Biology Majors Need More Than Biology to Succeed

Many states and communities are working to be leading participants in the rapidly growing biotech industries. Investments in academic research facilities and college scholarships to encourage more students to pursue biology and science degrees are among the strategies states are pursuing.

A report released last week by the National Research Council (NRC) suggests significant changes are needed to overhaul biology education, however, in order to ensure majors in these disciplines are prepared for the new demands of biotech.

Bio 2010: Undergraduate Education to Prepare Biomedical Research Scientists reports a better understanding of DNA, new laboratory techniques, and greater computer power have revolutionized the field of biology in recent years. This revolution has also changed the way biologists work, forcing them to develop know-how in other scientific disciplines. Math and computer models, for example, are crucial when trying to decipher the role played by a single gene among hundreds of thousands, and laser beams are being used by biologists to manipulate molecules.

The NRC found undergraduate biology education, however, has not kept pace with these changes. To better prepare students for careers in biology, especially biomedical research, colleges and universities should re-evaluate their curricula and teaching approaches for biology majors, the report asserts.

Mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, and engineering should all be incorporated into biology courses and lab experiments to the point that "interdisciplinary thinking and work become second nature [for biology students]." Laboratory courses and experiments should likewise be as interdisciplinary as possible.

The NRC acknowledges that incorporating other disciplines into a biology class is not easy, especially for professors who are not well-versed in other topics. To overcome this, school administrators, funding agencies, and professional societies should work together to develop new teaching materials and to encourage collaboration among professors from different disciplines. Also, faculty development opportunities must be provided to improve the interdisciplinary knowledge and teaching capabilities of biology professors.

Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the report includes 12 case studies highlighting innovations in undergraduate biology education. It is available online at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10497.html?onpi_newsdoc09102002