Biology+Physics = Biophysics

Anupama from India writes:

"Thinking about it is always there in my mind rt from my tenth std. Later a twist of decision made me to take another field-Biology. Now that i've completed my masters in it i realized that i can't stop thinking of physics. Ever since tenth to now i always tried to understand concepts on my own through different sources. The carrier and my interest want me to blend both the things. Use and understand biological concepts in terms of physics.

I would like to know whether i'm right or simply floating in air? Can a biologist  become a physicist? I want an equilibrium state between biology and physics. Is this possible?"

Dear Anupama,

Absolutely! The equilibrium state you are looking for is a field called Biophysics, a very happening field right now. I don't know much myself about the field, but I will point you to some useful websites where you can find lots of information.

Firstly, what is Biophysics? Well, the Biophysical Society defines it, in a nutshell, as: "that branch of knowledge that applies the principles of physics and chemistry and the methods of mathematical analysis and computer modeling to understand how the mechanisms of biological systems work." Here's the full article on What is Biophysics?

In July we had our annual South African Institute of physics conference. Each year the day before the conference is a "winter school" and this year's school was on biophysics. I didn't attend the winter school, but a friend of mine did, and he said it was very interesting. Some of the topics that were included were Magnetic Nanoparticles for Cancer Detection and Treatment, Artificial Intelligence, Neurons and networks - the brain as a complex system, and The Biophysics of Cell Adhesion and Tissue Engineering. That might give you a bit of an idea on the topics covered in biophysics. For a more complete list of topics, go here.

As far as I know, biophysics is studied at graduate school level. Many universities and colleges around the world offer biophysics, you just need to ask around. Here's a page of biophysicists part of the Biophysical Society, with their institutions, research disciplines, and degrees. You will see that their first degrees are from anything from biology or physics, to electrical engineering. So you are in a good position. I also did a quick search and found these universities in India that offer an MSc in Biophysics.

Finally, take a look at the International Biophysics Congress held in France in August this year.

And dowload this Career Booklet (right click, save target as) from the Biophysical Society for a description on what a career in biophysics involves.

Good luck!
Claire

Comments

[m. visaya]

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[claire gray]

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[Dennis Sustare]

There are some other exciting areas, especially in the nano world (as nanobots incorporate or interact with biological material), in the field of biological computers, and in the realm of advanced prosthetics.

[m.visaya]

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