Biotech Farewell

The graduating batch of Biotech was treated to an unforgettable farewell on the 18th of May 2008. Decking the auditorium with motifs and color, the junior Biotech batches also charted out a day of fun and a chance to reminisce the good ol' days. The show opened to a packed audience at 10:30 am. Once the lights were off, excitement and cheer rang in the halls. Skits, dance and games kept the seniors on their toes while at the same time taking them down memory lane. Emotions ran high during the memento giving and cake ceremony. The event ended with well wishes to the outgoing batch followed by lunch.

'Now we know why girls take so long dressing up!' - A lesson in wearing a sari for the boys
Photo: Afshan Ahmed

Extending a Life Line: Blood Donation Camp

Registering for Blood Donation ~ Photo: Afshan Ahmed

We live in a world where blood flows like water and thus the need of the hour is to stack up on all possible reserves for any emergency. Realizing this need, the students of the Biotech Department in association with Al Wasl Hospital – Dubai have been setting up their Blood Donation Camp in Manipal University- Dubai. The Camp was held on the 13th and 14th of May 2008 in the college auditorium between 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. This year students from neighboring DIAC colleges were also welcome to donate to the camp.

Students came in large numbers bearing the novel cause that a bottle of their blood could save someone’s life in the future. Around 15 students collectively from S.P. Jain, Herriot Watt and National Institute for Vocational Education enrolled themselves for this good cause. The Blood Donation Camp registered 200 students managing to collect around 133 bottles, 450 ml each, of blood while refusing those who were not fit to donate because of reasons such as being underweight, low BP and hemoglobin.

Ensuring energy levels are intact ~ Photo: Afshan Ahmed

Al Wasl Hospital and the students organizing the event ensured that the donators were comfortable, handing out sandwiches and juice to avoid a dip in their energy levels. All blood lost... the students left satisfied that at least their blood will help save a life.

Open House Presentation on Biotechnology

Grade 12 Science students aspiring to become biotechnologists are cordially invited along with their parents to an Open House Presenation on Biotechnology, to learn more about the programme offered by Manipal University, Dubai Campus.

Venue: Manipal University

Date: Friday, 16 May, 2008

Time: 5pm - 7pm

The session includes Audio-visual Presentation, Question & Answer Session and a Biotech Laboratory Tour.

Entry is free - by prior registration only.

For pre-registration, please contact:

Tel: 04 4291214

Mobile: 050 2821264/ 3482778

Email: admissions@mahedubai.com

Website: www.mahedubai.com

Biotech Blood Donation Camp

The Biotech Department has organised a blood donation camp on the 13th and 14th of May 2008. A regular endeavour, doctors from Al Wasl Hospital - Dubai will conduct this camp in the auditorium. Students who want to participate need to bear in mind that their weight must be above 50 kg and they need to eat well prior to the donation. Students must also carry their blood donation card along with them. The camp that was confined to MAHE initially is now open to all in Academic City.

An adequate supply of blood at hospitals ensure that the demand is met as and when patients need it. Many a times a life is lost due to lack of reserves. Thus, to ensure an adequate blood supply to meet patients needs, it is important that all healthy, eligible people donate blood.

Date: 13th and 14th May 2008
Venue: Auditorium
Time: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

REMEMBER:

• Eat Well
• Weight must be above 50 kg

Students visit Arab Health’s Pharmaceutical And Biotech Finance Forum

The first and second year students of the Department of Biotechnology visited the 'Arab Health’s Pharmaceutical And Biotech Finance Forum.' The event is the first of its kind to be held here in the Middle East and is being held at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.

The event seeks to serve as a platform to discuss the future of the biotech industry in the region and an opportunity to explore the business and finance opportunities that now exist.

The forum gave students an opportunity to interact and see up close options available in the ever growing field of biotechnology.

Time to bid adieu!

With the seniors of most departments savouring the last few months of college, the juniors are preparing in full swing to bid adieu to them. The IT department, to this effect, has announced that they would be holding their farewell on May 1st, the Media department farewell on May 4th and the Biotech department on a tentative date of May 15th . More departments are scheduled to be holding their farewell's soon and bid a fond farewell to the 3rd years, who move onto bigger things. We wish all the 3rd years all the very best in their future endeavors. Watch this space for further updates on the farewell's.

Biotech Dept.to go to Ski Dubai

The Biotechnology Department is getting all geared for their trip to Ski Dubai at Mall of the Emirates, this Thursday. Most students have already confirmed their places and are looking forward to spending some time in the winter wonderland. Skiing, throwing snowballs, making snowmen, and creating snow angels are just some of the things they can look forward to. Here's wishing that they have a good time and make sure you capture all those fun moments on your camera.

BioTrends -2008 is all set for tomorrow

The Biotechnology department of the Manipal University, Dubai looks all set to hold the fourth time annual all - day seminar titled 'BioTrends - 2008' tomorrow at the Auditorium.

As the name suggests, the seminar is being conducted to give students, faculty and those generally interested in the dynamic field of biotechnology an insight to current developments within the field.

