CAREERS IN THE BIOSCIENCES

Why is Science So Important to Us? Science affected the past: Scientific advances have altered every aspect of life on Earth Revolutionized the health and well-being of humans and animals Constantly evolving and being reshaped by new discoveries Advances have occurred more quickly in the 20 th century

Science affects the present: Helps us understand our world We now know that high doses of radiation can injure our cells New technologies like MRI and ultrasound have reduced the exposure to x-rays Procedures such as laparoscopic surgery and other procedures allow us to see inside the body

Science will affect the future: Saving the environment, conserving natural resources and using medical advances to help ourselves and those around us Human Genome Project DNA typing will become more routine and accurate Knowing our gene types may help doctors know what diseases run in our families Could have negative consequences

The Real Facts About Scientists Scientists can be any race or gender Scientists use many different communication skills Scientists need good organizational and people skills Scientists don’t always work in universities or academic centers Scientists don’t always have Ph.D’s

What Makes a Good Scientist? Curiosity Creativity Imagination Observation Persistence Logic Intuition Ability to learn from mistakes

What Does it Take to Become a Professional Bioscientist? Scientists are current-day pioneers Scientists want to find something new every day Scientists create things that never existed before Scientists explore new territory Scientists enjoy learning about the unknown

Biologists study life on many different scales – from the tiniest particles to the largest animals and populations of animals Biologists study life in the present and back through millions of years ago Bioscientist refers to anyone involved in the study of life No matter what area of science you pursue, math and science courses are needed

In high school the “big three” science courses – biology, chemistry and physics Biology – study of life Chemistry – study of matter and how different kinds of matter interact Physics – study of how the physical world works Each of these provides an important part of the foundation of a science education

After high school: Associate’s degree – two years Bachelor’s degree – four years Master’s degree – two years Ph.D – highest level – can take several years to complete Ph.D in science can not only work in academics, but also work for the government, or private companies

Pharmaceutical companies – basic research in drug discovery and design to overseeing and analyzing the testing of new drugs in humans Chemical companies to test whether the products they produce are harmful to living organisms and the environment Companies that produce pesticides and testing these products to insure they are not harmful to other organisms

Medical doctors Dentists Veterinarians Other Medical Professionals – nurses, physician assistants, medical technologists can also become researchers

Some of the more common career areas include: Pathology Physiology Pharmacology Toxicology Microbiology Cell Biology Molecular Biology Immunology Genetics Biochemistry

All areas of bioscience research can be one of three categories: Basic – Developing an understanding of normal and abnormal structures and the function and life cycle of any living thing without having a specific application at the time of the research Applied – Taking the basic information and using it in a specific way to improve the existence of humans, animals or plants Clinical – Look for benefits and risks in humans

Other careers for Bioscience: Animal health technicians Laboratory technicians Medical technologists Pharmaceutical Technicians Biomedical Engineers Genetics Counselors Clinical Trial Associates – new program at Durham Technical Community College Statisticians & Computer Programmers