The University of Southampton

Month: February 2023

Introduction

Posted on by

Hi, I am Alex I study Biomedical Science and this is my first blog post.

I picked this module because I am really interested in medical engineering and to get an understanding of how body parts are replaced and produced. I am interested in particular in bionics where artificial limbs and organs are able to replace existing organs and limbs. I find it very fascinating that modern bionics and artificial limbs are becoming more and more advanced to match organic body parts and even in some instances becoming superior to organic body parts. For example an article I have read in the past discussing whether a person might actually favour an artificial limb over their current legs to gain an advantage for rock climbing as a artificial legs has shown to give an advantage in grip and reach that they never had before. I want to learn more about what are the regulations and current state of development of engineering and designing

Here below is a video showcasing how biophysicist Hugh Herr developed his replacement legs.

Breakdown of a Biochemistry degree

Posted on by

Why I chose my degree.

The Oxford dictionary defines Biochemistry as the scientific study of the chemistry of living things, this provides a simplistic and almost bland view of Biochemistry. But, this degree is far from it.

When choosing Universities to study Biochemistry I did a lot of research. A lot. I first read around my subject, reading ‘Power, Sex and Suicide’ by Nick Lane, a whole book on mitochondria, which was just meant to be the powerhouse of the cell right?

Just as Biochemistry is given a simplistic definition, so is many things with in it. Weirdly this is what originally attracted me to Biochemistry. Every year as you progress through school your biochemical defintions were upgraded. Mitochondria went from the powerhouse of the cell to a membrane-bound organelle responsible for generating large amounts of energy in the form of Adenosine Triose Phosphate.

And at University this upgrade is endless. I chose the University of Southampton specifically as it was the only course with a wide range and variety of Neuroscience optional modules to take alongside Biochemistry.

So why did I not take Neuroscience?

Neuroscience to me seemed far to niche, my want to focus on the chemical reactions in the brain relied on a deeper understanding of the processes that are underdone on a molecular level in places other than the brain – I also sucked at anatomy recall.

University of Southampton provided modules such as:

  • Neurodegenerative diseases
  • Neuropharmacology of CNS disorders
  • Neural basis of behaviour
  • Neuroscience

This initially was why I chose Southampton, with the idea of being a NeuroBiochemist. However, here I am in an engineering replacement body parts module exploring all possible options within Biochemistry.

So, overall Biochemistry has provided a broad scope of science with the ability to narrow and select areas of particular interest.

Waterpolo

Posted on by

Olympic water polo is the most nightmarish sport in the world!!!

insider
I wasn’t shocked to see that water polo was voted as one of the toughest sports but disappointed to read all the negative stories that came with that title. So I wanted to highlight a few of the many benefits that come with the sport.

5 benefits of playing water polo:

Toning
Water polo players are constantly on the move, using an eggbeater kick to stay high in the water. A good eggbeater is vital to water polo and uses every muscle in your legs

Stamina
You can’t switch off for a second in water polo. It’s a high-paced game where essentially you are interval training.

Easy on the joints
Water polo is an intense, physical game, but the fact that it’s played in water means it’s easier on joints than sport played on hard ground.

Social
Playing team sports is a fantastic way for people to develop their social skills. Teamwork and good communication are vital for success in water polo.

Problem solving
Another benefit of playing a water polo is that it’s great at developing problem solving. You’ll learn strategies to break down a defence and how to play with an extra player. Water polo involves having to think on your feet and find the best scenario straight away.

I found this video which gives a great overview on the sport.

Hopefully this post will entice a few more people to give the sport a go!

Stem cells and Neurodegeneration(Practice)

Posted on by

Should We Cross the Great Moral Divide? Maybe”

-Someone

Regenerative stem cell theory!!!

The brain is complex environment made of bundle of connections signalling and communicating with one another; when one of said connections is interrupted problems occur that can affect the entire body.

Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system, and pluripotent stem cells have been found to minimise it symptoms by replacing the dopamineregic neurons affected.

Confliction at Uni

Posted on by

Are you going club tonight?

Everyone at university

Battling between what to do during the week is a immense confliction for me.

  • Tennis
  • Basketball
  • Education
  • Clubbing
  • Going pub
  • Eating out
  • Making dinner

All these aspects provide me with constant stress and anxiety. Things like making food requires tremendous effort but unfortunately it has to be done. Same applies to other chores such as going shopping which feels like an entire day trip out. By the time im back from the shops I feel accomplished for the day and despite it being 11am, i feel like I can watch Netflix for the remainder of the day and fell guilt free doing so. The only issue with this, is now Im now 20 lectures behind and i would catch up tomorrow… but its society night today so ill be paralytic tomorrow from a few too many of them horrible jesticles. Don’t worry though, ill recover just in time for trilogy Thursdays.

