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Gilmore 211
3050 Maile Way
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-6997
Fax: (808) 956-3706
E-Mail: <acadaff@ctahr.hawaii.edu>
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Biotechnology is the application of biological science to solve practical problems. As such, the program starts out with rigorous training in the molecular biosciences, biology and chemistry, moves on to advanced training in biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics and includes science electives which define student specialties in general biotechnology, environmental and microbial biotechnology, plant biotechnology, insect and pathogen biotechnology, or aquaculture and animal biotechnology. The program culminates with an intensive mentored experience in a research laboratory of a program faculty member. This experience is typical of the personal attention given to students. In the short history of the program, graduates have gone on to medical school, teaching science in high school, and graduate school. One student has gone on to become a biotechnology aide in congress. Most students who have gone to graduate school have received scholarships and many have received undergraduate scholarships as well. Besides the medical professions, students could be employed in chemical or microbial aspects of environmental monitoring or environmental clean up, the plant seed biotechnology industry or the industry that develops environmentally safe technologies to protect plants and agriculture from pest and pathogen attack, or new aquaculture and animal biotechnology industries.
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BS in Plant and Environmental Biotechnology.
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Program Goals
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- To provide training leading to biotechnology literacy.
- To provide training in the emerging scientific concepts that define biotechnology.
- To ensure that students will be able to work as members of interdisciplinary teams.
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The Academic Program
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| During the past decade, biotechnology has brought about major changes in the agricultural sciences and society. The biotechnology program utilizes faculty from several departments across the College and is designed to train undergraduate students for careers in the new and growing areas of the life sciences emphasizing the use of biotechnology in agriculture, environmental management, the medical sciences, teaching and other professions. The program provides a strong foundation in biotechnology and the life sciences including molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and aquaculture biotechnology.
Students all share common training and camaraderie and embellish their training by choosing one of the specializations as their focus of study: Environmental and Microbial Biotechnology; Plant Biotechnology; Insect and Pathogen Biotechnology; General Biotechnology and Aquaculture and Animal Biotechnology. Students also share participation in hands-on laboratory research culminating in a publicly presented senior thesis. Students could work as genetic engineers developing more nutritious, pest resistant, or otherwise superior crops by genetic engineering, engineering suicide genes into insect pests, and so on. They could also be restoring parts of the environment by bioremediation, working in the marine biotechnology industry, or going off to graduate or professional school for their doctorates.
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Requirements
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Students must fulfill the General Education Requirements of the University and college. Among the courses they must include in these requirements are
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- NREM 310 (statistics)
- MATH 215 or MATH 241 (calculus)
- Foreign languages or options
- BIOL 171/171L; 172/172L; 275/275L
- CHEM 161/161L; 162/162L; 272/272L
- PHYS 100/100L or 151/151L; 152/152L
- NREM 220 (economics)
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In addition student complete the following major core requirements.
