Alam, Mohammad Zahurul

Alam, Mohammad Zahurul (1925-1980) entomologist and educationist. Mohammad Zahurul Alam was born on 1 March 1925 in Bamansur village in Keraniganj, Dhaka. He passed Matriculation Examination from nabakumar institute, Dhaka in 1940 and Intermediate Science Examination in 1942 from Jagannath Intermediate College, Dhaka. He attended the Bengal Agricultural Institute, Tejgaon, Dhaka from 1946 to 1948 and obtained the Degree of Bachelor of Agriculture from Dhaka University.

Mohammad Zahurul Alam then joined the Department of Agriculture in December 1948, and worked as a Research Assistant (Entomology) up to February 1953. During this time he did MAg in Entomology from Dhaka University in 1951 as an in-service researcher. He was promoted to Assistant Entomologist in 1953. In January 1959 he went to USA for higher studies and received an MS in Entomology from the University of California, Berkeley. He became entomologist to the Government of East Pakistan in 1960. In 1975 he was awarded PhD in Zoology from the university of dhaka. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of London in 1959 and Fellow of the zoological society of bangladesh in 1976.

In addition to working as entomologist to the Government, and Head of the Entomology Division, Agricultural Research Institute, MZ Alam also worked as a Professor of Entomology, bangladesh agricultural institute (BAI), Dhaka and became its Principal in 1975. He was intimately associated with various academic projects of the bangladesh agricultural university (BAU) and DU. He participated in many national and international seminars and conferences on agriculture, entomology, and plant protection. He published about 100 research papers and 13 books. He can rightly be considered as the pioneer of entomological research and education in this country. A founder member of the Zoological Society of Bangladesh, MZ Alam was elected its Vice-President for 1979-1980. He died in Dhaka on 3 February 1980. [SM Humayun Kabir]