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The Fascinating Field of Biotech Research |
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My younger sister has just graduated from high school and has decided
to go into biotech research. She is fascinated with working with the
environment, and she is hoping to make some important contributions to
our area. Biotech research can involve anything in the life sciences,
from human health to crop and tree improvements. Students from Virginia
Biotechnology Research Park do research on biotoxins, and management of
the nation’s organ transplantation process.
Their program also involves drug development, medical diagnostics, biomedical engineering, and environmental analysis. On the other hand those at the University of California Biotechnology Research and Education Program focuses on biogenetic engineering, nutritional assessment, to toxicology, biomedical imaging and environmental technologies.
My sisters told me that the amount of money that a person in this career makes depends on the funding that backs the research facilities. For example, the funding at the Biotech Research Center at Michigan Tech is at $8.3 million. This is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, and the U.S. Drug Administration.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the biotech research engineer and the biomedical engineer make an average of $48,503 with a bachelor’s degree. Researchers and engineers that have earned a master’s degree will earn around $59,667.
However, my mother expressed concerns that jobs in biotech research will no longer be available when my sister finished her degree. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projection for job growth in the field of biotech research in particular and biotechnological engineering in general looks good through 2014.
Their research indicates that the growth is much faster than average. This growth is attributed to the aging of the population, the increased focus on health issues, and the demand for better medical biomedical engineers. More degrees and grants will be awarded in the future because of the heightened interest in biotech research and biomedicine.
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