Which field of biology should I choose?

[TimParadox]

Hello there, this is my first post in these forums, and probably in the wrong place already. But anyway, I wanted to ask a question: I'm planning on attenting university soon to pursue my dream. I would love to eventually contribute to anti-aging research. But the thing is, I'm not sure which field of biology that is! I was thinking biotechnology, but I could be mistaken of course. I'm not too confident about my skills in math and physics, but I could prepare myself before going to uni, of course.

What do you think?

[Mr Skeptic]

Biotechnology would be one, and medicine would be another (though medicine is more its own field). For biotechnology you would need a bunch of physics and an awful lot of chemistry, compared to other fields of biology.

 

There are several aspects to aging. There are telomers, which are bits of DNA related to cell aging. Proteins can get damaged as well. Toxins and heavy metals can build up. An injury that cannot be healed would also be a form of aging. Then there is developmental biology. Really, lots of things you could study that would in some way be related to aging.

[StringJunky]

This might give you some pointers:

 

http://www.senescence.info/career.html

[CharonY]

The topic is very broad and is being tackled by various disciplines. Heck, even (bio)physicists are doing something in that area. Major areas involved include the broader area of molecular biology with all its adjacent fields. Other areas are of course cell biology, developmental biology and so on. Biotechnology is generally less if at all involved, although techniques are overlapping in those fields. At your stage you probably want to first get a good foundation of cellular and molecular processes as well as techniques involved. Also you should inform yourself on which level (e.g. molecular, cellular, organism) you want to investigate it. And finally at some point (usually before entering a PhD program) you should revisit your dream in terms on what you want to do career-wise in your future.

[TimParadox]

You know, I could send an email to a professor of the uni I want to attend, to see what they have to say about it. It would seem that there is some contradicting info on the matter, and I want to be sure in what to invest those precious 4 years.

Edited January 17, 2010 by TimParadox

[Genecks]

I don't think any biological curriculum for an undergraduate adequately covers enough courses to really help one with his/her field of interest. In general, I'd say a synthesis of physics, biology, and chemistry will help one go far. However, the biochemistry route is dull (hit-your-head-on-the-desk dull). That's why I didn't take it. I'm the kind of person who rather study things in his own time. And the general curriculum for an undergraduate biology major tends to focus on only so many biology courses, and then you'll get more specialized in graduate school.

 

In general, you'll have to wait until grad school.

 

Also, I would like to mention that I don't care for elective courses. I never have. I am a strong advocate of technical training. About the last thing I did with my art history class knowledge was loiter in another art history class offered by the university. I was there with my laptop open, reading about cellular biology. And I think I annoyed the professor a great amount this way. However, I made a nice comment about Donatello's "David" and how even a boy can act like a man, and she left me alone. lol. Cutest art professor I've ever seen, though.

 

I did something similar in this "Community Psychology" class I was in, as I loitered in it, too, reading about cellular biology. I made nice comments about determinism and community and the individual.

 

Pfft. Electives are junk and a way for universities to steal money.

If I could have gotten a bachelors for a similar price and take a lot more focused science courses overseas somewhere (and knew where and how), I would have done it. If you can find one, I suggest you do that. I don't care if a person took an art history course and loves Dadaism and YTMND. I don't care. It's not relevant. I feel the electives have made me a better sophist.

Edited January 18, 2010 by Genecks