Writing the Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the personal statement is to convince the Admissions Committee members that you belong at their school and, eventually, in their profession.

Things to Keep in Mind:1. What the admissions committee will read between the lines: motivation, competence, potential as a graduate student.2. Emphasize everything from a positive perspective and write in an active, not a passive, voice.3. Demonstrate everything by example; don’t say directly that you’re a persistent person, demonstrate it.4. You don’t want to make excuses, but you can talk about the mistakes you’ve made as a learning experience.5. If there is something important that happened (poverty, illness, excessive work, etc.), which affected your grades go ahead and state it, but write it affirmatively, that is, in a way that shows your perseverance.6. Make sure everything is linked with continuity and focus.7. The essay should be 500-600 words (1 to 1½ pages) single-space, typed, 12pt. font size.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s:• Do start early and allow plenty of time for several drafts and multiple revisions.• Do choose one theme/thesis that unifies your essay.• Do think about your values and motivation before writing the essay.• Do be as specific as possible about why you want to study for and join your chosen this profession.• Do use the word “I” if you want to, but don’t if it makes you uncomfortable.• Do talk about how your uniqueness makes you a good candidate.• Do use examples of personal struggle to highlight character traits or accomplishments.• Do provide the reader with insight into what drives you.• Do evaluate your experiences, rather than simply recounting them• Do write in your own voice. Be yourself rather than trying to be the ideal applicant.• Do think about the impression you are making on the reader.• Do use active verbs. It is good to sound confident (without sounding obnoxious or pretentious).• Do use a spell checker. Schools detest misspelled words and bad grammar.• Do enlist others to read and proofread your essay.• Do get feedback on your draft(s) from your advisor before your submission.• Do take your essay to the Writing Center before you submit it to schools.

Don’ts:• Don’t use the word “dream.”• Don’t write an expanded resume; avoid repeating information that you’ve provided elsewhere in your application.• Don’t lie, cheat or steal. Embellishing your personal stories to make them try to sound “better,” having your friend the English major write your essay for you, or “borrowing” ideas from other

essays you’ve read are obviously bad ideas. You want this to be your own work, and something you’ll be able to talk about at your interviews in an honest and detailed manner.• Don’t try to cover too much.• Don’t talk about emotionally-charged experiences if you cannot do so in a fairly professional manner at an interview.• Don’t use clichés or tired metaphors (“It was a dark and stormy night…”)• Don’t talk about how bad all current health professionals are and how much better you will be.• Don’t mention “hot topics” like abortion, managed care, or assisted suicide.• Don’t talk about salary and how much money you would like to make.• Don’t talk about how wonderful you are. Let the Board take care of that.• Don’t list the qualities that you believe make you a good candidate. Rather, it should be selfevident from the essay what positive character traits you gained from your experiences.• Don’t say that you want to be a doctor because your mother/father is a doctor.

Tips for Scientific WritingDear friends here are a few tips to be followed while writing projects, dissertations and research papers I hope that these tips will be beneficial to you.Abbreviations: You should avoid abbreviations by writing out the full word (minimum, October, Virginia, first, temperature, with...).  Exceptions include common biological terms like ATP and DNA, units of measure (m, g, cm, °C), and mathematical or chemical formulas.  Sentences should never begin with an abbreviation or an acronym.

AcronymsYou may wish to introduce an acronym for a term that is repeated often:  if your paper deals with soybeans, Glycine max, you may use the full scientific name once and substitute G. max thereafter.  If you are writing a paper about tidal freshwater marshes, the first time the terms appear, you can introduce an acronym:  "Tidal freshwater marshes (TFM) are important transitional zones in the landscape."  Throughout the rest of your paper, you would refer to TFM.Chemical elements are not proper nouns, so do not capitalize them.  Only the first letter of the symbol is a capital letter: nitrogen (N), carbon (C), calcium (Ca). 

ContractionsIn formal writing, you should never use contractions (didn't, can't, haven't...).

Direct quotesDirect quotes should be avoided, unless you are presenting another author's specific definition or original label.  You can usually paraphrase the writing effectively and more concisely, taking care to properly attribute the sources of your statements.