If your find out why everyone goes jesters on a wednesday night because im still trying to understand. When i went last time i had grown a whole ecosystem of mould on my new shoes. That taught me a lesson that university could never. I completely agree with this articles position on jesters…

The UK’s 10 Worst Nightclubs | Student Blog UK | AFS (accommodationforstudents.com)

Im not sure this photo is from jesters but… i wouldnt be surprised. In fact it looks slighly to well maintained to be jesters.

These are the type of videos i encourage everyone in my situation to watch. Its a new semester and well im currently here at my 9am tutorial so im doing better than last semester already.

Welcome to UoSM Engineering Replacement Body Parts

Posted on by

HI EVERYONE!

My name is Sofia and I am a second-year student of Biomedical Sciences.

I have decided to enrol in this module because I am particularly interested in prosthesis but also other relevant applications of new technologies in medical settings.

I hope I will make new friends who will enjoy the module as much as me. If you need any help, do not hesitate to keep in touch!

Sofia

Girl sees herself with a “normal-looking” ear for the first time

I have recently watched this video about a prosthetic ear that was implanted on a girl with a disease called “Microtia”, which basically completely deforms the shape and hearing abilities of the patient. Her first reaction while seeing herself for the first time with a new “normal-looking” ear is thrilling. This video reminds me the huge power that engineering has to completely revolutionise people’s lives.

Written by

BUCS- what’s the fuss about?

Posted on by

BUCS: British universities and college sport

If you’re involved in BUCS you’ll know it takes over your every Wednesday. Train twice week. Lose. Drown your sorrows at the social. Repeat.

What makes it worth it? The people you meet and the friends you make along the way.

BUCS history

Founded in 1918, with the first athletics meet taking place only a year later. In 1922, new sports were introduced such as, football, hockey and swimming. Until 2008, BUCS was not unified under one governing body. It consisted of the UCS (University and college sport) and the BUSA (British University sport association) which became BUCS on the 31st of October 2008.

My sport- Netball

Building Skills for Beyond Education

Posted on by

As a third-year natural sciences student here at Southampton, I am assessed in a variety of ways, including essays, scientific reports and presentations. However, being assessed in this way is new to me, and it is one of the things that is exciting me about this module. Another key part of my degree is the focus on interdisciplinary learning across a wide range of modules, which this module will allow me to develop. The content covered in this module is all new to me and looks incredibly interesting, especially the content on prostheses and stem cell ethics. As well as just being interesting, I believe that discussions about the ethics of stem cells in research are crucial in preparing the next generation for leaps and bounds in scientific discovery.

Within the Natural Sciences degree programme you get a large amount of choice, and I mainly focus on organic chemistry and some aspects of biology, including immunotherapy. I also have compulsory NATS modules which I always enjoy, which are accessible to all of us despite all being from different scientific backgrounds. One that particularly resonated with me was about climate chemistry, and was assessed by individual presentations about a chosen topic. The topic I chose was about the impact of shipping on the air quality in port cities, and this is now the basis for my third year project which I am currently working on. The NATS modules are assessed in a way that builds skills outside of written essays and timed examinations, which I believe is really important in preparing us for a life outside of education. This Engineering Replacement Body Parts will build on these skills, including giving presentations, working within a team and expanding knowledge beyond the lecture content.

The stem cell debate is ongoing
An introduction to stem cells and their uses

Introduction

Posted on by

Coming from a physics background, this module was something completely new and different for me. Where I’m used to everything from blackholes to quantum wave functions, this module is a way to step outside my comfort zone and explore how physics and engineering can be applied to help people. One way that physics and biomed appear to overlap (from my limited research) is in the world of nanomedicine. Defined as ‘a branch of medicine that applies the knowledge and tools of nanotechnology to the prevention and treatment of disease.’ nanomedicine seems like it may be future of targeted drug delivery. Utilizing things within the nano dimensions such as sensors and robots it can be used for delivery and sensing purposes of live cells, nanomedicine may in future provide a cleaner, safer and more accurate future for internal medicine.

Introduction

Posted on by

The concepts and assessment methods in this module are very different from my degree course which is Physics. Last semester I studied nano-physics this really interested me. I thought it would be interesting to get the chance to explore other disciplines than pure physics as many of the limitations of nano and micro physics are only apparent when looking through the lens of another subject, like many imaging techniques being destructive due to high energies required or needing thin or conducting substrates or very low temperatures due to thermal noise.