Biotech Education: Good for Students, Teachers & All

What is biotechnology, who uses biotechnology, and what does biotech give us?

Quite simply, biotechnology is the application of biology, chemistry, and engineering research and manufacturing techniques to produce products and services to improve the quality of human life.

Biotechnology uses can be seen in almost every facet of life, including environmental products (biofuels), medical products (recombinant insulin), industrial products (enzymatic cleaners) and agricultural products (GMOs).

Biotechnology Occupations

The fact that biotechnology is all around means that the need for biotech professionals is growing fast.  This “Age of Biotechnology” has seen a projected growth of over 11% through 2026 for careers in biotechnology, faster than the average for all occupations (US Dept of Labor, 2017). The key areas where biotechnology is a main focus include, but are definitely not limited to:

• Medical Scientists
• Biological Technicians
• Medical and Clinical Lab Technologists
• Biochemists
• Biophysicists
• Biomedical Engineers
• Microbiologists
• Epidemiologists
• Research and Development Scientists
• Process Development Scientists
• Biomanufacturing Specialists/Operators
• Bioinformaticians

The need for biotechnology related careers is not going to be a flash in the pan. Highly qualified biotechnologists will be in huge demand for decades to come. Some of the key areas that will drive this need and offer stable employment include:

• The aging baby-boomer population and the demand for lifesaving new drugs and procedures to cure and prevent disease will drive demand for biologists, biochemists, and biophysicists involved in biomedical research.
• Greater demand for clean energy will increase the need for biochemists that research and develop alternative energy sources, such as biofuels.
• A growing population and rising food prices will fuel the development of genetically engineered crops and livestock that provide greater yields and require fewer resources.
• Efforts to discover new and improved ways to clean up and preserve the environment will increase the demand for biotechnologists.
• As the amount of biological data continues to grow and computer analytical techniques and software continue to become more sophisticated, the number of dedicated bioinformaticians will continue to grow.

Despite a recent surge in anti-science propaganda, the biotech field in the US is one of the largest markets of biotech products and services (medical, agricultural, industrial, environmental, research, defense) and has thousands of biotechnology firms and private industry, academic, and government agencies using biotechnology. 

Increasing Need for Biotech Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2017) is projecting a faster than average 11% growth in the biotechnology job market through 2026. The “in-demand” biotechnology jobs are Biomedical Engineers (7% growth), Biochemists (11% growth), Medical Scientist (13% growth), Biological/Clinical Technician (13% growth), Microbiologist (8% growth), Process Development Scientist and Biomanufacturing Specialists.

Employment of biochemists and biophysicists (important, well-paying jobs) is projected to grow 11 % from 2016 to 2026. The average annual salary of a biotechnology worker is $91K.

The increasing interest and need for biotech are clearly demonstrated by the fact that all US metro areas have significant biotech research and manufacturing companies and institutes.

What Do Biotech Classes & Labs Provide?

The above is very much the big picture as to why biotech is important and why it should be taught, but what does a biotech class look like and what would teachers and students expect to gain?

In biotech classes and labs, you will see students of all aptitudes and socioeconomics:

• Do high level, relevant science.
• Be curious and engaged.
• Perform high-tech lab work.
• Process and share data.
• Practice critical thinking.
• Explore their place in the future.

It’s Easy to Get Started with Hands-On Kits

Start teaching biotech in your existing syllabus today by introducing Plug-n-Play hands-on teaching kits, as well as Ellyn Daugherty’s and G-Biosciences other educational programs and support, that make it easy to implement biotechnology into your classroom. Please reach out to G-Biosciences if you need assistance getting started.

Adapted with kind permission from Ellyn Daugherty