Biotecnika Times 27th May 2019 Edition

May 27th, 2019.

Vol. 03

NO 80

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IN CONVERSATION WITH ARVIND GUPTA Founder of IndieBio World’s Leading Biotech Startup Accelerator Govt MoEF&CC Internship 2019

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Is Programming Knowledge Necessary For Career In Bioinformatics?

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HEADLINES - VOICE OF BIOTECNIKA

May 27th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 80

In Conversation With Arvind Gupta: Founder of IndieBio – World’s Leading Biotech Accelerator Welcome back, guys! Hope you are thoroughly enjoying the podcast sessions. Here we are with another inspiring episode of Voice of Biotecnika.

By Shekhar Suman

Listen Podcast

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Govt MoEF&CC Internship 2019 – Apply Online Official internship notification has been announced at Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for indian nationals who are graduates or post graduates.

MOEFCC INTERNSHIP SCHEME 2019 FOR GRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS. CHECK OUT ALL OF THE DETAILS ON THE SAME BELOW:

By Diluxi Arya

No.A.33015/1/2019-P.I Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, 1st Floor, Prithivi Wing, Jor Bagh Road, New Delhi-110 003.

Dated: 20.05.2019 Subject: “Internship Scheme” of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduces an Internship Scheme for students. This Scheme seeks to engage students with Graduation/ Post Graduation Degrees and Research Scholars enrolled in established University/Institution within India or abroad, as”Interns”. These”Interns” shall be given exposure to various Divisions/Units of this Ministry. These”Interns”, subsequently, will be expected to supplement the process of analyzing within Ministry through empirical collection and collation of in house along with other info. For the”Interns” the exposure to the functioning of the Ministry could be an addition in furthering their potential interests.

THE SCHEME

(a) To allow young academic talent Division. to be associated with this Ministry’s work for mutual benefit; 2.6 Process for Applicants: (b) The “Interns” will get a chance to understand more about the Government functioning and Regulatory and Developmental Policy issues and contribute in its own amendment, if needed, by generating inputs like empirical analysis, briefing reports, policy papers, etc.. (c) A candidate may apply for internship only once during a financial year.

2.4 Internship (i) Qualification: The Applicant pursuing Graduation or Post-Graduation or Research Work from any recognized University/ Institution in India or abroad shall qualify. (ii) Period: The period of Internship will not exceed 3 months.

2.1 Name of the Scheme: “Ministry (iii) Experience Certification: A of Environment, Forest and Cli- Certificate regarding effective conmate Change Internship Scheme” clusion of Forensic shall be issued by the Division Head of the concerned 2.2 Purpose Division in the format as available at ‘Annexure-II‘. Interns not finishing To allow short-term exposure the necessary period won’t be issued to”chosen candidates” with differ- any Certification. ent Divisions/Units of Ministry as ‘Interns’. A list of domains/areas for 2.5 Logistics & Support: which Internship can be obtained at Annexure-I. Interns will be required to have their own laptops. Ministry will provide 2.3 Aims of the Scheme: The them functioning space, Internet faScheme has the following objec- cility along with other necessities as tives: deemed fit by the concerned Head of

(i) Interested Applicants may apply online only in the address link to be indicated in the site of Ministry for internship. Interns must also clearly indicate that the area of interest.The interns will have the option to apply in 1 Discipline only. In the event, any application/applications is/are received for nomination in more than one Disciplines, then it is going to be the prerogative of the Ministry to nominate the Discipline from the Disciplines cited by the intern. (ii) At the time of joining on selection, Applicants will be asked to produce a letter from their Supervisor/ Head of Department/Principal, indicating their status in the Institution and also”No Objection” for allowing their student to undergo Internship programme for the period for which he or she’s chosen.

2.7 Procedure for Selection and Other Modalities of the Scheme: (i) Each of the applications received online will be forwarded to the concerned Heads of Verticals/ Units/ Divisions in Ministry for Additional scrutiny and selection; (ii) The Heads of Divisions/Units could take a max of 3 (three) interns for Internship at one time. After selection of these candidates, the concerned Division will send the offer of internship into the Applicant straight to the chosen candidate under intimation to the Administration. The

conclusion of the Divisional Head concerning the suitability of a candidate since an intern will be final and binding; (iii) Depending on the number of applications received against a particular domain/area, Ministry reserves the right to fix up the eligibility standards, limit the number of applicants to be known for a particular period and also to determine regarding the mode of screening thereof; (iv) The concerned Heads of Divisions/ Units will be responsible for making sure that the job program and output mutually agreed upon together with the Intern is satisfactorily completed. Interns will likely be required to submit a brief report/ paper at the conclusion of the assignment to the Heads of the concerned Divisions/ Units about their learning experience; (v) Seminars/presentation could be conducted by the concerned Heads of particular Divisions/Units due to their interns; (vi) The attendance record and also the details of work supervision shall be maintained by the Heads of the Divisions/Units; (vii) It may be strictly observed the conduct of their interns and their access to data shall be the sole responsibility of the concerned Group Heads only; (viii) The Applicant will be required to submit the following:- Copy of

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Mark-sheet/Degree of Graduation/ Post-Graduation (ix) Students who have finished MSc. Or PGDM from IIFM will be given preference; (x) Student trainee must make his/ her own arrangements for boarding/ lodging, transportation and stationery etc; (xi) The students Won’t have any claim for a job at Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change or any organizations under its administrative control; (xii) The application has to reach to the Under Secretary (P.I) Section within the stipulated period; (xiii) The applications found incomplete or not fulfilling standards laid down as above will be summarily rejected; (xiv) Applications from the candidates who have completed the intern-

ship scheme, no matter disciplines, in this Ministry will never be entertained for an additional internship.

3. Stipend disbursement: The quantum of stipend to be paid to Interns shall be Rs. 10,000/- (Rupees Ten Thousand Only) per month for all categories. No stipend will be paid if the student leaves the internship prior to conclusion of one month. Subsequently, depending on the period of internship, the quantity of the stipend will be compensated proportionately.

Absence of the interns from attending the assigned task in the Ministry for more than 3 days in a month will lead to deduction of stipend-amount equal to the numbers of days in excess of 3 days.

4. Training Schedule:

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The internship shall be conducted twice in a financial year — (i) Summer Internship; (ii) Winter Internship, the time schedule of which will be made accessible the site of this Ministry from time to time.

5. Selection Criteria: (i) The Applicants shall be chosen on”Merit” basis. (ii) List of those chosen candidates will be shown on the site of Ministry.

6. Scheme Review:

Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will have the power to relax any of the conditions mentioned previously, in regard to any deserving candidate.

NOTE :• Only online application will be considered.

• Physical application will not be considered.

• Those who have submitted physical application may apply online.

Ministry reserves the right to ex- Last Date to Apply: 11:59 PM on amine the strategy at any time. The 05.06.2019 Scheme so examined will be placed on the site of Ministry.

7. Power to Relax:

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Is Programming Knowledge Necessary For Career In Bioinformatics?

Biology is the study of living beings, starting from the interaction between species and population to the structural and functional organization of cells and tissues in an individual organism.

BIOLOGISTS COLLECT AND INTERPRET HUGE AMOUNTS OF DATA DURING A STUDY.

By Dr. Leema George

For example, we have vast volumes of DNA sequence data, but how do we understand which parts of that DNA control the various life processes?

How do we determine the function of new proteins that we came across during a study? And how do we predict the structure of a protein, based on the available information of its sequence? Bioinformatics is a tool that helps us to answer these questions.

Bioinformatics can be defined as the application of information technology to study biological processes at the molecular level -ie. digitizing life science. The field of bioinformatics creates a niche for the emergence of a new class of biologists created by computational advancements. It has a collaborative approach that relies on computational methods including mathematical modeling, statistics, programming, simulation studies, analytical methods, etc. to analyze a huge amount of biological data. The objective of bioinformatics is to open new insights about the biological process. It could be about a disease mechanism, yield of new crops or drug therapy.

Bioinformatics has been emerging out to be a critical domain within life sciences, especially under the realm of biotechnology & biomedical sciences. It is not only crucial for the management of biological or genomic data. But, it’s also becoming a key component in the discovery of new diagnostic & therapeutic tools- basic & translational research, clinical practice, and personalized medicine.

The field of bioinformatics is multifaceted, applicable to almost all sectors of the life sciences It is very well explored in genomics, proteomics, pharmacovigilance, drug discovery, cheminformatics, and clinical studies. In Omics research, it is crucial to handle and interpret large-scale data.

Additionally, bioinformatics also implies a key role in the other branches of life sciences such as agro-science, forensic science, veterinary science, bioenergy, and environmental bio-

technology. Thus, bioinformaticians information technology and bioloare in high demand in Industry, Re- gy. The grand goal of bioinformatsearch, and Academia. ics is to define predictive methods that permit scientists to model the Currently, bioinformatics is not just function and phenotype based on the a tool for promoting scientific in- genome sequence of an organism. ventions in biotechnology and life Compiling genomic and biochemical sciences research. But, the subject has data into quantitative and predictive evolved from its supporting role to its representations of biochemistry and own research arena. Yes, bioinformat- physiology will be the result of the ics has achieved a buzzword position enormous effort of computational biin life science. Hence, the biomedical ologists. science domain is witnessing an outburst of career opportunities in the Some biologists may have an opinfield of bioinformatics. The call for ion that a good background in organtalented & expertise professionals at ic chemistry, biochemistry and deep the crossways of biology, statistics, knowledge in molecular cell biology and data science is very high. is enough to study bioinformatics.

But, this may not be true for stepping The requirements by a bioinforma- into a career in an interdisciplinary tician continue to evolve. There are field like bioinformatics. There must two paths to shape a career in bio- be several entry points and one of informatics, both of which require them is using the programming lanlearning a new language. Computer guage. Programming skills are beprofessionals must become eloquent coming a requirement across many in the language of genomics, genet- planes of biology and medicine. ics, and molecular biology, whereas biologists must grasp skills in data With respect to the diversity and analysis, including statistics, logic, complex nature of problems adand programming. When picking the dressed in biology, and medicine, it perfect career match, many recent is authoritative to be able to tackle graduates seem to forget about the each problem with a comprehensive involvement of computer science in knowledge of available computationbioinformatics. This article is a bird’s al tools—so that the right tools can eye view to introduce the core pro- be applied for the problem at hand. gramming requirements to frame a The basic and versatile tools in your career in bioinformatics. technology toolbox are programming languages.