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- MBBE 304 (science and ethical issues)
- MBBE 401 (molecular biotechnology)
- MBBE 402/402L (biochemistry)
- ANSC 446, PEPS 371, or BIOL 375 (genetics)
- MBBE/PEPS/TPSS 499 (senior thesis)
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Finally students must specialize in one of the five options below. They must take the courses indicated. Electives are flexible
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The Environmental and Microbial specialization prepares students for employment in teaching, industry, and government activities dealing with environmental monitoring, clean-up, and quality. The specialization also prepares students for graduate education in the environmental sciences. REQUIRED COURSES:
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- CHEM 273/273L (organic chemistry)
- MBBE 412 (environmental biochemisty)
- MICR 351/351L (biology of microbes)
- MICR 485/485L (microbes in environment)
- 15-19 credits from among GEOG 101/101L, BIOL 124/124L, CHEM 274/274L, PEPS/MBBE 403, CHEM 445, BE 431, MBBE 420, PEPS 480, MICR 475/475L, MICR 461/461L, PEPS 405, MICR 431/431L, BIOL 406/406L, PEPS/MBBE 403, MBBE/PEPS/TPSS 499
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The Plant Biotechnology specialization uses the tools of molecular biology, genetics, and tissue culture to learn how plant cells work and to develop plants with improved traits. The specialization prepares students to enter the plant and agricultural biotechnology industries, various government agencies, or to pursue an advanced professional degree or a teaching career. REQUIRED COURSES:
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- BIOL 102/102L (botany)
- BOT/TPSS 470/470L (plant physiology)
- TPSS 453 (plant breeding)
- TPSS 440 (tissue culture)
- PEPS 405 (plant pathogens and diseases)
- 13 credits from among BOT 410, BIOL 124/124L, BIOL 265/265L, OCN 310, MBBE/PEPS/TPSS 499
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| The General Biotechnology specialization is for students who want to go to professional school or who want a broader background covering a variety of different areas of biotechnology. This specialization will also prepare students for careers in industry and government. REQUIRED COURSES: |
- BIOL 407 (molecular biology)
- MBBE 420 (plant molecular biology)
- BIOL 406/406L (cellular biology)
- 18 credits from among MICR 485/485L, MICR 351/351L, ENTO 470, CHEM 273/273L, MICR 475, TPSS 440, TPSS 453, MICR 461, OCN 310, ANSC 450, PEPS/MBBE 403, PEPS/MBBE 404, MBBE/PEPS/TPSS 499
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The Insect and Pathogen specialization prepares students for academic or industrial careers that integrate the traditional disciplines of entomology and plant pathology. The goal is to develop environmentally safe technologies to protect plants and agriculture from pest and pathogen attack. REQUIRED COURSES:
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- PEPS 363 (general entomology)
- PEPS 405 (plant pathogens and disease)
- PEPS 421 (pest management)
- PEPS 470 (forensic entomology)
- MBBE 412 (environmental biochemistry)
- 13-14 credits from among PEPS 462, PEPS 403, PEPS 404, MBBE/PEPS/TPSS 499
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The Aquaculture and Animal specialization prepares students to participate in the increasingly technology-driven areas of bio-based industries such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology, and large-scale production of valuable organisms and compounds for the agricultural, food, pharmaceutical, and medical industries. The specialization prepares student to enter commercial, university, or government jobs directly, to become entrepreneurs, or to continue on for further graduate training. REQUIRED COURSES:
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- Z00 320/320L (vertebrate zoology)
- BE 431 (biological pollution control)
- ANSC 446 (genes and animal biology)
- 16-20 credits from among OCN 201, OCN 331, ANSC 360, ZOO 475/475L, ANSC 430, BE 436, ANSCI 460, MBBE/PEPS/TPSS 499
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Instructional Faculty
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- Harry Ako (coordinator), aquaculture biotechnology, biochemistry
- Anne Alvarez, plant and environmental bacteriology
- Jon-Paul Bingham, cone shell neurotoxins, peptide synthesis
- Dulal Borthakur, toxicant degradation in plants, gene regulation, plant-bacteria symbiosis, hybrid vaccines
- David Christopher, plant molecular and cellular biology, functional genomics, biotechnology
- Richard Manshardt, tropical fruit breeding and genetics
- Heinrich Albert, plant molecular biology
- John Hu, plant viral transfection
- Daniel Jenkins, biosensors and instrumentation using DNA technology
- Charles Kinoshita, heat and mass transport in chemically reacting systems, energy conversion, bioremediation
- Adelheid Kuehnle, ornamental breeding and genetics
- PingSun Leung, quantitative methods, management science, production economics especially in aquaculture and fisheries, computer modeling.
- Qing Li, environmental biochemistry and biotechnology, proteomics, bioremediation, immunochemistry
- Pratibha Nerurkar, metabolic disorders and alternate medicine
- Gernot Presting, bioinformatics, functional genomics
- Traci Sylva, bioremediation
- Winston Su, biochemical engineering, plant cell culture, molecular biotechnology
- Jinzeng Yang, animal molecular biology and biotechnology
- Shaobin Zhong, host-pathogen interactions, molecular genetics of fungal pathogens
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Last updated on 5/14/2007
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