Feature
In The Maze of Biotechnology
Afroza Sultana
I was terribly disappointed when we missed the 1st congress of the Young Biotechnologists of Bangladesh (youngBB) held in Curzon Hall, University of Dhaka, on 26th Dec'06. We, the students of the Deparment of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of University of Science and Technology, Chittagong (USTC) had our finals on at the time. So, when I heard about the three-day international conference on the 'Promotion of Biotechnology in Bangladesh: National and International perspectives', to be held in ICDDR,B, my heart did a double take. I hurriedly registered for the conference only to learn that due to accommodation constraints students were not permitted to register. My heart sunk again. They say if you wish for something with a pure heart it comes true. This saying clicked with me this time! A few days later my friend, Adnan, informed me that we were both recruited as organizing assistants for the conference. Finally I was going to a be part of the great event!
Three of our teachers, Dr. Arifuzzaman, Dr. Subodh Kumar Sarkar and Ms Rozalynne Samira were also invited. We left for Dhaka almost immediately. On 5th April Adnan and I headed for DU. Apprehension filled me as we waited in front of the Department of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. But all my fears took a backseat the moment I met Prof. Haseena Khan and the entire team of enthusiastic organizing assistants. Their warmth and friendliness made us feel right at home.
The next 3 days will remain the most enlightening, enriching and memorable day of my life. My first day behind the receptionist's desk was very amusing. All those people of such high ranks and repute had to ask me for their ID cards. It was flattering! About 300 renowned and young scientists from public and private institutions from home and abroad had attended the conference. Once inside the Sasakawa auditorium, I felt transported to a world of Biotechnology. The scientists exposed the versatility of Biotechnological applications in agriculture, industry, pharmaceuticals, environment, forensics, healthcare and many other sectors. I tried to grasp as much as possible, albeit they were a little high-tech for an undergrad student like me. Some of the topics that really interested me were Biotechnological approaches in hybrid development, Integrating excellence in Molecular Science to generate knowledge-based industries, Current advances in the formulation and delivery of insulin, Large scale identification of protein-protein interactions of E.coli K- 12 and a Heuristic algorithm for individual haplotyping with minimum error correction. The speakers at the conference also highlighted the dearth of professionalism and expertise in Bangladesh along with a lack of co-ordination in Biotechnology sector. But despite the
limitations, everyone was hopeful that biotech would make its mark soon. Many experts provided recommendations and solutions to address the present problems. When great heads come together, we know progress cannot be far away.
It made sense when Prof. Asma Ismail, from Malaysia, said that if
we compete with the developed world we will always remain 20 years behind but if we focus on the development of our own country we will be 10 years ahead.
At the end of the conference, scientists recommended to the government that an independent national commission be established for Prof. Haseena Khan thanked Adnan and me for taking the pains to come all the way from Chittagong. But truly, the effort was worth it. The wealth of information, experience, and exposure and of course the host of friends that we gained during this three days is something to be cherished forever. That our country has taken this 1st step to promote biotech is something to be proud of. I hope to see many more such international conferences and hopefully someday even I shall be up there on the dais giving a scientific presentation of my own!
Afroza Sultana - Organizing Assistant of the Conference on promotion of Biotechnology in Bangladesh and Student, Dept. of Biotechnology and Biochemistry, University of Science andTechnology Chittagong (USTC)
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