My IDS Adventure!

By: Ben Gardner

What I thought of the summer placement.

My time at ImmunoDiagnosticSystems (IDS) was extremely valuable and interesting, it was great to see what we learn about at uni being used in real-life.

I learnt many skills in the lab including immunoassays, antibody purification, and accurate working. I have also developed my ability to document labwork, process data, and think critically. It was interesting to see the many different departments IDS has and how they interact. IDS is an excellent company for aspiring bio-scientists with special thanks to Michael Gardner, the rest of the Process Development department, and the Quality Control department. They all really helped me on my placement, and I had a great experience chatting with them in the labs and the office. I would highly recommend other students to take up a placement at IDS and I can guarantee they will have a wonderful time!

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Spending my summer break in labs in Thailand

By: Cornelia V. Genika BSc Biomedical Sciences

Hi! I am Cita, from Indonesia, and a stage 2 student of Biomedical Sciences, and here I would like to share my experience joining a 10-day science training program in Thailand during the summer break!

Over the summer I joined a science training program ran by Mahidol University in Thailand. I was introduced to this program by my friend, and I decided to join it as I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to develop the lab skills that I have gained throughout the first year and gain new scientific knowledge, meet new people, and build connections, as well as improve my CV.

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My Personal Development; Doing a Placement in Drug Development

By: Caitlin Allison

LabCorp Drug Development 

Pharmaceuticals are all around us; we probably all have taken a drug, received a vaccine, or known someone who has. These small molecules can not only improve the quality of life but also save lives. All these drugs require drug developmental processes. 

LabCorp Drug Development, formerly Covance, is a Contract Research Organization (CRO). It delivers a range of experimental packages for nonclinical, preclinical, and clinical services to many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.  

I was located at Harrogate North Yorkshire, a site which specialises in preclinical pharmaceutical development. At this site, I was a Dose Analyst- an employee who investigated formulations for preclinical studies. I analysed formulations via High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).  

Whilst on placement I lived in Harrogate, it’s very pretty. I managed to explore surrounding areas such as Knaresborough and Brimham rocks. My dogs would often visit, they loved it <3. Photos taken by myself
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5 things I wish I knew in first year

By: Maria Kartali (BSc Biomedical Sciences)

Starting uni can be quite daunting, everything is new, and you don’t know what to expect. Although it is a fun adventure, there are times you might feel alone and quite lost. Having been through that I decided to compile a list of a few things I wish I knew in my first year.  

I thought I would start with the usual ‘Everyone is on the same boat as you’ and ‘Everyone is looking to make friends.’ 

But while that is true and everyone truly is looking to make friends, I am sure it is something you have all heard about 500 times.  

So instead the first piece of advice I will give you is:  

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Pengalaman Latihan Industri Harith: Daripada Sains Bioperubatan kepada Sains Nutraseutikal

Ditulis oleh Harith Syahmie Zulfikree 

Hi semua! Saya Harith, pelajar tahun satu jurusan Ijazah Sarjana Muda Sains Bioperubatan (Kepujian) dari Malaysia! Dalam blog ini, saya akan berkongsi pengalaman menjalani latihan industri selama 2 bulan semasa cuti musim panas di Institut Pembangunan Bioproduk (IBD), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor, Malaysia.   

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Harith’s Internship Experience: From Biomedical Science to Nutraceutical Science

By: Harith Syahmie Zulfikree 

Hi everyone! I’m Harith and I’m a first-year BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences student from Malaysia! In this blog post, I will share my 2-month internship experience during my summer break at the Institute of Bioproduct Development (IBD), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor, Malaysia.   

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Regulatory Affairs, not my regular choice but glad I accepted the challenge!

By: Josie Copus BSc Biochemistry with Professional Placement Year

What’s the worst that could happen?

A placement in regulatory affairs? What even is ‘reg’ affairs?!

If, during stage 2 of Uni, someone told me that I was going to spend a full year working on regulatory submissions for one of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies, I’d have laughed. More than that- I’d have panicked! Why? Because other than it being critical in delivering drugs to patients, I didn’t have the slightest comprehension or appreciation of what regulatory affairs involved.

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From Tehran to Newcastle

By: Shayan Safaei

I would like to start this by emphasising that I was not paid by Newcastle University to shower them with compliments here. This is me genuinely sharing my experience of studying the BSc Biomedical Genetics (Hons) at Newcastle as an international student.

I chose Newcastle as it was the best affordable university/city to study medical genetics with the centre for life and northern genetics hub located there, and I had been fascinated by some of their published research. On my first visit to the city, I found Newcastle very green, friendly, and peaceful. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice ‘Geordies’ were, and I am proud to call myself an ‘honorary Geordie’ now as a graduate.

A view of Kings Gate, photo by me. ~2016
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What a “Wonderful World of Microbiology” Event

By: Caroline Elaine

The School of Biomedical, Nutritional, and Sport Sciences hosted a recent microbiology event, advertised with posters around the School, email to all students and on social media platforms such as the School’s Instagram and Facebook. As a result, many students became aware of this event, including my friends and me.  

The poster that was everywhere in the school and sent to us by email
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Best Kept Student Study Spots

As a prospective or 1st year student, or even a 2nd year who’s had the joy of online teaching for the majority of your university experience, then this post is for you! With the help of some friends and fellow blog interns, I’ve come up with a few of the best study spots in Newcastle. Whilst you may have heard of some of these, there are some hidden gems that I’ve discovered that I’m kindly sharing with the rest of the student cohort…so please don’t swarm my favourite study spots all at once!

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