Global Biotech Revolution: GapSummit Leaders Of Tomorrow | Cambridge

As someone who spends good chunk of a day in the lab running gels and looking at tiny things in fancy microscopes, I am one of those biomedical/life science graduate students who justifies spending weekends in the lab by saying that my research will one day help advance human health (Joke! I am struggling to get that damn marker to write on my tubes!). Anyway, one good lesson I learned during that time is what you know matters less than who you know in the professional circle (to some extent).

Most of the graduate students spend a good five to six years doing amazing research and learning cutting-edge techniques. Unfortunately, in this world, it’s not the best ideas but the ideas that have the best reach which wins. Presenting their work, knowing the potential of their respective fields go a long way in helping one advance their career. This is where all those conferences, interdisciplinary meets, and other scientific events come into the picture. I was lucky enough to be selected for one such conference called GapSummit which turned out to be one of the best experiences I have ever had.

GapSummit is the Global Biotech Revolution’s flagship program. One of the biggest biotech conferences in the world conducted annually. It is an intergenerational leadership development conference that brought together biotech leaders from all over the world to engage with students like me. It is aptly named as they discuss the major gaps in the biotech and pharma field. The summit was joined by phenomenal speakers like Paul Stoffels, Chief Scientific officer of Johnsons and Johnsons, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw of Biocon limited, Dr.Yusuf Hamied of Cipla, representatives from WHO and United Nations. Apart from the talks, there were interactive panels conducted on the gaps in the industry ranging from drug affordability, innovation to sustainable energy. I learned a lot about the plateau phase of R&D pipelines, the struggle to get a generic drug in developing countries, the public policy aspect of bringing out a healthcare reform through dinner conversations and casual chats.

GapSummit did indeed provide me a better picture of the biotech and pharma space which I have learned is complicated with multiple players and unpredictable market. However, I learned from the digital healthcare panel experts that AI and other high-end computational tools will be a major game changer in the future.

The part I enjoyed and learned the most was the Voices of tomorrow competition where we all worked for three months in groups on an idea that addressed one of the gaps. Coming from a purely scientific background, getting the first-hand experience in executing an idea in the real world was an exhilarating experience. Although we didn’t make it to the finals, we had fun writing the business proposal which I have never done in my life!!

Since I had such an amazing time at the Summit I thought I could share some of my pre-conference hacks which might be helpful for you for the GapSummit 2019. I will be providing more details about the summit at the end.

Here are my two cents worth!

APPLICATION:

Spend a good amount of time writing the motivational essay. Remember, this is a fully sponsored conference, they take the application stuff seriously. It really pays off to do some homework about the summit, the speakers and the main agenda.

INTERVIEW:
The second round is a video interview with the core team of the GapSummit where they ask you in-depth questions about the application. Again! It really helps to prepare and succinctly talk about your achievements and future plans.


NETWORKING:
Like it or not, the world is not a fair place. That’s good and bad news. You might bump into the CEO of a startup who is looking for someone with your profile and might get hired on the spot. That is why it is extremely important to prepare for it. What do I mean by that? You need not read in detail about every single panelist or guest speakers but one you are interested in talking to, know their work in the back of your head. Read about their company, their published papers, know what they are looking for. I can’t emphasize this enough, nobody can just wing it.

GapSummit 2019:
Yay! This time it is in the United States. It is happening at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, between June 16th -20th. You can learn more about it here. If you have more questions about the summit, the logistics or if you want your institute to know about the event, you can contact me for an official invite.

Good luck with the application and hoping to see you guys at Gap Summit 2019!

Read another Article written by Anjana on TRAVEL+ACADEMICS: INTERNSHIP IN JAPAN

About The Author:

Anjana Sundarrajan is a true Tamilian who will not shut up about Chennai and curd rice. She is currently pursuing her final year of Masters in Biotechnology at UPenn in the US. She completed her B Pharm from Manipal University. She is passionate about research and innovation.

You can contact her on her Facebook or Linked In

Thank you for sharing your experience and tips with us. We hope you continue to support this blog and write for us in the future. We wish you all the best.

