25/02/2015
A Research Milestone For St. Xavierâs College
Kolkata: The âCentral Research Facilityâ of St. Xavierâs College, Kolkata, was inaugurated by
the Rector, Fr. Dominic Savio, SJ and the Principal, Fr. Felix Raj on the 3rd April 2014. After
a short prayer service, Fr. Principal blessed the newest addition to this 153-year-old institution
and christened it âThe Fr. Frans Goreaux Central Research Facilityâ (GCRF), in an attribute to
the great Jesuit Mathematician, another legend associated with this college.
This 5000 sq.ft research facility was partially funded by a FIST grant awarded to the College to
enhance research facilities of the âaidedâ Science departments. Fr. Principal however chose to
include the âself-financedâ science departments too, to turn this Centre into a true research
Centre for science where Physics, Chemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology will join and
share the different facilities.
The facilities include a âcold labâ that will operate at an ambient temperature of 40C, a âPlant
Tissue Culture laboratoryâ, an âAnimal Tissue Culture Laboratoryâ, a âBiosciences
Laboratoryâ, a âChemistry Wet Laboratoryâ, an âInstrumentation Laboratory â and a âPhysical
Sciences Laboratoryâ, apart from a separate âScholarsâ roomâ, a âStaff Studyâ, a âServer Roomâ
and a âStoreâ. Alongside the GCRF Lab, there is a âsmart classroomâ, which will double up as
a âConference Centreâ.
âThe Central Research Facility Laboratory is a welcome gift for researchers in minor and
major projectsâ, said Fr. Felix Raj. The College has spent more than Rs 1 crore on the facility
that offers researchers latest tools and technology. St. Xavierâs College, at present, has 15
research scholars and hopes to start PhD programme soon. âI will soon approach the University
of Calcutta to allow us to offer PhD courseâ, said Father Raj.
Today no educational institute can pride itself as âpremierâ if it cannot boast of a vibrant and
productive research community. The GCRF with its state-of-art technology in probes, analysis
and instrumentation will provide a further boost to the research culture prevalent in the
College. Open from 9.00am to 8.00pm on all weekdays, it will be used for research by undergraduate
and post-graduate students, Ph.D scholars and faculty members.