The vast majority of these labs utilize the general tools of molecular biology while applying these tools to investigate a variety of biological processes and phenomena. Therefore, it is not as important to work on any one research problem as it is to gain basic training in the tools of the trade. The biotechnology industry, and graduate and medical schools, preferentially accept students who develop these skills, can work independently with minimal supervision, and can obtain strong letters of recommendation from their research mentors. The campus Career Center, Career Information Days, advertisements in the back of journals such as Science, Nature, Cell, and local newspaper want ads are all good sources for current openings. The growth of biotechnology has produced a need for designing computational strategies for processing and analyzing biological data, particularly DNA and protein sequences discovered through genomic studies.
Information science applied to biology is called bioinformatics.
Bioinformatic applications are important also in the study of physiology of biological systems, as covered in Biol 3151, Biol 328, Biol 3411, and Biol 3421. Business-Finance and Marketing Supporting the scientific research endeavor is another industry in which students with a good background in biology and business can excel. The biotechnology industry needs people who combine management skills with knowledge of the biological basis of their industry. This industry supplies equipment, supplies, and reagents to labs within the universities, hospitals, companies and government agencies in which scientific research is conducted. Biology students may want to consider a minor in business or economics to position themselves to excel in this industry, either in sales or management.