Geology Department was established in 1967 AD at Tri-Chandra College to teach geology for undergraduate level (B. Sc.), in Ghantagar building. Graduate course (M.Sc. in Geology) was started in 1975 AD in the same Department. Presently, the graduate course is conducted in the Kirtipur Campus, Kirtipur. In the whole country, Tri-Chandra College is the only institution that conducts the undergraduate course in Geology. There are more than 600 geologists graduated from this department. Presently more than 250students are studying for Bachelor in Geology in the department. Every year about 150 students are enrolled in B. Sc. 1st year. There are 15 permanent teaching and 4 non teaching staff working in this department.
Fieldwork and Excursion
Department of Geology organizes the geological fieldwork and field excursions as part of the curriculum. The courses are supervised by senior faculties and also attended occasionally by world renowned geoscientists and visiting faculties. During the field works students get an opportunity to reveal their own hidden potentiality and adopt themselves in an entirely new environment. The following programs are included in the course.
- Field excursion (B. Sc. II Year): 1-day fieldwork in Chovar area,Kathmandu District.
- Fieldwork (B. Sc. III Year): 15-days fieldwork in Malekhu area, Dhading District.
- Fieldwork (B. Sc. IV Year):28-days fieldwork in Butwal-Palpa-Tansen area, Rupandehi-Palpa Syanja districts.
- Department of Geology has its own land (two ropanies) building (fi ve room with onestory) at Malekhu, Dhading and at Masyam, Palpa 2 ropanies land with three storiesbuilding). These buildings are used during the fieldworks.
M. Sc in Engineering Geology
Considering the high demand of engineering geologists to build hydropower, dam, irrigation project, drinking water project, high speed highway and railways, Tribhuvan University has given permission to conduct M. Sc. Engineering Geology at Tri-Chandra College. The first batch was enrolled in 2016.
Availability of Scholarship
In addition to the scholarships administered by Tri-Chandra College, the Department has established a fund to provide scholarships to outstanding and diligent student studying geology. Besides Department’s own Fund, Naoumura Education Foundation, Japan in association with the Department of Geology is also providing scholarships to Geology studying students since last 10 years. More than 120 students have been honored by this Scholarship. Every year about one hundred fifty thousand rupees (Rs. 1, 50, 000) is distributed to the outstanding students.
Students’ Oriented Activities
- The Geology Department is basically a teaching and research oriented department. This department has played an important role to provide the quality education to the students and has always tried to maintain the global standard of education for students by using the modern techniques of teaching and research.
- The faculty members are actively engaged in researches and publish the scientific contributions in national and international journals. The department has done the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with different universities of USA, Japan and France to conduct joint research works and is conducting the researches in different disciplines. Recently, the department conducted a research in Langtang Valley on climate changes in collaboration with Ministry of Environment, Government of Nepal.
- The Department has published guidebooks on geology, natural hazards for students, teachers, scientists and Himalayan trekkers highlighting the geological information found along the Kaligandaki Valley and Lukla-Everest tracking route. It has already published four series of guidebooks in collaboration with JICA, Nepal and Gondwana Institute of Environment, Japan.
- The Department in collaboration with NAST regularly organizes training courses for high school science teachers. Introductory courses on Geology and Astronomy are taught to the teachers.
- The Department organizes the geological excursions for the teachers, geologists of different universities of different countries. Teachers and geologists from Japan and Italy recently participated in these excursions along the Kaligandaki valley, Langtang valley and Everest area.
- The Department regularly organizes the scientific talk programs for the teachers and students. The geoscientists of Nepal and foreign countries are invited to deliver the scientific talks. Scientists from Japan, USA, and France have already delivered the lectures in different disciplines of geology in recent years. This year Dr. Simon Löw, Professor and Chair for Engineering Geology, Institute of Geology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland conducted a workshop on “Underground Excavation” for Geology 3rd year students. During the workshop, students were taken to observe tunnel construction work at Sundarijal (Melamchi Water Supply Project).
- The Department organizes the student exchange program with the students of universities of foreign countries. The students from Kent State University and Uttha Valley University, USA and students of Department of Geology have jointly participated in the field excursion for scientific research.
- The Department conducts the professional training courses. In collaboration with MENRIS, ICIMOD this department had already conducted a 5 week professional training courses on “Application of Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing to Slope Instability Analysis and Hazard Mapping.” ICIMOD is providing capacity development training to the faculty members and capacity development support to the department.
- The Department organizes geological exhibition on a regular basis every year aiming at the High School students. The Geological Student’s Society,an association of geology studying students at Tri-Chandra College, actively participates to make this exhibition successful. The campus administration and University Grand Commission (UGS) provide the support to success this program.