Why does bioinformatics need computation and programming The modern programming lanKnowledge? guages can attain numerous computational achievements, while some It is a point of intersection between

are more apt for specific tasks when compared to others. For example, the R language is almost unbeatable in its statistical computing capabilities, whereas the Lisp language is well versed for problems in artificial intelligence, and Erlang shines in fault-tolerant and distributed systems.

To become an effective use of a programming language, it is important to not only gain basic proficiency in diverse languages but also to manage the time and energy to master at least a single language.

The knowledge of computing and programming is crucial in computational biology in the aspect of computational modeling and simulation in molecular engineering. This involves making prototypes or models that can be simulated to perceive how they will act before they are installed into real-life applications. Moreover, knowledge in computational programming is essential for the development of new tools which can further open insights in finding solutions to numerous health ailments.

However, this does not imply that one can avoid the fundamental knowledge in cell and molecular biology.

So, let us now discuss the various aspects of a successful launch in the field of bioinformatics – Required

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educational background

Knowledge in Software & Programming:

The field of Bioinformatics is very vast, and you can step into this do- C, C++, Java, R, MATLAB, Perl, main taking multiple routes. To start Bash, Python, Galaxy. Linux and with let us understand the required UNIX sysadmin skills are kind of educational background mandatory. Knowledge of UNIX is enormously beneficial in bioinformat– At the +2 level, the perfect group- ics. You should be also familiar with ing would be Chemistry, Physics, Machine learning tools and libraries Math & Biology or Chemistry, Phys- such as Mllib and Scikit-Learn in pyics, Biology & Computer Science. thon – At the undergraduate level, you could pursue Biotechnology, Biomedical Science, Genetics, Computer Science, Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular biology, Statistics, or Chemical Engineering.

– At the postgraduate level, you would need specialization in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or Applied Statistics. Since strong computer programming skills are a must to get established as a bioinformatics engineer, earning a Master of Science (M.S.) in Computer Science is also a popular option.

2.Bioinformatics Skills • Sequence alignment tools such as Blast or Bowtie • The Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) • Software for Next Generation Sequencing, Microarray, qPCR, and Data Analysis (Partek) • Tools for handling high throughput sequencing data like (samtools) • To get gene data sets use a tool such as (Ensemble) • Tools for database search systems like (Entrez) • T-coffee sequence analysis algorithms and clustering tools

Going ahead, the core requirements to become a bioinformatician fall un- 3.Bioinformatics Resources and der different domains.

Database Skills 1.Required computational Skills:

UCSC genome browser, NCBI, En-

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trez, SRS Database, UniProt, Swis- ics. Some of the highly demanded skills are high-throughput sequencsProt, MySQL ing, computational genomics, and 4.Sub-domain software (toolkits): next-generation sequencing.

• Proteomics: Scaffold, ProtMAX, • Cheminformatics: ChemmineR, Enalos, Indigo, PerlMol, OEChem, • Molecular Docking & Drug Discovery: Oracle Argus, ARISg, AutoDock, SwissDock, etc.

When choosing the perfect career match, studying bioinformatics is a promising bet to professional success. Bioinformaticians enjoy an array of research and professional jobs and get competitive salaries. Bioinformatics expertise is invaluable.

Ground-breaking technological abilities and productivity are intrinsic 5.Statistical skills: qualities of bioinformaticians, widStatistical software systems such as ening their employability in the modSPSS and SAS. How to perform sta- ern scientific community undergoing tistical analyses with Python or R? long lasting renewal 6.Data Mining: being able to extract data from diverse resources. Getting Familiarised with techniques like hierarchical clustering and decision trees is also useful 7.Data Visualization: extract complex data and interpret it into models and effectively communicate with biologists 8.Genomic and Genetic Knowledge This forms the core of bioinformat-

But, before you choose a career in this field, you should be clear enough about the sectors and applications of Bioinformatics which interest you.

For gaining a better understanding of what the field entails read scientific journals in these areas so that you can make informed decisions about your future. In fact, it is not an easy task to get into bioinformatics programs acquainted in only biology, or computer science. Instead, you have to demonstrate you know more than a little of both as it a blend of life science and computer science.

NEWS

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NCBS, Bangalore Scientists Decode Moringa Mystery Moringa oleifera commonly known as a drumstick is often known as the miracle tree and has been referred for its medicinal properties for centuries.

NATIONAL CENTRE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (NCBS) SCIENTISTS IN COLLABORATION WITH UNIVERSITY OF TRANS-DISCIPLINARY HEALTH SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY, BENGALURU IN A RECENT STUDY HAVE UNVEILED THE MASSIVE BIOCHEMICAL FACTORY THE PLANTS HOLDS WITHIN, THAT LEADS TO THE PRODUCTION OF FIVE DRUGLIKE MOLECULES AND THREE VITAMINS – A, C, E.

By Preety Suman

Moringa (drumstick) is a commonly used ingredient in Sambar, Aviyal and Poriyal dishes famous in South in battling metabolic disorders and India. This superfood is now attract- Ursolic acid that acts as an anti-infering global attention because of its me- tility agent. dicinal properties.

As per the study, Moringa leaves Drumstick plant consists of a key when compared to spinach has 30 molecule called – Moringine that trig- times more iron & 100 times more gers lipid metabolism (key to weight Calcium content. The study was publoss). It also regulates diabetes and lished in Journal – Genomics in the helps improve hormonal balance. Ad- April 29 issue. ditional elements present in the plant that has medicinal properties are – Team leader & computationKaempferol & Oleanolic acid with al biologist at NCBS, Bangalore anticancer properties, Quercetin aids – R Sowdhamini said to DH that in

Ayurveda it is well documented that each part of the plant has unique medicinal properties. Only the quantification of these molecules and the process through which these are created was lacking.

The first author of the study, Naseer Pasha said that in the study they found – roots and stem of the tree contained higher quantities of Iron, Zinc & Magnesium transporters.

NCBS, Bangalore Scientists De-

coded Moringa Mystery upon RNA analysis of five different tissues taken from root, leaf, stem, seed, and flower of the plant. 36 Genes in total were identified.

Sowdhamini further added that the commercial applications of Moringa, such as its usage in water purification and oleic acid in oil extracts could open newer R&D possibilities in the field of biotechnology.

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THSTI, AIIMS, IIT-I Scientists Discover New Path To Fight TB A group of researchers from IIT Indore, THSTI- Faridabad, AIIMS – New Delhi and the University of Bordeaux – France after analyzing the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have identified three novel sites (G-quadruplex motifs) that can be used as drug targets to kill TB. AS WE KNOW, DNA IS THE BUILDING BLOCK OF THE GENOME OF ANY ORGANISM AND IS MADE UP OF NUCLEOTIDES, WHEREIN EACH NUCLEOTIDE CARRY GENETIC INFORMATION IN NUCLEOBASES – A, C, G, T.

By Preety Suman

A genome comprises of multiple combinations of these bases with unique features that are explored by researchers for potential drug development against diseases.

As per recent studies, On sections of genome rich in guanine, nucleobases bond in a group of four called tetrad structures. These tetrads stack up together to form G-quadruplexes that play a key role in the various biological process out of which one is cell replication.

Dr. Amit Kumar of IIT Indore with his colleagues. Photo Credit: India Science Wire

cobacterium Tuberculosis namely – espK, espB, and cyp51. These genes are involved in pathways responsible for the virulence determination of the bacteria and ensures its survival within human cells. After thorough studies, they concluded that targetThe group of researchers in their ting these three G-quadruplex could study analyzed the role of these help in decreasing the virulence of the G-quadruplexes in three genes of My- bacteria and will cease its survival in

human cells.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Molecular Therapy-Nucleic acid. The team comprised of scientists from all four institutes namely – Subodh Kumar Mishra, Uma Shankar, Neha Jain from IIT Indore, Kriti Sikri, Jaya Sivaswami Tyagi from AIIMS and Jean-Louis

Mergny from the University of Bordeaux.

Dr. Amit Kumar of IIT Indore told to India Science Wire that they are currently in the process of screening several small molecules that can be used to target these three genes. They are in hope to find a potential molecule in the future.

DARPA’s Genetically Modified Skin For Soldiers To Stop Mosquito Bites The US Department of Defense has launched a new project in coordination with DARPA, wherein Skin Bacteria of US Soldiers will be genetically engineered to fortify mosquito-born diseases such as, chikungunya, Malaria & Dengue – that depletes fighting fitness of the soldiers.

The project terms include delivering MOSQUITOES ATTACK BY SNIFFa method in a span of four years – that ING OUT CERTAIN CHEMICALS should lead to a 100 times reduction RELEASED BY AN INDIVIDUAL. in mosquito feeding. A detailed proBy Shekhar Suman posal by DARPA is expected to be released by 11th July.

Human skin harbors thousands of Bacteria, that consume their metabolite into chemicals that can attract more mosquitoes.

DARPA – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Darpa launched this project titled ReVector earlier this month. The projects aim is to formulate easy treatments like topical ointments or solutions which would repel mosquitoes not for hours buy for weeks together.

the differnt individual’s microbiome, ment plans ready for human clinical based on which a workable plan has trials and then will hand it over to the to be formulated – test for its safety DOD partners for further execution. for both humans & environment and then deploy to the Soldiers.

DARPA will be working with the FDA and Environmental Protection Sund added that currently there is Agency and the Department of AgChris Sund, ReVector program man- no specific budget assigned to this riculture to supervise the project on ager said that Human microbial me- project. They need to figure out treat- regulatory perspectives. tabolism on the skin attracts the mosquitoes. DARPA has asked the project members to identify microbial & molecular characteristics that differentiate the attraction levels. Once identified these molecular networks should be modeled in order to understand the leverage points that can be used to reduce the mosquitoes attraction.

Under the program, researchers will have to quantify the variability in

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CRISPR Powered Virus-Busting Antibodies – Breakthrough Research In a revolutionary discovery scientist with the help of CRISPR cas9 have developed virus killing antibodies against lethal diseases which cannot be prevented with vaccines.

THE RESEARCH STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT THE FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTRE IN SEATTLE IN THE US BY A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS LED BY JUSTIN TAYLOR.

By Preety Suman

They say that this groundbreaking technology can be used to the battle a range of deadly viruses like influenza, HIV, Respiratory Syncytial Virus – RSV & EBV-Epstein Barr Virus. The findings of the study were published in Science Immunology journal.