Read and re-read the References It is obvious when students do not understand what they are writing about, and their grades suffer as a result.  Read and re-read your references.  Consult a textbook or another reference to help you resolve any aspects of the paper you do not understand before you start writing.Run-on sentences

You should review your writing to make sure that each sentence presents one or two clear ideas.  This will also help you organize sentences within paragraphs in a logical order.

Scientific namesScientific names consisting of genus and species, should be underlined or italicized, with only the genus capitalized:  Homo sapiens or Ilex opaca.

SignificanceIn science, the word "significant" implies the result of a statistical test.  It cannot be used to say, "The number of root nodules on red clover plants increased significantly when nitrogen was added," if you did not perform a statistical test to determine significant differences.  You should analyze your results to determine whether they are statistically significant and report the test you used, the significance level (p=0.05), calculated statistic (tcalc), and degrees of freedom.

Slang Do not use slang.  Try to use precise, scientific terms where possible (without unnecessary jargon) and avoid colloquialisms and figures of speech: "somewhat" rather than "sort of," "many" or "a great deal" instead of "a lot."

Spell-checkYour word processor's spell-check and/or grammar-check function is not error-free.  It cannot tell you when to use "it's" and "its," and it cannot tell you that a particular sentence does not make sense.  Give yourself enough time to proofread and correct your paper.

TensesWhen describing methods and results, you should use the past tense.  The present tense is appropriate for accepted facts, such as the background information presented in the Introduction.  In addition, you may use the present tense when you discuss your results and conclusions.  Looking over other scientific papers may help you answer questions you might have on this topic.

UnitsAll units of measure must be metric or SI (international System).  

Tips for PhD Aspirants.

Do think about whether you really want to do a PhD. Being a PhD student is not the same as being an undergrad, nor like working as a research assistant. A PhD is extremely hard work requiring a lot of discipline and dedication.

Do choose your supervisor well. The quality of your supervisor will have a direct impact on how much you get out of your PhD and how good (or bad) an experience it is. Don’t choose your PhD supervisor because he/she is the leader in his/her field, in fact that’s the most likely way to find a bad supervisor. Talk to the PhD students already working in the lab, find out whether they are

happy and get information about the supervisor’s personality, level of attention (too much/too little?) and how well they plan their projects.

Don’t leave the responsibility for your project to others. Don’t leave it to your supervisor to tell you how to work, what to read or plan your project. This is your learning experience: Get involved and take responsibility as early as possible.

Do get support from other PhD students. When things get tough, the only people who can understand what you are going through are other PhD students (or former ones!). If there are other PhD students around you, arrange to go for regular coffee/lunch breaks with them. If not, try an online forum such as the Postgraduate Forum.

Don’t waste your first year. It is easy to think that you have a long time to complete your PhD, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security… time has a habit of disappearing fast. Start out as you mean to go on. Establish a strict work and study routine, and stick to it.

Don’t spend long hours in the lab for the sake of it. Make sure that when you are in the lab, you are working and not just hanging around. Many people spend 16 hours a day in the lab, but they only actually work for eight hours or less. An 8 hour day, with time away from the lab to relax your body and mind will keep you sharp and focused.

Do summarise your results as you go. From the beginning, get yourself into the discipline of writing a monthly summary of experiments performed, results and conclusions and include all lab book references/data/images. The monthly reports will link up to make a story of your research and make your write-up much easier.

Don’t underestimate how long it will take to write up. However long you think it will take you to write up, double or even trebling it will be closer to the truth. The write-up is the hardest part of your whole PhD.Do take every opportunity to practice and learn. Treat your PhD studies like an intensive training program. Listen to and learn from those around you, take every opportunity to try new techniques, present data, meet other scientists.

Most importantly… have fun…coz “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Coming out with flying colours in CSIR JRF/NET Exam June 2011

Tips

Be positive. Approach the test as you would a jigsaw puzzle-put it all together one piece at a time. A positive attitude goes a long way toward coming out with flying colours.

Have a plan. Use note cards and write the most important facts on the cards. Highlight items that may take more time for you to study and plan plenty of time for studying the harder items that may be on the test.

The night before the Test. If you have a plan, you will not be up all night cramming for the test. On the night before the test do a quick review and go to bed early.

The morning of the Test. Eat breakfast. Get to the exam centre early and be confident. Make sure you understand the instructions on the test and how your test will be scored.

