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Name: Angatu Role: PhD student A levels: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, French Undergraduate degree: Biomedical Science Describe your journey in 3 words: Challenging, captivating, fulfilling. A brief description of your role : I am studying how an atherosclerosis-associated meat, poultry and dairy metabolite known as TMAO affects the function of vascular cells, using tissue culture and molecular biology techniques. What motivated you to pursue a career in science: I have always had an interest in human biology, and as I progressed through my schooling I became more and more fascinated by the depth and interweaving complexity of the innumerable processes that keep us alive and well (or not so well). This motivated me to embark on a Biomedical Sciences degree, which paved the way towards pursuing a career in human biology research What keeps you motivated: A desire to contribute to my community and wider society, to achieve my future career goals, and my family (especially mum). What advice would you give to someone wanting to follow your career path: Be sure that it is your passion! Studying or pursuing a career in science can be gruelling and oftentimes the main outcome is personal fulfilment and job satisfaction (rather than a huge pay check…), so as long as you enjoy science and don’t mind a bit of hard work, you’ll do great! How do you manage your work-life balance: Doing a PhD is pretty consuming, and although I may not find as much time for myself as I would like in my day-to-day life, I make sure to give myself time off to do what I love the most, which is to travel. That requires good planning of my work and co-ordination with colleagues, so my project doesn’t suffer.

Melanin comes from the Greek word “melas” which means “black, dark” Everyone screams melanin from the rooftops but how many of us actually know what it is ? . It is common knowledge that melanin is what makes people darker than “white”. I think it’s time we dig a little deeper into what melanin actually is and how our skins produce it. Today we explore the relationship between the sun, the skin and melanin. THE SUN AND SKIN The sun has been a strong influence to life on earth, living organisms have adapted characteristics in response to the sun. The skin being the largest organ, its function is quite important. The main roles of the skin involve providing a barrier against environmental stress and regulates the loss of water from the body through sweating. Sunlight once absorbed by the skin does not only cause the skin to darken but also influences the production of vitamin D and human sleep cycles. Exposure of the skin to sunlight is a form of environmental stress. Humans adaptations to the sun is intertwined with the regulation of the melanin pigment. Radiation from the sun reaches the earth at different wavelengths and these wavelengths can have different effects on melanin production. The main two being UV-A(320-400nm ) and UV-B (280-320nm). UV-A can usually penetrate through normal glass but UV-B cannot. Both forms of UV exposure to the skin can cause a multitude of responses. The rate of response depends on the intensity and type of UV light . A response can occur in just a couple of hours which involves the oxidation and polymerisation of melanin already present on the skin surface that causes the skin to darken. MELANIN EXPLAINED Melanin pigments are produced from cells known as melanocytes. Melanocytes can be found in the basal epidermal layer of the skin. They produce melanin in organelles known as melanosomes. The melanosomes are then transferred to neighbouring keratinocytes to carry out their protective function against the sun. Keratinocytes are other cells that are also a part of the skins epidermis. Mel-an-o-genesis is the process by which melanin is made. Melanogenesis is initiated by the exposure of the skin to UV radiation from the sun. The exposure of the skin to UV light is the most triggering effect that causes the movement of melanosomes to the epidermis for skin protection. The expression of these melanosomes on the epidermis which is the outermost layer of the skin is what causes the darker appearance in the skin. This is a short introduction to the basics of the tanning process, next weeks post will explain the actual process of tanning under the different wavelengths of UV radiation. References Costin, G. E. & Hearing, V. J., 2007. Human skin pigmentation: melanocytes modulation color in response to stress. The FASEB Journal, Volume 21, pp. 977-994. Kaidbey, K. H., Poh Agin, P., Sayre, R. M. & Kligman, A. M., 1979. Photoprotection by melanin—a comparison of black and Caucasian skin. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology , 1(3), pp. 249-260. Natarajan, V. T. et al., 2014. Multifaceted pathways protect human skin from UV radiation. nature:chemical biology, 10(1552-4469), pp. 542-551. Slominsky, A., Tobin, D. J., Shibahara, S. & Wortsman, J., 2004. Melanin Pigmentation in Mammalian Skin and Its Hormonal Regulation. American Physiological Society , 84(4), pp. 1155-1228. Tadokoro, T. et al., 2003. UV-induced DNA damage and melanin content in human skin differing in racial/ethnic origin. FASEB journal, 17(9).

