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Mauritz Venter,
BSc Genetics and Human Physiology,
BSc (Hons) Genetics.
Currently in the process of a PhD
in Plant Biotechnology at the
University of Stellenbosch
Did you study genetics in the
science or human sciences
sector?
Both. During my BSc I studied the
fundamental basics of genetics covering
human/medical, plant and animal science.
It is only at a postgraduate (MSc and PhD)
level that a student specialises in a
specific field, usually in human or plant
science. There are ‘however’ many areas
of specialisation within the basic science
sectors, eg, genetic studies of cancer,
animal reproduction, psychiatric disorders,
sport science, disease resistance in plants,
improvement of wine quality (also known
as wine biotechnology) and many more.
Currently I am in the plant sciences (plant
biotechnology) sector isolating genetic
"tools" for the manipulation of grapevines
to improve fruit quality.
How did you end up studying
genetics? What and who inspired
you along the way?
My subjects at school were biology,
maths, accounting and science. During
the last months of grade 12, I was still
not sure what I wanted to do. I eventually
decided on a BSc with the option to
pursue medicine.
My subjects were genetics, biochemistry
and human physiology and during my
second year I developed a keen interest
in medical genetics.
Plans for medicine did not work out, so
instead, I started with an Honours degree
in genetics and found that hot-shot terms
like "biotechnology" and "molecular biology"
represented a mixture of genetics
and biochemistry as well as microbiology.
During that time "blue-sky" projects
like cloning and the determination of the
human genome (to identify all the genes
and their locations on all the chromosomes)
were going on. I was fascinated,
and that was only the beginning for me.
I started my Masters degree at the
Institute of Plant Biotechnology. My
project supervisor, together with the
support of my parents, inspired me to
stay in the scientific game and to become
a geneticist.
What kind of person do you think
is suited to a career in your field
of expertise?
I would say a person should:
- have patience;
- be a team player;
- be able to put science on paper, that
is to write regularly and be as concise
as possible when presenting his/her
results;
- always plan ahead (not only is the
planning of experiments important
but also the preparation of back-up
strategies if experiments go wrong); and
- read a lot and be up-to-date with the
latest developments and trends in the
science sector.
South Africa is considered a
third-world country. Would you
say that this affects the quality
of our genetics research?
Not at all. On the basis of money
and human resources, we are behind
countries like the United States and
Germany, but the quality of genetic
(and other molecular biology) research is
of the highest international standards.
This can be seen in the publication
records of South African scientists.
Scientific research can only be published
in an international journal when the
work is new and it has been reviewed
by scientists who are specialists in their
field from all over the world. Some
South African scientists have had
opportunity to widely publish their
research in these journals.
Not only do we have top-notch
academic researchers, but the government
has decided to invest millions of rands
in helping to start genetic (and biotech)
companies. This will certainly strengthen
South Africa’s position as a competitive
key player in the international
biotechnology arena.
What words of warning and
encouragement do you have for
someone who wants to study
genetics?
Don’t worry about specialising in the
genetics of plants, humans or animals
during the first few years of study. The
basic research skills (genetics and
molecular biology) can be used for
any living organism.
Unfortunately, in most cases, to have
the relative freedom to do independent
research in an area of special interest,
one has to have a Doctorate or at least a
Masters degree in genetics (or a related
field e.g. biotechnology) and this involves
between six to ten years of studying!
As with the information technology
(IT) boom, it is envisaged that biotechnology
(genetics, biochemistry) will play
a much more significant and crucial role
in the 21st century. Although the future
is unpredictable, if you become part of
the genetics revolution, you are bound
to have an exciting and challenging
career.
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