This is very important in CSIR JRF/NET June 2011 test. Managing your time. Scan through the test before you begin to mark your answers.

Answer the easy questions first. By answering the easy questions first, you allow yourself more time to concentrate on the harder questions.

Don't worry or get frustrated by tricky questions. Make sure you understand the question and try to answer it the best you know how. However, if you cannot figure out the answer make a note of that question number and come back to it after you have answered all the other questions. Remember that you are going to lose marks for wrong answers.

The process of elimination can help you pick the right answer in a multiple choice question when you are unsure of the answer. Cross out all the answers that you know are not right answers. Then select the correct answer by studying what was not crossed out by you.

Be neat. Make sure that your writing is legible while you write your name, register number etc. and that you completely erase your mistakes.

Completed! When you have answered the last question, check to see how much time is left to take the test. Use this extra time to review your answers.

Ø      What cell types are present in the endocrine pancreas and what hormones are made in each cell type?Ø      Roughly, how many islets are in an adult human?Ø      Compare the vascularization of the endocrine and exocrine pancreas? What is the endocrine pancreas innervated?Ø      Is insulin a highly conserved protein? How has this been advantageous in the last 50 years?Ø      What year was insulin discovered?Ø      What is preproinsulin and proinsulin. Where are they found? What comes from proinsulin?Ø      What is the primary effector of insulin secretion? What else effects insulin secretion?Ø      Describe the order of events involved in insulin secretion. Include GLUT 2, depolarization, and calcium in your response. What are normal fasting levels of blood glucose? Explain the biphasic response in insulin secretion in response to continued elevated glucose concentrations. What are the physiological effects of insulin?

Understand how this hormone modulate glucose disposal and inhibits HGO. Where is the Insulin receptor found in the body? Be Specific (what cells and what is the subcellular location). What type of enzyme is this protein?Ø      What is IRS-1? What signaling proteins are needed for GLUT 4 translocation?Ø      What is the role of the uniporter glucose transporters? Know the role of GLUT1, GLUT2, and GLUT4.Ø      What tissue takes up the most glucose and how?Ø      What is hyperglycemia and how is it caused?Ø      What effects does insulin have on the liver? How is this achieved? What is hexokinase and how is it modulated by insulin to affect glucose metabolism. Does insulin affect glycogen synthesis or breakdown?Ø      How does body maintain glucose levels in absence of a meal?Ø      How does insulin affect lipid metabolism? How does insulin indirectly stimulate fat synthesis in adipose?

Hi friends i found these questions while browsing ....i think these are usefull questions to us......

BCIL BIITP Training Program 2010-2011 for Young Bio Professionals | Get Industrial Training

Manager, Biotech Consortium India Limited, 5th floor, Anuvrat Bhawan, 210, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, New Delhi-110002:

A demand draft of Rs. 250/- in favour of “Biotech Consortium India Limited” payable at New Delhi towards non-refundable application fee. Please write your application ID, name, date of birth and mobile no. on the reverse side of the demand draft.

Copy of the system generated acknowledgement of the application form submitted online.

Attested photocopies of marksheets and certificates of highest degree/diploma. In case of Advanced post graduate diploma, marksheets/certificates of graduation/post graduation also need to be attached.

Students from DBT supported teaching programmes will have to send a certificate from their course coordinator/department head that their course is supported by Department of Biotechnology.

Students from Indian recognized universities can only apply. The last date for submission of application is 31st March 2011. The application would be accepted online only. The online application form has to be filled within 20 minutes otherwise the page will expire. It is mandatory to fill all fields. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Students under SC/ST/OBC/PH category will have to produce a certificate at the time of appearing for interview, if called. Those who are already employed will not be eligible for training. Students whose applications are found to be complete and eligible in all respects and are shortlisted will only be called for the interview. The list of the students called for interview will be displayed on the website along with venue, date and time. No individual intimation will be sent. Candidates appearing for the interview shall be paid to and for travelling expenses equivalent to 2nd class train fare by the shortest route, on production of tickets IN ORIGINAL. In case an outstation candidate appears for interview from a place other than as indicated in his/her original application, the reimbursement of fare would be limited to the place mentioned in application or place from where the candidate actually arrived, whichever is shorter. Students called for interview will have to bring a copy of their dissertation work, if any. Filling up this form does not guarantee training. The decision of the selection committee shall be final and binding. Training does not ensure permanent placement. Candidates interested in higher studies need not apply. Candidates will be required to join any bioinformatics/biotechnology company in India. Applications for change of location will not be entertained at any stage. Students may send recommendations from companies where they are really interested to join for training. They would also be required to undergo the selection procedure. They can bring the recommendation letter from company while coming for the interview. However, the decision of the selection committee shall be final and binding. Students selected for training will have to make their own arrangements for lodging & boarding. Students placed for training shall be paid stipend of Rs. 8000/- per month during the 6 months training period. The application form will not accept any special characters like: `~!#$%^&*()-_=+[]{};:/% >\ | < / # , " etc. except Full stop (.) Comma (,) and Forward slash (/)."