CRISPR was used in the study, to change human B-cells genetic code to produce antibodies virus which cannot be treated with vaccines to date.

CRISPR-modified mouse B-cells were introduced into healthy mice to confirm if the improvised B-cells could fight of RSV. The mouse was then exposed to a large dose of RSV up through nostrils. After five days, lung samples were then tested and to

their suprise, no traces of RSV was killed two infants and the second trial found. went ineffective again in 2016.

HIV is another threat to humans for The vaccine comprises of a small which scientists have been on a vacdose of the disease itself that triggers cine – treatment hunt since the 1980s. the immune system to take action Vaccines have seen to be ineffective against the invading foreign particles. in sick people and the elderly whose But Vaccines fail to prove effective in immune system is weakened. some illnesses.

Hence the researchers conducted a First RSV vaccine trial in 1966 study on mice with engineered B-cells

that are devoid of immune cells. After a span of 82 days, the cells were seen to be producing ample antibodies to seal the mice from RSV infection.

The production of these CRISPR Powered Virus-Busting Antibodies could altogether give a new dimension to the entire research methodology being followed currently to tackle these lethal diseases.

Ex-NASA Scientist Who Biohacked Himself With CRISPR Under Scrutiny Josiah Zayner – a Celebrity Biohacker & an Ex- NASA Scientist gained internet fame last year for performing biohacking experiments on himself, which included a live stream video attempt of editing his own genes using CRISPR. Seems, these stunts are back to haunt Zayner. genetically engineer the color of his skin and transplantation of his microbiome. He also is the owner of a company called Odin which sells test biology tests including DIY CRIPSR Kits. Though neither of the biohackers involved with this has been able to produce any notable results related to

By Preety Suman genetic treatments & advancements.

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS (DCA) IN RESPONSE TO A COMPLAINT RECEIVED HAS SENT A LEGAL NOTICE TO ZAYNER FOR “UNLICENSED PRACTICE OF MEDICINE”.

Zayner, popularly known as Scientist Who Biohacked Himself is a Ph.D. degree holder in biochemistry and biophysics. He has been in limelight for performing medical experiments outside of Laboratories. In past he has performed public experiments including a fecal transplant, injecting his arm with CRISPR, attempts to

As per the notice received by Zayner, California’s medical board has asked for his presence for a discussion on 11th June wherein he can bring along his attorney. California medical board laws strictly rule against the practice of medicine without a license. SIf Zayner is found guilty he could be heavily fined or put behind bars for years.

Zayner in response to the notice wrote on social media, that he has neither asked anyone nor given anyone to inject or use ever and have also not sold anything promising to treat any disease. He added that he knew that this day would come wherein he will be questioned.

Whatever the decision may be, this incident will definitely alert all biohackers around the globe.

We would like to know from our readers what do you think about the Zayner’s Biohacking stunts or about Biohackers and their practices in general.

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Latest Google AI To Predict Lung Cancer Better Than Humans

Alphabets’ Google is all set to expand its presence in the healthcare sector. Scientists at Google have reported have novel research wherein AI – artificial intelligence has been trained to predict lung cancer risks. They claim the AI works far better than humans in diagnosing lung cancer.

OVER 1.7 MILLION DEATHS PER YEAR OCCUR GLOBALLY DUE TO LUNG CANCER AS PER WHO REPORTS.

By Preety Suman

Shravya Shetty, Technical Lead at Google said that lower dose CT screening has proven to reduce the death rates, yet till date, doctors face challenges to detect it at an early stage thus leading to intensive prolonged procedures with inflating financial costs.

She further added that in 2017 their team initiated this project of using AI cancer cases when compared to unasto address some of these challenges. sisted radiologists.

With the use of 3D volumetric modeling alongside datasets from NorthGoogle Cloud Healthcare and Life western University and other partners, they have made significant progress in designing an AI for Lung cancer prediction that will lay the ground for clinical testing procedures in future.

Sciences team will now help the research team to make this newly developed AI model be accessible through Cloud Healthcare API.

Prior to this Google had been experimentation with AI in healthcare with research being conducted in areas of eye diseases, etc.

The most common challenge faced by radiologists is the use of 2D mages scanned in a single CT scan, that makes it harder to spot cancer as it can be very minute in nature.

Google scientists have designed an AI model to overcome these difficulties. The AI generates an overall report of the cancer malignancy in 3D volume and also assists in locating infectious lung nodules. Google’s AI can also scan through a patient’s past records – compare & detect for any discrepancy.

As per reports published in Nature Medicine, the AI model comprises an automated imaging system that can detect lung cancer at a higher accuracy thus increasing possibilities for earlier treatment.

Google’s team claim to have used 45.8K de-identified chest CT screening datasets from NIH – National Lung Screening Trial study & Northwestern University in order to design this lung cancer predicting AI model.

Upon comparison between single CT scans, Google’s AI performed better than six radiologists. So far it has been able to detect 5% more lung

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NEWS

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Google Backs Startup For Treating Heart Disease Via CRISPR Injections Once in our life we all are jealous of that friend or colleague of ours who keep on filling themselves with those crispy potato chips or those delightful momos, doesn’t exercise at all and still don’t turn fat – don’t develop any heart disease!! Damm, they have those lucky genes!!

ALPHABET – GOOGLE’S PARENT COMPANY HAVE JUMPED INTO BACKING A STARTUP COMPANY CALLED – VERVE THERAPEUTICS TO UTILIZE CRISPR GENE EDITING TECHNIQUE TO SPREAD THOSE LUCKY GENES IN PEOPLE PRONE TO HEART DISEASE VIA ONE TIME CRISPR CAS9 LOADED INJECTIONS.

By Preety Suman

Verve Therapeutics has raised $58.5 million from Alphabet’s venture fund, GV till date.

Cardiologists say that these CRISPR- DNA tweaking injections could lead to life-long protection against disease. Verve therapeutics plans to heart disease. utilize these set of genes and induce them for a beneficial mutation in peoHow Verve Therapeutic’s approach ple. is different?

Though the list of genetic mutations Most of the gene-therapy based is kept secretive, Verve scientists are companies are targetting rare diseas- believed to be targeting peoples liver, es like hemophilia and others, on the where the fat is processed before they other hand, Verve researchers idea is enter into the arteries. to edit an individual’s DNA that could solve the sole problem- death.

Verve announced that it is also partnering with Google’s sister company Some people genetically have low – Verily Life Sciences to figure out levels of bad cholesterol. Scientists ways to deliver the CRISPR loaded have a list of genetic mutations that injections. can prevent an individual from heart

The research at Verve is headed by Sekar Kathiresan, a geneticist – who is leaving his work at Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts to join Verve after his brothers’ death due to a heart attack.

Currently, statin pills, regulatory diet, and exercise are the only means to avoid heart disease risks, but most of the people have a tough time following this regime. Verve scientists if are able to install these lucky genes, one may not need to do any of it. As per Kathiresan, this treatment can be used on adults who had heart attacks

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earlier and want to prevent any other.

Though Verve is planning to stick to try these CRISPR injections in Adults only, it would be tempting enough for them to attempt it in embryos too upon getting success in Adults.

With recent developments like Transplantable Arteries Grown From Stem Cells, the day is not far these companies with the help of research advancement can make humanity clear of all heart ailments.

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CAREER ADVICE

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How To Make Unit Wise Notes For CSIR NET Life Science Exam Before preparing for any examination it is highly recommended to have a clear idea regarding – the scope of the examination, Up to what extent qualifying the examination can contribute towards your higher academic achievements and the eligibility.

ONCE YOU FIND YOURSELF ELIGIBLE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO LIST OUT THE IMPORTANT DATES, APPLICATION PROCEDURE, THE PATTERN OF EXAMINATION AND SYLLABUS.

By Manisha

If you are all set for writing the CSIR NET Exam first thing you have to do is to analyze the syllabus. List out a comparative analysis of your depth of knowledge from your educational background with the syllabus content of the concerned. Accordingly, start the preparation.

Unless you have a proper preparation strategy, it is really difficult to crack the CSIR NET Exam, in fact, any Exam. As per statistics almost all the students who qualify the CSIR NET Exam implement the Notes making strategy, wherein they prepare their own notes for a better understanding of the subject.

prepare all the units. So it is always suggested to be thorough in mostly 7-8 units as per the background and interest of the candidate. Strategy for preparation should be made keeping the pattern of the question from each unit from the previous CSIR question papers.

Few Advantages of making notes while preparing for CSIR NET Life Like the specific regions of the chromosome containing mutational hotScience competitive exam are: spots that are more to mutation unlike • Helps you create a condensed the entire chromosome, some topics record of the topics rather than in each unit are examination prone inreferring to those lengthy books. stead of the entire syllabus content. So • Helps you organize important while preparing the notes it should be taken into account which concepts to topics in one place.

• One can design their notes keep- be focused more. Since visualization ing in mind the difficult topics has more influence on memory than and easier ones so that you can any other mode of learning, mostly it is recommended to put figures and refer to them accordingly.

• Use of Diagrammatic rep- graphs in the notes rather than long resentations while making notes descriptive texts. Notes should aleither in the form of flow chart, ways be comprehensive with relevant bullets or boxes helps you mem- information in tabulated form. Flow charts, bulleted text with precise inorize topics much effectively.

• Very much beneficial and easy formation should be prepared. for last minute revisions

Below we will discuss regarding the How to Prepare Notes For CSIR notes preparation strategy that should be followed while preparing notes for NET Exam – Unit Wise individual Units keeping the imporThe entire syllabus of CSIR NET tant topics in mind.

Exam includes 13 units in total with multiple subunits in each unit. The Unit 1: Molecules and their Interbest part regarding CSIR examination action Relevant to Biology is almost equal weightage is given to all the subunits included in the sylla- • This is a very important unit from examination point of view. bus.

This unit is based on biochemistry. So here mostly amino acids Since all the units are so vast with and their properties should be details up to depth in each topic it may prepared. not be possible for any individual to

• Charge, nature, Pka value, etc information about amino acids can be prepared in a tabular form and should be memorized.

• Similarly, the biochemical pathways can be remembered mostly in the form of flow charts giving more importance to enzymes.

• Information about DNA, proteins, etc should be tabulated.

Also, the enzymes involved in protein digestion should be listed out separately.

Unit 2: Cellular Organization • From this unit mostly topics from membrane transport, operon (lac and tryptophan), transposons should be prepared.

