I hope you’re doing well.
It has been a long, long while since I last wrote (August 22nd, 2018). It’s almost exactly two months later, and I have a few updates about the program.
Since the last post, the next semester has started. The second semester is completely business-focused; There is not a single laboratory course! In the last two months, I have been enrolled in a few courses:
- Biotechnology in Medicine, taught by Dr. Jayson Parker
- Effective Management Practices taught by Dr. Ann Armstrong
- Fundamentals of Managerial Concepts, taught by Dr. Kevin Yousie
- Biopartnering, taught by Dr. Jayson Parker
- Biotechnology in Agriculture, taught by Dr. Duncan Jones
An Overview
Biotechnology in Medicine (#1) was great. You learn everything about the industry in a fast-paced and engaging series of lectures. Dr. Jayson Parker is a great speaker and knows how to captivate an audience. The course had guest lecturers from the industry give talks about their area of expertise. We were even given the opportunity to have lunch with them after class! Overall, a lot was learned. We had a major project throughout the course where my team and I had to develop a business plan for the commercialization of a brain-scanning device and present it to the patent holder at the Toronto Western Hospital!
The Biopartnering (#4) course takes place every Tuesday evening from 6-8 PM, where speakers from the industry give talks about timely topics in their industry.
In Fundamentals of Managerial Concepts (#3), we’ve been learning about financial statements. After the midterm, we’ve switched to learning about financial ratios used to assess business health.
Biotechnology in Agriculture (#5) is obviously all about the agriculture industry within the biotechnology sphere. Dr. Duncan Jones is also a great professor, albeit very unique from Dr. Jayson Parker (who is himself quite the character!).
Internships
Throughout this whole process, we’ve had to apply for internships with our resumes, cover letters, and interviews. In the week-long break after the completion of Biotechnology in Medicine, we gave interviews at pharmaceutical companies in the GTA.
In my next post, I’ll discuss the application process and some of the strategies I used to establish a career direction and secure my internship! I get the results back this Monday, October 22nd at 12:00 PM…
Welcome! 
Leave a comment