History

Year of Establishment : 1957

History of the department : The Home Science Department, formerly known as Viharilal College of Home and Social Science established in 1957. Initially it was an undergraduate degree college affiliated to Calcutta University Post Graduation course in Food and Nutrition was introduced in the year 1974. Gradually the college expanded and was transformed into Department of Home Science under Calcutta University in the year 1982. In 1996, another important Post Graduate course in Human Development was introduced. The Department is running Ph.D. programmes in Food & Nutrition and Human Development successfully. Home Science, being a multi-disciplinary subject, comprises of faculty members of different specializations. The Honours subjects taught at the undergraduate level are Food and Nutrition and Human Development. B.A. / B.Sc. General courses are also taught in this Department in the different subjects, namely Food & Nutrition, Human Development, Chemistry, Social Science , Extension Education , Household Art , Music , English and Bengali

Thrust areas in teaching and research of the academic department/ centre :
Areas of Research in food & Nutrition:

• Therapeutic uses of different indigenous plants and seeds
• Nutritional evaluation of less familiar food stuff
• New food intervention
• Nano food emulation formulation .
• Assessment on micronutrients deficiencies among the people of vulnerable groups
• Relation between arsenic intoxication and nutritional status of the people of low socio-economic group
• Assessment of nutritional status among tribal people
• Experimental cooking and their effects on nutrient contents of food stuff
• Evaluation of different Natural Products and their implications in therapeutics

Areas of Research in Human Development :

• Evaluation and planning programmes for the overall development of slum children in Kolkata
• Assessment and control of emotional, social and economic problems of migrant children
• Evaluation of the developmental problems of children reared by single parents
• Studying the developmental trends in cognitive and non cognitive domains prior to and after puberty
• Assessment of the psychosocial problems of working women
• Evaluation of the psychosocial problems and development of remedial programmes for the elderly

Contact

Campus : Viharilal College Campus

Address for communication : 20B Judges Court Road, Alipore, Kolkata 27.