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Department of Biotechnology

Biotechnology

    ABOUT CHIMERA

    The Birth of Chimera

    The Birth of Chimera

    Chimera, BITS Dubai Biotechnology association, was inaugurated in 2010 with the hope of being more than just a college club for biotech students, rather it would act as a voice, providing the students with a  platform to grow and learn. 
    Chimera provides students with opportunities to participate in fun activities like Agar Painting , Crime Scene Investigation , Poster making Competition and many more. 
    Guest lectures and talks are held by professionals in the field which keep students updated  with recent discoveries and developments and provides them with industry exposure.
    It gives students the real feel of truly being a biotech engineer, and gives students a chance to further enhance their knowledge and skills
    Association members 2021- 2022

    Association members 2021- 2022

    The office bearers for Chimera for the academic year 2021-2022 was selected on the basis of an online survey held amongst the biotechnology students by Dr. S.Ramachandran, HoD of Biotechnology on 14 th September 2021.

    Student association members 2021 - 2022

    Ex- Officio                                          : Mr. Sufiyan Mushtaq Khot

    President                                            : Ms. Anam Zafar Kazi

    Vice President                                  : Ms. Gurusshitha Subramanian

    General Secretary                           : Ms. Joshita Pentapati

    Treasurer                                           :Ms. Sarah Yusuf

    First Year Student Representative   : Shreya Suresh

    2017 - 2018

    Interactive session with Dr Ayisha Siddiqua

    On 23rd November 2017, students were provided a platform to interact with Dr. Ayisha Siddiqua , Rtd Assistant Professor from Al Ain university of Science and Technology on Structural Polymorphism in Tau filaments: An implication for neurodegenerative diseases

     

    Advice on higher education by Dr. Himanshu Dev

    To enlighten the senior graduate students on future studies, a talk by Dr Himanshu Dev, Assistant Manager at Emirates Score plus on 'Advice on higher education to third year and fourth year students' was conducted on 19th november 2017

    Guest Lecture by Prof Lakshmi Kotra of University of Toronto

    A talk on 'Drug discovery and commercialization' by Prof Lakshmi Kotra was held for students on 5th November 2017

     

    Agar Art

    To give the students a little break from their busy academic routine, the Chimera organized an Agar art contest on the 2nd of November'17. Petri plates were used as a canvas, while coloured agar represented paints. Upto 30 students participated in a contest that span for three hours. The students leashed their creativity and painted things ranging from sunset to phoenix birds. Overall, it was an exciting and fun-filled event!

      
     
    Interactive session with Dr. Ganesh

    An interactive session for the students with Dr. Ganesh, Professor from IIT Kanpur on ' Lafora disease: From genetics to treatment' was organised on 1st October 2017

     

    Invited talk by Zubair Ahmed

    Students had a friendly session with Zubair Ahmed, a graduate researcher from University of Nottingham on Stem Cell Research on 17th of September 2017

    Talk By Mr Sarthak Sawarkar

    Mr. Sarthak Sawarkar, a student pursuing MS in Biomedical Sciences from Penn State, USA gave a talk on ' CRISPIR Technology' on 10th September 2017

    Guest Lecture by Dr. Bhoomendra Bhongade

    Dr. Bhoomendra Bhongade , Associate Professor from RAK College of Pharmaceutical Sciences delivered a lecture on ' Drug design and discovery: 3D QSAR CoMFA approach to students on 26 April 2017.

    Visit To International Center Of Biosaline Agriculture(ICBA)
    Students accompanied by the Faculty had a visit to ICBA on 3rd May 2017
     
    Guest lecture by Dr Ashraf Ahmed on Nano-Biotechnology

    A talk on Nanobiotechnology by Dr. Ashraf Ahmed was organized on 15 Mar 2017. Students were enthralled by the knowledge shared on nano-biotechnology applications in fields spanning agriculture, industry and commerce. The first-hand experience helped the students relate theories learnt in class with real life applications. The lecture was followed by a fruitful question-answer session wherein students enthusiastically participated and raised their questions on numerous areas.

