GRADUATION CEREMONY 2018

a monthly newsletter of Biocon Academy

Cover Story GRADUATION CEREMONY 2018……1

SHARING HAPPINESS WITH BUNDLE OF

JOY- HENNAGARA VISIT….2

STUDENT SHINES AT BANGALORE

TECH SUMMIT …….3

ISSUE 1 | VOL 1 | 2018

Close to 90 students donned their graduation caps on Biocon Academy Graduation Day held on November 15, 2018. The convocation ceremony was held for Batch XI and XII of Biosciences Program, Batch I of Clinical Development Program and Batch III of Applied Industrial Microbiology Program. The former two programs are offered in collaboration with Keck Graduate Institute and the later in collaboration with BITS, Pilani. The graduation ceremony was held at Tyler Jacks Auditorium of Biocon Park in Bengaluru and was attended by Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chief Mentor, Biocon Academy, Dr. Arun Chandavarkar, CEO and Jt. MD, Biocon, faculty members, industry experts etc. 5 students were awarded Gold Medals for exceptional academic performance, while 30 received ‘Kudos Award’ for their distinguished performance during the program in various categories like 100% Attendance, being the Class Representative and the Social Media Ambassador.

All the students were appreciated for their excellent performance during the program tenure that encouraged them and made them extremely happy. Delivering the Keynote Address at the Convocation Ceremony, Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chief Mentor, Biocon Academy said: “Biocon Academy is the realization of my dream to enable the younger generation to pursue a career in biotechnology, a field with the potential to bring transformative change. I congratulate all the graduates who are set to build a fulfilling career in biotechnology. To exploit the potential of biotechnology we need scientists, thinkers and innovators. Through Biocon Academy we are enabling young minds to be curiosity driven and out-of-the-box thinkers to partake in the journey of transforming India through the power of biotechnology.” We extend our hearty congratulations to all the students who graduated.

THE COVER STORY

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Anastasia Levitin

Dr. Levitin teaches Molecular Biology to

students of Biocon-KGI Certificate program

in Biosciences.

A Professor of Practice in Translational

Medicine, she currently leads 3 programs

on MS in applied life sciences; MS in

Translational Medicine (a joint program

with City of Hope), and the Summer

Undergraduate Research Experience

program at Keck Graduate Institute,

California.

She received her undergraduate degree in

Biochemistry and PhD in Biology from

Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. In

between she did her postdoctoral studies

from National Research Council of Canada

and at Stanford University School of

Medicine.

Message from Program Director: Ms Bindu Ajit

I am extremely delighted at the launch of BioZesta, an exclusive e-newsletter of Biocon Academy. We aim to connect with all our esteemed stakeholders through this newsletter giving them a flavour of the latest happenings from the world of Biocon Academy and our quest “To train and develop Industry ready talent, for the Biopharma sector to enable global competitiveness.” Biocon Academy, was initiated as a CSR initiative of Biocon Limited to address the unmet need for a high quality, industry ready talent for the biotech world. Today, we are in our 5th year and we continue to learn and excel with every passing batch. In this short span, we pride ourselves in being instrumental in shaping the careers of more than 400 aspiring bio-scientists by imparting the requisite experiential learning that serves to bridge the existing industry-academia gap.

Bindu Ajit, Program Director Biocon Academy

We have achieved 100% placement for all our batches and all our graduates are now working with leading biotech companies as well as start-ups across India. Biocon Academy, has strategic collaborations with the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), California, USA and BITS, Pilani, India, as Education Partners and Biozeen and Thermo Fisher as Industry training partners. These partnerships have enabled us to provide unique programs in Biosciences, Clinical Development and Applied Industrial Microbiology. Biocon Academy, has made good progress in delivering on its commitment of upskilling and building talent for the life sciences industry and looks forward to doing much more in the coming years. We will continue our endeavour in giving young minds the opportunity to partake in the journey of transforming India through the Power of Biotechnology.

Her laboratory works on developing new

model systems that can identify host

proteins exploited by pathogens and

bacterial toxins. She also works on

repurposing of FDA-approved drugs to

identify broad-spectrum host oriented

treatments.

She says “I love teaching because it allows

me to keep up with recent advances in

sciences and translational medicine. At KGI

I teach Molecular Biotechnology, Advanced

Drug Discovery, and Pharmacogenomics

and Precision Medicine courses. I love

teaching Biocon Academy students in

particular because they are curious and

enthusiastic. They always ask me questions

outside of uaul course curriculam, which is

wonderful.”

