Designer Genes never looked this good
A student organization aims to bring together students from various fields to discuss topics in biotechnology.
Designer Genes is a biotechnology organization for people majoring in all life sciences. These include animal science, genetics, biology and biotechnology, said Peter Carman, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences junior, and president of Designer Genes.
The club helps students understand the intricacies of science they will be involved with in the future, such as reading articles, discussing ethics and meeting other professionals. Members also get advice on classes and teachers from their peers, he said.
“I came in contact with the Designer Genes club and met people that are part of my major even before I took the classes,” he said. “I liked the way it was run, it was very relaxed and there was no minimum hour or service requirement.”
Designer Genes helps put its members in contact with professionals in biotechnological fields and helps students learn interview skills and improve their resumes, he said.
At some meetings, students choose topics in biotechnology and familiarize themselves with those topics. Most recently they discussed genetically modified organisms. They later debate those topics and discuss various ethical issues, he said.
Additionally, Designer Genes holds events throughout the semester and are currently working on co-sponsoring one with the Bioethics Club, which focuses on the policies of science and gene editing. There will be professional speakers to discuss scientific issues with the community.
In the past, there have been speakers from places in the industry such as Amersham Biosciences, Merck, Skanska Pharmaceutical Group and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, according to the group’s Facebook page.
“We hope that this event will increase the awareness <g>about</g> the implications of <g>recent</g> development of genes editing,” he said.
The Designer Genes biotechnology club is open to help others and involves anyone that comes out to the meetings.
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Harshel Patel is a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore majoring in molecular biology and biochemistry. He runs the Science section of The Daily Targum. He can be found on Twitter @harshel_p.
Pragya Hooda is a School of Engineering first-year majoring in biomedical engineering. She is a contributing writer for The Daily Targum. She can be found on Twitter @tobphase.