    Interactive Session with Mr. Siddharth Salunke, Corporate Director, BioEra, India

    On 9th March 2017, Mr Siddharth Salunke interacted with the students from the Department of Biotechnology and extended numerous internship and research program opportunities that interested the students. Mr Siddharth presented on latest developments in biotechnology with a specific focus on BioEra, highlighting upon its biotech-related products, ethics, values and history. He further briefed the students on types of internships and research programs being offered to students. He went on to elaborate on the details of various programs offered, under the on-field faculty in-charge and facilities available. He also communicated the various topic areas students can involve with and work on. The discussion concluded with a question-answer wherein Mr Siddharth responded to student queries and concerns.

    Past Activities - (2011 - 2016)

    Guest lecture by Dr A. M. Deshmukh on May 8, 2016

    Dr A. M. Deshmukh, Professor, Department of Microbiology, Marathwada University and President, Microbiologist Society of India, conducted an interactive session with the students on Recent Trends in Biotechnology. He focused at informing the students of various career and research options available under the discipline of Biotechnology and how students can contribute towards the growth of the discipline through their skills and interests. He also invited students to be a part of the large family of the Microbiologist Society of India and told them on how they can benefit from the participation in terms of conferences, workshops, etc.

    Invited talk by Dr V. Sitaraman and Dr Rakesh Kumar on February 18, 2016

    CHIMERA invited Dr V. Sitaraman, former Professor at Department of Biotechnology (Retired), University of Pune to interact with the students and express his views on the current status of Biotechnology Dr Sitaraman delivered a lecture on ‘Facts and Fiction in Modern Biology: Membrane Biology as a Case in Point’, through which he aimed at presenting and explaining a contrasting perspective on the pre-conceived theories in biotechnology. This gave the students the platform to stretch their thought process and question the accepted.

    Visit to Career Fair at Dubai Science Park on February 16, 2016

    As part of its mission to broaden the industry network for students, CHIMERA arranged for a visit for the students to the annual career fair at Dubai Science Park. The students extensively interacted with the industry and corporate professionals to understand the current demand and attended short training courses on CV build-up. The visit gave them the opportunity to develop networks with Biotechnology firms and explore the varied options available for them.

    Interactive Session with Dr D. Balasubramanian on December 17, 2015

    The interactive session with Dr D Balasubramanian saw the student participants filled with a high level of motivation and enthusiasm to apply their knowledge to good use. As Dr Balasubramanian shared his life experience of how he and his team worked on providing affordable eye-care at the rural level, students could only appreciate the efforts that lead to the huge success for the mission. The project can boast of providing access to free eye-checkups in the rural domains of South India and reasonable eyesight correction measures with the support of generous investors and trustees. Dr Balasubramanian inspired students to plan their career in such a way that it can benefit the maximum proportion of less-privileged population. The discussion concluded with a brain-storming session among the students on how they can utilize their knowledge and skills for the greater advantage of humanity.

    One-day Interaction with Experts from Diagnostic and Health-Care Industry on December 15, 2015

    CHIMERA organized a one-day interaction with Diagnostics and Health-Care industry experts. The interaction focused on the changing face of the industry in line with the ongoing trends in bio-medical research. A total of four speakers from varying backgrounds in medicine and research were invited to deliver their views on the development of fields of biotechnology and medical with a focus on Expo 2020. The following lists the participating speakers:

    a.     Dr Amrish Kamboj – COO/Pathologist, Eastern Biotech and Life Sciences

    Dr Amrish, in his discussion, focused upon the Health-Care industry within the context of Expo 2020. He shared his views on the scope and opportunities for the industry with the students. He also informed students about the latest technology in the field of Diagnostics and Genetic Testing. This helped the students witness the first-hand implications of Biotechnology in the field of Diagnostics and Health-Care.

