemness

The activity focusses on the field of Stem Cell Biology and its potential in the betterment of human life. It is aimed at developing in students the ability to choose information correctly in the scenario of an information overload, especially from fast paced, dynamic fields such as Stem Cell Biology. The activity will be conducted from December to March. Enrolled students will individually conduct a systematic literature search in the field, select a relevant area/question, mind map the available literature and write a review article under my guidance.

Mode of assessment: The constructed Mind Map, the review article and a viva will be used for assessment.

Course coordinator: Dr. Radhika Tendulkar radhika.tendulkar@xaviers.edu

No. of students: 5 SY and/or TY students from Biological Sciences

Course duration: Tentatively, December to March

Credits: 2

Course fee: Rs. 500/-

Growing your Own Balcony/ Window Sill Garden

Over the duration of 6 months, students will learn to cultivate their own window sill gardens using components easily available at home. Information on indoor plants, microgreens, herbs, flowering plants and food plants, factors affecting their growth, proper potting and care of plants in terms of organic nutrients, fertilizers, pesticides will be provided by gardening experts. The focus will be on growing balcony gardens in the typical urban homes of Mumbai.

Online component: 10 hours (as lectures from gardening experts, reading, contact hours).

Rest will be offline: tending to the garden and hand-writing a daily journal which will be graded.

Mode of assessment: Journal photo-documenting the creation of the balcony garden.

Course coordinator: Dr. Maya Murdeshwar maya.murdeshwar@xaviers.edu

No. of students: 10 SYBSc, 10 TYBSc

Course duration: January to April 2021

Credits: 3

Course fee: Rs. 500/-

Book Review

Students will required to choose a non-fiction book (minimum pages: 500), preferably in hard copy and not an e-version, in a subject area of their choice and read, critically evaluate and write a review on it. The fundamentals of ‘Writing a Book Review’ will be explained. Evaluation will be based on the hand-written book review submitted.

Online component: 1 hour (from instructor’s side, more if student prefers to type the review).

Rest will preferably be offline: Reading the book, critical evaluation and writing the review.

Mode of assessment: Hand-written/ typed review of the selected book.

Course coordinator: Dr. Maya Murdeshwar maya.murdeshwar@xaviers.edu

No. of students: 15 (SY & TYBSc)

Course duration: January to April 2021

Credits: 2

Course fee: Rs. 300/-

For further questions/clarification:

Department of Life Science and Biochemistry Honours Coordinator, Dr Manasi Kanuga, manasi.kanuga@xaviers.edu

FYBSc (25 students)

• A survey awareness, behaviour and level of sensitivity of students towards environmental issues among students of St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Mumbai by Dr Seema Das in collaboration with Ms Ayesha Dias (Department of Statistics)

• Life in a Drop by Dr Seema Das in collaboration with Mr Saif Khan (Department of Botany)

• The web of electromagnetic radiation and its influence on human health by Dr Prashant Ratnaparkhi

• Global Climate Change lecture series by Dr Priya Sundarrajan in collaboration with Ms Janjri Jasani, CERE

• Research poster making in the field of Biology by Dr Priya Sundarrajan

• Mind Mapping by Dr Radhika Tendulkar

TYBSc (22 students)

• The Economical Brain by Dr Radhika Tendulkar & Dr Bhaskar Saha

• Global Climate Change lecture series by Dr Priya Sundarrajan in collaboration with Ms Janjri Jasani, CERE

• Book review of a Scientific Book by Dr Priya Sundarrajan