First semester in Msc. Molecular Biotechnology (Part II)

The next part of my post regarding the courses of the first semester in the master of molecular biotechnology. 

HERE I SHARE MY OWN OPINION IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS. Which may differ with yours.

Experimental methods and design in Molecular Biology

Get ready for a course in which you’ll need to work a lot by yourself and a lot more in groups (which sometimes it can be tiring xD).  First of all, don’t be afraid if you check your schedule and just find: seminars, labs and tests. It works this way:  

• Seminars: You’ll be divided in groups and you’ll need to answer several questions that will be posted a week before the seminar class is scheduled. Then in class, you’ll discuss them with your teammates and that’s all. You will not comment the answers with all class or with the teacher, and everytime you ask about doubts to the teacher, she will usually tell you to discuss them in your group and send her an e-mail if you still have doubts. We tried to change the dynamics of the class, because sometimes it was a waste of time because not everyone had prepared their answers and some of us were feeling like teachers without working for free. If you still have the same problem, try to make it change. IMPORTANT: The theoretical part of the course is graded by 2 tests you’ll have during the semester. The first one will be based in the contents of seminars 1 and 2 and the  second one in the contents of seminars 3 and 4.

Contents of each seminar:

Seminar 1: Extraction and purification of DNA/RNA, Southern blot/Northern blot, Restriction enzymes.

Seminar 2: PCR, cloning and transformation.

Seminar 3: Sequencing.

Seminar 4: qPCR and Mutagenesis. 

Here are the links of the course books that are followed:

http://www.ebook3000.com/Practical-Skills-in-Biomolecular-Sciences_213590.html

http://www.ebook3000.com/Practical-Skills-in-Biomolecular-Sciences_213590.html

• Labs & tests. Before each lab you’ll need to be prepared and you’ll do a test in order to show that. You’ll have two chances in order to pass it. The lab tests that you’ll have to pass are called “dugga”, as the word “assignment” it’s something that will be in the front page of your personal dictionary once you start with the master. These duggas can be tests in the computer (the 2 first lab duggas would be that), presentations, the explanation of a protocol you’ll design, etc. AND there are duggas after lab too, in order to show what you’ve learnt from the lab and if you are able to analyze your results. Here is a small chart that summarizes the lab workflow you’ll be following.

Molecular Biotechnology

THE STUDY GUIDE HAS TO BE YOUR SACRED BOOK! Everything will be detailed for each week in this course guide. In this course you’ll receive theoretical lectures, you’ll need to prepare seminars and also you’ll have to do a theoretical project based in the production of a recombinant protein that will be assigned to each of you.  

• Lectures: 7 lectures conform the program. Each of them is focused in stablishing some theoretical basis in biotechnology, but also, some of the lecturers will expose their own work and it’s a good point for understanding what is being done –in terms of research- in the University of Skövde. The lectures are: (1) Introduction to molecular biotechnology, (2) Plant Biotechnology, (3) Molecular diagnosis and sepsis, (4) Recombinant antibodies, (5) RNA of interference, (6) Functional food [EVEN you – and everyone – think that this is the dumbest lecture ever, a lot of questions regarding this were in the first exam], (7) Drug development. There is a textbook to follow called “An Introduction to Molecular Biotechnology: Fundamentals, Methods and Applications” from Wink. I can’t share a link to it, as I don’t have it, but if you are interested to have it I can send it to you, leave me a comment in the blog ^^.

•  Seminars: You’ll need to answer to the questions of 3 seminars. First, you’ll have en introduction of each topic and then you’ll need to answer to the different questions with your groupmates. Seminar topics: (1) Patents – legal & ethic issues, (2) Ethics – Genetic testing and (3) GMOs. 

• Theoretical project: Each week you’ll need to submit some tasks that would be specified in the study guide in order to win bonus points. Then, you’ll gather all the answers of your tasks and write a report about the obtention of your recombinant protein. You’ll send a preliminar version of your project before christmas and also you’ll need to present it by then and you’ll be the opponent of any other classmate. Then, you’ll have Christmas in order to prepare a final version.
•   The exam will be after Christmas and questions regarding the lectures but also the seminars. 

This will be your first semester. If you are taking the 1 year Master, on yhe 2^nd semester you’ll be doing your Master thesis, if you are taking the 2 years Master, it will start the following autumn. However, you should know that the University of Skövde realizes it’s small size and encourages the students to do their master thesis in other universities such as the University of Göterborg, Cancer center of Göterborg, the Karolinska Institutet… Ask for references and contact with other research groups to your teachers as soon as you can.
 

Vi ses!

First semester in Msc. Molecular Biotechnology (Part I)

Today I’ll give you some information about the first semester of the Master in Molecular Biotechnology and its courses. 

HERE I SHARE MY OWN OPINION IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS. Which may differ with yours. 

First of all, the semesters are divided in 2 halves. The courses Experimental Methods and Biostatistics are developed during the whole semester, on the contrary Bioinformatics and Biotechnology only last one half of the semester. Each half of semester is called “period”.

