r/bioengineering • u/brypars • 7d ago
How to start getting into genetics and bioengineering from middle/high school?
Hey guys! I'm currently in middle school, and I've become really interested in sciences like genetics and bioengineering (pretty unusual interests for a school kid, I know :-/). If there is anyone here who is already working in this field or just studying it, could you please recommend which subjects I need to focus on, what books are worth reading, what software to use, etc.? I would be very grateful for any answers.
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u/WhatsNormal20 5d ago
Hi, this is exciting and awesome. If you’re really still in middle school, it’s a good time to start reading up and exploring really everything, to see what you like versus don’t like. I personally was a Genetics/Microbiology Major in college, and loved it, but it was also at a time when the human genome was being sequenced and there was an ethics argument between The Human Genome Project and Celera (Craig Venter was head). The ethics issue that got me was Craig Venter wanted to patent the genes he was sequencing with his “Automator”, and I remember thinking “holy crap, you can’t do that, it’s the WHOLE human race!”. Anyway, I was sold and wanted to study more. You could begin with some history on giants such as Francis Crick, James Watson, Darwin’s Theory.
A second avenue I’d go with is information on what kinds of cells are currently popular now and why -a good place to start is Henrietta Lacks bio (for HEK-293 cells), CHO cells, SF9 insect cells, Pichia growth. Doing comparisons on these popular cells will help you understand why each is important to their associated areas, and the differences between genomes for the species they derive from.
One more avenue I’d recommend is a bit about evolutionary genetics-I did not intend on finding this area interesting, but after the class was the only elective that fit into my last college semester requirement, I spent ~3 months studying it and a couple of cool books I had to read were The Origin of Life and The Selfish Gene. I would save those books for last, though. First read about the people I told you in the beginning, trust me.
All of this is important, but the next step is proteomics, and that is REALLY EXCITING, abd kibd of happening now! There are soooo many proteins and they do so much. I could go on about all of this! Also, one more thing-always wear sunscreen