TRAVEL+ACADEMICS: INTERNSHIP IN JAPAN

"Never let success get to your head. Never let failure get to your heart"
-Unknown.

I was finally in Japan. After one year of filling out applications, messaging random people, stalking University professors, sending out hundreds of unsuccessful emails, I landed a fully funded research internship at the National Institute of Genetics (NIG), Japan. It felt surreal. I had dreamt of that moment many times but the reality was way better. I was smiling like an idiot at the Tokyo International Airport with a sense of accomplishment.  Few hours before that, I was in a totally chaotic situation. My flight from Chennai to Mumbai was delayed by two hours which gave me only 15 minutes for immigration at the Mumbai Airport. Also, due to the delay, I did not receive my luggage at the Tokyo airport.  Fortunately, I was in a country that embodies kindness. The airport personnel provided me with compensation money to buy the basic necessities and also sent my luggage to the place I stayed in after two days.

I took the famous Shinkansen or the bullet train from Tokyo to reach NIG which is located in Mishima. It is a small town located in Shizuoka and it takes about 2 hours from Tokyo.Once I reached there, I was cordially invited by my Guide and the members. When I told them about my luggage fiasco they immediately took me shopping. Well! That’s the dream, right? Land in a new country and go shopping!

Group Discussions.

I started my internship the next day. I was excited and nervous. It was exactly like my first day in school. The lab is working on some interesting topics related to cell signaling pathways.  Basically, they try to figure out the cues responsible for cell-cell communication. This is very important in developmental biology (embryogenesis) where a single cell becomes a whole human being. Additionally, fields like cancer biology, antibiotic resistance studies also benefit from cell signaling. I got to meet really passionate people and experimented with cool techniques like RNA interference, confocal microscopy etc. My mentor and my lab members were great teachers. They taught me the concepts from basics and helped me in every step of the way.

I  made great friends from different countries. We went out on weekends, cooked food together organized farewell parties. We also took the Japanese lessons offered at the institute. They definitely made the stay more fun.

Trips In Japan

Tips For Students Applying For Internships!

               1. Start early : This gives you enough time to browse through websites, read about the internships and prepare all the necessary documents.  You can find these internships on websites like Internshala, Twenty19 to name a few. Otherwise, you can visit the institute’s website to find more information.

                  2.Watch the deadline like a hawk: Trust me! Deadlines are easy to miss. Nothing hurts like a missed opportunity. So, just note down the deadlines in your sticky notes or Google calendar or anything.  The deadlines for most of the research internships may range anywhere from September to April.

                3.Do your homework: Read about the research work, the professor/scientist, the University. Be thorough. Some internship may ask you to give an interview. So being prepared helps

.

              4.Mail a lot of professors:  There are different ways of obtaining an internship. One is formally applying to a program and another highly underused way is emailing the professors.

Use your social media stalking skills and find professors on the university websites/on LinkedIn and mail them. Before doing that read up, make sure you have enough information and then proceed. Initially, there might not be any replies. I emailed around 40-50 professors and got no reply. Don’t feel dejected. Apply as many as possible. Read some blogs about emailing professors.

Again! Don’t underestimate the value of volume. You try 100 different things, you will definitely hit one.

Even though it was only for a month, I learned a great deal of science and life skills. The experience was not all sweet. I did have my doubts and fears. But at the end, it was all a learning experience and it was totally worth it.

I was fortunate to have a healthy support system. My friends encouraged me to apply every time I got rejected, my family taught me to laugh it off. So, make sure you are not in a negative environment. Also, I had incredibly amazing teachers who gave me a letter of recommendation every time I asked.  No single person can achieve anything alone. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Farwell Dinner

Another, important lesson I learned during this process is that you should not stop applying because you think it is out of your reach. Your job is to apply and they decide the results. Don’t every take their position. For example, if Harvard is offering a program, just apply! You never know! :P

I am no big brains. I just tried hard. So, it is not impossible and it is not a complex task.  So good luck! Make the most of your summer vacation.

