Careers in Biotech: Inverting the future; Want to help feel the world, develop new medications, cure diseases, help keep our environment clean, and help solve crime? Then a career in biotechnology just might be for you. (Focus).

Did you know that scientists have been able to turn skin cells into beating heart cells that could be used to repair a damaged heart? Did you know that scientists have found a way to turn human fat into cartilage, offering a good supply of repair materials for people with damaged joints? These and other medical breakthroughs hit the headlines weekly. And it's all the result of biotechnology.

Biotech includes a wide variety of sciences and careers. Here's some information to help you decide if a career in biotech is right for you.

What Is Biotech?

Biotechnology is the science of using living things to develop new products. These include pharmaceuticals, improved foods, medical diagnostics, and industrial products. It's important because it is the branch of science that is literally changing the world we live in. It crosses all industries. Experts are calling the 21st century the "biotechnology century"--and with good reason.

Ed Uthman, M.D., a pathologist from Houston, Texas, explains biotechnology this way: "Science is about the relationship between humans and nature. It's not about hawking some product [or] attending boring sales meetings....It's about uncovering real truths of the universe--how matter and energy interact to produce what we call life with all its complexity."

The biotech industry has more than doubled since 1993. According to the Biotechnology Industry Organization, there were almost 1,400 biotech firms in the United States in 2001. You can bet your Bunsen burner that biotechnology will be the branch of science that discovers ways to improve the diagnosis and treatment of hereditary diseases. It will provide us with safer drugs and more environmentally friendly herbicides and pesticides. Biotechnology will help us find cures for spinal cord injuries, come up with innovative new ways to solve crimes, help clean up the environment, and give us safer, more efficient industrial products. That's why the amount of money invested in the biotech industry increased a whopping 156 percent in one year, from 1999 to 2000.

Biotechnology is making headlines around the world--the Human Genome Project (HGP), and the cloning of human embryos are just two examples.

The HGP (which maps and studies the genes in human DNA) fuels the multibillion dollar U.S. biotechnology industry and is going along way toward fostering the development of new medical applications. And now, with medical treatments needed for emerging diseases, biotechnology will no doubt be at the forefront of scientific research for a long time to come. Stem cell research and cloning are new technologies we will also be hearing more and more about.

All of these new discoveries will mean more demand for science and math lovers to do research or to support those doing the research.

Adam Frederick is one of those people with a love of science and math. He has a master's degree in environmental biology and works for Maryland Sea Grant, where he is an education specialist at the University of Maryland's Biotechnology Institute (UMBI). It's his job to translate the research that takes place there into educational programs. He helps nonscientists understand how biotechnology works. One of the programs Frederick and his team have created focuses on oil pollution. The program demonstrates how biotechnology can be applied to assist in the cleanup of oil spills.

About 5,000 middle and high school students come to the UMBI Sci-Tech Education Program each year to get some hands-on biotechnology lab work. They might study biofilms and biodiversity in Chesapeake Bay or learn a little about DNA extraction or zebra fish embryology. Whatever lab they end up in, the students are able to test a hypothesis and come away with a better understanding of biology concepts.

Discover a New Career

There are two career tracks for biotech scientists. First, there is the academic track, where you work at a university or research institute, or teach in the classroom or lab. The second track is to work in private industry, where you might do research or hold a managerial position and be involved in the business end of running a biotech company. "There are always going to be people who are innately interested in science. Those are the ones who will become career scientists," Frederick explains.

Some of the main careers in the biotechnology field include scientists, technologists, and technicians. Here are a few of the positions held by people who work in this industry.

* Biological and Medical Scientists: These are highly educated individuals (usually with a doctorate degree) who study living organisms and their relationship to the environment. For the most part, they work in research and development, conducting research to advance our knowledge of living organisms, including viruses, bacteria, and other infectious agents. These are the scientists who help develop new vaccines and medicines. They are biochemists, botanists, microbiologists, physiologists, marine biologists, zoologists, and ecologists. Through each has specialized area of interest, all study living organisms and their relationship to the environment.

The salary range for scientists varies dramatically, depending on their field of expertise and whether they are employed in the private or public sector. In 1999, the National Association of Colleges and Employers reported salaries for individuals with a doctorate started at about $45,700, with a master's degree around $34,500, and with a bachelor's degree at $29,000. Those who work for the federal government earn $55,000 or more per year.

* Clinical Laboratory Technologists don't need the same level of education as biological and medical scientists, but they play an important role in performing medical tests to detect and diagnose disease. They examine and analyze body fluids, tissues, and cells. They look for bacteria, parasites, and other microorganisms; analyze the chemical content of fluids; match blood for transfusions; and test for drug levels in the blood to show how a patient is responding to treatment. They must be accurate and reliable, have an interest in science, and be able to recognize their responsibility for human health and life. They have titles such as blood bank technologist, immunology technologist, histology (tissue) technician, and cytotechnologist (cell).