• In lac operon mostly the regulation in merodiploid condition should be condensed into a tabular form to easily memorize.

• Most importantly the proteins and factors involved in the cell cycle regulation should be noted from the text and designed in a graphical way.

• Interesting acronyms can also be created for easily correlating the terms with a particular step.

Unit 3: Fundamental Processes • This unit of CSIR NET exam includes molecular biology mainly dealing with DNA replication, DNA repair, transcription, mRNA splicing, translation, etc.

So while preparing notes for this unit – enzymes associated with DNA replication (for prokary-

otes as well as eukaryotes) and factors associated with transcription should be listed in a tabular form along with their respective roles.

• Transcription factors and steps involved in transcription and translation can be summarized in flow chart form.

• Make flow charts on regulation steps and make a table of content showing inhibitors of important enzymes along with their mechanisms.

Unit 4: Cell Communication and Cell Signaling • This unit involves a lot of memorization.

• List out the signaling pathways and draw flowcharts to remember the sequence of their action.

• For immunology make a comparison table for B and T cell.

• List out pathogens and diseases caused by them in a table.

• Also, make a table with information about cell adhesion molecules.

• Also, list the important oncogenes and tumor suppressor gene having significant roles in cancer genetics.

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Unit 5: Developmental Biology • In animal, developmental biology list out the terms and clearly mention their meanings in your own word. Say epiboly, delamination, etc.

• In detail write down the Wnt, Hedgehog signaling, etc.

• For plant make diagrammatic notes for ABC model to memorize easily.

Unit 6: System Physiology – Plant • Note down all the pathways light reaction, Dark reaction, CAM, C2 cycle, etc – in a sequential step by step or flow chart form.

• Make flow chart based notes for hormone signaling, synthesis of hormones and metabolites, etc.

• Make comprehensive notes for different stress response mechanisms.

Unit 7: System Physiology – Animals.

• Note down the structural details of organs systems. Give more importance to the graph based concepts and make notes on it, as it’s very commonly asked in CSIR Exam.

• The major focus should be on absorption, respiration, heart regulation, excretion, neural conduction, and hormones.

• List out the important hormones and their sources of secretion including their significant roles Unit 8: Inheritance Biology • In this unit, the first thing to do is understanding the terminologies. Gene, allele, homo and heterozygous, etc. So start your note by listing down these terms.

• Then concepts like complementation, recombination, etc should be noted down.

• For gene-mapping write down step by step, methods by taking an example and while solving other problems you can take reference from that.

• For pedigree analysis note down the important symbols and rules for each type of inheritance pattern.

• Make a figure based note for chromosomal alterations.

• Make a tabular note for memorizing the mutagens and nature of mutation induced by them.

Unit 9: Diversity of Life Forms • First of all, make a comparative

note on different types of classification systems as per CSIR NET Exam syllabus.

• Make diagrammatic notes for correlating plant and animal groups.

• Separate the important plants and animals (Insects orders) and write down distinctive characteristic features.

Unit 10: Ecological principles • Make figure based notes for the concept of niche.

• List out the important formulas like growth curve etc.

• Make diagrammes to easily memorize patterns of dispersion.

• Make graphs to remember the prey-predator relationship.

• Make a table to note down the species interaction.

• Separately write down the formulas for diversity index and correlate it with problems to understand the concept more efficiently.

• In succession draw pictures to remember models of succession.

• Make suitable equations and pathways to remember productivity.

• Also, make a table of comparative information regarding different ecosystems.

• In graphical form remember pieces of information about biomes.

• Construct and memorize the graph for island biogeography.

• For conservation-biology part collect the list of threatened plant and animal species.

• Also collect the protected areas biosphere reserve, national parks and the key flora and fauna there. Make a list of ecogeographic rules.

Unit 11: Evolution and Behavior • This unit is very crucial. In CSIR Exam Questions with Combination of concepts and numerical are asked from this Unit hence make the notes accordingly.

• Mostly try to collect the unique evolutionary terms.

• Elaborate their meanings in your own language. For Eg- Autapomorphy – a unique derived character in any taxon.

• Make clear simple notes regarding the construction of the phylogenetic tree.

• Clearly make a replica of geological time scale.

• List out all the important formulas related to HW Law, formulas associated with a change in gene

frequencies due to evolutionary processes.

• Also track down important points associated with the evolution of behavior, sexual selection, kin selection theory, instinct, learning, etc.

Unit 12: Applied Biology • This unit mostly focuses on experimental and technical concepts. Thoroughly prepare notes on the function of Vir genes and mostly focus on Agrobacterium infection in plants.

• Prepare notes on ELISA, RIA (with application examples).

Different terms associated with tissue culture note down.

• A detailed note regarding the development, screening, and application of transgenic plants should be prepared.

• Different techniques such as marker-assisted selection principles and applications based on recent research papers collect and summarize.

• Terms related to bioremediation as well as examples note down.

Unit 13: Methods in Biology • This is the most important and useful unit of the entire CSIR NET exam syllabus. A lot of applicable techniques are included in this unit.

• While making notes Thoroughly lay out the protocols of DNA, RNA protein extraction. Try to include the significance of chemicals used.

• Summarize Chromatography, electrophoresis principle and applications.

• Make a clear note regarding chisquare hypothesis. RFLP, Blotting techniques are mostly asked in the form of analytical questions.

• From the past question paper find out relevant questions and site as an example of the application of the techniques in your own words.

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• Separately make notes on principles and biological applications of microscopes such as Fluorescence, AFM, SEM, TEM, etc.

• Electrophysical methods such as EEG, ECG, etc – prepare notes on them mostly from examination point of view such as interpretation from the graph.

• CMR method, transect line method of population density measurement formulas should be listed.

Notes should always be prepared in one’s own words for easy understanding of the concepts. Make the note comprehensive and not too much extensive mentioning only the most relevant segments from the examination point of view.

While revision the most important details from the note should help you boost your confidence. Since in CSIR there is a specific pattern of questions asked, so your note details should basically be from the topics mostly as per the past trend of questions.

While preparing for CSIR along with good reference books, a lot of updated information from the recent research papers should be included.

In techniques preferably unit 13 rather than principle more application in the biological field should be included.

A blending of the relevant information from the reference source and your own logical thought can make the best preparatory note for CSIR NET Exam.

Biotecnika offers a vast array of products which CSIR NET aspirants can use for their CSIR NET Life Science exam Preparation. It includes – CSIR NET Life Science Unit wise Flow Chart Book – Konceptika, CSIR NET Book with a list of all tough questions that have been asked till date in CSIR NET Exam – ToughNET Question Bank, CSIR NET Memory Flash Cards – best for last minute preparations.

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CAREER ADVICE

May 27th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 80

What is the Right Time to Start Searching For Job If You Are In Biotech?

As a child, we wonder when we would grow up and be called as an adult...

WHILE WE ARE IN COLLEGE, WE WONDER WHEN OUR EDUCATION WOULD GET OVER AND WE WILL BEGIN A CAREER.

By Rashmi Sanyal

It is basic human nature to want to think of a stable career, an income, a reliable source of survival. What we fail to analyze is the penultimate after which we can start ‘Job hunting’. Is there a right time for it? Well, it all narrows down to what you want to do. If you are a science enthusiast and have chosen the field of Biotech, you must be aware of the opportunities it holds. Here is a short list to help you choose from. You can either ideas, and are willing to work hard to get streamlined. This is the best time • become a Lecturer/Professor, or, to do internships rather then Search• a researcher, ing Job In biotech. Approach industry • work in upstream or downstream experts and scientists or professionals processing in an industry and ask them about the opportunities • associated with a pharmaceutical available in their institute. Do not • be a food enthusiast or a nutri- worry about the pay yet! This is your tion expert career debut. When you choose to do • work with the government health an internship, you will be trained and department mentored and you will learn a varie• manage the workings in a Bio- ty of techniques that will shape your tech project or Laboratory skill sets. The people you meet, and • even want to set up your very the contacts you make, will help you own home-based industry. in your career ahead. This is the time when you can learn the maximum, but Searching Job In Biotech sector is this is also the time when you have an art which you need to master at an to decide which domain you want to early stage, depending on when you build your career in. want to start work. For eg- If you are a graduate student and want to start Many companies and government working right after your degree com- organizations release posts exclupletion you need to plan for from 2nd sively for freshers. The reason being, year of the degree itself. Same ap- a fresher can be molded as required. plies to postgraduates & Ph.D. degree New methodologies can be taught. holders in Biotech. The only secret They have high productivity. Search mantra is to start early. for these biotech jobs opportunities at Biotecnika, as they offer a decent pay As a Biotech / Life Science Grad- scale, which helps you stand on your uate own feet. You must also keep track of the different competitive exams that For achieving any of this, the basic are held. Often these certifications education required is completing your will help you to build your future Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc or B.Tech) in path. Learn hands-on techniques, cerBiotechnology / Life Science. But is tify yourself, attend workshops and that enough to land you a successful seminars. These will broaden your and high paying career? To this ques- horizon. tion, you will find both positive and negative replies.

Now, let us look at the downside of beginning a career, just after your Let us take the upside for example. Bachelor’s degree. The most imporYou are fresh out of college/univer- tant thing to remember is that once sity, brimming with enthusiasm and you start earning, returning back to

the field of education becomes very difficult. It needs a lot of motivation and willpower. So, you must decide what you want to do for at least the next 10 years of life. If you have the intention of completing your Masters or getting a Ph.D., the expert advice would be, to get it done with the flow.

Another aspect is that, once you begin working, you become restricted with your skillset. Your experience becomes domain restricted. This is both good and bad. It is good because the more experience you gather the faster you grow. But, it is bad since, you now have a narrower field of biotech job opportunity to choose from, firstly because you are just a graduate and secondly you are looking for a specific field. There is no doubt that you will grow in this path, but there will be a point where your growth may become stagnant. There is no need to worry. To improve your opportunity you must either improve your education credentials or your skillset.

As a Biotech / Life science Post-Graduate So now, let us analyze what happens if you begin Searching Job In Biotech after you complete your Master’s degree. Well, now you are more eligible, you have mastered a certain domain.

Your skills have evolved. There will be much more high paying opportunities to look for. Again, a lot of certifications and government employments begin when you have completed this degree. For example – CSIR NET, FSSAI.