Name: Anonymous :) Course: Medical Biochemistry (2nd year) A levels:Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics Journey in 3 words: Tearful, hard and fun Brief description of your course? I was stunned with this question and I was not sure, how to eloquently explain what biochemistry is and how to describe my course so I have decided to pinch the definition of biochemistry from the Biochemistry society’s website. ‘Biochemistry is the branch of science that explores the chemical processes within and related to living organisms.’ It is mainly laboratory based and focuses a lot on the molecular level of how processes work in living organisms. In my specific course, there is a focus towards the human body. Specifically looking at how processes in the body work. What motivated you to pursue a degree in science? Growing up I had wonderful role models. Which include many of family members and many of my teachers. They challenged me and at an early age, I discovered my love of science. Understanding how things in this world work being able to further my understanding in higher education was an inevitable outcome towards my love of science. What drives you to stay motivated? Staying motivated can be quite challenging. Especially with the sometimes gruelling life in university. What I often do to remain motivated and not burn out is leave myself a guilty free day. Where I am allowed to relax and just do whatever I want. If that thing may involve watching trash tv for an entire day or do activities that don’t involve my studies. I enjoy doing my extracurricular activities that I try very hard not to miss otherwise I would go crazy. I think it is very important to let yourself have some time where your brain can just switch off and recover for a bit. In that time I try to read papers and remind myself why I chose this subject and what I love so much about it. What advice would you give someone wanting to follow a similar career path to yours? It might sound cheesy but do something you enjoy doing. Choose something that challenges you and just thinking about doing it scares you. Get yourself out of your comfort zone. Do not be afraid to look like an idiot sometimes. Describe how you manage your work- life balance Not very well. Ha-ha. I tend to commit too much to either my work or my life. What has recently helped me was to organise my time. I started using calendar apps on my phone not to forget about my plans and I organised a revision timetable. According to what I wished to accomplish in a day. I found that making my revision timetable more goal oriented rather than allocating specific times has worked for me. If I tell myself that, I wanted to review lecture 1 and 2 in 2 hours but by the end of the second hour, I only completed one lecture. I would start to panic realising that I am behind and that panic will translate into my work and revision. Instead if in a day I tell myself I tell myself I would like to review X, Y, Z It allows me to be a bit more flexible.

Being on summer holiday, I’ve had a lot of time to just sit and be at one with my thoughts … The social media age has cursed us with an abundance of information. Our lives have been made easier but how often do we take time to protect the information we take in both consciously and subconsciously. We are exposed to so much daily and I don’t think its spoken about enough on how we fail to realise how draining it can be. Social media has brought about a new wave of comparison and negativity. A lot of us are striving for greatness and it’s a beautiful thing to watch and celebrate the success of our peers at such a young age. But as humans we need to check our hearts ensuring envy doesn’t build up. It’s so much easier to get lost in the image being shown but we need to remember we only see what people want us to see. In this age it has also been made a thing where pursuing your 9-5 goal in life is being painted as a negative .Everyone seems to have a side hustle and entrepreneur in their bio . You “ aren’t grinding hard enough to get your money up “ ABSOLUTELY STUPID!!! . It’s okay to want to just live your life how YOU want it. If you decide to solely focus on pursuing a 9-5 there is nothing wrong with that and you can still end up being successful . Success being whatever definition that fits for you. Social Media I believe has also glamorised struggle . You don’t have to have gone through a battle against all odds for your struggles in life to seem valid. The point I’m trying to make is, part of protecting your space is acknowledging that your ups and downs are personal to you. Every failure even if it may not seem massive in the grand scheme of things to others, it is something to you. You have to allow yourself the time YOU need to get back up. Also no accomplishment is too small. You don’t have to have signed a multi-million deal or be making heaps of money. Maybe you woke up happy in the morning after a really bad week. That is an accomplishment worth celebrating. Protect your space digitally and mentally as the only thing that matters is that YOU are okay.