About the Author: Anjana Sundarrajan is a true Tamilian who will not shut up about Chennai and curd rice. She completed her B Pharm from Manipal University. She is passionate about research and innovation. She is on her way to study Masters in Biotechnology at 
UPenn in the United States.  

She can now write a whole blog for you or better write content for your website for $5.Doesn't that sound like a steal deal? To know more visit https://www.fiverr.com/anjana95

You can contact her on her Facebook or Linked In

Thank you for sharing your experience and tips with us. We hope you continue to support this blog and write for us in the future. We wish you all the best.  

Mandatory Goa Trip After Graduation.

"Life is like that Goa Trip. Either you show it who's the boss or it takes you for a ride"

-Nishma Khetia.

If someone told you a Goa story without high-level drama in it, they would be lying to you. Take my word for it. There is a reason behind all the memes on the internet surrounding Goa plans that fail and they are there for a reason. I am sitting on the train back from Goa as I write this blog post because a lot of my research on travel blogs have told me to journal my experiences as soon as possible as the details are crucial but they are also volatile! After a lot of planning a few of my friends agreed to go Goa the day after the completion of our final exams. We were graduates! Yeah, the ceremony is in November and the results are not out yet *phew* so this was the perfect time to travel for us, take one last trip before we parted ways.

Manipal is 4.5hours away from Goa by train. The Madgaon station, however, is also a good 1.5hours away from the famous Baga Beach. Our hotel was a walking distance from Baga in an area called Calangute. Our journey began at 7.30am from Udupi station and by the time we reached our hotel freshened up it was 4 pm. We were all exhausted but we had no time to waste on rest or sleep which were a rare luxury. We had not been having any sleep for the past two months due to hectic exams so were pretty much used to the idea of sleep deprivation.

After getting some much needed late lunch, we hit Baga beach. The beach is lined with dozens of shacks serving food and drinks. The crowd on the beach was pretty decent. We were told that this was 'off season' ( I traveled in May end). The waves were huge and the water sports were going on in high swing. Latest music blasted from the shacks and we ordered ourselves some drinks. Every shack had a variety of options to choose from. You would have to look at a few places and decide where you would like to sit. We watched the sunset and I clicked a few photos.

The walk to and fro from our hotel was pretty much a routine in Goa. We walked through Tito's lane which is Goa's famous street that has clubs and pubs on one side and local shopping on the other. We strolled through the shops and clubs weighing our options so we could get the best deal to party the night away. Getting ready was the next task and putting on our best party wear because a lot of clubs in Goa require formal wear. After getting delicious dinner we decided to head to Tito's. The other strong option we had was Club Cabana but as our transport back from the club was debatable we decided to go with Tito's. After all the club had an entire lane named after it and all the advertisements hyped it up. Spoiler alert: it was worth it AF.

Tito's lane at midnight was like a carnival full of people enjoying themselves and dancing to upbeat music. The couple entry was thousand rupees and ladies had free entry and drinks at Tito's. Five of us got in at midnight and got ourselves a nice table. Tito's was divided into a drinks only section, a Sheesha place, restaurant and the dance floor area. As we experimented with drinks, a magician came to entertain us and it was absolutely delightful. Another group of friends from my batch were also in Goa and later came to Tito's. I was on the dance floor till four in the morning celebrating the end of four years of hard work! It seemed to fit perfectly.

Goa had some power problem as they were changing the power lines. We got some disturbed sleep and checked out of our hotel at eleven in the morning. We had hired a driver to take us sightseeing. Cars are not the recommended choice of vehicle for Goa! A scooter is perfect but we didn't know how to ride one or didn't have the license. First on the list was Candolim and we got into boats to see some Dolphins. The boat took us into deep waters where we spotted Dolphins. However, they were quick and unexpected sightings so I could not photograph that.

Next up we headed to the famous Dil Chata Hai fort- Aguada Fort. Okay, I have not watched that movie. Sue me! I shall watch in the holidays. The fort was beautifully located on a hill. It was made by the Portuguese and had a lighthouse. It was very sunny and one could easily get dehydrated. We had lemonade to replenish lost electrolytes and continued our sightseeing post lunch. The boys had Goan fish which they said was delicious.