Many pharmaceuticals will be willing to hire you based on the expertise you have gathered in your curriculum projects or internships. Again the downside is, do not begin your career now if you are, in the immediate future, wish to get a Ph.D. degree. Firstly, because you will not wish to leave your job and study again. Secondly, a lot of institutes offering doctorate degree requires a commitment of minimum 5-7 years. Thirdly, in India, the major fellowships offered for the doctorate degree have age-restricted eligibility. If you are on the brink of that limit, qualifying, finding the suitable lab/guide, getting registered may make you ineligible in due course. If you cross the age limit, you may find low stipend Ph.D., or you even may be deemed ineligible at many places.

However, there are exceptions. So, think through and choose wisely. The later you begin this path, the more delay you bring to your stability.

If you do not wish to get a doctorate degree, then decide on which skill set or work area you desire to build your career on. If you are strong in concept and explain well then choose to be an educator. If you are health conscious and constantly advise your family on what to eat and what not, become a food safety officer. If you wish to spend more time near your family and earn simultaneously, save space

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May 27th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 80

in your home/terrace and begin mushroom cultivation. If you wish to help mankind’s treatment process, join a drug or a vaccine production based institute. There are a plethora of avenues to choose from. Decide what you are good at and what interests you. If you find passion in your work, it reduces down to a hobby.

As a Biotech / Life Science Doctorate Suppose you have completed your doctorate and are very enthusiastic about research, choose to be a research associate or a postdoctoral fellow. They sound just like another degree but are equally potential job fields. You get paid well, with experience. If research is not your forte, no worries, a lot of institutes and government firms look for doctorates, for their R&Ds. The big brands and public sector units require none less than a doctorate for their scientist vacancies. Once you obtain this degree you even get faster promotions in the education industry.

Improve your chances Of Getting a Job The best chance of Searching Job In biotech and landing yourself an interview is either when you are a complete fresher or when you have gathered years of experience. It is the group in the middle that face the most difficulty. What should be done at this junction? A lot of people are short-sighted and do not stick to one role for a long period of time. They prefer quick career/company switches to have a better salary hike. But that may seem fruitful for the time being, but definitely does not appear well on your CV. It shows that you are unable to commit to your employers.

Do not keep switching your job and start searching for another for any arbitrary reason. Just the way you committed at completing your education, commit yourself to the job description you choose. Give it your 100%.

Remember the stronger your CV, the better are your chances to grab your employer’s attention.

Now, the question is how do I strengthen my CV? Now the most important aspect while searching Job In biotech is your CV. A recruiter will judge right from your basic education credentials. It is important for you to have a consistent academic record. An unjustifiable break in your education may hamper your chances of being the chosen one.

But not all of us are able to keep up

with this pace. It need not be a worry. When you look for a job opportunity in a particular career, try and master the strongest skill set, they require. For example, if you wish to join downstream processing or a quality control laboratory, learn about techniques like HPLC, Spectroscopy, NMR, etc. Get yourself certified, this will highlight your CV and you will have a chance to land that interview call. Never ever make a false claim on your CV. Whatever you are and can justify, use those skill sets to impress your employer. Try adding general skill sets to your CV. For example, if you are strong in computer handling, or have managed a team, or have taught/trained a group, etc. These add up as your personal skills.

Conclusion – The choice is yours No matter which level you are, there is no person better than you to decide whether it is the right time for a job hunt when you should start Searching Job In Biotech. Sit back, discuss with your family, pinpoint the reason you want to start working and then make

a decision. Is it because you want to experience? Is it because you want monetary support for your family? Or is it because you want recognition?

Whatever it may be, remember, never to give into peer pressure. If you are doing this just to prove yourself to your class-mate who landed a biotech job and is using his income to spend left and right, just to show off, then don’t !! It may seem an inviting thought now, but you may regret the first wrong ‘yes, I accept’ for your entire life.

If you wish to study further, then do everything in your power to complete it with the flow with which you began. If you are worried about finances, try looking for scholarships and stipends for completing your degree.

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Always remember that a rolling stone gathers no moss !!

Keep pace in your life and either earn or learn while you are at it.

Where to look for a Biotech / Life Science Job Matching your CV? For a decade, Biotecnika has been helping lakhs of students get their dream job in biotech or Life Science sector. Biotecnika is the No.1 Jobs, News & Career Advice Portal in India and is among the Top 50 biology websites in the World. Biotecnika’s Job alerts can be followed at our website – www.biotecnika.org, On WhatsApp – @95-35-888-233 On Instagram – @Biotecnika_Official, On facebook – @biotecnika, On Twitter @biotecnika. Also, you can subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest job openings both for freshers & experienced in the Biotech & Life science sector.

No matter which path you choose, Biotech, being a booming industry, will always have an opportunity waiting just for you. Open your eyes, search behind the right doors and make the right decisions at the right Kindly Install our App for latest update in the life science industry: time. http://bit.ly/app-btnika

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CAREER ADVICE

May 27th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 80

Top 10 GATE Exam Books & Study Materials In Biotech & Life Science

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an All-India examination directed and conducted jointly by the GATE Committee, which is comprised of Faculty members from IISc, Bangalore and seven other IITs in support of the National Coordinating Board, Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resources Development.

THE EXAMINATION IS CONDUCTED IN EIGHT REGIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE GATE EXAM IS CONDUCTED FOR CANDIDATES SEEKING ADMISSION TO M.TECH/PH.D. AND SEVERAL GOVERNMENT ASSISTANTSHIPS/SCHOLARSHIPS IN THE ARENA OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY.

By Dr. Deepa Sharma

GATE is a computer-based standardized test conducted at the national level in India with an aim to examine the understanding of various engineering and science undergraduate subjects.

In the last couple of years, the GATE exam has been opened to international students from the following countries as well: Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. The application forms for GATE are available at the official portal. The procedure of applying for the examination is completely online. The eligibility standards must be checked by the candidates before starting with the registration procedure.

GATE Exam Pattern The exam consists of numerical questions and 65 multiple choice questions over a 3-hours duration.

The validity of the GATE scorecard is for a period of three years. Out of a total of 24 papers, candidates can apply for only one of the papers. It is

anticipated that candidates appear in a paper that is opposite to the discipline of their qualifying degree. Nevertheless, candidates are at liberty to choose any paper corresponding to their admission plan, taking into account the eligibility criteria of the institutions in which they aspire to seek admission.

GATE is believed to be an examination which opens the doorway in the field of research and also to flourishing public organizations. The level of competition associated with the GATE is very high, as it is a national-level exam that is attempted by more than approximately 9 lakh candidates. Further, the exam as such possesses many tricky questions, i.e., success pivots on not only how tough the candidate prepares, but also the

how of preparation.

Candidates that appear in GATE in either Biotech or Life science subject, must be aware of the exam pattern, syllabus and most importantly the books for GATE exam. The exam pattern and syllabus of the exam are authoritatively prescribed by the Indian Institutes of Technology. The next crucial move is to use the most recommended, best – Top 10 GATE exam Books in order to have a thorough study and gain practice.

Importance of Right Reference Books For GATE Exam Picking the correct books for preparation of GATE exam is vital as this can play an imperative role in exam preparation tactic and thus provide an edge to the successful efforts. The

syllabus for GATE exam might be in such a custom that all the mentioned topics may not be available in just a single textbook. Furthermore, sometimes there might not be enough information about a particular subject in one book. Therefore, it is advisable to buy and use those books that cover all the important topics and information, thus bearing good standards as well as quality. One has to pick the book which possesses certain qualities; although no book is bad, it is just that while getting ready for GATE one needs to be smart and pre-emptive enough to get something that can aid a person to steer in the race and in due course, win at it. A little mistake can cause a lowering of the GATE rank.

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Following is a list of Top 10 GATE there is a reorganization of the segExam Books & Study Materials ment on microorganisms and disease. with their details to follow for thorough preparation: 3. Principles of Genetics, Eighth Edition, by Gardner, Simmons, and 1. Prescott’s Microbiology, 11th Snustad Edition By Joanne Willey and Kathleen Sandman and Dorothy The book offers well-defined, Wood wide-ranging and matchless exposure of genetics, with a highlight on appliIt has high–quality illustrations with cations, scripted principally for stustepped–out art to help readers visu- dents. It delivers up-to-date reporting alize complex processes. Focussed of the latest techniques operated in on the artwork, readability and the modern genetics such as gene cloning incorporation of several basic themes and Northern, Southern and Western (including evolution, ecology, and blot analyses of genes and gene proddiversity) throughout the text. Evo- ucts. Rather than simply considering lution is used as an all-encompass- the fairly obscure principles of geing theme all over, bonding micro- netics in abstraction, Gardner’s text biological concepts and offering a stands apart from most other prelimframework upon which students can inary texts in that it emphasizes gendevelop their knowledge. Its a must- uine and potential forthcoming applihave book for all aspirants appearing cations of the principles discussed, for GATE Exam. specifically in medicine and agriculture.

2. Microbiology by Michael Pelczar Jr., Chan, and Krieg The detailed topics covered are cell mechanics; properties and replication; This book by the eminent authors of chromosome mapping; gene expres‘Microbiology: Concepts and Appli- sion; mutation; gene cloning; genetcations’ accentuates the importance ic controls of immune response and of incorporating new knowledge cell division; genetic engineering and that is reaped through basic research more. along with applied research as well as development programs. One of the 4. Biotechnology: Expanding Hokey features of this edition is the pres- rizons by B.D. Singh entation of the bacterial classification in an entirely new layout. This book This bestselling textbook offers an comprises of the material on metabo- up-to-date and thorough description lism and genetic engineering besides of fundamental topics in Biotechnolbacterial genetics. In addition to that, ogy. This book is ideal for the GATE

CAREER ADVICE exam, it devotes in-depth explanation to complete parts of each topic, nevertheless in a simple, eloquent and crisp manner. Abridged and well-labeled pictures and diagrams make the subject exciting and easily comprehensible.

5. Ananthanarayan and Paniker’s Textbook of Microbiology Tenth edition by Reba Kanungo Anantha Narayan and Paniker’s Textbook of Microbiology- 10th edition has been developed for all the courses relating to Microbiology as a basic or subsidiary subject. The tenth edition of this standard textbook has been brought up-to-date keeping in mind the importance of integrated teaching underlining the prerequisite for applied microbiology.

6. Food Science by B. Srilakshmi Food Science stresses on the composition of foods and the variations that come about when they are exposed to processing. Study of food science includes the number of nutrients present in different foods and also the effect of cooking. Text of all the chapters have been updated and further illustrations have been added as well as improved. All through the book, antioxidants existing in varieties of foods are underlined.

