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Feature section: biotechnology education
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Feature Section: Biotechnology Education Editor: R 0 Jenkins, De Montfort University Leicester, UK EDITORIAL Educational provision in biotechnology has mushroomed over the past few years, reflecting the increasingly important role played by biotechnology in a wide range of industries. As a fast moving field, composed of many subjects often cutting across conventional discipline boundaries, biotechnology demands specialist knowledge and skills as well as the frequent updating of its practitioners. A wide range of educational opportunities in biotechnology are being offered across the globe: from ‘slow burn’ part-time degree courses involving many disciplines to ‘fast burn’ short courses on specific topics or techniques. Biotechnology courses also vary considerably in subject content, with emphasis over the range BIOtechnology to bioTECHNOLOGY. At the postgraduate level, mutual recognition of qualifications in biotechnology has recently been debated by the University Enterprise Training Partnership BEMET - a consortium of academic institutions, industry, research organisations, societies and trade associations from all the EU Member States whose main aim is to facilitate cooperation between academia and industry in the field of biotechnology. In the last issue of Biochemical Education, Maughan and Parish2 highlighted the exponential growth of the Internet. A wealth of information relating to biotechnology education is available on the ‘information superhighway’. In this issue I highlight BioTech, an interactive educational resource and biotechnology reference tool on the World Wide Web (http://biotech.chem.indiana.edu/). It is intended to be a learning tool that will attract students and enrich the public’s knowledge of biology issues in the world today. At the same time, BioTech is a research tool for those already involved in the broad subject of biology. BioTech was set up by four midwestern universities under a grant from the US Department of Education. Their mission is to make BioTech as useful a tool to a high school student as it is to a postgraduate fellow. BioTech certainly provides quick access to biotechnology related resources available on the Internet; here are some of the facilities: -
a searchable database of biotechnology links a searchable science dictionary annotated links to science education resources, online courses, utilities and compendia annotated links to science magazine, newsletters and search tools written educational articles on various biotechnology topics
Several articles3-5 relating to biotechnology appeared in the last issue of Biochemical Education. The new Biotechnology Education section, introduced in this issue, is intended to enhance the exchange of views and experiences in this area. Articles on all aspects of education and
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 24(l) 1996
training in the diverse field of biotechnology are welcome. These might include views on appropriate curricula for biotechnology courses, opinions about how to teach this area and on relationships between teaching establishments and industry that will benefit education, and opinions about how to teach this area. Descriptions and views on the use of novel practical exercises and computerbased learning materials are also welcome. In this issue, the article by Tsang et al describes the operation of a biotechnology scheme designed to provide research/industrial experience to university students. The scheme involves close collaboration between academic institutions, industry and government agencies. The articles continues an examination of educational provision in Hong Kong described in previous issues.3’6 Future issues will consider barriers to continuing education for distant learners, and present views based on the experiences of lecturers involved in international courses in biotechnology. Other Internet locations for biotechnology education will be examined, as well as the involvement of institutional consortia (such as BEMET) in this dynamic area.
References 1 Griffin, M and Walker, V (1995) Harmonisation of Postgraduate Quahfications in Biotechnology in Western Europe, The UK Biotechnology Education Group. The Biochemical Society; London 2 Mauehan. N A and Parish. J H (1995) Biochem Educ 23,184-189 3 Ma, 2 <, Kwok, K C and Tsang,‘J C (1995) B&hem Educ 23, 193-195 4 Manjon, A, Iborra, J L, Lozano, P and Canovas, M (1995) Biochem Educ 23, 213-217 5 Jenkins, R 0, Tanner, B and Leach, C K (1995) Biochem Educ 23, 195-197 6 Lo, S C L, Tsang, J C and Kwock, F (1993) Biochem Educ 21, 137
Book Review A Multilingual Glossary of Biotechnological Terms Edited by H G W Leuenberg, B Nagel and H Kolb. VCH, Weinheim, Germany. 1995. DM78. ISBN 3-906390-13-6 This is a compilation of terms, according to IUPAC recommendation, of over 230 terms relevant to biotechnology, rendered in English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. The lists are given under their word plus the corresponding English word, with 2-6 lines of definition. In addition at the end there are correspondence lists in each of the languages against English in case you cannot find the relevant term because it begins with a different letter of the alphabet (eg Fungi gets you to Pilze). Some of the terms are clearly of a biotechnological nature (eg air-lift bioreactor, or as the French have it, Gazosiphon) whereas others might be regarded as purely biochemical or genetical (eg bacteriophage, cell, chromosome, cytoplasm, etc). The book will provide a useful desk-reference for academics, companies and patent lawyers although its usefulness may be limited by the shortness of the lists.