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thnx 4 info

Mon 03/14/11 by aaru

thnx 4 info

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thanx...........

Mon 03/14/11 by pandesneha

thanx...........

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helpful...

Mon 03/14/11 by rkhyati

helpful...

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gr8 information..really very

Mon 03/14/11 by rkhyati

gr8 information..really very imp. one

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thanks for info

Mon 03/14/11 by sukhda

thanks for info

Login or register to post comments Having a routine in place for a consistent study schedule will make it easier to follow

through with studying and preparing for exam.

One important note is to occasionally take breaks while studying. Looking over and working on the same topic for hours at a time can lead to exhaustion and overload. At the same time, taking too long of a break can be a temptation to become sidetracked and not finish the planned topic.

Don't put off studying and wait to the last minute to review and complete the syllabus. Last minute cramming does little good. It's important to schedule in some studying every day to avoid the last minute cram and to increase learning.

Maintaining a positive attitude and being optimistic takes you a long way.

Take notes that work with your own learning style and help yourself come up with a system to keep your notes organized. Productive studying is impossible in a disorganized environment.

Make flash cards on the important topics that need to be learned, put the information in creativity to remember the important points.

Make sure you are free from as many distractions as possible. Make it a positive and comfortable place.

Doing one activity (monotonous) for an extended period of time will be boring! Switch up your studying by reading some, hand-on activities, discussions, etc.

Every week, review the material you covered and evaluate how well you did at retaining the information. If you are found lacking in a particular area, go back and study that area again.

After studying, if you have questions about a particular topic ask any expert or professor for clarification.

Put the material you have learned into your own words and meanings. You want to make the information meaningful and understandable for you.

If you have run across information you are unsure of, resort to textbooks or other completely reliable resources to help clear up the confusion. Study groups are great resources for this purpose, as well as to be able to bounce ideas and theories off to another group of people.

Very few do it, but you should! After a job-well done, give yourself a reward. You deserve it!

These preparation techniques will make a huge difference in the forthcoming CSIR

Solving Buffer Problems

Buffer problems can be quite challenging for many students.  It is the purpose of this handout to

help guide you through simple buffer problems you might encounter in this course.  The best

way to solve these problems, and many other problems for that matter, is to follow a step-by-step

pattern. I will show you the pattern needed for buffer problems in this document.

When making a buffer, one must consider two major concepts: First, what chemical species are

going to actually release or absorb added hydrogen ions; and second, at what concentrations do

these species need to be in order to be an effective buffer.  Buffers are not generally effective

more than 2 pH units away from the pKa of the weak acid/base pair of the buffer, and normally

buffers are made using ingredients whose pKa’s are as close as possible to the desired pH of the

buffer.  Additionally, the more concentrated the buffer, the better able it is to resist a change in

pH.  However, considerations of ionic strength often preclude the use of concentrated buffering

systems.  A compromise involving pH, pK, and concentration is often necessary.

Consider the following question:

Starting with 1.0M acetic acid and 0.50M NaOH, how would you prepare 100.mL of 0.10M

acetate buffer, pH = 4.50? pKa of acetic acid is 4.74

(Abbreviations: acetic acid = HAc, Acetate = Ac–)

The first step to solving any buffer problem is to recognize what is the weak acid/base pair that

will exist in the buffer solution.  To do this, write out the equilibrium equation for the buffering

species.

HAc    +  H2O                H3O+ +    Ac–

acid (H+ – attached)                         base (H+ – not attached)

Then identify the weak acid (HA) and base (A) in the reaction.

