Choosing Between Physics and Biomedical Science

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the choice between pursuing a degree in Physics versus Biomedical Science, particularly in relation to career prospects and interdisciplinary applications in fields like computational biology and nanotechnology.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that Biomedical Science is the obvious choice for the purposes listed in the thread title.
  • Others suggest that a background in Physics could provide a stronger foundation, particularly for applications in nanotechnology.
  • It is noted that in computational biology, the primary focus remains on biology, with methods from other disciplines being utilized.
  • Some participants highlight that computational biology is interdisciplinary, involving collaboration among biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists to develop tools and test models.
  • There is a mention that undergraduate degrees may limit one to research assistant roles, with job openings often requiring backgrounds in quantitative disciplines such as physics, math, statistics, and computer science, along with experience in software like MATLAB and R.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the value of Physics versus Biomedical Science, indicating that multiple competing perspectives remain without a clear consensus.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific fields and roles, but there are limitations in the assumptions made about career paths and the definitions of interdisciplinary work.

ClaireBear1596
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I have a choice between Physics and Biomedical science
 
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For the purposes listed in the title, obviously biomedical science.
 
Rocket50 said:
For the purposes listed in the title, obviously biomedical science.
Would the physics not provide me with a stronger background though? As in for the nanotechnology parts?
 
In computational biology and the other fields you are talking about, the main focus will still be on the biology part. You'll just be using methods from other disciplines.
 
Depends. In the case of computational biology, it's an interdisciplinary field. For a biologist it could just be a tool set, but you have physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists developing those tools and collaborating with biologists in order to test their models with experimental observation.

Also with only an undergraduate degree you'll only be a research assistant. And for those types of openings "computational biology research associate/assistant" I've only ever seen them require quantitative disciplines like physics, math, statistics, and computer science. Experience with software packages like MATLAB and R are usually some of the main desired skills.
 
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