Putting Biotechnology To Work

The ability of the United States to sustain a dominant global position in biotechnology lies in maintaining its primacy in basic life-science research and developing a strong resource base for bioprocess engineering and bioproduct manufacturing. This book examines the status of bioprocessing and biotechnology in the United States; current bioprocess technology, products, and opportunities; and challenges of the future and what must be done to meet those challenges. It gives recommendations for action to provide suitable incentives to establish a national program in bioprocess-engineering research, development, education, and technology transfer.

An essential guide for students in the life sciences, established researchers, and career counselors, this resource features discussions of job security, future trends, and potential career paths. Even those already working in the industry will find helpful information on how to take advantage of opportunities within their own companies and elsewhere.

An argument for reimagining skill in a way that can extend economic opportunity to workers at the bottom of the labor market. The United States has a jobs problem—not enough well-paying jobs to go around and not enough clear pathways leading to them. Skill development is critical for addressing this employment crisis, but there are many unresolved questions about who has skill, how it is attained, and whose responsibility it is to build skills over time. In this book, Nichola Lowe tells the stories of pioneering workforce intermediaries—nonprofits, unions, community colleges—that harness this ambiguity around skill to extend economic opportunity to workers at the bottom of the labor market. Skill development confers shared value to both workers and employers because it lies at the intersection of their respective interests. Connecting skill to economic inequality, Lowe calls for solutions that push employers to accept greater responsibility for skill development. She examines real-world examples of workplace intermediaries throughout the United States, exploring in detail the work of manufacturing-focused organizations in Chicago and Milwaukee, and a network of community colleges in North Carolina that coordinates training for biopharmaceutical manufacturers. As workforce intermediaries help employers reinterpret skill, they also convince them to implement inclusive work-based systems that extend family-sustaining wages and better working conditions across the entire workforce. With renewed policy emphasis on skill development, these opportunity-rich solutions can be further expanded—ensuring workers across the entire educational spectrum contribute skills that drive innovation forward and share the gains they generate for the twenty-first century workplace.

Essays showing how environmental philosophy can have an impact on the world by integrating abstract reasoning with actual environmental practice.

Biotechnology for Beginners, Third Edition presents the latest developments in the evolving field of biotechnology which has grown to such an extent over the past few years that increasing numbers of professional’s work in areas that are directly impacted by the science. This book offers an exciting and colorful overview of biotechnology for professionals and students in a wide array of the life sciences, including genetics, immunology, biochemistry, agronomy and animal science. This book will also appeals to lay readers who do not have a scientific background but are interested in an entertaining and informative introduction to the key aspects of biotechnology. Authors Renneberg and Loroch discuss the opportunities and risks of individual technologies and provide historical data in easy-to-reference boxes, highlighting key topics. The book covers all major aspects of the field, from food biotechnology to enzymes, genetic engineering, viruses, antibodies, and vaccines, to environmental biotechnology, transgenic animals, analytical biotechnology, and the human genome. Covers the whole of biotechnology Presents an extremely accessible style, including lavish and humorous illustrations throughout Includes new chapters on CRISPR cas-9, COVID-19, the biotechnology of cancer, and more

A unique resource for the next generation of biotech innovators Enabling everything from the deciphering of the human genome to environmentally friendly biofuels to lifesaving new pharmaceuticals, biotechnology has blossomed as an area of discovery and opportunity. Modern Biotechnology provides a much-needed introduction connecting the latest innovations in this area to key engineering fundamentals. With an unmatched level of coverage, this unique resource prepares a wide range of readers for the practical application of biotechnology in biopharmaceuticals, biofuels, and other bioproducts. Organized into fourteen sections, reflecting a typical semester course, Modern Biotechnology covers such key topics as: Metabolic engineering Enzymes and enzyme kinetics Biocatalysts and other new bioproducts Cell fusion Genetic engineering, DNA, RNA, and genes Genomes and genomics Production of biopharmaceuticals Fermentation modeling and process analysis Taking a practical, applications-based approach, the text presents discussions of important fundamentals in biology, biochemistry, and engineering with relevant case studies showing technology applications and manufacturing scale-up. Written for today's wider, more interdisciplinary readership, Modern Biotechnology offers a solid intellectual foundation for students and professionals entering the modern biotechnology industry.

SCIENTISTS ARE PICTURED AS LIVING IN an ivory tower, out of touch with the real world. This might be true of some scientists, but not biotechnologists. These scientists are focused on using biological discoveries in practical ways or, as the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity noted, biotechnology refers to "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use." Biotechnologists work in many fields but especially in agriculture, food science, and medicine. Many of the companies where they work are relatively new and are often engaged in some of the most exciting developments taking place in the world of science and medicine, such as seeking treatments and cures for diseases that attack people, plants, and animals, finding ways to increase the size and nutritional value of food sources, and developing new, more efficient and eco-friendly fuels and building materials. As the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) puts it, the industry's goals are Healing the World, Feeding the World, and Fueling the World. In the years since the industry took off, it has drawn hundreds of billions of dollars in investment and generated equally large revenues. The appeal of participating in the development of products that can save lives and make this a better world is certainly reason enough to make a career in biotechnology your goal. Fortunately, this is a growing industry with jobs being created at a fast pace. In addition, earnings in biotechnology are excellent. There are many different career paths within the biotechnology industry so you have a good chance of finding something that is right for you. Among the different types of occupations are scientists and biotech engineers. These professionals are supported by an army of lab technicians and assistants, sales and marketing people, public relations representatives, and executives who spend a significant part of their time raising funds. A career in biotechnology can also include teaching as an option. Further, there are opportunities for industry advocates. These typically represent a state, regional or even national collection of biotech companies to the public and to the financial community, as well as to elected officials and persons in regulatory agencies, providing them with information about the latest developments that could use financial and legislative support. Most positions in biotechnology require a college education, although laboratory technicians may be trained and certified without having to obtain a college degree. Scientists and engineers as well as teachers typically have graduate degrees, at least a master's but more often a doctorate. Even non-scientists in the industry are typically well educated in the sciences because of their need to communicate with their colleagues and explain the work that is being done to the outside world. A career in biotechnology demands a good deal of dedication and perseverance. There are more failures than successes coming from the labs. You need to have the kind of confidence that can accept failure and keep going towards your goals. There is the challenge for many in the industry of finding financial support. This requires as much perseverance as the work in the lab. In the end, the knowledge that you are working towards building a better future for humankind is sufficient motivation for putting your all into your work in biotechnology.

Foreseeing and planning for all of the possibilities and pitfalls involved in bringing a biotechnology innovation from inception to widespread therapeutic use takes strong managerial skills and a solid grounding in biopharmaceutical research and development procedures. Unfortunately there has been a dearth of resources for this aspect of the field.