Biophysics or Engineering with a physics degree

[HappMatt]

Some Background first.
basically I am a 24 yr old with a AAS in autobody repair who decided to go after something i should have done right out of high school had i been bright enough. So I am back in school at a local community colledge in a program designed to transfer right to the u of mn after 2 yrs and last year was basically my freshman yr since nothing really transfers.

My goal:
Right there's a few things that really spark my interest. I am thinking about something along the lines of Stem cells, tissue engineering, viral research, and biological weapons(I.E. working with the military/ government research), I could also see just designing medical devices to but I am not as interested in that, although i think it may be a field i could do well in.

So my questions:
1: Right now I am taking summer classes and tryingto get though this degree as fast as possible. by spring semester i should be a junior starting at the U of MN(twin cities), Looking at craigs list in my area i noticed a ad for a biotech company looking for a research tech in the field of some of the stuff i mentioned that i would like to do and i thought to myself, boy would'nt it be cool if i could just get an intership there doing what ever they would have me do(I.E. probally mop spilled nucleotides off the floor) just to get some experince on what its like to just be in such a facility, and maybee if they like me and i like it with time it could develope into more, or just be some experince under my belt. So the question is do companys typically do these kinds of things and how should i go about getting such an oppotunity, being that I am already have a lot going on with work and school should i try to get paid for something like this or just take basically for the value of the learnign experience(which is wht i truly want)? Should i wait until I am maybee a little futher along in school? I really have no clue on any of this kind of stuff help is appreciated.

2. Being that i most likly want to end up in a research/engineering type position i know i will very likly need post grad degrees. How do these typically work. Is it somthing where if I am getting a masters i would most likly have a job in my egree and do my courses on the side? And for getting a PHD how does that whole thing work out, and is it somthign where i have to be like a straight A student to do that?

im sure i have more question but it seems as though I've already given whoever reads this more than enough to read. Also forgive my spelling and grammar my Word is'nt working right now so i have no spell check is definately not my strongest area.

 

[thE3nigma]

So I am planning on furthering my knowledge by doing a Masters Program in about 2 to 3 years. This would be a Course bade Masters program in the Biotechnology/Biochemistry field. I have been noticing though, that most students that are accepted into the program have very strong and various non-academia related talents and hobbies.

I have hobbies of my own but my problem is that I do not have all the time to do them when I want or to volunteer with various groups and organizations. I am currently in a Biotechnology/Biochemistry undergrad program that has some time consuming courses. One of these would probably be as I said in my other thread Analytical Chemistry.

My school also offers majors like Molecular biology or just biology/Chemistry/Management (I enjoy business), etc.

I was just wondering if I could get some advice as to what I should do? What would some of you do in this position? Continue with the biotechnology undergrad program and probably not develop some good non-academia related skills or the other way around.

By the way, this might not be all that important but the Masters program wants students who are fluent in Molecular Biology and Protein Chemistry only. Thus I do not know how important an analytical chemistry course would be to them other than to develop some good chemistry lab skills.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Interesting]

Alright, freshman at the University of Minnesota so I have a while to toss this around, but I would eventually like to own my own business someday.

So, that leads me to my question. I am going to get a degree in Biomedical Engineering (the twin cities area is heavily populated with medical companies).

I have 32 credits going into my freshman year, so the majority of my generals are done.
I have a quite full course load and at the moment I will be able to graduate in 4 years and get a minor if I want.

However, I will most likely not study abroad because of the coursework and lack of interesting locations to study abroad in. I would really like to study abroad though, which is where a second degree comes in. If I work my *** off, I could potentially graduate in 5 years with a second degree in Marketing, Finance, or MIS (I would really be busting my *** though, as it would be an entirely different class load and I would have to take all the beginning classes for Carlson 60+ credits for another major).

Now how beneficial would a second degree be from an engineering stand point?
Would it be 'better' to get a minor in marketing or something?
I could also easily get a minor in math, but if I were to get two minors that seems rather redundant and it would most likely be better to just go another year and graduate in 5 years. Most IT students here graduate in 5 years, but they push 4 pretty heavily to get some fresh blood in.

