Khorana program for scientific

It led James Watson and Francis Crick on a quest for the structure of the molecule that they felt would hold the answers to the mystery of life. The second half of the twentieth century was a time of rapid development in biological research. This unprecedented level of acceleration can be attributed to the integration of traditionally isolated streams of science like biology, physics and chemistry to give rise to modern biology and biotechnology.

The idea of working in this dynamic field with its constant crosstalk between different disciplines motivated me to apply to the University of Wisconsin, Madison Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology CMB. Undergraduate education at the School of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology, Calicut shaped my outlook on biological sciences and research by helping me develop a strong theoretical and practical base.

Courses derived from diverse streams like mathematics, physics, chemical engineering and nanotechnology coupled with a biological sciences base, ensured a unique and intellectually stimulating experience.

The guidance and advice received from the experienced research oriented faculty at my Institute inspired me to enhance my skill set by gaining work experience. With the firm foundation laid by the coursework, I aimed to strengthen my undergraduate career with experiences that would increase my confidence and help me achieve an understanding of the research process.

Exploring the various avenues of biological science and technology through internships and training programs seemed a necessary step to make an informed career decision. To understand a corporate work environment, I underwent a short training program at Eppendorf, India. A 3-week internship at the Biotechnology facility of Sami Labs, Bangalore exposed me to the industrial scale applications of biotechnology.

The internship included rigorous training in the practical aspects of large-scale fermentation processes including inoculum preparation, quality control, sampling and downstream processing.

The internship exposed me to an industrial work environment and made me aware of the challenges involved in the translation of research to production capability. The defining experience of my undergraduate career was participating in the prestigious Khorana Program for Scholars funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Govt.

Chandan Kumar-Sinha, Asst. Professor at the Department of Pathology. I was also assigned a small independent project involving the cloning of two novel gene fusions found in pancreatic cancer cell lines to facilitate further expression studies. Through the internship I was afforded a glimpse of the pace of work and the level of dedication expected of a graduate student. Moreover, I found that I was able to establish a rapport with the members of the lab which enabled me to learn a lot about the different research projects undertaken at the MCTP.

Presenting a poster of my work at the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Summer Symposium at the University of Michigan and at the Khorana Program closing seminar in Delhi, helped me become more comfortable with presenting my work to both an informed audience and a layman.

I am currently working on my Bachelor thesis major project which involves the identification of genes involved in relieving galactose toxicity in yeast strains with metabolic defects in the galactose utilization pathway. I have also been actively involved in writing a review article under the guidance of Dr.

Rajanikant G. This ground breaking research won him and fellow researchers Marshall Nirenberg and Robert Holley a Nobel prize in Not only did Khorana contribute scientifically, but he also exemplifies the value of global scientific partnerships. American and Indian undergraduates in the fields of biology, biochemistry, and biotechnology are encouraged to apply.

After being selected, students are matched with a host faculty member and are given independent research projects for the week term. Living accommodations and administrative fees are covered by the host institution or mentor. SERB, in partnership with the U.