Genetic Engineering on the Rise

When someone tells you they work in the field of biology, what careers do you think of? Most think of a doctor saving lives in a hospital. Some think of a research scientist sitting at a lab bench and discovering breakthroughs. Few think of the up-and-coming field of genetic engineering.

Genetic engineering is a field of biological engineering that modifies an organism’s genes to change its characteristics. If you have ever eaten produce labeled as GMO, taken insulin, or even bought a glowing fish at a pet store, you have interacted with a product of genetic engineering! Genetic engineering has been used to modify organic material since the prehistoric era when farmers would selectively choose seeds from the best and biggest crops to grow for the next season. Today, there are more advanced techniques, like CRISPR-cas9, that allows scientists to cut into DNA at specific sites and change it to the most precise degree currently possible. With interdisciplinary applications and an ever-growing community of scientists involved, genetic engineering is not only a world-changing application of biology, it is also a great career.

In fact, the field of genetic engineering is just taking off. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field is expected to grow 15% in the next ten years, much higher than average. Genetic engineering is already changing our world and will change it even more in the future.

If this sounds interesting to you, there are so many opportunities to explore the field of genetic engineering at UConn! Here are a few:

  • The Genome Ambassadors Program (GAP) hosts seminars featuring professionals from many areas in genetics. Click here for more information.
  • UConn’s International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team works on a yearly project aiming to solve a problem with genetic engineering techniques. Undergraduates gain project development, wet lab, and dry lab experience while gaining student and faculty connections. For more information, click here.
  • The Department of Molecular and Cell Biology has classes that are genetic engineering-focused, such as Genetic Engineering and Functional Genomics (MCB 3412). Look at their course catalog here!
  • A few research labs on campus, like the R. O’Neill, M. O’Neill, and Core labs, use genetic engineering concepts in their research. To learn more about getting involved in undergraduate research, visit the Office of Undergraduate Research’s (OUR) website here!

Source:

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/biochemists-and-biophysicists.

Photo by Martin Lopez: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-putting-a-drop-on-test-tube-954583/

By Alexandra Carabetta
Alexandra Carabetta