The last location we visited was Basicila of Bom Jesus. I have seen quite a few churches but this one stood out to me. If you watch the video of the ongoing mass you will get the idea of what I am talking about. It is so beautiful and the mass going on was in-tune and it created a holy atmosphere. I don't know what it was but I have only felt this moving feeling twice in my life. Once when I visited the ISKCON temple in Bangalore on my own and now in Goa. We lit candles at the church and said our prayers.

Our taxi driver then dropped us to the railway station for our train back home. A lot of drama unfolded prior to our settling in the hotel but I choose to not highlight the negativity in my blog posts and instead leave my readers with all my fun experiences with caution tips wherever required. When booking a hotel ensure that the check-in and check-out timings and rules are crystal clear because small hotel owners can take you for a ride! Also, do not depend on your friends to take any sort of travel responsibility, just do it yourself even if that means coming off as rude or just solo travel! Which reminds me,  I'm going to write about the trip that sparked the traveler in me very soon so watch out for that one to be inspired to travel solo.

TOP SEVEN TIPS FOR TRAVELLING IN GOA

1.Carry enough cash! Goa can be expensive. We went during off season but the prices of food and accommodation are pretty high. It does have very cheap alcohol when compared to other Indian states but everything else is costly. I spent 5000 rupees in two days. This is when I traveled to Goa in General class train ticket so if you are coming in by bus/flight you have to consider the cost of that as well.

2.Stay hydrated. As Goa is humid and sunny you could easily loose track of your water intake and the if you are drinking alcohol, it will leave you dehydrated even more. Have a lot of fresh juice and water at all times.

3.Confirm and re-confirm your bookings to make sure you know exactly how things are about to go down. Goa is huge so I suggest booking one hotel in North Goa and then another one for the next day towards Old Goa or South Goa. This would let you explore easily. According to me to fully explore Goa 2 nights and three days would be sufficient.

4. Traveling on a scooter is recommended but I realized that if you are 4-6 people you can hire a car as well because scooter can get uncomfortable and long distances on GPS can leave you exhausted.

5.Watch out for all shady people because there will be a lot of people trying to offer you stuff. You do not want to get yourself into trouble. Also, make sure you have proper transport arrangements after you are done partying. DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE.

6. There are many beaches in Goa. If you want to go to a laid back one you can discover one for yourself and you do not need to be on a crowded beach if you are looking for a more relaxing vibe.

7. Last but not the list, just keep your calm while traveling to Goa. Things are bound to get a bit out of schedule as everyone is just looking to have fun in their own way. 

That's all for this blog post. Oh, what's that you want more?...Hmm Okay! I made a proper Goa Vlog for you guys. Have fun. Leave your comments below. Thank you for reading.

All photos/videos are owned by me or my friends.

.

Signing off,

Nishma Khetia.

Real Talk: Overthinking.

At three in the morning, I lay awake in my bed, twisting and turning, begging for sleep to take me I started questioning my sanity. I have not been diagnosed but lying in my bed when my brain is in overdrive, thinking in repeating loops about my behavior has convinced me of having mild levels of insomnia and overthinking disorder.

I plan and organize or should I say over-thinking and over-analyzing?

A little bit of planning never hurts anyone, right? In fact, it's even considered effective to increase your efficiency. But what happens when your plans take over your life? More importantly what when they don't work out?

Anyone who knows me personally would have seen me get upset when they cancel a plan they made with me. I'm sure no one likes being ditched but I take this more personally and seriously. I know it's very wrong of me. The reason one tends to do so is because they only have the understanding to their side of the story. This is why when you cancel on someone else you don't tend to feel as guilty as you should. It is because you know the exact reasons behind your actions, and to you, those reasons can fully justify your actions.

