Essential Skills for Employment as a 21st Century Bio-Scientist - Coursework Example

How to Become a Bio-scientist: Essential Skills for Employment as a 21st Century Bio-scientist Field of Bioscience Bioscience is the most diverse branch of science which is comprised of other subcategories. Basically, this particular branch tackles the formation and behaviour of living organisms – animals, plants that exists on the Earth. It goes across scales – it covers the smallest organisms the largest of ecosystems from then and now. The subcategories of bioscience are interdependent of each other and even go beyond the established peripheries of the applied sciences (NCABR 2006a). These subcategories totals thirteen sciences, namely, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, biophysics, botany, cell biology, ecology, food science, forensic science, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology and zoology. Below are the brief descriptions of the following according to North Carolina Association for Biomedical Research (NCABR, 2006a): Biochemistry – study of substances and chemical reactions from living organisms and life processes, with the aim of comprehending the organisation and behaviour of biomolecules. Biomedical Engineering – utilisation of conventional engineering principles and blueprint process in scrutinising and deciphering questions in the realm of both biology and medicine. Biophysics – employment of physics and chemistry principles and mathematical methods to comprehend how the biological system process. It aims to rationalise biological function through molecular structures and specific molecule properties. Botany – study of organisms – not only plants – which undergo photosynthesis; also of the structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases, ecology and evolution of plants. Cell Biology – study of cells and its physiological properties, structure, organelles, interactions, life cycle, division and death. Ecology – study of the association of plants and animals with the physical and biological environment. Food Science – focuses on the technical aspects of food, it uses the principles from chemistry, engineering, biology and nutrition. Forensic Science – utilization of advance technologies and whole range of scientific principles to analyse issues regarding the legal system, moreover, it is the only science used in a court. Genetics – study of the meaning and behaviour of genes. Immunology – basically the study of the immune system. Microbiology – study of microorganisms. Molecular Biology – study of the organised function and composition of the molecules, moreover, it centres on the relationship among the variety of cell systems and its regulations. Zoology – focuses on the study of animals from their structure to the subcellural unit, also with the functions of the animal bodies, the inherited characteristics, the animals’ interaction with another and their behaviour (NCABR 2006a). Bioscience in the 21st Century The growth of bioscience has been astonishing as it can be characterised as exceptional due to the intense new findings and propagation of the methods and procedures used for the study (IUBMB 1999). Moreover, as the world of science becomes more complex over time, the boundaries that used to separate one kind of science from the others are starting to disappear – on the part of bioscience, each of its subcategories have began to communicate the same way and utilise tools used by other (IUBMB 1999). Bioscience has given bio-scientists the capabilities to search comprehensively through aspects of life which are wrought with questions (University of Leeds n.d.). Through the biosciences, various new discoveries and innovations were made that could aid and change people in their daily lives. These developments are made for cancer treatment, disease recognition and identification, biochemical production, pollution and energy consumption reduction, bioterrorism detection, and genetic analysis (Farmingdale State University of New York n.d.). Bioscience does carry huge benefits; however, along with it are are risks and dangers. Along with the various technological innovations, bioscience also helps in the development of numerous career opportunities (University of Leeds n.d.). In the United States of America alone, there are already 40,000 businesses which centre on the biosciences and these establishments make use of roughly 1.2 million people (NCABR 2006b). Amazingly, careers in the biosciences are not only limited in the laboratory and in white coats since it can accommodate people from every educational level, gender, race and age. During high school, some bioscience careers can already be within the reach of the students, hence, a student who went to college could acquire more learning and opportunities to be able to enter into more focused bioscience careers (NCABR 2002). Moreover, there are also other educational degrees – associate’s degree (A.A./A.S), bachelor’s degree (B.S./B.A), master’s degree (M.S./M.A.) and doctorate degree (Ph.D.) that are along this field. Among the careers in the biosciences are animal behaviourist, animal research facility manager, entomologist, genetic counsellor, immunologist, laboratory animal technician, mammalogist, marine biologist, microbiologist, parasitologist, primatologist, veterinarian and zoologist (NCABR 2002). According to Ronald Krannich and Caryl Rae Krannich in their book The Best Jobs for the 21st Century (1998), as cited by NCABR (2002), career opportunities in the line of bioscience will continue to grow rapidly. This is due to the growing field of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, genetics and bioinformatics. Bioscience careers is also in Shelly Field’s book entitled 100 Best Careers for the 21st Century (1996) and according to the author, the demand for scientists and engineers will rise up as businesses will need people who will be able to match up against the challenges that will be brought by the new century, this increase will be a manifestation of the growing intricacies in the present lifestyles of the people. Being a Bio-scientist According to NCABR (2002), a scientist – in general – can be from any race and can be either male or female just as what was stated earlier on. They should also be able to use diverse communication skills since they are required to write for their fellow scientist, present the outcomes of their researches and studies, talk to ordinary people, and teach students. Another set of skills needed are pleasant organisational and people skills in order to be able to work with other scientists and impart their knowledge. People have been stereotyping scientists as people who just stay at their laboratory every single day; however, in reality they also work at universities, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies. Lastly, scientists are not always in need of Ph.D.s. Curiosity is the basic quality of a scientist but aside from that, he or she should be ingenious, rational, perceptive, resourceful, vigilant, capable of learning from their mistakes, and determined. Moreover, scientists