Good day, everybody, and welcome to the open day presentation from the University of Stellenbosch.
I am Dr Mervyn Beukes and I’m from the Department of Biochemistry.
Today I’m going to be telling you about the exciting world of molecular biology and biotechnology,
as well as the programme that we offer here at the University of Stellenbosch.
Your question might be: What does molecular biology and biotechnology involve?
Molecular biology in essence is the branch of biology that studies macromolecules essential to life.
Biotechnology, on the other hand, uses the technology of how biological systems work so that
we can manipulate living organisms to that end so that we can create useful solutions to diseases,
reduce our environmental footprint, feed the hungry,
use less and cleaner energy, and have safer, cleaner, and more efficient industrial processes.
In the Molecular Biology and Biotechnology programme at the University of Stellenbosch,
you will explore the leading edge of modern scientific research.
You will learn how molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins influence the fundamental processes of cellular life.
This will lay the foundation for a career as a cell biologist or biotechnologist
in either the private or public sector, and even in the academic environment.
To build a strong theoretical foundation in molecular biology and biotechnology, the programme
at the University of Stellenbosch focuses on three major disciplines: biochemistry, microbiology, and genetics.
The question is or might be: What is biochemistry, what is genetics, and what is microbiology?
I will give you a short background in each of these disciplines.
Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes occurring in living organisms.
In essence, it brings together biology and chemistry
and it enables scientists to use this knowledge to solve puzzles regarding the function of cells.
Biochemistry supports a range of scientific disciplines, like genetics and microbiology,
but it also supports disciplines like chemistry, forensics, plant sciences, and medicine.
Because of its vast scope, biochemistry is very important in understanding life sciences in general.
In Biochemistry, you also learn how biological pathways work
in metabolism and also how the components of biological pathways, such as proteins,
lipids, and carbohydrates, are produced and function within metabolism.
Genetics on the other hand, is the study of how biological information is stored,
transmitted, translated, and expressed. It therefore forms a central pillar of biology
and also overlaps with many areas, like agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology.
In Genetics, you will learn about genes, hereditary, and genetic variations in these organisms.
This means we can understand and predict physiological behaviour
of living organisms such as plants, animals, and humans. For more information on the Genetics,
you can visit the Agricultural Faculty website, and you will find the Genetics webpage under that.
For microbiology, on the other hand, it’s the study of microscopically small living organisms,
like viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa.
Microbes represent more than 60% of life on earth and are central to the study of biological systems.
In fact, life as we know it will simply not be possible without microorganisms.
At the University of Stellenbosch, studying Microbiology will allow you and expand on a fundamental knowledge of microorganisms,
their morphology, metabolism, physiology, and their genetics, while you will also understand
the interaction with other microorganisms in environment that they’re in.
You will also learn how fundamental microbial knowledge has led to the development of numerous medical,
veterinary, industrial, and environmental applications that has benefited mankind.
Examples of such are antibiotics, vaccines, just to name a few.
Biotechnology, on the other hand, essentially just means any technology that uses biological systems,
living organisms, or derivatives thereof to make or modify processes for specific use
to combat diseases, to improve life and the health of our planet.
Biotechnology includes all three core disciplines, as I mentioned earlier,
to produce these technologies or products that will be useful to society.
In other words, biotechnology is the discipline that brings science and the business community together.
It’s also important to note that nowadays it’s
become very important at universities that research be applied, and that universities
are also striving to generate additional income with applying some of the research.
It is therefore important to note that the University of Stellenbosch was one of the
first institutions to open a technology transfer office called InnovUS, which has the specific aim
to allow researchers to use their research, bring it to the market, allow to patent their
research so that it can be used as a startup company.
Or, in essence, to license out their technology to other companies.
Biotechnology can also be used in various industrial areas,
like the healthcare, agriculture, food sciences, and the environmental preservation.
Let’s talk a little about the programme that’s on offer at the University of Stellenbosch
in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.
At the undergraduate level, it is a three-year programme.
At first year, you will have to do either Curriculum 1 or Curriculum 3.
Curriculum 1 at its core has Biology, Chemistry, Biological Mathematics, Biological Physics, and Science in Context.
Curriculum 3, on the other hand, has Biology,
Chemistry, Mainstream Mathematics, Mainstream Physics, and Science in Context.
In your second year, you will then do fundamental aspects within biotechnology and molecular biology,
and these are the three major disciplines that I mentioned earlier: biochemistry,
microbiology, and genetics. You would have to do two-thirds core modules of each of these three disciplines.
In your third year, you will choose two from these three disciplines as your major subject,
and you will have to do four core modules of each of these disciplines.
Once you’ve successfully navigated your undergraduate degree and you have completed it
from the University of Stellenbosch, you can then enter into postgraduate studies.
You can choose honours in any of the two subjects you did in your third year.
Honours is essentially a one-year degree consisting of various modules and a small research project.
You then go further with that into an MSc or master’s degree, which is a two-year programme
and generally has an extensive research component for two years, where you would home in your
laboratory skills as a researcher. Finally, you can do a PhD,
which is a three-year programme with intense research with the aim of making a novel discovery in the field of study.
That will complete your academic studies within the field of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.
The big question that everybody always asks is: What do I do now?
What career opportunities are available once I’ve completed my academic studies?
You can choose to enter the academic environment by teaching at one of the leading universities, such as the University of Stellenbosch.
You can also in that context pursue a career in industry where you can work
in research and development, as well as managerial positions.
Alternatively, you can also enter into government or public sector where you can engage in science
policies, funding bodies, and NGOs that focus on science and science development.
At the end, you can also with your skills employ yourself as an entrepreneur if you
have developed technologies where you can enter as an entrepreneur.
However, there are a lot more and more diverse careers out there as a molecular biologist or biotechnologist.
I also urge you to go to our website,
the Molecular Biology and Biotechnology website where you can see our frequently asked questions.
Hopefully there will be questions and answers there that this presentation did not cover.
In conclusion, I would like to thank you for your attention.
I hope that this presentation was useful for you to make your next step in a very important aspect of your life.
We hope to see you soon at the University of Stellenbosch where we will try and
shape you to become the next successful scientists in the future. Thank you for your attention.