Name: Iyesha What do you currently study: Pharmacy A Levels - Maths Chemistry Biology Journey in 3 words: Exciting, enlightening and overwhelming What drives you to stay motivated: Getting to the finish line- being a pharmacist Brief description of your role / course: A pharmacist is responsible for ensuring that the medicines prescribed to patients are safe and suitable for them. Depending on where you work your role will vary slightly. For example, if you work in a community you’ll give a lot of over the counter medication advice than if you work in a hospital. The course involves a lot of biology with some chemistry and maths. Throughout the four years you will learn about A LOT of medications- there indications, interactions, side effects, safety monitoring etc. At the end of the four years, you’ll graduate with a Master of Pharmacy degree /Bsc and will have to do a pre-registration year which is like a placement year where you train under the supervision of a tutor for 52weeks and then take the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) exam in order to get your pharmacist licence. You can do your pre-registration year at a community pharmacy, hospital, GP or industry. You also have a choice of doing a split pre-registration year which means you can do your pre-registration year at two places (e.g. community and hospital). What motivated you to pursue a career in science: I’ve always had a passion to help people and I always knew I wanted to study a healthcare profession. I chose pharmacy because of the amount of impact I’ll have on people’s life. I’ve been around a lot people who have limited knowledge about medications, they’ll take medicines for the wrong reason or take a wrong dose, causing them to suffer side effects or worsen an existing condition they have. Knowing that I can help prevent these from happening motivated me to do pharmacy. What advice will you give to someone wanting to follow a similar career path to yours: - Before you apply for pharmacy, do a lot of research about it and be certain it is what you want to do. Do not just settle for pharmacy because you could not get into medicine. - Once you are in: o Believe in yourself! o Work hard but at the same time enjoy yourself. o Build up your network (e.g. through RPS conferences) o Get a part time pharmacy job or volunteer (this will really help) o Get involve in extra-curricular activities that are not pharmacy based. Describe how you manage your work life balance By being organised! I always try to plan my week ahead by scheduling time to study and to do whatever I want. I also try to finish all my course work at least a week before it's due and i try my best to not let my lectures pile up. Tips on applying for internships: Big chain pharmacies like boots, Lloyds, wells etc. do summer internships every year for 1st, 2nd and 3rd year pharmacy students. Apply to as many as you can. Even if you don’t get in to their summer placements, you can always volunteer at local pharmacies. Also, instead of getting a summer internship, you can get a part-time job at boots, Lloyds or any local pharmacy. Having a part-time pharmacy job is a great way to increase your knowledge. Some hospitals and research industries also offer summer placements for 2nd and 3rd year pharmacy students. Placements and part-time jobs are really important as they can be a gate way for you to get a pre-registrations placement.

This naïve little girl had it plastered in her mind that she was going to be a doctor. She grew up to become a hardworking student .I can confidently say that she consistently did well, but that does not mean she was the best. She allowed her drive to develop into an “overachiever complex” where even in getting a B would stress about why it wasn't an A. For the most part this was a good driving force but this mentality disallowed her to celebrate her achievements. She constantly felt less than and was never good enough; even though to the outside world she was close to perfect on paper. My rejection story : My journey into science you can say is quite cliché. A hardworking student that thought the best way to channel her love for biology was through medicine. I applied to 4 medical schools. The application process was long and tedious, but this was something I really wanted. Having to submit on that deadly October deadline months before anyone else didn’t help. The worst part was, although I submitted early I didn't start getting responses till after Christmas. My peers were getting offers left right and centre just weeks after they had applied. Slowly I started getting responses...REJECTIONS. Devastation was an understatement of what i was feeling. What was I going to tell my parents? Being a child of West African Decent the pressure was immense. In my mind I had to reach this unattainable standard of greatness not only to meet my parents standards they had in their minds but most importantly MY OWN. I did well in school, so to my parents who didn’t fully understand how competitive the application process was took a while to understand how their “smart” child got rejected. They threw