Feature Section: Biotechnology Education Editor: R 0 Jenkins, De Montfort University Leicester, UK EDITORIAL Educational provision in biotechnology has mushroomed over the past few years, reflecting the increasingly important role played by biotechnology in a wide range of industries. As a fast moving field, composed of many subjects often cutting across conventional discipline boundaries, biotechnology demands specialist knowledge and skills as well as the frequent updating of its practitioners. A wide range of educational opportunities in biotechnology are being offered across the globe: from ‘slow burn’ part-time degree courses involving many disciplines to ‘fast burn’ short courses on specific topics or techniques. Biotechnology courses also vary considerably in subject content, with emphasis over the range BIOtechnology to bioTECHNOLOGY. At the postgraduate level, mutual recognition of qualifications in biotechnology has recently been debated by the University Enterprise Training Partnership BEMET - a consortium of academic institutions, industry, research organisations, societies and trade associations from all the EU Member States whose main aim is to facilitate cooperation between academia and industry in the field of biotechnology. In the last issue of Biochemical Education, Maughan and Parish2 highlighted the exponential growth of the Internet. A wealth of information relating to biotechnology education is available on the ‘information superhighway’. In this issue I highlight BioTech, an interactive educational resource and biotechnology reference tool on the World Wide Web (http://biotech.chem.indiana.edu/). It is intended to be a learning tool that will attract students and enrich the public’s knowledge of biology issues in the world today. At the same time, BioTech is a research tool for those already involved in the broad subject of biology. BioTech was set up by four midwestern universities under a grant from the US Department of Education. Their mission is to make BioTech as useful a tool to a high school student as it is to a postgraduate fellow. BioTech certainly provides quick access to biotechnology related resources available on the Internet; here are some of the facilities: -
a searchable database of biotechnology links a searchable science dictionary annotated links to science education resources, online courses, utilities and compendia annotated links to science magazine, newsletters and search tools written educational articles on various biotechnology topics
Several articles3-5 relating to biotechnology appeared in the last issue of Biochemical Education. The new Biotechnology Education section, introduced in this issue, is intended to enhance the exchange of views and experiences in this area. Articles on all aspects of education and
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 24(l) 1996
training in the diverse field of biotechnology are welcome. These might include views on appropriate curricula for biotechnology courses, opinions about how to teach this area and on relationships between teaching establishments and industry that will benefit education, and opinions about how to teach this area. Descriptions and views on the use of novel practical exercises and computerbased learning materials are also welcome. In this issue, the article by Tsang et al describes the operation of a biotechnology scheme designed to provide research/industrial experience to university students. The scheme involves close collaboration between academic institutions, industry and government agencies. The articles continues an examination of educational provision in Hong Kong described in previous issues.3’6 Future issues will consider barriers to continuing education for distant learners, and present views based on the experiences of lecturers involved in international courses in biotechnology. Other Internet locations for biotechnology education will be examined, as well as the involvement of institutional consortia (such as BEMET) in this dynamic area.
References 1 Griffin, M and Walker, V (1995) Harmonisation of Postgraduate Quahfications in Biotechnology in Western Europe, The UK Biotechnology Education Group. The Biochemical Society; London 2 Mauehan. N A and Parish. J H (1995) Biochem Educ 23,184-189 3 Ma, 2 <, Kwok, K C and Tsang,‘J C (1995) B&hem Educ 23, 193-195 4 Manjon, A, Iborra, J L, Lozano, P and Canovas, M (1995) Biochem Educ 23, 213-217 5 Jenkins, R 0, Tanner, B and Leach, C K (1995) Biochem Educ 23, 195-197 6 Lo, S C L, Tsang, J C and Kwock, F (1993) Biochem Educ 21, 137
Book Review A Multilingual Glossary of Biotechnological Terms Edited by H G W Leuenberg, B Nagel and H Kolb. VCH, Weinheim, Germany. 1995. DM78. ISBN 3-906390-13-6 This is a compilation of terms, according to IUPAC recommendation, of over 230 terms relevant to biotechnology, rendered in English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. The lists are given under their word plus the corresponding English word, with 2-6 lines of definition. In addition at the end there are correspondence lists in each of the languages against English in case you cannot find the relevant term because it begins with a different letter of the alphabet (eg Fungi gets you to Pilze). Some of the terms are clearly of a biotechnological nature (eg air-lift bioreactor, or as the French have it, Gazosiphon) whereas others might be regarded as purely biochemical or genetical (eg bacteriophage, cell, chromosome, cytoplasm, etc). The book will provide a useful desk-reference for academics, companies and patent lawyers although its usefulness may be limited by the shortness of the lists.