always wish to discover new things every single day, they also want to generate things that will be originated from them, they yearn to delve into new terrains, and they find enjoyment in uncovering the unknown. Based on the qualities enumerated above, scientists are being associated with detectives and pioneers (NCABR 2002). In order to become a scientist, it is not required for the person to decided about it during their younger years – a person can become a scientist the any moment he or she likes to. Nonetheless, there are still those who have thought of being a scientist during their younger years. NCABR (2002) cited a survey of professional scientists about ‘rewarding scientific experiences’ that they have which helped them to decide whether he or she wants to become a scientist. Ten experiences that were gathered are science classes, science field experiments, science toys and equipment, natural history collections, science museum visits, science laboratories and centres visits, home scientific experiments, science through media, science camps, and parents and teachers. Specifically, bio-scientists are people who study of life and may be absorbed with a certain research or two based on where they are working and their corresponding level of education (NCABR 2002; GCC Career Center n.d.). Mathematics and science are always the compulsory subjects in order to prepare a person the taking the field of science and it is even advised to acquire as many as possible. Typical students will complain about the weight of the maths and sciences that they need to take and this is normal since even the professional scientists find it also difficult when they are still aspiring to become one, however, they soon realised that they take pleasure from the challenges that it brings them. Mathematics and science are both important to a bio-scientist or the whole scientists’ population as it provides them a very solid and extensive foundation of knowledge since they are both interconnected and useful to one another. Other subjects needed to be taken by an aspiring bio-scientist are biology, chemistry and physics. They are considered to be the “big three” in the high school/middle school and they give a very substantial component in the scientific education (NCABR 2002). However, just like what was mentioned earlier, aspiring bio-scientists does not need to get a Ph.D. in order to become a full-pledged bio-scientist. Before, the well-known way to become a bio-scientist is to get an undergraduate degree in any science course then mastering on one and Ph.D.s will signify the beginning of someone’s career in universities and medical schools, and research associations. However, as time goes by, the trend have already changed since Ph.D.s in the field of science may not land someone a profession in an university since these bio-scientists may decide to work at government offices and other companies (NCABR 2002). In reality, these companies – pharmaceutical, chemical, etc. – do not necessarily require a Ph.D. in the position they are seeking. Bio-scientists in pharmaceutical companies are just required to do simple researches regarding drug discovery and structure up or to evaluate the possibility of assessing the drugs on human beings. On the other hand, bio-scientists in chemical companies are tasked to assess the company’s products as to their harm to existing organisms, people and the environment. Lastly, bio-scientists in pesticide companies are asked to execute numerous biological tests on the products before they are sold (NCABR 2002). Occasionally, bio-scientists works at hospitals as medical doctors, nurses, assistants and medical technologists, even as dentists. These people are also capable of performing researches since they have accomplished basic science courses before venturing to the medical sciences (NCABR 2002). Another reason why acquiring a Ph.D. degree is not necessary for a bio-scientist is that the length of time that a person will need to allot in order to acquire it is quite substantial. Before, a person only needs six years to have a Ph.D., unfortunately, this has been lengthened to seven to eight years (Teitelbaum 2003). Hence, young bio-scientists cannot become professional bio-scientists until the age of thirty or even older; what is worse is that they cannot have stable employment with tenure. Of course, many young aspiring bio-scientists find this situation unappealing (Teitelbaum 2003). Since a person is required to spend more schooling years to acquire a Ph.D., professional scientists remind the young ones not to engage in a science career if their only goal is to get rich (Teitelbaum 2003). The years that they would be spending studying to get a Ph.D. degree will require a huge amount of money. In fact, a team of economists and biologists conducted a study on 2001 which discovered that bio-scientists are experiencing “huge lifetime economic disadvantage”. The research has concluded that bio-scientists are losing an approximate of $400,000 to $2 million dollars compared to those other Ph.D.s in other fields (Teitalbaum 2003). A person, in order to have a career as a bio-scientist in this current century, should have a well-formed scientific qualifications and dedication to more learning experience, the enjoyment in problem solving, unearthing modern pieces of information and performing researches, the capacity to scrutinise and spawn facts, the versatility to work with multidisciplinary project teams, an admirable communication skills in both oral and written, and expertise on computers (GCC Career Center n.d.). Others will ask for experiences, insight, thorough knowledge on the scientific principles, creativity, logic, capability to work independently, attentiveness to detail and perception. Word Length: 1,940 References Farmingdale State University of New York., n.d. Bioscience. [Online]. Available at: http://www.farmingdale.edu/feature/dept_brochures/bioscience.pdf [accessed 24 August 2008] GCC Career Center., n.d. Career profile: biology. [Online]. Available at: http://www.glendale.cc.ca.us/new/services/career/careerprofiles/biology.htm [accessed 24 August 2008] IUBMB., 1999. Standards for the Ph.D. degree in molecular science. [Online]. Available at: http://www.iubmb.org/index.php?id=32 [accessed 24 August 2008] NCABR., 2002. Careers in science. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ncabr.org/students/career.html [accessed 24 August 2008] NCABR., 2006a. What is bioscience?. [Online]. Available at: http://www.aboutbioscience.org/pd_whatisbioscience.html [accessed 24 August 2008] NCABR., 2006b. Bioscience careers. [Online]. Available at: http://www.aboutbioscience.org/bc_title.html [accessed 24 August 2008] Teitelbaum, M.S., 2003. Do we need more scientists?. [Online]. Available at: http://www.sloan.org/programs/documents/PublicInterestTeitelbaum2003.pdf [accessed 24 August 2008] University of Leeds., n.d. Faculty of biological sciences. [Online]. Available at: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/admissions/brochures/Biochemistry_09.pdf [accessed 24 August 2008] Read More