solutions all over the place, but then I didn’t want to hear a thing. In my mind I had FAILED IN LIFE ( i am quite dramatic). Had I already failed at the age of 18? Had everything I worked and studied for gone in vain? I was completely broken. Back then becoming a Dr was where my future had to go, anything else was a defeat. I hadn’t done proper research into science careers, so I had no clue what my alternatives were. It honestly just sucked. Before you apply for medicine, I would strongly advise to look into other courses and have a true feel of what the science world has to offer. You never know what you will find. Read the course descriptions and be thorough. The NHS careers website has beautiful descriptions of potential career paths that could be of interest; also check out my other blog posts with students and professionals currently working and studying in different life science fields. What will you do if you get rejected? If you do get rejected, do not feed yourself the narrative that you aren’t good enough. This narrative helps no one. You are a very smart individual that has only had one minor setback. This life is a funny thing and sometimes what you have planned isn't what is best for you. If you are anything like me, your only plan B might be the 5th option you fill out in your UCAS form. You have no intention of actually doing it but fill it out because you have to. I believe if you are academically strong, academic disappointment may not be something that you have come across. Up until this point you were unstoppable. The rejection will weigh heavy on you and that is completely okay. It's how you deal with this rejection that makes a difference. You may still want to continue down the medicine pathway and if so, graduate medicine is a still a route you can take. Researching science careers is very important. If you want to get into graduate medicine, you do need good results,so studying a degree you are genuinely interested in will only work in your favor. From experience, your motivations for medicine should always stem from the goodness of your heart and wanting to serve humanity. When I say serve, studying medicine is a sacrifice to other sectors of your life and it should be a sacrifice you are willing to take. Every fibre of your being should want to do medicine, you will need that motivation throughout the years of studying. IT SHOULD NEVER BE FOR THE MONEY!. Patient care is much bigger than a single professional. It takes an extremely diverse network of individuals to deliver excellent patient care.I came into first year without properly knowing what medical physiology was, thinking I was just going to get a degree and then straight away apply for medicine again. My attitude was not positive, i only considered my degree as a means to an end instead of starting with the aim to enjoy it for what it was .By the end of my first year, i had learnt so much more about myself and life sciences that being a Dr was no longer my benchmark for success. Now at the end of my second year, I can confidently say I am much more aware of my course and where my future will take me. I am probably going to work in some lab, but this is something I am excited about. Looking back at my rejection , it allowed me to grow and change my perspective on life.

Name: Danielle Course: Medicine (3rd Year) Journey in 3 words: Demanding, engaging, worthwhile A level:Biology, chemistry, Maths, EPQ (on angiogenesis and cancer ) Description of course: Medicine is designed to prepare and guide students to become future doctors. The course is split into 2 phases: pre-clinical and clinical and lasts for a minimum of 5 years. We mainly learn anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic reasoning and treatment but other life sciences such as pharmacology, psychology, population science and biochemistry are incorporated in what we learn. What motivated me to pursue a career in science: I’ve always found science, its importance and application in our everyday lives very interesting. Science is also a very dynamic field and so there is always something new to learn. What drives me to stay motivated:I honestly enjoy learning about how amazing our bodies are. I always remind myself of the saying “anything that is worthwhile isn’t easy” and the truth is that the reward for all the years of hard work will come when I start working and use everything I’ve learnt to make a difference in people’s lives. My parents are also a source of motivation because I want to make them proud and when I look at my life and my progress I always get motivated because I know God is in control. Work-life balance and advice: You have to be super organised because medicine is probably the most time-consuming course and there are high expectations and requirements set by the university. You will also need to learn how to prioritise and plan correctly. However, make sure to pursue or continue hobbies and interests that aren’t related to medicine to remain sane. Keep good relationships because you can always use support and encouragement and if you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it.

