Department of Biology and Chemistry

• Faculty and Student Mobility
• Field Trips
• Our Annual Events
• Conference Volumes
• Lowland Base for Field Practices and Open-Air School

A Brief History and General Overview of the Department

The Department of Biology at the Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University was established on September 1, 2007, through the reorganization of the Biology Section within the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The first head of the Department of Biology was Prof. Dr. Gyula Krocskó, a zoologist and member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. From 2008 to 2011, the department was led by Prof. Dr. József Szikura, a botanist and member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences as well as the National Academy of Ecology of Moldova. From September 2011, the duties of head of the expanded Department of Biology and Chemistry were performed by Prof. Dr. István Buczkó, a chemist. Since 2020, the department has been managed by Dr. Erzsébet Kohut.

Currently, students can enroll in four study programs at the department: 014 Secondary Education (Biology and Human Health) (BSc), 014 Secondary Education (Chemistry) (BSc), 014 Secondary Education (Natural Sciences) (BSc), and 091 Biology and Biochemistry (MSc). Previously, the Department of Biology and Chemistry also coordinated off-campus BSc programs in Horticultural Engineering and Agricultural Engineering offered by the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Gödöllő, as well as the BSc Nursing and Patient Care program of the University of Debrecen in Transcarpathia.

The department also supports other institutional programs by teaching professional and general-knowledge courses. The vast majority of our lecturers are full-time faculty members. It is noteworthy that most of our younger colleagues are former graduates of our institution.

Our well-equipped specialized classrooms and laboratories, which meet the highest scientific standards, serve as essential venues and tools for enhancing the effectiveness of education and preparing our students for research careers. These laboratories also provide a foundation for research conducted by other departments within the institution and offer laboratory support for the scientific and field investigations of students enrolled in various research college scholarship programs (e.g., Ilona Zrínyi College for Advanced Studies, Áron Márton College for Advanced Studies, Kálmán Soós Scholarship, etc.).

In September 2011, on the initiative of the department, the Fodor István Research Centre for Natural Sciences commenced its operations. The center is named after Prof. Dr. István Fodor, an internationally renowned botanist and ecologist from our region, who was born in Alsógereben in 1907. The first head of the research center was Dr. József Szikura, the former rector of our university. Since 2016, the center has been led by Dr. István Kolozsvári.

The research center’s tasks include exploring Transcarpathia’s natural treasures, scientifically mapping them, promoting their preservation, surveying the region’s plant and animal species, and monitoring changes in their habitats.

The Fodor István Research Centre for Natural Sciences and the Department of Biology and Chemistry jointly oversee the following units of the Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University:

• József Szikura Botanical Garden
• Scientific Herbarium
• Zoological Collection
• Buczkó István Mountain Research Base and Field Practice  Venue, Lypovets’

The research base is situated in the Perechyn district, in the village of Lypovets, within the mountainous region surrounding the Róna-havas (1,479 m). It primarily serves as a venue for organized field trips and field collections and provides an excellent location for observing the typical highland flora and fauna of the region. In its immediate vicinity lies the area where the namesake of our research institute, Prof. Dr. István Fodor, also conducted research on the altitudinal changes of the tree line.

• Velyka Dobron’ Forest School and Research Base (Lowland Base for Field Practices and Open-Air School)

An important segment of the research work consists of botanical and zoological surveys, the assessment and classification of the condition of surface and groundwater, and the investigation of the microelement circulation in the soil-plant system in Transcarpathia. In addition to developing the research competencies of the students, the department’s lecturers also place a special emphasis on the practical presentation of environmental education methods. Our staff regularly participate in the organization and implementation of the teacher training program of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Pedagogical Association, in the preparation of the tasks for the Antal Margittai biology and the Albert Szentgyörgyi chemistry competitions, and in the running of the subject competitions. For nearly two decades, we have been organizing the Natural History and Nature Conservation Camp for high school students. Our staff, together with the Genius Charity Foundation, have undertaken the task of compiling, organizing, and conducting the program for the preparatory weekends for the Ottó Herman Biology Competition in the Carpathian Basin and the György Hevesy Chemistry Competition in the Carpathian Basin. They also develop the professional program for the biology talent development weekends. The Velyka Dobron’ Forest School and Research Base, which was handed over in 2020 and is located in the heart of the Velyka Dobron’ Wildlife Reserve, plays an important role in the implementation of environmental education programs.

Department Staff

Main Research Areas of the Department of Biology and Chemistry and the Fodor István Research Institute

• Ecological status assessment of the Velyka Dobron’ Wildlife Reserve
• Ecological status assessment of wetlands in Transcarpathia
• Floristic and faunistic investigations of the Róna-havas environment
• Assessment of the waste load of Transcarpathian rivers, including the characterization and recycling potential of riverine waste
• Qualitative status assessment and pollution analysis of surface and groundwater
• Evaluation of drinking water quality and assessment of potential human health impacts (risk analysis)
• Ecological and biogeographical mapping of the Transcarpathian Lowland
• Exploration of opportunities for environmental education in Transcarpathia
• Investigation of macro- and microelement cycling in the soil–plant system as influenced by soil type, soil properties, and land use
• Comparative study of the applicability of different extractants for characterizing available element content and mobile heavy metal contamination of soils based on plant composition
• Synthesis of nanoparticles and optical materials, including investigation of metal ion adsorption on carbon nanotubes
• Synthesis of quinoline-based β-amino acids

Partner Institutions of Our Department

• Institute of Ecology of the Carpathians of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU
• D. K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
• Hungarian Natural History Museum (Hungary)
• Botanical Research Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovakia)
• Central Botanical Garden of the Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)
• Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (Rakhiv)
• Uzh National Nature Park
• Hortobágy National Park (Hungary)
• Nyíregyháza Zoo (Hungary)
• Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Nizhyn Mykola Gogol State University
• T.H. Shevchenko National University “Chernihiv Collegium”
• Kamianets-Podіlskyi Ivan Ohiienko National University
• V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University
• Poznań University of Life Sciences (Poland)
• Bertalan Linner District Central Hospital in Beregszász
• Central Primary Health Care Center of  the District Council of Transcarpathia in Beregszász
• MyGardenOfTrees (research group of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL)
• József Lévay Reformed High School and Boarding Home (Hungary)

• Faculty and Student Mobility
• Field Trips
• Our Annual Events
• Conference Volumes
• Lowland Base for Field Practices and Open-Air School