Bio-buzz



I am in class XII. I want to know, whether I should join biotechnology after class XII or after college. Also, should I go for an allied field of biotechnology, or for the main branch. Please advice me, as I am quite very confused.



Most biotechnology experts has interviewed over the last few years are of the view that the earlier the better. It’s ideal to catch a student young.



In fact, this is what Prof Sunil Saran, director, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, had to say: “Earlier, science students had just two streams to choose from – engineering or medicine. That led to a lot of frustration also, because students attempted pre-medical or premedical test, often did not get selected, and entered any BSc course. Their minds were still set on medical studies or engineering. They spent their three years in this manner and ended up with a BSc degree. Now this BSc degree has huge gaps of knowledge because all along these students were thinking in terms of becoming a doctor or an engineer. It was then that they thought of doing biotechnology at masters level. But they entered the biotech scene without any understanding of what biotech is. Now the feedback we have got from the industry is that these students were totally incompetent to handle anything. So they had to be sent for one year for training, before they can be put to job.” So you should not have any dilemma about joining a biotech course after school.



 



Picture Credit : Google


Career in Bio Technology



My daughter is a student of class XII, pursuing science stream. She wants to do BTech in biotechnology. Please provide information regarding admission and names of colleges.



We hope that your daughter has filled the forms for various entrance exams for admission to BTech biotechnology offered by various universities/institutes. If she has not, she will have to apply next year. Or else she might think of BSc biotechnology, offered by a large number of universities.



The IITs have been offering a four year BTech course in Biotechnology for quite some time. IIT Kharagpur offers a BTech degree programme in biotechnology and biochemical engineering; IIT Chennai and IIT Guwahati offer a BTech degree in biotechnology; IIT Delhi and IIT Kharagpur offer a five-year dual degree MTech course (after completion of 10+2) in biochemical engineering & biotechnology; and IIT Chennai offers a similar MTech course in biotechnology. Admission to these courses is through a Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) after class XII.



Among the other institutes offering BTech are: Anna University, Chennai (BTech in industrial biotechnology); Bharathidasan Institute of Engineering and Technology, Tiruchirappalli; Guru Gobind Singh University, Delhi; Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (BTech chemistry and Bio engineering); UP Technical University, Lucknow; Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore (Tamil Nadu).selection is on the basis of All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), or the entrance exams conducted by various state governments.



 



Picture Credit : Google