What's your area and level of expertise?

[iansmith]

Congratulations on the job! Is the pleuropneumoniae a major hazard for the pig, or also for humans?

The bacteria I work with only infect pigs.

 

[confusedbybio]

I am in biology 201 just beginning.. this stuff is really confusing and hard to understand by the textbook description. Does anyone have any suggestions to how I may better understand? Are there any books out there that may explain things in beginner terms?

 

[Monique]

Alberts - Molecular Biology of the Cell is a widely used book that's 'easy to read'

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?call=bv.View..ShowTOC&rid=mboc4.TOC&depth=10

 

[brandon429]

BS back in '01. double major biology and psych. worked in microbiology for meat producers producing data on environmental pathogen vectors, then was into social work afterwards, now migrated into sales for a living. keep my biology alive in the backround working on ultra-small marine reef systems that grow scleractinian corals. I take these around to universities, rent them to schools, and do exhibits just to enjoy science talk

confusedbybio
I know how you feel

you will no doubt finds tons of digital definition flashcard programs and really cool free stuff on the web to work with the texts. love the books but i still do the freeware programs, there's thousands, mainly because lots of information is updating and the web is just so strong for this field

 

[AyazM]

I am a medical student and my interest basically spans surgeries. I thought perhaps a medical student might be expected to know a thing or two about biology especially of humans so occasional visits here wouldn't be that bad.

 

[Monique]

Hi AyazM, it is always good to know what is going on in a body on the molecular level. Note that we also have a medical sciences forum

 

[nixie]

Hi all!
I'm finishing my Bsc. in plant biology (technically, in plant ecology, but I'm doing my fourth-year thesis in systematics).

 

[LebLlama]

Im going to graduate with a BS in microbiology/chemistry in may.

 

[qedprigmosyno]

Physics major with a premed track =.=
considering that double major with molecular cell biology

 

[toomuchfun89]

I'm in my junior year of my undergrad working towards a BA in biological sciences. I currently work in a lab that focuses on the conservation of amphibians. My project is looking at the sensitivity of juvenile ambystomatid salamanders to conspecifics and heterospecifics.

I'm also about to study abroad at James Cook University in Australia for a semester, with the hope of gaining some experience in marine biology so I can work in cetacean behavior someday... I know, I know, but everyone is entitled to dream a little, right?

 

[Monique]

Hi toomuchfun89, it is always good to have dreams! The key is to work towards making them true..

 

[toomuchfun89]

Haha! Thanks for the encouragement Monique!

 

[FairtuMydling]

Hi All,

Great forum! I am new here.

As a bit of background, I have a PhD in chemistry but have shifted slowly but surely over the past few years to work in enzyme engineering and molecular modelling, primarily in the areas of lignocellulosic biofuels and enzymes for CO2 capture/conversion. I have to admit I like the molecular biology side of things more than the chemistry these days...but it is nice to have the chem background.

Looking forward to participating in the forum! Cya soon...

FM

 

[runner2010]

Getting a B.S. in biology with minor in chemistry in 2 years. I initially thought I'd definitely go the vet med school track, but not sure anymore. I have volunteered at a farm working with large animals and I've realized it's not for me.lol. I currently work at a vet clinic and I really enjoy it, but I find myself enjoying working in the lab portion of the clinic more (not to mention I really like my bio and chem labs in school!).

So, now I'm not sure what I should do now! I plan on seeing if any professors in the molecular bio department need undergrad research assistants next semester. I already have a B.S. in accounting and MIS, going back to school to do what I should have done the FIRST time around.

I love my classes, I have had the label "geek" thrown at me a few times..I guess I get too excited and no one cares to hear what I learned about in my cell bio or chem classes except me.haha Yesterday I was at the university library looking for references I need for my enzyme bio lab report and I felt like I was a kid in a candy store because I saw row upon row of books on everything science. I couldn't help myself, after finding a book I needed, I stayed another 45 minutes just browsing and pulling books...

 

[Jon Richfield]

My qualifications are nothing special, though I have an Agricultural degree majoring in entomology and biochem, it is very rusty because I went off into computer work many years ago, in fact shortly after getting my BSc.
However, my obsession with biology dates back to about age 3 and has never subsided, and I have more nerve than anyone who thinks that formal qualification is a substitute for cogency or mental flexibility.

Accordingly, one of my views is that the educated application of half-knowledge is a major distinction between the quick thinker and the dead.

Conversely, loud opinions cannot shout down empirical contradiction. Not indefinitely anyway! (Not that that bothers politicians!)

 

[sdcraigcooper]

I have a BS in Molecular Biology. I am intersted in bacterial resistances to antibiotics.

 

[MarkitScience]

hi everyone,
i finished my BSc in Biology & Psychology in 2008.
this summer i will be finishing my MSc in Experimental Medicine.
applying for entry into med school this summer.

 

[TubbaBlubba]

Well, I'm still in high school, but I aspire to become a physician and I have a very keen interest in physiology.

 

[Jon Richfield]

Sounds like a good place to start your active interest in your career. Physiology is a field that not many are good at because it requires a good aptitude for thinking logically about the way things work. You would be surprised how few people have that aptitude. Work good and hard at your comprehension of why mechanisms in the body work the way they do, why they fail, and what known mechanisms suggest about unknown mechanisms. Don't only think in terms of human physiology -- comparative physiology can teach you a lot about the way our bodies work. And get into biochemistry as deeply as you can -- without biochem there is not a lot of biology that you can understand in depth. Don't get discouraged; the rewards for sticking to it are enormous.
Welcome!

Jon

 

[TubbaBlubba]

Chemistry happens to be another one of my favourite subjects, organic- and biochemistry in particular. I'm currently quite interested in metabolism, especially amino acid catabolism.