Five speakers are scheduled to deliver 40-minute presentations on a wide variety of topics and are as follows:

At 9.30 am, Dr Ashfaq Konchwalla an Orthopedic Surgeon from the Medcare Hospital will speak on 'Chondrocyte Transplantation'.

At 10.10 am, Dr Hoda Hassan Gohar, the Medical Director of Cry-Save Arabia speaks on 'Establishing a Private Umbilical Cord Blood Facility in Dubai'.

At 10.50 am, Dr Mohammad Naveed, Director of UAE Genetic Diseases Association & Consultant Geneticist, Dubai, delivers a presentation on the 'Prevention and Control of Genetic Disorders in UAE'.

At 11.45 am, Dr Mohammad A.M. Aly, Chairman of Department of Arid land Agriculture, College of Food & Agriculture, UAE University speaks on the 'Current Biotechnology Research at UAE University in the field of Plant & Animal Fields'.

At 12.15 pm, Dr Debayan Ghosh, President of Epygen Biotechnology Group, delivers the last speech on 'Enzyme Proteins modified to meet the challenges in Industrial Biotechnology'.

All students are welcome to attend the seminar. Do watch out this space for the pictures and report of the event.

Health Week hits MAHE

" When a person thinks of health, green is the colour that easily comes to the mind and so we chose this to be our symbol" - Shaahima Fahim - 3rd year student of Biotechnology.

Day 1

Early morning, as students of MAHE-Manipal walked in to the campus they were welcomed with green ribbons to wear to lend their support for the Health Awareness Week being celebrated by the Department of Biotechnology. The first of the four day programme saw special emphasis on the campaign, "Smoking - Don't give up... giving up". The campaign focused on targeting the smokers (students as well as faculty) and informing them of the various negative side effects and implications that can arise due to smoking.

"87% of lung cancer patients are smokers."

This was a fact that was mentioned in the leaflets that were being handed out to students throughout the day. The leaflets were mainly meant for smokers, urging them to undergo a smoker's test to screen an individual for the possibility of having lung cancer. People interested in undergoing the Smoker's Test can contact the company - Eastern Biotech & Life Sciences by checking their website: http://www.easternbiotech.com/ or by calling them on 04-3692061.

Volunteers handing out fruits on Day 1

In order to promote a healthier diet, students were given apples and oranges which were sponsored by Safeer & Co.

Day 2

The enthusiasm for being healthy could still be felt in the air, with the 2nd day focussing on the down side of alchohol and enerygy drinks. According to studies done, an increased intake of energy drinks can affect the liver due to the presence of Taurine. Volunteers from the department handed out flavoured youghurt and milk, to try and promote these products as substitute energy deriving drinks.

Day 3

This day focused on Junk Food which has been highlighted as the main cause of obesity by many dietitians. To combat the persuausive power of junk food, volunteers handed out nutrition bars which were highly popular. 'Super Size Me', a highly effective documentary on the consequences of eating junk food was shown at the auditorium.

"The main difference between energy bars and energy drinks is that energy bars do not contain Taurine which is a major constituent bile and that's what makes energy drinks so unhealthy," says Ruchika, a Biotech volunteer.

Day 4

Veneral diseases was the subject chosen for the 4th day. While most youth might shy away from sucha topic, the department decided to tackle the problem head-on. The charts that were put up on the 1st floor were more than just informative and actually shed light on a topic that is often considered taboo in many families.

The department also organised for HIV and Hepatitis B testing so that students could know whether they had already contracted the sexually transmitted diseases (STD's).

Overall the campaign was successful, to an extent in informing the youth of MAHE, but more of an effort could have been done to make the campaign more interactive. However a noteworthy mention goes out to the creators of all the educational and informative charts that were put up on the 1st floor. A more intense campaign might actually have been more effective in driving the point home.

In the Name of Health

MAHE-Manipal’s Biotechnology Department is getting ready to celebrate its first Health Awareness campaign starting next week from March 16th –March 19th. The event, being organized by the 3rd year students, hopes to impact the youth through awareness about the various health risks and issues that they face everyday.

The event is being carried over four days, with each day having its own theme. Each day’s theme is as follows:

March 16th – Smoking - Don’t give up…giving up
March 17th - Alcohol & Energy Drinks – The Down Side
March 18th- Junk Food or Finger licking Poison
March 19th – Venereal Diseases – Ignorance is Not Bliss

Watch this space for more updates on this campaign.

Flex your writing skills and let your creative juices flow!

For Xerion's second issue and beyond, Team Xerion is looking for:

· Original poems, sketches (scanned), interesting facts and figures
· Articles related to science (biology, in your own words)
· Your own reviews (music, cars, movies and technology)

There's no word limit, topic restrictions or specific themes. Send in your material to our email address for a chance to see your name in print!

You can also directly contact Azam Ghauri, Judy Sebastian or Lata Adnani. You can also email your contributions directly to teamxerion@gmail.com.
Xerion is an independent student initiative with support from the Biotechnology faculty. Contributions are accepted from all departments of MAHE Manipal, Dubai Campus without any preference bias.