Zoology was offered as one of the subjects in the Intermediate class since 1940. B.Sc. Pass course
in Zoology was started in 1944. Prof. K. Veerabadra Rao, M.A. was the first Head of the Department
from 1944 to 1949. He was succeeded by Prof. A. J. Bonnel who occupied the chair between 1949 and
1952. Prof. J. P. Balasingh became the Head of the Department of Zoology in 1952. The two-year
intermediate course was replaced by a one year Pre-University course in 1956. The Pre-University
course was the foundation course for all the Professional courses and other Degree courses. It
attracted a large number of students from foreign countries like Sri Lanka and South Africa. In 1957
the three-year B. Sc. degree course was introduced to replace the two-year Pass-course. The very
next year ie.. in 1958, M.Sc. degree course in Zoology, was the first science department of our
college to become a Post Graduate Department. A new separate Post Graduate block was constructed and
declared open by Dr. A. Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar, the then Vice-Chancellor of University of Madras on
the 12th of March 1959. Prof. K.C. Ramasamy was the first PG Professor and HOD during the period of
1958-1965. Prof. Dr. N. P. Kalyanam was the next to occupy the position from 1965 to 1984.
The M. Phil. Degree course in Zoology was started in the year 1977 both on full-time and part-time
basis. So far, as many as 186 M. Phil. Candidates have come out successfully from the department.
The part-time M. Sc. Degree course in Zoology was conducted specially for the bonafied teachers with
UG degree, working in colleges and schools during 1979-86, to enable them to qualify with a PG
degree. The Department started registering candidates for Ph. D. degrees from 1982 onwards. Dr.
K.Shanmugam and Dr. N. Gurumani were the recognized guides. Afterwards many professors got guideship
and more than thirty five scholars have qualified for the award of Ph.D. Degrees from this
Department.
Dr. A. P. Kamalakara Rao took over as Head of the Department in 1984. He later became the Principal
of the college University of Madras. An animal museum was constructed using the UGC VII Plan Grant.
It was declared open by the then Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras Dr. S. Sathik on 02nd
of April 1992. Prof. A. J. Kalyanram
succeeded Dr. A. P. Kamalakara Rao as HOD in 1994 and served in that post for three years till 1997.
Dr. N. Gurumani over the headship of the Department in 1997 and was in that position till 2002. Dr.
S.P. Annamalai was the Head of the Department from 2002 to 2005. Dr. R. Suthanthiran took over as
Head of the Department in June 2005 succeeded by Dr. S. Sivakamasundari (2005-2007) and Dr. S.
Kalavathy (2007-2010). The Madras University has accorded the permission for the conversion of
present B. Sc. Branch VI Zoology degree course into B.Sc. Branch VI-A Advanced Zoology and
Biotechnology degree course from the academic year 2006-2007. Dr. L. Veerakumari took over the
headship of the Department in 2010 and retired from service in 2016.
Special lecture on 'Anticancer Properties of Green Tea' was delivered by Dr. T. Saravanan Ph.D.,
Associate Professor Department of Zoology, Jamal Mohammed College, Trichy on 27.8.2010.
The department has produced several graduates and Post graduates who have achieved eminence in the
fields of research, teaching and administration. Open Ceremony of Life Science exhibition by
Financial trustee Dr. V.Ramanathan.
Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the
Department
To commemorate the 75th years of glorious service and the Platinum Jubilee (1940 - 2015) year of the
Department was celebrated
