Department of Chemistry
The DST-FIST, DBT-Star College and KSCSTE-SARD supported Department of Chemistry at Newman College, Thodupuzha is a potential centre of learning in chemical sciences. As a department, it was started in the year 1967, and has celebrated fifty years of its existence in 2017. The department gives importance to academic teaching as well as research. The Chemistry department enjoys financial assistance from government agencies including MHRD-RUSA, UGC, DST, DBT, SERB, KSCSTE, and SRIBS and has dedicated research laboratories with advanced instrumental facilities like IR, UV-Vis DRS with Peltier, Fluorescence spectrometer, Electrochemical work-station etc. Around 100 research publications came out from the department during the last 10 years (2012-2021), which include reviews, research articles, book chapters, edited books etc. The department has been identified as Centre for Research in Chemical Sciences by the Mahatma Gandhi University in the year 2018. Major research focuses include amphiphilic biopolymers and eco-design of materials, sustainable and clean energy materials, (bio) polymeric nanocomposites, nanomaterial’s for biomedical applications etc.
The department has therefore identified TWO key research thrust areas;
Extraction/Synthesis- State and Properties- and Applications of Biopolymers
Electrochemical research focussing on Clean Energy Production
Department of English
Research Centre of English: A Short Profile
The postgraduate department of English, Newman College Thodupuzha was recognized as Research Centre in English on 14 July 2009 vide the university order No, 3091/Ac.AVI/1/RC/2009/Acad/. Dr George Justin of this department was the only research supervisor in the beginning. The Research Centre became active and dynamic in 2017 since two teachers of the department Dr. Nibu Thomson and Dr. George Sebastian were given research guide ship by Mahatma Gandhi University. Eight PhD scholars Joined the department under these research supervisors and 5 of them were full-time scholars and 3 were part-time scholars. Later in 2018 Dr. Armstrong Sebastian, Associate Professor, of Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha joined the research center with 6 part-time Scholars. Since the PG department of English of Nirmala College was promoted to a research Centre, Dr Armstrong Sebastian and Dr. Nibu Thomson, who had been transferred to the same college, left this research Centre and the 10 PhD scholars under their supervision eventually shifted their research Centre to Nirmala College. In 2019 Dr. Jinu George of St. Peter’s College, Kolenchery joined Newman College as research supervisor with an intake of 2 full time scholars and one part-time scholar. Later in 2021 Jeremy Babu, and Indu Jose, two scholars under the guidance of Dr. Jinu George converted their full time registration to part-time. In 2021 Dr. Bijimol Thomas and Dr. Anju K.N were given the status of research supervisor by M.G. University. The present position of the research Centre is given below.
Year in Which Research Centre started Functioning: 2009
Total Number of Research Guides: 4
Total Number of Research Scholars: 8
Number of Full time Research Scholars: 4
Number of part-time Scholars: 4
Number of Scholars completed Course Work: 7
Number of Male Scholars: 2
Number of Female Scholars: 6
Number of Scholars from SC/ST/OBC sections: 2
Number of PhD theses Produced: Nil
Department of Physics
Department of Physics is the first recognised research centre of Newman College, since November 2006. It is a matter of pride that the transition of the college to a research institution was materialized through the award of the first-ever PhD from the College to Sri. Aloysius Sabu N under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Varghese in 2018. Currently the Department has nine research guides and produced eight Ph.D theses during the last five-
years. It has contributed more than 80 international peer reviewed research publications. Eleven researchers are pursuing PhD in various disciples. The research activities of the Department are centred around the topics of Nanomaterials, Conducting Polymers, Photopolymers, Photonics, Opto-electronics, Microwave electronics, Astrophysics and the Quantum transport phenomena. Department of Physics has active collaboration with Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune. Our department is one of the ‘IUCAA Centre for Astronomy Research and Development (ICARD)’. Newman is the only college in India which got I CARD centre. One of our research guide Dr. Joe Jacob was a part the discovery of an extremely massive and large supercluster’, called ‘Saraswati’. Physics department is financially supported by MHRD-RUSA, DST-FIST and DBT-STAR college scheme etc. The department had been regularly conducting seminars and workshops , on the latest developments in the field of Physics. Very recently the department has organised a 3 day National Webinar on “Developments in applied physics” in Association with the IQAC of the college under the PARAMARSH scheme. Also a two week national workshop on structural, spectroscopic and electric characracterization tenchniques under DBT STAR
college scheme was conducted in February 2022. Despite being a strong stakeholder of science education in the region, the department also is involved in science popularisation activities. It possesses two telescopes, using which skywatch programmes are conducted for the benefit of students of the college, children from the schools around and the public.