Everyone has a mental list of tasks they need to accomplish during the day. It can be challenging to switch one task with a leisure activity or the other way around. It is a matter of how important the task/activity is on your priority list and the impact of scheduling it later. The time gap that opens up when a plan is canceled and how to use it efficiently is an important skill that I am struggling to develop. Also, the excitement and the anticipation leading up to the plan goes down the drain and then pouring down come to the tears of mixed anger and sadness of rejection. Okay, maybe that's a mouthful to read but that is exactly how I feel.

The silver lining to my problem is that I am optimistic. After a small breakdown, I channel my energy to something positive. Always. However, the breakdowns are what bother me. I hate the periodic sessions of vulnerability. Sometimes they lead to lasting headaches. The state of emotional turmoil would mentally drain me. Any academic work during this time is out of the question and during a crucial period of examination, this downtime is unacceptable.The loud, tall girl with a strong exterior is after all just human.

Stress and anxiety are the biggest foes when you have an overthinking problem. Examinations or peak business months can be very challenging times as it restricts your ability to take healthy mental breaks as you are forced to lock yourself up to study or to work. After some research on how to overcome overthinking behaviour, I have come up with the following techniques that can be easily implemented and overtime shall help myself and anyone out there who suffers from the same.

 5 Ways to Overcome Overthinking: 

1. Awareness.

Isn't this the word thrown around the most these days but I guess its about time. You need to first acknowledge the fact that you are an overthinker. It should be easy because if you are anything like me, you already know it and you wish you could just take a break from your 'thoughts'.

2.Distract yourself with mindful activities.

Please note the word mindful before you take in the note distract. That is crucial. It can be anything that you truly enjoy. A sport, cleaning your house, working on an interesting project, learning a new language, community service! The options are endless. Wouldn't you rather spend your time doing things you actually love than waste it on 'thinking'? If the activity drives you it can be safe to say you will enjoy it and take away the negative hours from your life.

3.Reflection is the key.

Your hectic schedule does not allow you to exercise and I am telling you to reflect? Am I crazy? Hold on and hear me out. Ten minutes of your day with yourself and a journal can take you a long way. 'Talking about it' or 'complaining' to your friends will not be helpful in the long run. Take some time out for yourself. Write one thing you are grateful for every day in your journal along with whatever is bothering you. Once your ten minutes are overlock away your problems in your journal because it is time to rule the world.

4.Live Now.

Live in the present. “Iif you are depressed you are living in the past, if you are anxious you are living in the future, and if you are at peace you are living in the present.” What is the point in worrying about the things which cannot be changed and the future over which you have no control? Always ask yourself this question "Will this matter in 5 years?" The answer will most probably no then do not spend more than 5minutes worrying about it. Also ask yourself 'What can I do?' instead of 'Why did that happen' or 'How/What if that happens'. Ultimately the only thing 'you can do' is work on yourself. Improve your skills, study, indulge in self-care because at the end of the day that is what is going to help solve all your future problems.

5.Your best friend: Endorphin.

Endorphin also known as happy hormone can be collected. It almost sounds like a Pokemon hunt but it is going to leave you happier than catching a rare Pokemon. It is scientifically proven that physical exercise and sports can generate endorphins. It makes you feel good about yourself. It will also give you a good night, good quality sleep and be beneficial for your health. You will have no time to worry about anything when you have to worry about your gym and shower schedule while maintaining a job/college schedule and that is exactly what you need.

Other extremely good ideas include listening to music, watching motivational videos/Ted Talks, reading non-fictional books to keep you busy.

On that note, I will conclude this blog post. I hope it was relatable. Please do share it with your friends who you think would find this helpful because trust me, one good read is all it takes to feel motivated again and come out of the overthinking loop. Feel free to leave your comments and thoughts below. Also, do not forget to follow my blogs via email or by simply following me on Google.

Signinng off,

Nishma Khetia.

My Internship at Biocon (Bangalore)

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn"

-Benjamin Franklin.

When it comes to dreams, a lot of us are hands down generic dreamers. After all, generic is classic. My story was no different. Internship at a big firm in a metro city, living on coffee and making it on my own. That was my big, generic, student dream. Yes, I would have loved to travel instead for a month like those AISEC people and change lives but I didn't have that kind of cash. I could have also done the regular thing students do in summer breaks- go home and visit my parents. But, I was hoping for a miracle and like my classic risk-taker self, I put all my bets on Biocon, Bangalore- India's biggest Biotech firm.

