Q: I am taking my engineering entrance exams this year. What if I don?t get the field of my choice (electronics)? I have no idea what most of the other fields are all about. Please advise.

Prashant

A: I have often noticed that the interest and aptitude of students who opt for a particular branch of engineering have no obvious relationship with the courses they land up with. This is mainly due to two reasons: lack of proper information and guidance about what each field is all about and the scope it offers in the long term. And the student ends up taking whatever branch is available in the pecking order due to the limitation of seats in some of the popular branches like computer science or electronics and communication.

The present system of technical education in India is rather strait-jacketed, with more or less a single entry point and a rigid course structure. I would advise you to gather as much information as possible about the various fields and talk to some practising engineers, so that you end up making an informed choice.

AICTE has approved 32 courses in engineering and technology at the undergraduate degree level (details on www.aicte. ernet.in). And don?t fall for courses with exotic new-fangled nomenclature ? like the ones flaunted by some of the private universities in Chhattisgarh which have been de-recognised by the Supreme Court like ?master of biotechnology administration? and ?BSc with automobile science?!

In case you don?t get the field of your choice, plumb for the next best one (if you?re not prepared to take another shot at the exams next year). The good news is that you have good chances of upgrading to a more ?desirable? field at the MTech level in many cases. Another option would be to top your engineering degree with a top-of-the-line MBA. A techno-management qualification is always in demand.

Opportunities with law

Q: I am in Class IX and want to be a successful lawyer. How should I go about it? Please give me the names of top law schools in India.

Rupam Sanyal

A: The study of law can be undertaken at two levels: LLB, which can be pursued after graduation in any stream, is a three-year PG degree offered by 400-odd functional law colleges in the country.

If you are absolutely sure you would like to pursue law as a career then you can enrol for an integrated five-year law course (BA-LLB honours) which is offered by over 50 universities straight after Ten Plus Two. The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) is one of the premier institutions in this category. The Indian Law School, University of Pune; Nalsar, Hyderabad, National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Caclutta, Symbiosis Society?s Law College, Pune, are some of the other reputed law schools besides some of the other national law schools.

It is time to explore space medicine

Q: I am a student of BSc physics. I have heard about space medicine. Could you tell me more about it?

Chitra Sen

A: Space or aerospace medicine is a branch of medicine concerned with the effects of space travel on humans. This is a relatively newer branch of clinical and occupational medicine that deals with the various short and long-term problems faced by astronauts. Negative effects such as headward fluid shift and muscle de-conditioning after every space flight affect almost all crew members.

Astronauts returning from a prolonged stay aboard space stations have clearly shown that the human body severely de-conditions when exposed to microgravity conditions. Astronauts need to take appropriate medicines to alleviate the pain or discomfort caused by the body's adaptation to space.

But before determining what measures are to be taken in space, it is first essential to define how exactly space affects the physiology of various systems of human beings. Which is where an aerospace medical specialist comes in.

He or she is essentially a medical doctor, who has further specialised in knowledge of physics, aerodynamics, aeronautical engineering, space and high altitude physiology, clinical medicine, psychology and medical administration.

In India, the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bangalore, is possibly the only one that offers a postgraduate course in aerospace medicine under the aegis of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Science, Karnataka.

The three-year interdisciplinary course draws from diverse fields such as medicine, physiology, psychology, biophysics, and bioengineering. Combining research and clinical training, the course is open to civilian students and service medical officers from the army, navy and air force. Three civil students and seven students from the armed forces are enrolled every year for the course.

Admission is based on an all-India written entrance examination (multiple-choice type) followed by an interview for selected candidates, separately for civil and military candidates.

So far, aerospace medicine has been dominated by defence service doctors. With the expansion of the aviation industry, a number of civilian doctors have also undergone this course, and are flourishing both in India and abroad.