It makes increasing numbers of plants resistant to insects and disease. Elizabethtown College students can now choose to major in biotechnology, which many predict will be one of the most important applied sciences into the next millennium. Biotechnology appears to be leading a sudden biological revolution into the next century. The United States is currently the world leader in the research, development and commercialization of biotechnology products. It is estimated that more than 150,000 Americans are currently employed in the biotech field.
Biotechnology is an applied science that uses the basic ingredients of life to make new products.
Though biotechnology is the newest academic program at Elizabethtown and universally regarded as a cutting-edge science, at its core it is ancient. Because it uses living organisms or their products to modify human health and the human environment, ancient civilizations who discovered that yeast can raise bread dough and that fruit juices can be fermented to yield wine were actually prehistoric biotechnologists. In another example, fundamental techniques for crop improvement such as gathering seeds from the best plants have been applied throughout the history of civilization. Besides the obvious advantages for biotechnologists in the employment sector including competitive compensation and numerous other incentives such as stock options, a career in biotechnology has the potential to attract young people for altruistic and philosophical reasons. A biotech career is a good fit for science-minded students want to make a difference in their professions but prefer the clinical side of research to the level of patient contact required of medical doctors.