Not a month passes in which I don’t wish Hopkins offered a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry.
The University’s small class sizes promote a close-knit community of professors and students, and provide abundant opportunities in research and volunteering. These factors attracted me to the Nest in comparison to large state schools, like Ohio State University, when narrowing down my college search.
However, one of the most overlooked downsides of attending a smaller, highly-ranked institution is the less diverse pool of majors to choose from. For most non-engineering pre-meds who want a B.S. in a field closely related to medicine, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neuroscience and Chemistry are the only options Hopkins offers.
My favorite class in high school was AP Chemistry. From learning the material to the synthesis of compounds in the lab, the wonders stemming from the periodic table caught my academic heart. Coupled with my freshman year Organic Chemistry courses, in which Dr. Nsengiyumva would explain how the functional groups of chemicals used in common biomedical drugs allowed them to carry out their effects, I discovered my love for the chemical background of biology. As much as I appreciate chemistry, I hope to become a pediatrician or obstetrician-gynecologist, and I am equally fascinated in learning as much as possible about the biological machinery driving disease. Therefore, I am majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB).
Although I love MCB, our core courses focus too much on what is happening as opposed to how or why. In molecular biology, we learn that transcription factors bind to DNA sequences at the promoter or that exonuclease enzymes break down uncapped RNA, with the inherent chemical principles behind these phenomena screaming at me from a distance. What chemical forces are promoting this specific binding? What are the products of the decomposition reaction carried out by the RNA-digesting exonucleases?
Although Hopkins having a Biochemistry major is merely a personal wish, the University taking steps to offer the degree would provide substantial benefits to the student body during their time at Hopkins as well as long after.
1. Biochemistry is the backbone of biomedical research
Research practices vary across labs and institutions. The dermatology lab I work in at the med campus studies the immune response to bacterial skin infections. The cancer lab I interned at over the summer at the University of Minnesota Medical School investigates p53 expression levels in response to cellular stress. Despite the stark differences in both topics, biochemistry is at their cores. When conducting western blots or doing ChIP sequencing, antibody binding and detection rely on chemical interactions. When testing for altered protein expression due to changes in cell signaling pathways, said pathways can be reduced to successive chemical reactions. Biochemistry would allow students to transition between zooming in on biological processes and observing them from a bird’s eye view.
2. Professional/Graduate school preparation
Hopkins is a STEM-heavy institution, with most undergraduates I crossed paths with aiming to obtain an MD to work as a physician or a PhD to become a biomedical scientist. Biochemistry alone makes up a fourth of content tested on the MCAT, a standardized test all medical school applicants must complete, for a reason, and many medical students online consistently consider it the most important prerequisite course for medical school. Additionally, the lack of a biochemistry major limits Hopkins students interested in pursuing PhDs in fields hinging on biochemistry. These include biochemistry, pharmacology and drug development, toxicology and many more. Although the biochemical ideas important for such fields will be taught in graduate school coursework, an undergraduate foundation in biochemistry can limit the “drinking out of a fire hose” sensation many medical and graduate students describe.
3. Connects student disconnect between MCB and Chemistry majors
A sufficient justification for the conception of a biochemistry major is student interest, especially among those who came off the high of AP Chemistry and took Organic Chemistry their freshman year. I can’t count the number of times I’ve talked with friends, peers and lab mates about how odd it is that a university that pumps out physicians doesn’t offer a Biochemistry degree. This only became more odd when we realized how popular the major would be if it was offered and the outlet it would provide Chemistry and MCB majors, like me, who feel siloed by the current major options and are desperate to intertwine them.
Although I have critiqued the isolation in content of MCB and Chemistry classes, both are amazing degree options with even more amazing professors behind them that can attract those interested in a broader view of science. But for those like me whose interest constantly jumps around biomedical disciplines, desperate for them to join hands, Hopkins offering a B.S. in Biochemistry would be a great relief.
Godson Nkanginieme is a sophomore majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Canton, Ohio.