Dr. Anastasia Levitin

Assistant Professor Biocon-KGI

Certificate Program in Biosciences.

Student Speak

The three-day Bangalore Tech Summit held end

November, had global participants, industry

leaders, futurists and innovators showcasing

innovation and celebrating the success of

technology and start-up ecosystem of the state. 5

students from Biocon Academy presented

posters at the summit on interesting topics.

My poster was on Effect of Root Exudates on The

Genomic Elements in Plant Growth Modulation

in bacillus aryabhattai AB211

The project has attempted to find the efficiency

of the strain to get associated with the plant

roots, so in turn to provide its beneficial effect on

plant growth.

The Clinical Development Program was immensely helpful. It is a rigorous course and

in the beginning it was difficult to catch up but eventually we fall in the grid. The

experienced faculty members of KGI helped us immensely. The style of their teaching

is refreshing and interactive, a pleasant change from the regular ones which we are

used to. This program is aimed at creating professionals to be a part of the Clinical

Research Industry. I am very glad to be a part of this program. Students undergo

stringently planned functional visits to NH and Syngene for an hands-on-learning

experience. The soft skills development modules are focussed on development of

presentation and communication skills which grooms us to becoming a confident

speaker.

Avijeet Kumar Mohanty Biocon KGI Certificate Program in Clinical Development Program

Sharing Happiness: Hennagara Visit

Growth characteristics of the AB211 strain was

evaluated in presence of root exudates. Also, AB211

strain was exposed to maize root exudates for

different time periods and several plant growth

promoting genes, whose presence was evident from

the genome data, were quantitatively studied by

Real time PCR.

The poster earned me the 5th prize. I explained my

poster to the visitors including Industry

Professionals and Researchers who have come

there to attend the event. I was enthralled with glee

on receiving the award. Overall, it was a wonderful

platform to showcase our talent. I am grateful to

Biocon Academy for giving me this opportunity.

Hear From Our Alumni

Batch XIII of Bioscience Program visited Biocon Foundation’s Project Hennagara Primary School as a part of their extra-curricular activities. Biocon Foundation commissioned classrooms at Government Higher Primary School, Hennagara to encourage school and junior college enrolment and enhance employment opportunities. To experience the wonderful work Biocon Foundation is doing, this visit to Hennagara Village located in the outskirts of Bangalore was organized. The experience offered them a niche of tranquil and solace, away from their crammed schedules.

Shalini Sethia Batch IV BITS Biocon Certificate Program in Applied Industrial Microbiology

IN NEWS Biocon Foundation Dedicates Rejuvenated

Hebbagodi Lake and Children's Park to the Community

1mn pound AI health programme may help tackle disease in India'

IN NEWS

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PRO-SCHOLAR TIPS: How to nail a presentation?

The BIGGEST FEAR of all Humans is the PUBLIC SPEAKING. So, to avoid that fear we have for you quick tips to master your Presentation Skills.

1. Always prepare a STORY, because what moves people is a STORY!

2. Dedicate 70% of your time writing a script which will help you create a better Presentation.

3. 2 DAYS is the time Steve Jobs rehearsed before a presentation.

4. Tell your story in 10% of the time you have to present it, and then You’ll be ready.

5. Give FACTS, because FACTS are 20 times more likely to be remembered if they are part of a story.

6. Present with vivid images, People remember 95% of what they hear and see.

7. You must keep your Audience intact, their attention level varies (1min>3min>5min>10min)

8. The first 30 seconds of your presentation will decide if you’re a STAR.

9. So before You start to work on your next presentation, STOP! And Re-Read this list.

Education is the prime need of every child, which many are deprived-off due to financial reasons. The students were marvelled at wonderful facilities and environment created for the ease of studying and building up their growing minds. The experience empathised our students for these petite buds, yet to blossom into captivating flowers. The afternoon was spent mingling with the kids, touching their souls with their innocent acts and smiles. The joy on their faces when the students bestowed them with various goodies was priceless. Every minute of their actions gave away their simplicity and that was exactly what moved each and every one of them from within. A fulfilling day it was for the students in doing their bit for a better future. Biocon’s business practices go beyond compliance, thus contributing to the larger goal of sustainable development and as a socially responsible organisation we strive to instil the same sense of compassion and care in our students.

PRO-SCHOLAR TIPS: How to nail a presentation?

For suggestion and feedback please write to us at: educonnect@bioconacademy.com Know more about us: www.bioconacademy.com

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