In this edition, ‘Nutraceuticals’ which was earlier only a part of a chapter, is now developed into a full-

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fledged chapter discussing its details.

As there is an increasing demand for processed foods, knowledge on convenience foods, food additives, packaging and labeling of foods becomes essential for a food science student.

Correspondingly, in this edition, these topics have been considered in detail. Further, the significance of ‘Organic Food’ is brought in as a separate chapter, as the detrimental effects of pesticides and fertilizers are being realized., are essential. Topics such as food fortification and biofortification are given precise importance in this edition, as it is prerequisite to upgrade the nutritional status.

Foods and recipes of foreign origin are being exposed to Indians. A few have already tiptoed into the Indian kitchen. ‘Worldwide Cuisine’ is one of the new chapters provided in this edition to help the students get familiarized with global cuisine. Besides focusing on the basic facts, this book also mirrors the latest advances in food science. The syllabi of all Indian universities have been covered by the topics. With its exhaustive coverage and modest style of presentation, this book is priceless for anyone who wishes to gain an authentic report on the subject and not only for preparing for GATE exam.

7. A Textbook of Botany by Gopinath Hait, Kashinath Bhattacharya, Ashim Kumar Ghosh

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CAREER ADVICE

This textbook is preferably meant to be a basic textbook of Botany and allied subjects like Microbiology, Ecology, Geography, Forestry, Environmental Sciences, Zoology, and Biotechnology. The book has been divided into three sectors: Ecology and Environmental Biology, Economic Botany and Pharmacognosy.

The first segment comprises of four chapters: Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation; Phytogeography and Endemism; and Environmental Biology. These chapters are interdisciplinary in nature.

The second segment (Economic Botany) takes into account the biological resources of nature with regard to their supplies, usages, and applications.

The third segment is ‘Pharmacognosy’, which is an applied branch embodying various sources and applications of raw drugs. The book consists of appropriate illustrations and documentation, and thus possesses inclusive interpretations for students, researchers, and teachers.

8. Biochemistry by Satyanarayana and Chakrapani A distinguished and recommended textbook of the subject Biochemistry that explains the basic concepts in a succinct manner. It is a unification of basic and medical sciences and is

May 27th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 80

written comprehensively, reviewed and brought up-to-date to congregate the curriculum requisites of Agricultural Sciences, Life Sciences, Medical, Dental, Veterinary, Pharmacy, Biotechnology students and also others who study Biochemistry as one of the subjects. It is the earliest textbook on Biochemistry in English with multi-color illustrations by an author from Asia. The inclusion of multicolor format provides a clear understanding of the biochemical reactions and complex structures.

Antioxidants, etc have been provided.

Further, a wide diversity of case stud- This textbook explains on verteies with biomedical correlations have brates, types of species and their charalso been described. acteristics with examples as well as pictures. It is intended primarily as a Listing of the case studies is done textbook for the candidates preparing at the end of related chapters for in- for various competitive examinations. stant reference, fast review and im- Topics have been selected with great proved understanding of Biochemis- care and treated in a simple and lucid try. It comprehends the basics (Tools style. Characters and classification of Biochemistry, Bioorganic and Bi- have been simplified. Illustrations ophysical Chemistry, Immunology have been specially designed with and Genetics) for novices to learn ef- great dexterity, accurately, and in confortlessly the origins of biochemical formity with their textual descriptions. words, Biochemistry, confusables in Further, it is penned in an articulate Biochemistry, principles of Practical Last, of all, there are a few core facstyle with the subject being accessible Biochemistry and in addition Clinical tors for preparation and thereby for as an appealing story that has grown Biochemistry Laboratory. victory in GATE exam: from fundamental information to the most recent progress and with theo- 9. Modern Textbook of Zoology – • Being aware of the GATE syllaretical discussions being appended Invertebrates by Kotpal R.L. bus with tables, illustrations, biomedical • Being updated of all aspects – concepts, clinical correlates and case This textbook on zoology explains syllabus, exam pattern, books studies for easy understanding of the on invertebrates, types of species and • Gather valuable data and resubject. Each chapter has a beginning their characteristics with examples sources with a four-line stanza which is kept and illustrations. The name ‘inverte- • Studying sincerely from day 1, on by the text with clinical associates, brates’ is not always accurate among i.e., beginning the preparation a sum-up and self-assessment practic- non-biologists as it does not precisely with devotedness es. Reading path lucidity and quick describe a taxon in a similar way that • Making appropriate revision recall is facilitated by the dynamic Arthropoda, Vertebrata or Manidae notes; revising the content that illustrations and text with suitable do. All these terms describe a suitable has been studied helps immenseheadings and sub-headings in bold ty- taxon, phylum, subphylum or even ly pography. Students can thus conquer family. “Invertebrate” is not a taxon; • Practicing quizzes and tests, and the subject and tackle the examination it is a word of expediency. It has very a ton of MCQs with confidence. The latest and essen- little circumscriptional weightage ex- • Solving the previous year’s questial information on Molecular Biolo- cept within the Chordata. tion papers gy and Biotechnology and contempo• Studying superior quality and rary topics such as Cancer, Diabetes, 10. Modern Textbook of Zoology – pertinent books Prostaglandins, Free Radicals, and Vertebrates by Kotpal R.L.

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SCHOLARSHIPS

May 27th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 80

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Pursue your PhD Degree in Singapore with SINGA Fellowship

D

ear Biotecnikans, this is a golden opportunity to pursue your PhD education in Singapore. Interested candidates from all over the globe are eligible to apply for the Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) which helps you to further your education by obtaining a PhD Degree. Check out all of the details on the same below: The Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) is a collaboration between the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

PhD training is going to be carried out in English in your preferred laboratory at A*STAR Research Institutes, NTU, NUS or SUTD. Students will be supervised by both distinguished and world-renowned researchers in these labs. Upon successful completion, students will be conferred a PhD degree by either NTU NUS or SUTD. Singapore is the gateway to some of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia Pacific region. And with SINGA, you are able to pursue your PhD education in Singapore, establish international links and take your research career to greater heights.

SINGA promotes a vibrant and culturally diverse research community of international students. You are going to be working in a multi-cultural environment alongside distinguished and world-renowned research workers in state-of-the-art facilities.

Pursue your PhD education in Singapore with SINGA and take your research to greater heights.

To Learn More, please download the brochure Alternatively, please contact us at singa_enquiries@hq.a-star.edu.sg The submission deadline for January 2020 ingestion: 1 June 2019 (2359hrs GMT +8 Singapore time) RESEARCH AREAS Research areas beneath the PhD Programme fall broadly under two

categories: • Biomedical Sciences; and • Physical Science and Engineering.

Please be aware you will have to indicate your options of supervisor in the application form.

ELIGIBILITY • Open for application to all Global graduates with a passion for research and excellent academic results • Great skills in spoken and written English • Great reports from academic referees The above-mentioned eligibility criteria aren’t exhaustive.

A*STAR might consist of additional selection criteria according to existing scholarship policies. These policies may be amended from time to time without notice.

COVERAGE The award provides support for up to 4 years of PhD studies such as: • Tuition fees • Monthly stipend of S$2,000, which is increased to S$2,500 after the passing of the • Qualifying Examination • One-time airfare grant up to S$1,500* • One-time settling-in allowance of S$1,000* * Subject to terms and conditions APPLICATION PROCEDURE 1. Browse PhD Research Projects Proceed to Research Areas to browse the projects you’re interested in.

2. Documents Needed Do prepare these documents beforehand prior to applying.

Note: Do NOT mail any hard copy documents to SINGA Office. All essential documents should be submitted online.

A. An identification card or Passport b. A current passport-sized photograph (in .jpeg or .png format)

3.Transcripts & Reports ALL transcripts Will Need to be in English translation Mandatory Bachelor’s and/or Master’s academic transcripts.

Bachelor’s Degree certificate(s) / school(s) or a letter of certification from the university on your candidature in case your degree certification/ scroll hasn’t yet been conferred.

Two recommendation reports (to be completed and submitted online by the referees).

Optional GRE / IELTS / TOEFL / SAT I & II / GATE results. But do note that you can be asked by the university to submit satisfactory scores as part of the university admission requirement.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION Please read the important information below.

A. Please make certain that the information that you provide during account registration in the application portal is accurate since the informa-

tion will be utilized for verification upon your first log-in.

B. Please, make sure that you apply for the correct scholarship –“Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA)” — in the application portal after logging in.

C. Please do NOT email any hard copy documents to the SINGA Office.

D. Please submit your applications as soon as possible. This will give ample time for your referees to submit their online recommendation reports prior to the application deadline, as only applications with two recommendation reports will be processed.

E. Please check and make sure that all data you’ve entered in the online application form is accurate and correct before you submit this application. Amendments to the application won’t be possible once it’s submitted.

The submission deadline for January 2020 intake: 1 June 2019 (2359hrs GMT +8 Singapore time) Only shortlisted candidates will be notified within 12 weeks from the application closing date.

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Fully Funded Internship In Japan On Generation Of Human iPS cells

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he official notification for the ASHD CiRA Training program in Generation and Maintenance of Human iPS cells has been released. Its a fully funded training opportunity in Japan.

Interested candidates can check out all of the details regarding the eligibility criteria, application procedure and more below: “ Accelerating the application of Stem cell technology in Human Disease” (ASHD) program, India and The Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University, Japan organizes Training program in Generation and Maintenance of Human iPS cells

The 7-day, entirely financed, training program features instruction on methods for the generation and propagation of human iPS cells in CiRA. Qualification criteria: The training program is primarily targeted to SRFs/PhD students/Post-doctoral fellows affiliated to a lab in India. Applicants should possess fundamental mammalian cell culture skills. Experience in primary/stem cell culture is desired. Upper age limit for applicants is 40 years at the time of submission of application. Candidates must also have a valid passport with minimal 6-month validity years at the time of submission of application.

• When: November 2019 • Where: CiRA, Kyoto University

Selection process: Selection is based on eligibility, prior experience, and a statement about the requirement of experience from this training program for ongoing research and future prospects.

https://docs.google.com/ forms/d/1GGqUPuD3UmCmIcy1jBwdHajZrz95a0k9mA2deR232rI/edit

How to apply: Please apply through the Google form at the link below

For additional queries, please write to us at: adbs@ncbs.res.in

The deadline for the receipt of full application is 9th June 2019.