Let’s say you went on a road trip, but you were blind folded the whole way through and instead of it being a few days it took a few million years. How would you trace your way back? Scientists have been studying human evolutionary migration patterns for years now. We commonly hear how DNA can be used to identify criminals. In a similar way by taking DNA samples, scientist can track back to where groups of different people on the earth first migrated from. How is this done? It is done by analysing DNA but not from the same place that it is extracted when identifying criminals. When identifying criminals, nuclear DNA is analysed. For human migration, scientist most commonly use mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA) The mitochondria is an organelle found inside cells and is passed down directly from mother to offspring with no recombination. This means all mitochondrial DNA is the same and comes directly from the mother . Non- recombinant Y-chromosomal DNA can also be used for the same reasons as mtDNA. This is passed down from father to each male offspring . There are two main theories of human evolutionary migration. The multiregional theory and the ‘out of Africa ‘theory. The former being based of archaeological findings and the latter heavily backed by genetic evidence . This post is going to focus on the latter as mtDNA evidence backs this theory. OUT OF AFRICA THEORY When we look at humans from various continents we see many clear visual differences, but genetically we are more similar than you would imagine. Scientist analyse the mutational differences in mtDNA to track migration routes. All differences in the mtDNA are caused by mutations. mtDNA has a high mutation rate which creates more sites for analysis. These sites are known as polymorphic sites. A polymorphic site refers to major differences in the mtDNA. A sample of blood, saliva etc is taken, purified and the mtDNA is extracted. The area of interest in the mtDNA is then amplified and analysed to observe the sequence. mtDNA profiles are created by amplifying the non-coding regions in DNA. These non-coding regions show differences between non-biological relatives and are usually the same for biological relatives . After amplification, a sequence is deciphered using computer analysis programs. The sequences are then compared between individuals for similarities. Similarities in mutations can be the same for people with even very distant ancestral linkage and therefore it can track back where humans migrated from. Mismatch analysis of mtDNA sequences is analysed to note differences between individuals. Analysing the differences allows for identification of which mutations changed or differ between individuals of the same and different groups. . Fig.1 (Wallace, 2013)– shows Africa highlighted in red where the L haplotype originates. Within Africa, the figure shows the M and N haplotypes stemming from the L3 haplotype. It also shows that the M and N haplotypes are what all non-African populations originate from. The numbers in the figure indicate the approximate timing of when the specific mtDNA haplotypes first appeared. From the many experiments that have been carried out using similar methods to that explained above it is concluded that there are different mtDNA lineages. The different lineages are referred to as haplogroups. These haplogroups are illustrated above(the different letters). The haplogroups represent related groups of sequences that are defined by shared mutations. When you put all the findings together of mtDNA research into a phylogenetic (ancestral linkage) tree; based on either non-recombinant Y-chromosomal DNA or mitochondrial DNA, it shows that Non- African populations emerged from a small group of individuals that left Africa. Haplotypes L1, L2 and L3 are restricted to African populations and M and N are found in all non-African populations. The M, N are subtypes of haplotype L. They are believed to have dispersed into Eurasia from east Africa .This is illustrated in fig 1, The arrow shows haplotype M and N originating from L3. Groups M and N migrated out of Africa and from there other haplotypes were created. In a rough nut shell, your road trip started in Africa and ended wherever you find yourself right now reading this. PAPERS USED Cavalli-Sforza, L. L. & Feldman, M. N., 2003. The Application of Molecular Genetics Approaches to Study Human Evolution. Nature Genetics , Volume 33, pp. 266-277. Klug, W. S., Cumminngs, M. R., Spencer, C. A. & Palladino, M. A., 2016. DNA Forensics. In: Concepts of Genetics. Essex: Pearson, pp. 703-743. Oppenheimer, S., 2012. A single southern exit of modern humans from Africa : Before and after Toba. Quatenary International, Volume 258, pp. 88-99. Pakendorf, B. & Stoneking, M., 2002. Mitochondrial DNA:human evolution. Annual Review of Genetics, Volume 3, pp. 611-621. Underhill, P. A. & Toomas, K., 2007. Use of Y-chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA Population Structure in Tracing human migrations. Annual Review of Genetics , Volume 41, pp. 539-564. Wallace, D. C., 2013. Bioenergetics in human evolution and disease: implications for the origins of biological complexity and the missing genetic variation of common disease. Philosophical Transactions B, Volume 368, p. 1622.

