illuminating science

Jenny Riesz, who posted last week, kindly agreed to post some of her thoughts about studying biophysics, and why you might choose it over just physics or biology. Read on for all the details - Joel

When I tell people that I work in the field of biophysics, they always ask “so, what actually IS biophysics?” And it’s a good question! I don’t think that there really is a clear definition. Basically, biophysics is anything where biology and physics overlap. It’s a very exciting field; there are lots of interesting problems in biology that can really benefit from a physics-type treatment.

I have always been interested in the biological sciences. Genetics, in particular, has always fascinated me. How can this single DNA molecule contain all the information to make up an incredibly complicated creature? How do all the pieces come together in exactly the right way? I enjoyed studying genetics at university, and was always amazed at how little we actually know!

This is me in one of UQ’s laser labs. This is where I did a selection of measurements of the radiative lifetime of melanin (see the previous post!) using their sophisticated laser system.

So why, then, did I end up doing my degree in Physics rather than biology? I think the main reason was because physics was hard. I found that it really challenged me! And rather than putting me off, I found this inspiring! While I enjoyed learning about biological systems, it was simply memorization. I found that in physics I was learning problem solving and how to deal with much more difficult concepts.

I specialized more and more into the physical sciences until by the end of my degree I wasn’t doing any biology at all, and I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. The following year I did Honours, and I decided to go back to the field that interested me in the first place – biology. I negotiated with my supervisor to do a selection of high level chemistry, physics and biology subjects, and a physics research project on the biological pigment melanin.

It was challenging picking up chemistry and biology without having done the prerequisite subjects! I had to do a great deal of work to catch up on the material that all the other students had covered in the intervening years. But I managed, and found that I ultimately had a much deeper understanding of the material than the other students. Also, I’m convinced that had I tried to go the other way – done biology and tried to jump into physics in the deep end – it would have been impossible!

There’s no denying that working in biophysics is difficult. In many ways, I feel like I need to know twice as much as everyone else; I need to be an expert in physics to talk to physicists, and I also need to be an expert in biology to talk to biologists. Not to mention all the chemistry that goes on in between! (on the side, I hated chemistry in first year. I’ve since decided that it’s a necessary evil, and I wish that I’d forced myself to do more!). But the overlap of the sciences is where the truly fascinating things are happening, and I’m glad that I’m able to be there!