    b.     Dr Rajarathinam Ayyanar – Specialist Neurologist, Zulekha Hospital

    Dr Rajarathinam directed the interaction towards Autism and the neural connections involved in the disorder. The students learnt about the recent developments into the diagnostic and treatment research for Autism.

    c.    Dr Fatima Al Hashimi – Head of Administration and Education Unit, Dubai Cord Blood and Research Center, Latifa Hospital, Pathology and Genetics Department, Dubai Health Authority

    Dr Fatima explained the protocol involved into Cord Blood Banking measures and the objective of the technique. As Dr Fatima recounted of numerous cases during her experience at Latifa Hospital and shared with the students, they could understand the importance of the medical technique. What fascinated the students the most was a model demonstration of the procedure with a dummy baby and the required apparatus.

    d.    Dr Antony Thomas – Medical Director, Premier Diagnostic Center

                      Dr Antony discussed the significance of Quality Control and Quality Assurance as applicable in the                     Diagnostic arena. His examples and analogies especially grabbed the students’ attention and made them                     aware of the procedural steps as involved in dealing with blood and other samples.

     
    One-day Workshop for COMSOL Multiphysics training on Finite Element Modelling with a Focus on Biomedical Module on December 1, 2015

    CHIMERA invited the COMSOL Multiphysics team to train the students on Finite Element Modelling on the stimulation software. The students utilized the opportunity to widen their knowledge on the software and apply the same as part of their design-oriented projects.

    Factory Visit to Al Ain National Juice and Refreshments Co. LLC (an IFFCO Company) on April 22, 2015

    CHIMERA organized a factory visit for the students of Biotechnology Department to the Al Ain National Juice and Refreshments Co. LLC (an IFFCO Company). The students took advantage of the opportunity and learnt about the industrial processing involved into production of food products like mayonnaise, ketchup, etc. The students were first given a presentation on the history and vision of the organization, followed by a factory tour. The students were required to wear the safety uniform in order to enter into the facility. They were then detailed about each step into the manufacturing process, including testing requirements, mixing and packaging. The students thoroughly enjoyed the trip and witnessed the food technology in action.

    Guest Lecture by Prof. Shri Mohan Jain on April 2 and April 5, 2015

    Dr Shri Mohan Jain, with his extensive experience in Agriculture Sciences, discussed the varied implications of Biotechnology in the field of Crop Development. He explained the utility of genetic engineering and hybridization techniques in the process of crop improvement. He also extended his views on the opportunities for future Biotechnology engineers in the field of Agriculture and the relative requirement of the industry. Dr Shri Mohan Jain interacted with students on two days on two different topics and shared his valuable time in discussing with the students.

     

    Topic: Applications of Tissue Culture in Crop Improvement and Conservation of Genetic Diversity in Tropical Plants

    Date: April 2, 2015

     

    Topic: Biotechnology and Induced Mutations in Crop Improvement

    Date: April 5, 2015

    Guest Lecture by Dr R. K. Maheshwari, Professor of Pathology, USUHS Bethesda, Maryland on December 17, 2012

    Topic: Development of Second Generation Viral Vaccines

    Interactive Session with Dr R. K. Maheshwari, Professor of Pathology, USUHS Bethesda, Maryland on December 16, 2012

    Topic: Overview of 30 Years of INDOUSUHS

    Invited Talk by Dr Anuj Sharma, USUHS Bethesda, Maryland on October 9, 2011

    Topic: Viral Pathogenesis, Viral Vaccines and Vaccine Development

    Invited Talk by Dr Baboo Nair, Professor, Emeritus LJJ, Sweden on May 8, 2011

    Topic: Fermented Food and Design

    Guest Lecture by Dr Olof Book, Head of Research and Development, Lund Sweden on May 8, 2011

    Topic: Oatly and Oat-based Non-Dairy Milk