HA = HAc      A = Ac–

Write down the pK associated with this pair. You will be given this information as an actual pK

or as a Ka.  If you are given the Ka you must take the –log(Ka) to get the pKa.

pKa for acetic acid / acetate is 4.74

Write out the Henderson-Hasselbach equation using the information given.

pH = pKa + log(A/HA)

4.50 = 4.74 + log(acetate/acetic acid)

Calculate the ratio of A to HA that will exist in your buffer (Solve for A/HA).

A/HA = 10(4.50-4.74) = 10–.24 = 0.575 = 0.58

Next, calculate the total number of millimoles of buffer needed (total acetic acid + acetate or HA

+ A) by multiplying the volume of the buffer in mL times the molar concentration of the buffer.

100.mL x 0.10 mmols/mL = 10. mmols total buffer.

Determine how to divide the total millimoles into the A and HA forms such that the final ratio

will be equal to that calculated (0.58 for this problem). To easily do this, divide the total number

of millimoles by 1 + the ratio calculated.

10.millimols / 1.58 = 6.3 mmols

This will be the number of millimoles of HA needed to get the buffer to the proper pH assuming

the remainder is in the A form.

HA = 6.3 millimoles = millimoles of acetic acid in 100 mL of buffer

A = 10. millimoles –  6.3 millimoles = 3.7 millimoles of acetate in the 100mL

Check your calculations:

pH = Pka + log(A/HA) = 4.74 + log(3.7 mmols / 6.3 mmols) = 4.51

The small (0.1) error is roundoff error and is acceptable in terms of two significant figures in this

calculation.

We must now determine how you will get 6.3 mmols of acetic acid and 3.7 mmols of acetate. 

Begin by looking at the starting materials given in the problem. In this problem you are starting

with 1.0M acetic acid and 0.50M NaOH. Since you are not given a direct source of the base

acetate, you will have to use NaOH to convert some acetic acid into sodium acetate. Remember,

one mmol of a strong base like NaOH or KOH will convert an equivalent amount of a weak acid

into its conjugate base.  In this case, every mmol of NaOH added will convert an equal number

of mmols of HAc into Ac–.

Start by adding 10.mL of 1.0M HAc (10.mmols) to a flask.  This will provide all the acetic

acid/acetate necessary to give the correct concentration in 100mL of buffer. We then must

convert 3.7 mmols of the HAc into Ac–.  To do this we must add 7.4mL of 0.50M NaOH (7.4mL

x 0.50mmols/mL = 3.7mmols) to the flask.

The flask will now contain a solution whose pH is equal to 4.5. However, the concentration will

not be 0.10M. We must add water to the flask to give a final volume of 100.mL.   Mix and our

buffer is complete!

The question above is about simple as a buffer problem can be.  However, even more complex

problems require one to answer the same basic questions.  Problems usually vary in the

following ways:

You are given a base such as an amine and a pKb instead of a pKa. Often the base is in a

protonated form, such as ammonium ion or methyl ammonium chloride.  The easiest solution is

to write out an acid dissociation reaction and convert the pKb to a pKa by subtracting the pKb

from 14. These problems are usually difficult for the student.

You are given a polyprotic acid such as phosphoric acid.  Assumming you start with phosphoric

acid the typical phosphate problem will require you to convert all of the phosphoric acid to

dihydrogen phosphate (H2PO4–1)and then some of the dihydrogen phosphate into

monohydrogen phosphate (HPO4–2) ( most phosphate buffers are around pH=7). Problems

using polyprotic acids can also start with intermediates such as H2PO4–1and HPO4–2 . It is

important you write out the equilibrium and determine where you are (starting materials) and

where you need to be (A and HA).

You are given a substance like an amino acid that has both acidic and basic functional groups.

Again, writing the equilibrium is crucial to understanding where you are at any given time while

solving the problem. In such compounds, pKa’s are normally given and not pKb’s, even when

the functional group is a base, like an amine.  Remember, the term HA in the H-H equation

refers to the protonated form of the group and A refers to the group as it exists without a proton

attached.  For a carboxylic acid group, HA = R-COOH and A = R-COO–. For an amino group,

HA = R-NH3+ and A = R-NH2 .