Usually, a bachelor's degree in medical technology or a life science is required to work in this field. Some people qualify with an associate's degree or a certificate from a technical school or the armed forces. Frederick points out that these workers may "start in this position and move up by getting a graduate degree."

The average salary for clinical laboratory technologists was $40,500 in 2000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, though some individuals were earning more than $55,500 at the high end and some closer to $29,200 at the low end.

The American Society of Clinical Pathologists reports a continuing shortage of personnel in clinical laboratories.

* Science Technicians are the people who set up, operate, and maintain laboratory instruments, monitor experiments, make observations, calculate and record results, and often reach conclusions. They must keep detailed logs of all their work-related activities. These individuals have a strong background in science and math. Most employers prefer technicians to have at least two years of specialized training or an associate's degree in applied science or science-related technology. Technicians usually work under the supervision of scientists. Job titles in this category include biological or chemical technician, environmental technician, nuclear technician, and petroleum technician.

Science technicians earned between $13.02 (agriculture and food) and $28.44 (nuclear) per hour in 2000. The average annual salary for biological science technicians was $32,753 in nonsupervisory positions.

Wanted: Crime Solvers

A "hot" career right now, says Frederick, is forensic science, which uses the tools of biotechnology to solve crimes. Think "crime scene investigators" and "pathologists."

"There is a whole area [which uses] arthropods [insects, spiders, and similar creatures] for clues," says Frederick. "It requires a tremendous amount of knowledge. There are certain insects that only lay eggs after a certain period of time. If the [scientist] knows the different stages [of the insect's life cycle], he or she can tell how long a body has been there. There are very few experts in the field, but it is growing."

In fact, there are only nine forensic entomologists in North America Dr. Gail Anderson is one of these. She was recently named one of the leading international innovators in the field of crime and punishment by Time magazine. Her expertise on insect activity on homicide victims allows her to pinpoint with great accuracy such details as time of death and whether a body has been moved. She has been involved in more than 130 homicide investigations. Dr. Anderson's interest in science is inherent. "How can you not be interested in science?" she asks. "It's life. It's how our bodies work."

When asked how it feels to play a role in solving a crime, Dr. Anderson responded, "It's very good. It's not just solving the crime. I can also help exonerate somebody too. To be able to make any step forward in the process of justice is wonderful, and you really know that your research means something."

Dr. Uthman teaches and writes on the topic of forensic pathology. He suggests that certain personality traits might come in handy if you want a career in pathology. He says you have to have a talent for and an interest in science, good communication skills, a strong stomach (as you will be routinely dealing with dismembered and decomposing bodies), and a thick skin, as you will be periodically challenged by local media and detectives.

The Scientific Advantage

If investigating, researching, and coming up with new discoveries and innovations appeal to you, consider a career in biotechnology. Frederick offers this advice to high school students wanting to enter this diverse and exciting field: "Get a good background in math, chemistry, and obviously biology. Take a second and third course in chemistry. That will put you ahead of or on a par with others.

"And when you get to college," Frederick adds, "look for opportunities to do independent research as an undergraduate. If you're really serious about it, investigate a college. Find out who the professors are in the biology department and biochemistry department. Make it a point to talk with these professors and ask if you can do some work in the laboratory. if you get some independent research experience while in college, you will be far ahead of your peers when you graduate, and independent firms will snatch you right up."

Now that's an advantage! Are you ready to invent your future?

RELATED ARTICLE: A Question of Ethics.

When a private U.S. biotech company announced it had successfully cloned a human embryo in November 2001, President George W. Bush was quick to condemn the scientific break-through. And so did political and religious leaders worldwide. Opponents argued that cloning was "morally wrong" and that the embryo was human life. Advocates of the research responded that the stem cell research made possible by cloning human embryos could be used to develop new treatments for a range of life-threatening and debilitating diseases. Clearly, the breakthrough has sparked an ethical debate over human embryo research and what restrictions, if any are necessary.

This is not the first time the biotech industry has been faced with questions of ethics. "A major controversy erupted when the first test tube" baby was born in 1978. The Human Genome Project raised issues also. "People didn't know what scientists would do with it. They wondered: Should scientists really be trying to decode the whole human genome? It was scary because it was unknown," says Adam Frederick, an education specialist at the University of Maryland's Biotechnology Institute.

Because the technology is moving forward at such a rapid pace, society hasn't yet, determined for itself what is right or wrong in terms of some new research. Frederick believes these questions of ethics may end up "in the voting booth. Politics will play a role. When you get to the level of cloning, consumers will need to understand it." Sometimes the controversy surrounding biotech issues comes from confusion, and that is why educating the public is so important.

You may be aware of the ethical questions surrounding genetically engineered foods. The benefits from their development could be enormous-disease- and pest-resistant crops, larger yields, and so forth. But "there is always the danger of impacting the environment somehow," according to Frederick.

These are the issues that are put to bioethicists-academics and philosophers who consider the implications of biological research. But they are also issues that everyone must address.

Think of a biotechnology discovery that has sparked some controversy. Partner with a classmate, do further research, and present a "for" or "against" argument to the class for discussion.