SUNS OUT BUNS OUT – A FUN YET PRODUCTIVE SUMMER 😊 With exams finally over. SUMMER COULDN’T HAVE ARRIVED SOON ENOUGH. This is my first official blog post and I am super excited to start this new journey. I want to start off with a thank you for taking your time to read this piece 😊 The summer period for uni students can stretch FOUR MONTHS. I am all for living your best life and I do have activities planned but that doesn’t mean I will be slacking on my personal development. Having completed second year… it’s a bit surreal thinking about it . 2/3rds of my degree has been completed … No matter the journey your'e on, I believe there is something you can gain from this as it's never too early to start. The summer is when you are sitting the most idle. It's where you can set goals and ambitions for the next academic year. THINGS YOU SHOULD DO IN SUMMER 1. Navigate the world of internships : Applying for internships is one of the most tedious processes you can go through. Writing cover letters back to back during the academic year is something you can't avoid. To get ahead of the crowd and make your application stand out, you have to put in some legwork. Take this time during summer and research places that offer internships. Have your list ready with company names and deadline dates. You are going to apply for a lot so it's better to have a list prepared. When the new term rolls around, you can relax and focus on getting good grades. With the internships you are really keen on, do some background reading on the company and prepare for some of the typical questions you cannot avoid, such as : 1. Why you want the internship? 2. Why you want to work for company? These companies ask these questions and the one answer that comes to my head is I NEED EXPERIENCE TO GET A JOB!!!!; but obviously we know that doesn’t cut it. Use this time to dig deep and come up with draft answers that you can just tweak once it comes to application time. By doing serious research on the company and finding something that genuinely interests you about them, helps show that you are actually committed and puts you one step closer to the interview. Stalk the companies you want to work for – learn what they are about and actually find something that sticks out –THIS IS WHAT LACKED IN MY APPLICATIONS. 2. CV/ Cover letter building– spend summer fixing and tweaking your CV to a good standard. There are loads of templates available online ( The simpler the better and keep it to 2 pages). Make use of the facilities in your university. First thing when you get back ,go to your career development office (if you have one) and get your CV checked over by someone. You need a critical eye to look at it and make sure you haven’t waffled. Its often also easy to forget all the things you have done, and what better time to recollect than in a coffee shop over a frappe during summer acting all important. 3. Educational Achievement -Have a list of your grades per module saved somewhere, when applying. This is very handy and you can either include this in your CV or actual application depending on the recruitment process for the specific company. Another tip, is to have a list of the individual coursework done. This allows you to clearly highlight your strengths i.e essay writing, practical reports or exams. In hind site there are so many things I wish I had done and prepared for. Regardless, I have secured an internship for the summer and can't wait to write about my experiences. The thought of doing “real” science both scares and excites me. If I have learnt one thing from my previous fears, it is that they only restrict you. No matter the outcome, there is a beautiful story for you to share and a new piece of yourself waiting to be discovered.

In my search for internships I found it very hard to find places that offered a cohesive list of summer internships for biology students. The list below has grown since the original 2018 post and now includes tips on how to make the most of your internship/ year in industry and even graduate schemes and how and when to plan them. As a science graduate, getting experience enhances your knowledge of a field or allows you to do something new and sometimes identify what you don’t like. The great thing about internships is they do not always have to be directly related to your field of study. You can tailor the experiences you choose to the career journey you envision. For inspiration on new career fields, , Subscribe to the TCIM newsletter here Types of opportunities available TCIM RESOURCES: The posts will give you an insight into the careers of different people and the lessons learnt from each opportunity. Blog posts: The office vs The Lab Lab life : Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Blog post: My Code for Girls Course helped me land my job and masters. Blog post: My experience at GSK Blog post: My Experience as a graduate research associate LAB EXPERIENCE Getting lab experience as a science student is essential. The type of work you do does not have to be relevant to your degree directly as the lab skills you pick up will be very valuable in your career journey. Your University Email lecturers asking if they have the availability to host a student over the summer. Do not focus on the paid aspect, some may host you but without funding – Remember this is invaluable experience to carry out real research. Some labs have funding for research students or know how to apply for funding. Getting funding for lab experience in your university can usually be done through specific societies that work with The royal society of biology. Their page also has very useful links and advice for both summer internships and placement years. Science communication Science Communication is a growing field and with that you can make the most of creating your own opportunities and projects. E.g Bench to Bedside by TCIM . Science Communication opportunities can be split into: video content, written content, exhibition curation and much more What is it like working in Medical Communications: Watch a Date with cell press here by BWIS Network Year in industry( Pharmaceuticals/ Research and development) The Pharma Industry attracts a wide range of science graduates. You can find opportunities that are technical, sales based, operations, marketing and more. Virtual Experiences and Newsletters and more TCIM hosts a range of career content. Don’t just stop here, check out the newsletter, subscribe and explore the rest of the website !