Most of the concrete knowledge I have of the way the human body works comes from many, many years of tedious questions to my father (who is a physician), and the rest comes from research on wikipedia et al, with some miniscule fraction ascribed to school education.

 

[Pythagorean]

Have a B.S. in Physics,
pursuing a M.S. in theoretical/computational neuroscience

Actively researching Morris Lecar model, a nonlinear neuron model, for evidence of spatiotemporal chaos:

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Morris-Lecar_model

 

[Snazzy]

Will be obtaining my BSc in microbiology and immunology from UBC next May, and then hopefully in September 2011, I will be in med school or touring Europe and getting absolutely smashed a couple (or 365) more times before entering med school.

 

[Kylebrad98]

I have no education that it worth mentioning just some public schooling but according to standardize testing this is one subject that i know well.

 

[Jon Richfield]

I have no education that it worth mentioning just some public schooling but according to standardize testing this is one subject that i know well.

Welcome anyway. Learn some, share some, teach some, contribute some.
It is the best any of us can do. It is a huge subject, but can be hugely rewarding.:!).

 

[bobze]

Hello, Long time reader here, just now posting on this topic!

I did a dual degree (BS's) for my undergrad, molecular genetics and evolutionary ecology, organismal biology (EEOB for short!) and yes, that makes me a buckeye for any of you Googling that!

Worked for a while after that in research, mostly dealing with microbes (modes of caspase activation and induction in Legionella and Burkholderia infections)

Went to private industry after that and quickly found out that stable jobs in private research firms are about as reliable as a one dollar watch (and probably pay as often too!). So I decided to go back to school. I did a MS in biomedical science, with my emphasis on microbial pathology and got a job in clinical microbiology.

Which I liked but didn't see myself doing till retirement. So I've gone back to school again! I am currently a medical student, which is also why I have little time to post on a regular basis and you'll note my posts all seem to come in clipped-bursts :P

 

[Kglocc]

MCD Biology, undergrad senior. PF is great. Guilt-free procrastination before studying

 

[nucleargirl]

I have a undergraduate degree in biology, and some cancer lab experience and protein production experience (both were not great for different reasons).
I'm interested in... well not sure.
Perhaps evolution?- like why there is life, how life will evolve in future...
perhaps animal biology? - like how animals work? physiology maybe...
maybe ethology... I'd love to look at animals all day! like Geese! but there doesn't seem to be any funding for anything...

 

[Jon Richfield]

I have a undergraduate degree in biology, and some cancer lab experience and protein production experience (both were not great for different reasons).
I'm interested in... well not sure.
Perhaps evolution?- like why there is life, how life will evolve in future...
perhaps animal biology? - like how animals work? physiology maybe...
maybe ethology... I'd love to look at animals all day! like Geese! but there doesn't seem to be any funding for anything...

Welcome! Join us and look around. There are some good conversations going, and maybe you can start some of your own too.
Cheers,
Jon

 

[nucleargirl]

Thanks Jon :)

 

[larrym3]

MD, PhD (Cell and Molecular Biology)

 

[Craigsly]

A lowly third year undergrad student double majoring in Biomedical Engineering/Biochemistry. I hope to soak up some knowledge from you more experienced people. ^_^

 

[bioinfinity]

MD, PhD - worked as VP R&D at a Fortune 100 company (supervising 155 scientists). Training in molecular biology, immunology, genetics, protein chemistry, and oncology. Currently working on next generation sequencing technology and bioinformatic tools to develop the logistics to bring detailed genetic sequence analysis/interpretation to patients-doctors-hospitals.

 

[victorg]

Currently undergrad in Wildlife/Fisheries Biology...but my experiences and interests are vast.

 

[quirmche]

BS Biology 1987; Doctor of Chiropractic 1991!

Still practicing but, recently obtained my teaching certificate to teach High School Biology. Interview coming up Monday!

I love, love, love, science. More importanly I love knowing how things work!

Recently, my LCD HDTV died and as a result of trying to fix it, I spent a few weeks reviewing and advancing my skills in Electronics. That is how I found this forum.

This place is great! A perfect fit for me, so I think I'll be sticking around.

Oh yeah I did repair my tv!

Cheers!

 

[paradigm]

BS 2010 in General Biology with a concentration in Environmental Sciences.
I started out as a physics major (how I became acquauinted with this site), but then defected to the biology department as one fantastic professor after another cultivated my incipient interest in life science. Immediately pursuant to my epic betrayal (my departmental advisor seethed as he signed my "release" form), I structured my college curriculum around the hope for an advanced degree and career in environmental toxicology. Fickle as I am, I had a change in heart and spent all of last year applying to epidemiology programs at various public health schools. Not until I started getting my admissions letters did I flake out again, and I've since decided that I would like to take a more clinical approach, and am now contemplating a joint MD/PhD in nuclear medicine. Needless to say, I made the decision a little late in the game - commencement week, to be exact - but I'm pretty confident that this is the route I should take, as my interests have trended towards increasing anthropocentrism, and this seems the natural end for my love of man (insert medschool interview cliche here). In the meantime, I'm taking a year to recuperate and to prepare for the MCAT. All is not lost, however! Between my movie-watching binges and junkfood runs, I find time to work full-time as a "senior" (<-- anyone who knows me will understand why this is hilarious) tech in an endocrinology lab. Specifically, I oversee studies involving behavioral neuropharmacology.

That said, I've never taken a physio or biochem class in my life, and for all my strengths in statistics and experimental design, most of the actual science that I'm doing is lost on me :). I know the basics of the opioid system, but just enough not to be completely humiliated at poster presentations.