None of the majors that I've seen are easily obtainable with biomedical engineering, none of the classes that I take could count for another degree (other than the required beginning classes that every other IT kid takes).

Sparknotes-
Getting a biomedical engineering degree, would it be more beneficial to get a minor in a business related field and graduate in 4 years or bust it and get a second major and graduate in 5 years + study abroad the fifth year?

Thanks!

 

[ThePonyPusher]

Hey, I'm graduating from Arizona State University with a B.S. is Biology this spring and I want to get into the environmental consulting/geotechnical/environmental engineering field. I've talked with other professionals who do this for a career and have given me advice. Some of them said they will get me in contact with some local companies so hopefully I can swing an interview. What should I study up on so I can bring something to the table ie. regulations, 40-Hour Hazwoper training ect... because I obviously wouldn't have any experience yet. Is this a difficult field to get into?

Thanks!

 

[guphysics]

Hi,

I'm in my penultimate year of an Msci Physics and Astronomy degree, and for the longest time I've wanted to be an astrophysicist.

However, very recently I have become interested in biophysics or some kind of engineering (I want to do something a bit more practical/beneficial, as cheesy as that sounds, and possibly with more job prospects).

So, my question is: is it realistic to consider a biophysics or engineering career if

a) I have taken no biology/chemistry classes
b) I have no engineering classes.

It sounds daft reading it, but I know that a good math and physics background is necessary for those careers- I just have nothing specialised in those areas.

Thanks for any thoughts...

 

[srishti0807]

production eng./biotech from MNIT,ALLAHABAD or Integrated P.G. from IIITM,Gwalior??

With the aieee councilling in full flow,m in great dilemma for which seat to fill in my priority list! thought to get some experienced advice!

With my AIEEE rank,as per 2010 openin and closin rank,
1. i may be getting production engineering at MNIT ALLAHABAD.
2.i m gettin biotech for sure in mnit
3.even IIITM,gwalior holds a good chance..

I'll get to lock mah seats in SPOT ROUNDING..
tho prod. seems to be a good bet..actual dilemma is in between IIIT and Biotech.!
As u all know,first year courses in B.Tech. are same in all branches so I may stand a chance for a branch change with mah CGPA..Bt if not possible I"ll get stuck up there for firstly this isn't mah field of interest n morover m a PCM student!

Secondly,tho IIITs are good bt a good part of its infrasstrure is still in construction.And to add to the prob IIITM Gwalior had poor placement in 2010 in B.Tech+M.B.A.h as compared to B.Tech+M.Tech..also heard is that integrated P.G. isn't too good a bet..

ANd above all IIITs and NITs are institutes of national importance in INDIA!

I SERIOUSLY seek advice over this issue..I can't play with my carrer in such a initial stage.

 

[drummerguy198]

The University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) as well as Auburn University and the state's flagship school, the University of Alabama churn out some top tier engineering students. I'm going to continue on the road to an advanced degree, however, only after taking a detour through an A.A.S. in Electronics Technology with a specialty in biomedical electronics, robotics, and automation (diverse I know). I'm interning for a year at Russell Medical Center as a BMET. I should be graduating with my associates shortly thereafter. I have organized my classes such that I will only need to complete my math and physics sequence while working as a biomedical electronics technician after I graduate. When I finish that, I will head back to school full time to finish up.

I am, however, worried about landing a job after my associates. Will engineers be competing for the same jobs for which I will be applying?

 

[SmileMoar]

Hi fellow forum users,

Basically I have formed this topic to, hopefully, get some constructive input on engineering disciplines, these two inparticular: Biosystems and Environmental.

To cut along story very short I am a current university student whom is doing a double major of Applied Geology and Environmental Biology which I was planning to transfer into Environmental Engineering as I work in a oil and gas in such a capacity each summer. Unfortunately due to a lack of numbers the uni I attend has decided to cancel the Environmental Engineering course and this has left me in a bit of a bind.

I still plan on doing engineering of some form or another as it is where my interests and skills lay but now I am unsure about other disciplines I can draw form. At present I have decided to aim for chemical engineering as it was my second area of interest.