TWAS – BIOTEC Postdoc Fellowship Programme For PhD Candidates

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he notification for the TWAS-BIOTEC Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme 2019 has been released. Interested and eligible candidates can check out all of the details regarding the scheme, the eligibility, the fields of research, the application procedure, important dates and more below: For young scientists from developing countries (besides Thailand) who want to pursue advanced research in the biotechnology at the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) in Thailand.

Programme Details • TWAS-BIOTEC Postdoctoral Fellowships are tenable in BIOTEC and its affiliated research units for a period of twelve (12) to twenty-four (24) months and are given to young scientists from developing countries (besides Thailand) to allow them to pursue advanced research in biotechnology.

• BIOTEC is looking for 3 positions for postdoctoral researchers in the regions of molecular biology, molecular genetics, bio-

technology, proteomics, metabolomics, molecular Immunology, biochemistry, medical technology, cell culture technology, and bioprocess technology.

• BIOTEC will offer a standard monthly allowance which should be used to pay for living costs, such as accommodation and food.

• The language of instruction is English.

Qualification Applicants for these fellowships must meet the following criteria: • Be nationals of a developing country (other than Thailand).

• Should never hold any visa for temporary or permanent residency in Thailand or any developed nation.

• Hold a PhD degree in any of these fields: molecular biology, molecular genetics, biotechnology, proteomics, metabolomics, molecular Immunology, biochemistry, medical engineering, cell culture technology, and bioprocess technology or related disciplines; • meet the requirements of the 3 postdoctoral positions availa-

•

•

•

•

ble at BIOTEC and its research units. For complete details of the positions click HERE. Apply for the fellowship within THREE years of having obtained a PhD degree in fields of the natural sciences given above.

Shouldn’t be over 40 years old by the date of their submission of their application. NB. As an example, if an applicant turns 40 on 15 June, s/he ought to make certain not to submit the application later than 15 June.

Be regularly employed at a research and/or teaching institution in their home country where they need to hold a research assignment.

Provide an official Acceptance Letter from BIOTEC. Requests

for acceptance has to be directed to the BIOTEC Research Support Division (email rsd@biotec. or.th) that will facilitate the assignment of a host supervisor. In contacting BIOTEC, applicants should accompany their request for an Acceptance Letter with a copy of their CV, a research proposal outline, doctorate degree transcript, abstract of dissertation, a statement of intent and three recommendation letters.

• Provide evidence of proficiency in English, if the medium of instruction wasn’t English.

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• Provide evidence that s/he will return to her/his home country on completion of the fellowship • not take up other assignments throughout the span of her/his fellowship • be financially responsible for any accompanying family members.

Field 01-Agricultural Sciences 02-Structural, Cell and Molecular Biology 03-Biological Systems and Organisms 04-Medical and Health Sciences incl. Neurosciences 05-Chemical Sciences Submitting your application • The deadline to apply is 30 June 2019.

• Applicants must submit the Acceptance Letter from the BIOTEC Research Support Division to TWAS and BIOTEC when applying or by the deadline at the latest. Without preliminary acceptance, the application won’t be considered for selection.

• Applications for the TWAS-BIOTEC Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme may ONLY be submitted through the online portal.

• Please be advised that applicants can apply for just 1 programme each calendar year at the TWAS and OWSD portfolio. Applicants won’t be eligible to pay a visit to another institution in that year under the TWAS Visiting Professor programmes. One exception: The head of an institution who invites an outside scholar to share his/her expertise under the TWAS Visiting Professor programmes could nevertheless

apply for a different programme.

IMPORTANT: • STARTING IN 2018 APPLICATIONS CAN ONLY BE SUBMITTED VIA THE ONLINE PORTAL- PLEASE USE THE “APPLY NOW” BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE TO START YOUR APPLICATION. • OPENING DATE OF THIS FELLOWSHIP: 1 April 2019 • CLOSING DATE OF THIS FELLOWSHIP: 30 June 2019 • Applicants are able to apply for preliminary acceptance letters from their chosen host institutes under the chosen fellowship programme well before the opening date of this call.

• Preliminary acceptance letters dated 2018 or earlier will NOT be accepted since they have to be

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dated the same year as the year of application.

Contact Details • TWAS Fellowships Office ICTP Campus, Strada Costiera 11 34151 Trieste, Italy Phone: +39 040 2240-687 Fax: +39 040 2240-689 E-mail: fellowships@twas.org • BIOTEC Research Support Division National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) 113 Thailand Science Park, Phahonyothin Road, Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang Pathumthani 12120 Thailand Tel: (66-2) 564 6700 ext. 3154 Fax: (66-2) 564 6707 Email: rsd@biotec.or.th

Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) Program 2019

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he notification for the National Fellowship For Candidates Interested in Research Career via the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) Program 2019. Interested and eligible Indian Nationals can check out all of the details on the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) Program. Check the information on the selection procedure, application process below: The KVPY Fellowships have been awarded to Indian Nationals to Study in India (Students planning to pursue/pursing undergrad program below Distance Education scheme/ correspondence course of any university aren’t eligible to apply).

Stream SA: Pupils registered in XI Standard (Science Topics ) throughout the academic year 2019-20 and having procured a minimum of 75 percent (65% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate in MATHEMATICS and SCIENCE topics from the X Standard Board Examination.

The fellowship of those pupils chosen under this flow will be activated only if they join an undergraduate course in Basic Sciences (B.Sc. /B.Math. /Int. M.Sc. /Int. M.S.) in the academic year 2021-22 after having procured a minimum of 60 percent (50% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in ag-

gregate in Science subjects in the XII standard/(+2) Board Exam. During the period of one year, they’ll be encouraged for the National Science (Vijyoshi) Camp and their travelling expenditures and local hospitality will be fulfilled by KVPY. Stream SX: Students enrolled in XII Standard/ (+2) (Science subjects) during the academic year 2019–20 and aspiring to join undergraduate program in Basic Sciences namely Physics/Chemistry/Mathematics & Biology leading to B.Sc./B.S./B.Stat./B.Math./Int. M.Sc./Int. M.S. for the session 2020– 21 provided they have secured a minimum of 75% (65% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate in MATHEMATICS and SCIENCE subjects (Physics/ Chemistry/ Biology) in the X Standard Board Examination during the academic year 2017-18 are eligible to appear for the Aptitude test.

The fellowship of the students selected under this stream will be activated only if they join an undergraduate course in Basic science (B.Sc./B.S./B. Stat./B.Math./Int. M.Sc./Int. M.S.) in the academic year 2020-21 after having secured a minimum of 60% (50% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate in MATHEMATICS and SCIENCE subjects (Physics/Chemistry/Biology) in the XII standard Board Exami-

nation during academic year 2019-20.

Students in their 2nd year of research at Cambridge International Examination Board and aspiring to join an UG program (viz. B.Sc. /B.S./B.Stat. /B.Math. /Int. M.Sc. / Int. M.S.)at Basic Sciences namely Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology at the Academic year 201920 are eligible to apply provided they have secured a minimum of 75 percent (65% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate in MATHEMATICS and SCIENCE subjects (Physics/Chemistry/Biology) from the X Standard Board Exam. They need to secure 60% (50% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate in MATHEMATICS and SCIENCE subjects (Physics/Chemistry/Biology) from the XII standard Board Exam prior to taking up the fellowship if granted.

Stream SB: Pupils registered in the 1st year of undergraduate curriculum in Basic Sciences specifically Physics/Chemistry/Mathematics & Biology resulting in B.Sc. /B.S./B. Stat. /B.Math. /Int. M.Sc. /Int. M.S. throughout the academic year 2019– 20 and having procured a minimum of 60 percent (50% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate in MATHEMATICS and SCIENCE subjects (Physics/ Chemistry/Biology) in the XII Standard Board Exam. At the 1st year closing evaluation of B.Sc. /B.S./B.Math. /B.Stat. /Int. M.Sc. /Int. M.S. they have to secure 60% (50% for SC/ST/ PWD) marks prior to taking up the fellowship if granted.

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Empowerment initiative at the KVPY Fellowship Program: A particular number of additional fellowships exclusively for its pupils belonging to SC/ST community below the numerous streams as mentioned previously will be worked.

A definite number of fellowships under different streams as mentioned previously will be operated only for pupils under the class of Persons With Disability (Physically and Visually Challenged).

Students enrolled in an undergraduate class in Basic Sciences, in other words, B.Sc. /B.S./B.Stat. /B.Math. /Int. M.Sc. /Int. M.S. in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cell Biology, Ecology, Molecular Biology, Botany, Zoology, Physiology, Biotechnology, Neurosciences, Bioinformatics, Marine Biology, Geology, Human Biology, Genetics, Biomedical Sciences, Applied Mathematics, Geophysics, Materials Science or Environmental Science qualify for KVPY fellowship.

Renewal/Continuation of Fellowship: The Fellow continues to study Basic Science courses in school/junior college/university, and maintains that a minimal level of academic performance of first course or 60 percent (50% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate or equal grade points along with the pupils must pass all the subjects prescribed for that academic year (2 semesters in the event of session system) and should have got the above specified percentage of marks.

In the course work, in every academic year, the marks/grades might need to be certified by the Dean or Head of the Institution. The fellowship will be stopped if the above-mentioned marks/grade isn’t obtained. But when the fellow passes all of the topics and obtains greater than 60 percent ((50 percent for SC/ST/PWD) marks at the following years, the fellowship may be revived only from this year onwards, again using the state that the fellow ought to obtain 60 percent (50% to SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate each year. This can be effective from 2012 awardees onwards. The Student is eligible to get the KVPY fellowship up to Pre-PhD degree or 5 years whichever is sooner.