Also, it is important that you know that you would not have your schedule for the whole semester, the next periods’ are uploaded once the previous one is getting to its end. So if you are planing to travel or going back to your countries for the Christmas holidays or something like that, try to talk with your teachers [#AlbaAdvice]

1^st period:

Bioinformatics

In this course you’ll learn how to use different bioinformatic tools regarding sequences analysis, homology analysis, expression analysis and so on.  You won’t have any exam of the subject, but you’ll have 3 assignments to do. For the first one you’ll have more time and it’s the longest, the other ones will come one after the other so, don’t fall sleep! 

As an advice, you don’t really have to take notes of the subject; everything is written in the pdfs that would be uploaded after the lecture has taken place.  One last thing, have patience and use the supervision classes for doing the class exercises, but also do not doubt to start with your assignments in the computer labs too.

Biostatistics

Are you afraid of statistics? Don’t you have any good experience related to them? 

 Forget about all of that because you’ll learn a lot in this course and you would even enjoy them. Andreas is a wonderful teacher (<3) , his lectures and slides are very illustrative and you’ll get out of the class with the sensation that you’ve learnt something. If you are taking the 2 years master, you’ll be using R, which has its own programming language. If you are taking the 1 year master, you’ll be using SPSS. In this course you’ll need to submit 3 assignments based on the application of what you’ve learnt from the lectures to different exercises, 1 assignment based on the analysis of data you’ll collect after a laboration work from the course Experimental methods and design in molecular biology and another assignment that will be a jornal club focused on the statistics of a paper of your own choice. #AlbaAdvice: Read carefully the course memo and it’s nice if you study the slides before you start with the assignments, even if you don’t really need it to do them, but you’ll get a wider knowledge of what you are doing. This was for me the most enjoyable course of last semester. 

 Part II ... Tomorrow!!!

Vi ses!!

University of Skövde – Some useful tips

First of all, this is the map of your new university!

Bigger image: http://his.se/Pictures/Campus/Campus_ENG_2014.pdf

Some things related to it… The exams are done in the A building and also there you find the shop and repro service of the university, the cantina is very expensive, the computer rooms are located in the D building, the student helpdesk and the IT-helpdesk are located in the E building and the labs in the G-building. Well, this is a general explanation. Let’s go deeper!


Studentportalen and Scio

These are the platforms in which you’ll have all the information a student will need.

Studentportalen (https://studentportalen.his.se/uPortal/render.userLayoutRootNode.uP). Here you’ll have access to your schedule, you’ll be able to register in the courses of your program (however, to different courses or if you want to drop off of some you’ll have to go to the student service in the E building or your teachers will provide you of registration forms), your grades, webmail (mail.his.se) and Scio.

Scio (https://scio.his.se/portal). Here you’ll find all the information, slides, course materials of the different subjects you are registered in. Also, you’ll be able to submit assignments, do tests and other activities through it.

Cards!

Get your access card as soon as you can, so you’ll be able to get to the university even on weekends and at late hours. The request for such a card is done on a special form via Studentportalen. The form is found under “My profile”.

Get you PayEx account and card for printing in the university. You can also do this in repro, but if you have this account you’ll be able to print and photocopy out of the opening hours of the repro service. (https://wallit.payex.com/konto/registrera)

Get your library card. You just need to fulfill one formulary in the information desk. You’ll be able to borrow books, book study rooms and more things. More information here: http://his.se/en/Library/Borrow-and-request/Library-Card-and-Lending-Rules/

Exams & Assignments

For attending the exams you’ll need to subscribe to them through studentportalen. There are fixed dates in which you can do it. It’s important that you know that in most cases another teacher that is hasn’t give you any lecture will be in charge of preparing the exam.

Also, all the exams last for 3-4 hours or even more. You can go to the restroom after the 1^st and before the last half an hour of the exam. If you want to leave the exam in blank you’ll need to wait till 45 min has passed. The same if you arrive to the exam late, but you’ll only have this second chance once. You can also bring food to the examination.

Exams are corrected in a maximum of 18 working days after the test was done. You’ll be able to collect them or make a copy of them in the A building and if you want to discuss an answer with the examinator, you’ll need to fulfill a formulary.  You’ll get a notification about your marks by e-mail by your teachers or directly through studentportalen. 

In the case you fail the exam, you’ll have a second chance a month after the first one has taken place.

About the assignments, you’ll upload them in Scio and may be in Urkund, a platform that detects cheating. Plagiarism is considered as the worst thing in this university, you’ll get information about it even in the first arrival talk. Also, you’ll have the chance of resubmision if you haven’t passed the assignment and sometimes,  in order to improve your grade. 

After a re-take or a resubmision, only the second grade will appear in your course certificate, and not even the information that you’ve taken an exam twice.

The IC –International Committee

It’s an organization made up by students that organize different events that involve the participation of the international students and also of the local ones. In the first weeks of each semester some activities are planned and during the year there are more. I’m proud to say I’m part of this group and that is a very nice experience to help the students to meet each other and to make the university their new home. I’ll write another post about being a member of the IC group, may be by the end of semester.

Ah! You’ll see is very useful as a new international student to “like”  o “join” the following facebook pages or groups:

-Skovde International students (+ year of application)

-IC  fb page: https://www.facebook.com/SkovdeIC

Of course there are more things that can be explained about the university, but I think these are some of the most important ones that you don’t usually think about till you reach the university and that are good to know. If you have any other doubts or any comments, please write them in the comments’ section.

Vi ses! PS: The next post will be about the Master in Molecular Biotechnology or... What I'm studying in Skövde ^--^