For me, biosystems engineering is run as a major option of the chemical engineering degree (the others being just chemical engineering and oil&gas engineering) however their description of it sounds simular to a fair portion of the original environmental engineering course. This has got me wondering that this might another option to get into environmental engineering as sort of alternative pathway.

So what this brings me to following question of which I'd appreciate your input on:
-What are the general differences between environmental and biosystems engineering*?
-How does biosystems compare to standard chemical engineering?
-What is the "employability" factor for biosystem engineers and are they accepted for the role of environmental engineers?

Thanks for reading this I look forward to your inputs :)

*-I understand I said they sound the same in the descriptins of the courses but this can be misleading sometimes with this lot.

 

[Neek 007]

Oops, I put this thread in academic guidance rather than career guidance. I'll do a copy and paste.

Hey, I've been thinking about my future lately, as a senior in high school. I definitely want to become an engineer, but not sure what type. My scope of field I want to join varies as you can see. I like Earth sciences quite a bit, so I thought of mining and petro engineering, but from what I have read "family" and those fields don't mix too well.
I guess I just want to know some major differences, you know, why I'd aim for those specific degrees rather than an electrical or mechanical degree.

 

[cytochrome]

I'm an undergraduate in chemical and biomolecular engineering. After working on a computational research project involving molecular modeling of polymers involved in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, I've decided I'd like to go to graduate school in biomedical engineering to study neuroengineering, artificial nerves, and artificial limbs that are extremely close to real limbs. I want to approach these problems from an engineering persepective.

However, should I change my major to complement this background? I could change my major to biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering.

Here's my synopsis...

Chemical engineering - good for the design and synthesis of polymers that would inevitably be involved in fusing artifical limbs and nerves to living limbs and nerves. The materials involved in this process would be soft biomaterials consisting of polymers rather than hard structures (in which case materials science and engineering would be beneficial). A huge problem in neuroengineering is finding ways to fuse a real nerve and artifical nerve on a soft fluid material without creating an inflammatory response.

Biomedical engineering - good for making connections between engineering principles and biological processes. The entire major itself is not very technical but it is good for bridging the gaps that exist between engineered artificial structures and living structures.

Electrical engineering - good for signal processing and electrical studies of nerve connections. This would be responsible for the inner hardware and robotics of an artificial limb design (basically what makes the limb "work"). Since this is an extremely important major for robotics and artificial limbs are basically a biological robot, I'm considering this.

Mechanical engineering - good for understanding the mechanics and movement of the limb. Assessing the statics and dynamics of a limb would be beneficial to optimizing the biomechanics of the limb after the entire process (actually getting it to work) has completed. This major also complements study in robots.






Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should pursue as my undergraduate degree if I want to do research in neuroengineering/biorobotics? I've considered chemical engineering with as many ECE, BME, and MechE classes as possible... I'm aware I'll catch up in graduate school too.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Delong]

Hi everyone I applied to some plant biology programs for grad school but I don't think I will get into any of them be because they are quite prestigious and my gre and grades are not amazing.

I'm thinking of getting research experience for a year and applying next year. I'm looking at lab tech jobs for anything biology related.

I originally wanted to do plant science or ecology but a research scientist recently told me that ecology is not a good idea. He says there is very little funding. That got me thinking about which fields are a good idea to get into in biology.

At first I was very repelled at the idea of working in biomedicine but I'm thinking now that I should keep my options open.

The fields I'm thinking of right now are mostly:
Plant biology (specifically plant chemistry and natural products research)
Environmental microbiology
Environmental science/atmospheric science
Toxicology/air and water quality
Anything environment related

If I had to work in biomedicine the issues I find interesting are:
Cancer biology
Molecular biology of aging
How nutrition affects epigenetic markers
Neurodegenerative diseases
Genetic diseases/genomic medicine
Gene therapy gene counseling

My major is biochemistry which is typically more useful for biomedical research. I was also passionate about environmental biology though and plants in particular. However I want to know which field is a good idea or not please and thank you.