Blog 2. A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new - Albert Einstein

At first, I was thinking of dropping Bioprocessing. However, having attended the second week lecture/workshop, I was convinced that this module will be beneficial for the path I want to take in the future which is the Bio-pharmaceutical industry. The whole module in general seemed very challenging yet enthralling.  Looking back from my definition of Bioprocessing last week, it is now more explicit. It helps me put everything I have learned the past years together in application to the real world. However, I still feel the informations I have are not enough and thus I did further research by reading more recent articles. The assigned task from last week to read an article tackling the past, present and future issues about a certain topic influenced me a lot. This served as an eye-opener to me about what is really going on in the real world. 

Having a group discussion about the different aspects of Bioprocessing, examples of bioprocessed products, and the things to consider when starting a small scale, helped me to think about the module in depth which enraptured me. Also, I learnt about what my group know about the module and compared what I know. Unfortunately, I realized that I need to learn more. Therefore, I searched more bioprocessed things and their applications. After reading some stuffs about it, I see Bioprocessing unputdownable that the more you know about it, the more it gets interesting.

                                                                                                 

 

On the other hand, the "speed dating" we did in the workshop didn't turn out well for me. My article was about The Recent progress in Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) which focuses on the advances made for its development and includes native strategy (development of genetic systems for several cellulolytic anaerobic bacteria) and recombinant strategy (high yield conversion of model cellulosic substrates in yeast). It was hard to narrow the article down but as I talk more, it triggered me to point out the main points. This is because I did not really highlight the main points of my chosen article before the class as asked. Nevertheless, it helped me improve my communication and presentation skills. After hearing what others read, the one that really caught my attention was the article about looking at the challenges to produce a better product at a lower cost. This will be beneficial for our project as people nowadays wants a product that is cheap to buy but gives a better effect.

In conclusion, Albert Einstein said, "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new". This served as an inspiration to me that it's okay to have mistakes as it will help us overcome different things and bring out the best we can offer.

Blog 1. Bioprocessing Introduction

I honestly don't know what to feel having Bioprocessing as the welcome module for our final year. Maybe because I enjoyed my six months work placement where I now find sitting in a lecture a bit different. Also, this module is optional and I am still not decided whether to take it or not. There are a lot of questions in my head and I am hoping to get answers soon. Picking two modules out of three is not easy as I find all of them beneficial but a choice has to be done. Being a final year student, I know it's not going to be easy and it is actually terrifying yet exciting. "Hard work pays off", so I am just going to do my best and enjoy it.

The first task was to define Bioprocessing. Having it the very first time, I define it as "Producing or manufacturing chemicals and drugs through a biological procedure". Also, hopes, fears and expectations was asked. I hope to understand the deeper meaning of Bioprocessing and its relevance to the industry. On the other hand, failing the module is my greatest fear. However, I expect that by the end of the module, I will be confident enough to go to an industry related to Bioprocessing and be confident on what I have learned all throughout by doing all the necessary work. There was also games played which I was confused at the start but Barry said it will help us improve time management and communication skills. I agree that these two key areas will be improved all throughout the module as it is a continuous assessment which involves group works.

In the second class, the breakdown of the continuous assessment was laid out and I feel confident about it. I see it as fair marking as it is divided into individual where I can reflect my own understanding about the module; and groups where I can share ideas with others hence improving my ability to work in a team. Thinking about where I stand over the module at the moment helps me to be more eager to learn the module deeper as it feels like I do not know anything. Equally, having discussed assessment breakdown will help guide for the effort that should put in equivalent to the percentage of it. Finally, writing this blog the first time as part of the assessment feels good as I actually think back and see the benefits of the module. However, since this is the first time, I am still not confident.