Biophysics is the application of Physics to the realm of living things. The discoveries of biophysics have a broad impact on biotechnology and medicine.

This interdisciplinary field is quickly growing in the modern scientific community. Biophysicists investigate how the brain processes and stores information, the heart pumps blood, muscles contract, plants use light in photosynthesis, genes are switched on and off, proteins and membranes work and many other questions. By understanding how proteins fold and accelerate chemical reactions, these scientists will be able to design proteins to carry out specific tasks, such as digesting crude oil and toxic wastes.

Some of the major work in current biophysics relates to work in the nervous system. Specifically, there is a lot of interest in how neurons transfer electrochemical signals. Biophysics gives us the tools to understand the molecular basis of diseases such as sickle cell anemia and AIDS.

Career options: A wide range of career options are open to biophysicists because of the breadth of their training. Depending upon your interests and abilities, you might work primarily in the laboratory, with computers, teach or become a science writer. Many biophysicists become faculty or staff members at colleges, universities, medical institutes. If you want to become an independent scientist, you must earn a PhD or MD degree.

Institutes for training: Training for this specialised field starts only at post-graduation level. If you are keen to enter into this field, take science with Biology in XI, then go for graduation (B.Sc.) in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Some of the universities which offer related courses are: University of Mumbai, Mumbai (www.mu.ac.in); University of Delhi, Delhi (www.du.ac.in); University of Madras, Chennai (www.unom.ac.in); All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi (www.aiims.ac.in); Faculty of Science, University of Kalyani, Nadia (West Bengal) (www.klyuniv.ac.in); Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam (Kerala) (www.mguniversity.edu).

I am interested in interior design and wish to pursue a career in this field. What institutes offer related courses?

Interior designing is the basic planning and designing of the interiors of homes, offices, trading places, exhibitions, etc. using suitable furnishings, lighting, layout and construction.

Various polytechnics, institutes and vocational colleges offer these courses, the duration of which may range from two to five years. For all these courses, the minimum eligibility is 10+2 with any stream.

Admissions: Almost everywhere, admission is through an entrance examination/ aptitude test. Recently introduced, National Entrance Examination for Design (NEED) is a qualifying examination for admission to the undergraduate level programmes in design. The objective of NEED is to measure the candidate's aptitude for the field of design involving general mental ability, world-view; sensitivity to environment, creativity, drawing and communication skills. Candidates are shortlisted on the basis of NEED score and for next phase of admission — studio tests and personal interviews — for final selection. At present, there are seven participating institutes: National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad (www.nid.edu); D. J. Academy of Design, Coimbatore (www.djad.in); IILM School of Design, Gurgaon (www.iilm.in); Indian Institute of Craft & Design, Jaipur (www.iicd.ac.in); Wigan & Leigh College, New Delhi (www.wlccollege.org); Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology, Bengaluru (http://srishti.ac.in); Pearl Academy of Fashion, New Delhi (www.pearlacademy.com)

Institutes for training: School of Interior Design, Centre for Environment and Technology (CEPT) University, Ahmedabad (www.cept.ac.in) offers a five-year professional course in interior design. Admission is through an entrance examination to evaluate one's drawing skills, especially technical drawing and spatial apperception and interview.

Some of the other institutes are Exterior-Interiors (P) Ltd., Kolkata with branches in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Calicut (www.exterior-interiors.com/pages/home.html); Apeejay Institute of Design, New Delhi (www.apeejay.edu/aid/home) ; School of Interior Design, The Arvindbhai Patel Institute of Environmental Design (APIED), Anand (Gujarat) (www.apied.in).

Creativity is more crucial in these occupations. A good portfolio — a collection of examples of a person's best work — is often the deciding factor for getting a job.

What is cinematography? How can I enter this field?

Cinematography is the art and technique of motion picture photography and cinematographers are the 'movie' photographers, planning and executing the whole shooting of a film.

Cinematographers use camera, lighting and related equipment to create the desired visual 'mood' or 'feel' of a film. They are basically the directors of photography, but instead of directing people, cinematographers direct the camera.

Responsible for all aspects of a production's photography, cinematographers determine how each scene in a movie, TV show, advertisement, or video will look on camera. They set the lighting to meet agreed effects, design the lighting for studios and locations, decide on photographic techniques, frame the shots, as well as plan and coordinate the camera crew in the shooting of each scene.

Once the shooting is over, the film is processed and sent to cinematographers to review it and to make adjustments to produce the desired effect. They work closely with the director and other production crew members.

There is no formal educational requirement to enter this field. But a proper training teaches broad technical understanding of this field and offers much needed practical experience with variety of cameras. A good course in Camera and Lighting Techniques polishes one's visual imagination and creative ability; teaching how to get the right effect.

Institutes for training: Some of the institutes that offer related courses are The Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (www.ftiindia.org); Asian Academy of Film and Television, Noida (www.aaft.com); Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata (www.srfti.com); L.V. Prasad Film and TV Academy, Chennai (www.prasadacademy.com); Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, CIT Campus, Chennai (www.tn.gov.in/misc/film/default.htm); Bihar Institute of Film and Television (BIFT), Patliputra Colony, Patna.