The only contact I had in Biocon was my a friend's dad who knew someone, who knew someone (Yes, so that was my risky bet). After sending in my resume around March, I waited and sent relentless follow-up emails until I got a call from the HR Department. The main reason I wanted to do an internship was to figure out what my calling was. I was debating between Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Management. My goal was to get a Marketing internship. I think Digital Marketing would be perfect for me. I practically live on planet internet.

Finally, two days after my university exams got over, that was May end, I got a confirmation from Biocon. I was going to be an intern in the HR Department. It was close to what I had aimed for and so I happily accepted. One month internship beginning June 17, 2016 at the Biocon headquarters in Bangalore.I arrived in Electronic City, Bangalore two days early and settled in a Paying Guest that I had found online with the help of a friend. The struggles of my stay at the PG is a blog post on its own (The Life And Lies Of A Paying Guest ).

On my first day in Biocon, I discovered that the company had three campuses and my PG was not as close to the office where I was going to be working. I had to take the shuttle between the Biocon campuses every morning and evening. On the first day at the HR Department, I was introduced to the team and given a work desk. I was on Cloud 9! Everyone was very warm and welcoming. I slowly learned the work flow. My office was concerned with recruiting positions for the Biocon field force all over India. As a Biotech and a Pharmaceutical firm we naturally needed a lot of field sales representatives. Screening hundreds of incoming emails from candidates and matching them with the job description, salary and experience level was no simple task. I saw the team do it effortlessly like true professionals and did I mention I was an intern in the HR Department. The swag they had was that of Jessica Pearson and Donna from Suits, COMBINED!

My internship allowed me to transform myself from someone who feared phone calls with strangers to someone who did about five basic phone interviews with candidates who matched the job profiles. As I got better and more helpful, I was assigned more tasks and I loved every bit of it. Coffee breaks were the best. They were like short episodes on Adulting 101 where everyone talked about their life, struggles and how to solve everyday problems. They were all in their late twenties or thirties and had made it to one of the best firms so I could rest assured that they knew what they were doing.In my third week of internship, we had an office party to celebrate some promotions. I can say that was the most fun I had at a party with a lot of strangers and my ride back was an interesting one too, where I overcame my fear of small talk (The Not So Small: Small Talk). I had grown as a person during my one month in Bangalore.

Bangalore or any other city for that matter, grinds you, the traffic is merciless. The area, Electronic city was filled with industries and didn't have the neighborhood friendly cafes that I had dreamed of. But that's where the difference between movies and reality lies.Hakuna Matata is an optimistic blog but we cannot compromise the reality for the price of positivity. They both go hand in hand.

Overall it was a much-needed trailer of the reality that is life, that every student deserves to experience before they complete their undergraduate degree. This was my story and while you may think my struggles were big, now, as I look back at them I find them very irrelevant and small in the bigger and greater aspects of life. My best friend Anjana, for example, had applied to  ten internships and after all her hard work she got accepted into an all expense covered internship in Japan in the National Institute of Genetics. 

To conclude this blog post, I will say keep dreaming, take risks, hustle hard and you will surely achieve your goals. The real success lies outside your comfort zone so keep throwing yourself in uncomfortable situations like I did because that uncomfortable zone is the place which allows you to metamorph into adulthood,

Acknowledgements:

I would like to thank my friend Sai Pooja's dad without who I would not have gotten that first contact. Sometimes a sinking Rose just needs that little support to survive ;) (And yes, she survived without Jack. No, you don't die from heartbreak).

If anyone from Biocon stumbles upon this blog, I would like to thank the entire HR team at Biocon House that mentored me during my stay. We need more companies in this country with a work ethic like that of Biocon.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. If you found it relatable or inspirational please let me know and share it with your friends. You can subscribe to my blog to get notified via email every time I post on my blog. Thanks for reading and keep smiling.

Signing off,
-Nishma Khetia