Synopsis:
The Botany Department was one of the first seven departments constituting the Faculty of Science at King Farouk the first University in 1942.
The department started with five academic staff members raised to seven after one year and Professor Mohammed Aziz Fekry was the first head of the department.
Since (2008), the department adjusted its name of Botany and Microbiology and currently ranks second in size to the Chemistry Department at the Faculty of Science –Alexandria University, with 59 staff members and 20 demonstrators and teaching assistants. The department teaches at 2 different faculty facilities the main in Moharrum Beik and the second in El-Shatby basically for first level, pre- Pharmacy and Dentistry students in addition to several research labs.
At the southern side of Moharrum Beik Campus is the Botanical garden which has over the years been supervised by Professors of the department. Its area is about 2 feddans and embraces a unique and diverse range of over 500 plant species belonging to different taxonomic families. The botanical garden is a valuable and rich scientific garden not only in Egypt but also world-wide and has an acknowledged role in the conservation of rare and endangered plant species. A smaller extension of the garden was founded in 1963 in the El-Shatby campus for providing students-samples for different Botany courses. The department has an open museum exhibiting preserved samples accessible to students and used in practical course work.
In 2012, a state of the art central lab with over 45 new equipment was established and is accessible to both under and post graduate students aiming at the enhancement of the practical skills of graduates of our department. A smaller scale lab is present in the El-Shatby campus.
The department comprises six divisions: Microbiology, Plant Physiology, Phycology, Plant Ecology, Taxonomy and Paleontology, Plant Cytology and Genetics. Each division is involved in teaching course work and conducting research within their area of specialization in addition to the interdisciplinary teaching and research within the department. Different research laboratories embrace staff members and graduate students that implement the departmental research plan. Several research projects are always executed in the department by distinguished staff members.
Department Vision:
The department aims at acquiring a distinguished and accredited ranking within the fields of Botany and Microbiology, as a teaching, educational and research entity within the Faculty of Science at both the national and international levels through sophisticated basic and applied research.
Department Mission:
The department strives at providing scientific basic and applied knowledge within the field of Botany and Microbiology that will lead to the production of highly qualified, creative and competitive graduates, able to excel in either research or industrial disciplines.
