The Integrated Bioscience doctoral program addresses a national demand for broadly trained Ph.D. graduates in bioscience. Biological science in the 21st century is increasingly becoming integrated. This trend is reflected in the new series of initiatives from the National Science Foundation aimed at integrated approaches to large-scale biological problems (e.g., the $55 million per year Biocomplexity initiative). Integrated Bioscience has been identified as an area of national need by the National Institutes of Health, the National Research Council, and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
The concept of Integrated Bioscience is applied to research and development at several leading-edge biotech companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, BioInformatics Services, Digital Gene Technologies, and locally at Steris Corporation. The national need for a workforce in bioinformatics and computational biology is well-documented. In fact, the Bioinformatics Center has been recently established in Canton, Ohio. International Data Corporation reported that the world-wide bio-IT infrastructure market will reach $35 billion by 2007.
SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis of fish proteins. Dr. Londraville’s lab is studying the evolution of proteins involved in fat metabolism.
At the same time, a number of studies have noted that Ph.D. graduates are often not equipped to address the complex scientific questions that are faced in the academic, governmental, and industrial sectors due to a narrow focus in their Ph.D. training. There is general agreement within the United States that bioscience curricula need to be reformed to reflect the new need for quantitative skills in biology, and to build connections to other disciplines. This approach is quite relevant to many areas at the interfaces of biology, chemistry, mathematics and statistics. Often the problem to be addressed in biological research is one that requires taking a systems approach to knowledge issues, as is the case with biodiversity, genetically-bioengineered food crops, and human health.
Furthermore, employers in industry, government, and other nontraditional bio-related professions increasingly ask that academia provide doctoral-level students with an expanded base of knowledge and skills, and the ability to apply these to new and emerging challenges (Greenwood and North, 1999). The ability to think creatively and to work with scientists outside of one’s own sub-discipline are traits that will serve our graduates well as they face the realities of future basic and applied sciences.
The Ph.D. degree is increasingly necessary for independent research and for advancement to administrative positions (Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; http://stats.bls.gov/ocohome). Government agencies commonly require a doctorate for top- and mid-level biological administrators and researchers. Of approximately 112,000 biological and medical scientists, almost 40% are employed by Federal, State and local governments (Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; http://stats.bls.gov/ocohome). “Breadth and flexibility, rather than specificity and rigid tradition, are prized in much of the emerging job market” (Greenwood and North, 1999). Therefore, the integrative component of the academic training, which is the focus of this program, will create better educated professionals, whether the students end up in either the public or private sector.
Students quantifying a preparation of nucleic acids. All students in the IB program are introduced to modern analytical techniques common to many areas of bioscience.
Biosciences are progressing at such a rapid rate that most researchers and developers will need to re-tool/retrain at least 3 times during their career. Our doctoral program in Integrated Bioscience emphasizes flexibility and breadth in combination with rigorous, in-depth training without sacrifices in quality. This combination allows our graduates to retrain themselves in emergent areas of bioscience, bioinformatics, biochemistry and biotechnology with minimal down time, allowing them the potential to become leaders in emerging fields.
Growth in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry is projected to be 10% annually for the next decade. The demand for knowledgeable, properly prepared bioscience Ph.D. graduates is growing. In 1999 alone, Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble hired more than 80 Ph.D.s, including many bio-scientists. Toxicologists, microbiologists and molecular biologists are also in demand, both nationally and internationally.
Finally, a number of surveys have established that successful economic development and the attractiveness of a location to innovation-driven businesses are directly related to its environmental health. Given the seriousness and complexity of environmental problems facing the U.S., it is critical to prepare a sufficient number of broadly-trained experts who will combine a deep understanding of bio-complexity with state-of-the art technological skills. The integrated approach of our Ph.D. program will benefit students planning on pursuing environmental careers by incorporating the biochemistry, bioinformatics, and bioengineering aspects so necessary to grasp the big issues.