Along with the above, involvement and satisfactory performance from the Summer Camp at the first Summer and year job each calendar year thereafter is necessary for the renewal of their fellowship.

tions ) is required for renewal of their Fellowship. The report on the summer programme /project along with the evaluation report by the mentor is going to need to be forwarded in addition to the training course performance certification etc. renewal purpose from the second year of B.Sc. The fellowship for those students /B.S./B.Math. /B.Stat /Integrated chosen under the stream SA/SX/SB M.Sc. /Integrated M.S. program. is going to soon be started after the XII Standard/ (+2) / I year UG, just Additional Privileges: if they pursue an undergraduate class in Basic Sciences, who are, B.Sc. Every KVPY Fellow will be issued /B.Math. /Int. M.Sc. /M.S. in Chemis- an Identity Card in order to get access try, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, to National Laboratories/ Universities Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cell Bi- that have consented to extend excepology, Ecology, Molecular Biology, tional privileges such as the library, Botany, Zoology, Physiology, Bio- lab facilities, etc. to KVPY Fellows technology, Neurosciences, Bioin- on the production of their ID card. formatics, Marine Biology, Geology, Human Biology, Genetics, Biomedi- Our Goal: cal Sciences, Applied Physics, Materials Science, Environmental Science We expect that the award of the Felor Geophysics. lowship to a pupil functions as an encouragement and motivation to take Summer program: up research in a topic in B.S. (Basic Sciences) of the liking that compels Participation and decent perfor- the pupil to pick out a research promance in the summer programme/ fession.

Project every year in the second year (B.Sc. /B.S./B.Math. /B.Stat /Inte- How to Apply: grated M.Sc. /Integrated M.S.) admissions in an academic Institution of Aptitude Test: After evaluation of National or worldwide repute or some application forms and fulfilling the DSIR approved research labs (in the eligibility standards for a variety of event of private laboratory or associa- streams, all qualified students will KVPY Fellows who choose out of their simple science (B.Sc. /B.S./B. Stat. /B.Math. /Int. M.Sc. /M.S.) stream at any point will forfeit the Fellowship and Contingency Grant forthwith.

May 27th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 80

be called for ability test conducted in Hindi and English at various centres throughout the country on Sunday, the 3rd November 2019.

Admit Card Pupils may obtain the admit card for the aptitude test out of the site from the second week of October 2019.

Interview: dependent on the performance in the aptitude test, short-listed pupils will be requested to appear for an interview that’s the last phase of the selection process.

Support Helpdesk Details: IF YOU REQUIRE ANY INFORMATION RELATED TO Application Form, CALL ON 080 – 22932975/76, 08023601008 & 080 – 22933536 Email to applications.kvpy@iisc. ac.in THE PHONE NUMBERS ARE AVAILABLE BETWEEN 10:00 AM AND 05:00 PM. * Saturday and Sunday are Holidays.

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IISc Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists

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ISc Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists 2019 official notification has been made.

Interested candidates who want to apply for the same, can check out all of the details on the overview, categories, how to apply and more on this are detailed below: YOUR TURN THIS YEAR? Apply for the Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists — a yearly prize awarded to early-career scientists. The prize is presented in four different groups: Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Environment, Molecular Medicine, and Genomics, Proteomics and Systems Biology.

The winners will have their essays published by Science, win up to USD 30,000 and also be encouraged to Sweden to attend the award ceremony. Prepare for a life-changing moment in your scientific career.

Eligible entrants must have been awarded their doctoral degree in 2017 or 2018. The winners from each class will compete for the Grand Prize.

The Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists is a global prize, established in 2013, aimed at rewarding scientists at an early stage of their careers. Science/AAAS and SciLifeLab, a coordinated effort of four uni-

versities, have joined forces in creating the Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists to recognize excellence amongst young researchers from around the world. The Prize was created to recognize that global economic health is dependent upon a vibrant research community and we need to encourage our best and brightest to continue in their chosen fields of research. Considering the difficult economic environment, it is important to provide extra encouragement to young scientists as they begin their scientific careers.

The International Prize is awarded annually to four young scientists for outstanding life science research for which he/she earned a doctoral degree in the previous two years. Each year, a Grand Prize winner is selected from the applicants to receive 30,000 USD in prize money. The three other category winners are awarded 10,000 USD each for their accomplishments.

Science/AAAS and SciLifeLab look forward to reviewing the research findings from future entrants.

The grand prize winning essay will be published in Science and essays from the three category winners will be published online.

In addition, all four winners of the Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists will be invited to

Sweden in December to take part in in a unique week of events in honour of science – with the opportunity to meet with leading researchers in their field. The annual award ceremony and banquet is held in the Grand Hôtel Hall of Mirrors in Stockholm – the original venue of the Nobel prize banquet.

The 2019 categories are: Cell and Molecular Biology Research in this category includes cellular and molecular processes at levels ranging from single molecule to single cell to tissue and organ systems.

Genomics, Proteomics and Systems Biology Research in this category focuses on genomics, proteomics, integrative omics and systems biology approaches to facilitate a comprehensive un-

derstanding of living cells, organisms and species.

Ecology and Environment Research in this category encompasses interactions between organisms and their environment, and how these processes are influenced by human activity.

Molecular Medicine Research in this category aims at building on the molecular understanding of disease in humans to develop preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, including individualized medicine.

Read further: scienceprize.scilifelab.se Questions/Inquiries: SciLifeLabPrize@aaas.org Application deadline: July 15th, 2019

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May 27th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 80

Germany Scholarship for Researchers

By BMBF & DAAD – NAMASTE+ 2019

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he official call for Mobility for Professors and Junior researchers, Student incoming mobility and Student outgoing mobility from the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (UGOE), Germany to the following Indian HEI has been released. Interested candidates can check out all of the details on the same below: NAMASTE+ 2019 Call for applications (India → Göttingen) within the program “A New Passage to India – Indo-German HEI Cooperation” Funded by BMBF and DAAD Mobility for Professors and Junior researchers from the following Indian HEI: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT – G) Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT – K) Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore (UASB) University of Delhi (DU) University of Hyderabad (UoH) to the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (UGOE), Germany

• • • •

ules) Aptitudes (for instance, intercultural readiness, interpersonal abilities and difficulty ) Qualifications (academic, competences, publications, applicable prizes, etc.)

Language skills Impact and significance for India/ Germany (particularly in mutual research interest, PhD, postdoc and staff mobilities).

NAMASTE+ 2019 Call for applications (India → Göttingen) within the program “A New Passage to India – Indo-German HEI Cooperation” Funded by BMBF and DAAD

General overview: The Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (UGOE) provides scholarships for professors and Junior researchers from Indian HEI in the University of Göttingen for the year 2019. The scholarships are offered to all academic areas.

Student incoming mobility from the following Indian HEI:

Travelling and Insurance: Traveling for the grantee (round trip economy class flight) will be organized and covered by the project. All grant holders have been insured by a central Group Insurance, which is centrally organized by the Project Coordination Team upon successful nomination. The insurance costs (approximately 0,99 EUR daily ) are deducted from individual support.

Application: Please use the below URLs for application and follow as indicated on the online application form. We strongly suggest using Firefox or Chrome: https://goettingen.moveon4.de/form/5cd14a37587531412f8b4567/eng http://www.namasteplus.de/ Application Documents: • Invitation letter from the Host University, which means the candidates ought to have contacted their prospective supervisor or collaborator • Motivation letter • CV

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT – G) Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT – K) Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore (UASB) University of Delhi (DU) University of Hyderabad (UoH) to the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (UGOE), Germany

General overview: The Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (UGOE) provides scholarships for incoming student Mobility for studying and research at the University of Göttingen for the year 2019. The scholarships are open to all academic areas.

Eligibility criteria:

Travelling and Insurance:

The selection criteria established within the NAMASTE+ project comprise:

Traveling for the grantee (round trip economy class flight) will be organized

• Quality of the application (clearly defined aims and expected results, expected impact, methodology, and fitness for the project’s goals, sched-

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and covered by the project. All grant holders have been insured by a central Group Insurance, which is centrally organized by the Project Coordination Team upon successful nomination. The insurance costs (approximately 0,99 EUR daily ) are deducted from individual support.

Application: Please use the below URLs for application and follow as suggested on the online application form. We strongly suggest using Firefox or Chrome:: https://goettingen.moveon4.de/form/5cd14a37587531412f8b4567/eng http://www.namasteplus.de/ Application Documents:

• • • • • • •

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Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT – K) Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore (UASB) University of Delhi (DU) University of Hyderabad (UoH) to the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (UGOE), Germany

General overview: The Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (UGOE) provides scholarships for outgoing student mobility for analyzing and research at Indian high Education Institutions for the year 2019. The scholarships are open to all academic areas.

Travelling and Insurance: • Motivation letter • In the case of PhD applicants: Invitation letter from the Host University Traveling for the grantee (round trip economy class flight) will be organized – that means that the candidates ought to have contacted their potential and covered by the project. All grant holders have been insured by a central supervisor or collaborator Group Insurance, which is centrally organized by the Project Coordination • CV Team upon successful nomination. The insurance costs (approximately 0,99 EUR daily ) are deducted from individual support.

Eligibility criteria: Application: The selection criteria established within the NAMASTE+ project comprise: Please use the below URLs for application and follow as indicated on the on• Quality of this application (clearly defined aims and expected results, an- line application form. We strongly recommend using Firefox or even Chrome:: ticipated impact, methodology, fitness to the project’s objectives, schedules) https://goettingen.moveon4.de/form/5cd14a37587531412f8b4567/eng • Aptitudes (for instance, intercultural readiness, interpersonal skills and problem-solving) http://www.namasteplus.de/ • Qualifications (academic, competences, publications, relevant prizes, etc.. ) Application Documents: • Language skills • Impact and significance for India/ Germany (particularly in mutual re- • Motivation letter search interest, PhD, postdoc and personnel mobilities).

• In the case of PhD applicants: Invitation letter from the Host University – that means The candidates ought to have contacted their potential suRequired language skills: pervisor or collaborator • CV For exchange students seeking admission to the UGOE, the following language requirements apply: Eligibility criteria: Language of instruction English: Proof of English language proficiency equal to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR1) is required; additionally, a level of B1 in German is recommended.

Language of instruction German: Proof of German language proficiency equal to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is demanded.

The selection criteria established within the NAMASTE+ project include: • Quality of the application (clearly defined aims and expected outcomes, expected Impact, methodology, fitness for the project’s goals, schedules) • Aptitudes (like intercultural readiness, interpersonal skills and problem-solving) • Qualifications (academic, competences, publications, relevant prizes, etc.)

• Language skills • Impact and relevance for India/ Germany (particularly in mutual research interest, PhD, postdoc and staff mobilities) Required language skills:

NAMASTE+ 2019 Call for applications (India → Göttingen) within the program “A New Passage to India – Indo-German HEI Cooperation” Funded by BMBF and DAAD Student outgoing mobility from the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (UGOE), Germany to the following Indian HEI • • • • •

Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT – G)

Good understanding of English (B2 — C1) The deadline for submission of the applications is May 31, 2019

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