The Department of Botany and Zoology
History of the Department
The Department of Botany and Zoology was established on September 1, 2013 as a result of the Department of Botany and the Department of Zoology merger (order No. 161 of June 26, 2013). First Head of the Department was Kvasha V.I., Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor. Since 2014 Pyda S.V., Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor has been the Head the Department.
The Department of Botany was formed in 1950 after the Department of Natural Sciences and Geography of Kremenets Pedagogical Institute was divided. Bryhinets M.L., PhD in Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor, was the first Head of the Department. From 1950 to 1974 he was also the Rector of the Institute.
Later, Heads of the Department were Kravchenko M.M., PhD in Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor (1958 – 1967); Shymanska V.O., PhD in Biological Sciences, Associate Professor (1967 – 1977, 1981 – 1988); Zelenchuk T.K., Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor (1977 – 1981); Butnytskyi I.M., PhD in Biological Sciences, Associate Professor (1988 – 2002); Barna M.M., Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor (2002 – 2013).
Among the workers of the Department were Zaverukha B.V. and Zelenchuk T.K., Doctors of Biological Sciences, Professors; Vekirchyk K.M. and Moroz I.V., PhDs in Biological Sciences, Professors; Shuvaieva I.V., Terebukha I.P. and Synilnyk A.D., PhDs in Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professors; Butnytskyi I.M., Shymanska V.O., Trofymiak T.B., Strashniuk (Drobyk) N.M. and Mshanetska (Fenyk) N.V., PhDs in Biological Sciences, Associate Professors; Honchar O.D., PhD in Pedagogical Sciences; Marchyshyn S.M., PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Associate Professor; Kryvosheia M.S., Nykon V.K., Semeniuk V.M., Kutishevskyi S.F., Volianyk B.P.,. Kushniryk P.S, Zelinka S.V., Senior Lecturers; Stupak D.M., Komar Z.O., Hrytsiuk Ya.H.,. Shanaida H.D, Baranovska H.M., Brych V.Ya., Assistants; Shanaida M.I., Head of the herbarium.
The Department of Zoology was formed in 1950 as well. First Head of the Department was Chyzhov D.P., Senior Lecturer. Later, Heads of the Department were Denysevskyi O.V., PhD in Biological Sciences, Associate Professor; Kuzmovych L.H., PhD in Biological Sciences, Associate Professor (1969 – 1982); Pyliavskyi B.R., PhD in Biological Sciences, Associate Professor (1982 – 1998); Kvasha V.I., Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor (1998 – 2013).
In the 1950s among the workers of the Department were Moliev Ye.V., Marysova I.V., Tatarynov K.A., Associate Professors; Korshun A.N., Lukash O.I., Kuzmovych L.H., Kutishevskyi S. F., Panchuk M.A., Honchar O.D., Lecturers; Orchuk K.I., Talposh V.S., Associate Professors; Kuzmovych M.L., Assistant. Apart from zoologists, among the workers of the Department were lecturers Shymanska O.A., Yakovliev V.O., Cheretianko O.D., Zelenskyi V.S., Lukatskyi O.P., Hrytsyshyn M.B., Demchenko A.V., Zherebtsov O.V.
In the 1970s among the workers of the Department were Pyliavskyi B.R., Ponomarenko M.V., Tarieiev V.M., Associate Professors; Antoniuk Yu.M., Nykon V.K. and Kostynnyk I.M., Lecturers. In the 1980s Batyrova H.Sh., Senior Lecturer, and Kuzmovych M.A., Assistant, worked at the Department. Podobivskyi S.S. Associate Professor, and Strashniuk D.V., Assistant, have been working at the Department since 1999 and 2004 respectively.
The Department of Botany and Zoology provides higher education at the First (Bachelor) level (specialties: 014 Secondary education (Biology and human health), 014 Secondary education (Chemistry), 014 Secondary education (Natural sciences), 202 Plant quarantine and protection) and at the Second (Master) level: 014 Secondary education (Biology and human health), 014. 06 Secondary education (Chemistry), 014. 15 Secondary education (Natural sciences), 091 Biology).
Department Staff
Currently, 13 scientific and pedagogical workers are employed at the Department, including 2 Professors: Svitlana Vasylivna Pyda, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, and Mykola Mykolaiovych Barna, Doctor of Biological Sciences; 5 Associate Professors: Oleksandr Borysovych Kononchuk, Liubov Omelianivna Shevchyk, Nataliia Volodymyrivna Herts, Marharyta Anatoliivna Kryzhanovska, Oksana Bohdanivna Matsiuk, PhDs in Biological Sciences; 2 Lectureres: Halyna Mykhailivna Holinei, PhD in Agricultural Sciences, and Nataliia Volodymyrivna Moskaliuk, PhD in Pedagogical Sciences; 2 Assistants: Oksana Yuriivna Maiorova , Mariana Zinoviivna Prokopiak and Ruslan Liubomyrovych Yavorivskyi, PhDs in Biological Sciences; Head of the educational Laboratory of Plants Morphology and Systematics – Herbarium Yavorivskyi R.L., Head of the educational Laboratory of Experimental Biology Prokopiv I.B., and 3 Senior laboratory assistants: Chekan M.R., Kravets M.Ya., Paskevych O.Ya.
The Department members are working on the development of the important collective research topics:
- “Plant Groups of Western Podillia: Morphological, Systematic, Dendrological, Cytoembryologic, Physiological, Biochemical, Genetic, Phytopathological, Environmental and Historical Aspects”. State registration No. 0116U002131. Scientific supervisor: Pyda S.V., Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor.
- “Studies on the Fauna of Western Ukraine: Biology, Ecology, Genetics, Evolution, Conservation, Education and Methodological Aspects of the Theory and Practice of Teaching Zoology”. State registration No. 0116U002132. Scientific supervisor: Shevchyk L.O., PhD in Biological Sciences, Associate Professor.
Scientific Achievements of the Department
The Department facilities include:
- 2 scientific research laboratories (of cytoembryology; of plant physiology and microbiology) headed by Profs. M. M. Barna and S. V. Pyda;
- educational Laboratory of Plants Morphology and Systematics – Herbarium, which is made up with over 30 thousand herbarium sheets containing plants from the Ukrainian regions of Podillia, Polissia and the Carpathians, including rare species listed in The Red Data Book of Ukraine. Flora (2009). Additionally, there are herbariums named after Professor Zaverukha B.V., Associate Professors Shymanska V.O. and Mshanetska N.V., Lecturer Zelinka S.V.
- educational and methodological office “Zoological Museum” contains over 1100 annually updated examples of staffed animals and animals, birds, wet preparations of vertebrates and invertebrates, collection of insects, mollusks, sponges, coelenterata, birds’ nests and eggs.
- Educational Laboratory of Experimental Biology equipped with modern devices.
There is a permanent postgraduate course at the Department. Professors Barna M.M. and Pyda S.V. are the scientific advisors of the defended dissertations.
The Department cooperates with the following scientific and educational institutions of Ukraine: M.H. Kholodnyi Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Ukraine, Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics of the NAS of Ukraine, D.K. Zabolotnyi Institute of Microbiology and Virology, M.M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden of the NAS of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, National Scientific Center “Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) of Ukraine”, Institute of Agroecology and Environmental Management of the NAAS of Ukraine, Institute of Agricultural Microbiology and Agricultural Production of the NAAS of Ukraine, I. I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the NAS of Ukraine, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, National Pedagogical Dragomanov University, Stepan Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies, State Museum of Natural History (Lviv) of the NAS of Ukraine, and Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National University in Lutsk.
Over the years, the Department staff has been constantly improving the organization and the content of scientific work and the educational process, the main results of which are monographs, textbooks, manuals, guidelines, scientific articles, patents, abstracts for scientific conferences etc. In part, the first Ukrainian textbook “Microbiology with the Basics of Virology” (1987) was published by Professor Vekirchyk K.M., as well as the manuals “Plant Physiology. Practicum.” (1984), “Practicum on Microbiology” (2001) and other books which are recommended by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine for the faculties of Natural Sciences of pedagogical institutes.
Since the creation of the Department, its members have been working on optimizing of the educational and methodical work with students by means of introducing innovative interactive pedagogical technologies, own developments and achievements of European and world science. Much attention is paid to the education of students in order to form integrated and harmoniously developed personalities with a strong national identity.
