By Joo Eun Kim

Staff Writer

Students may ask the question: ``What does Biotechnology have to do with my major?'' According to Dr. David Koetje, the director of the biotechnology program, biotechnology can enhance any fields of studies.

Biotechnology is a study of transforming cells, putting foreign genes into cells, and manipulating cells in culture, like taking the mouse or plant cells and developing them.

Biotechnology is a recent major that has been to Calvin in 2000, and the minor has been just added on Monday night, Feb. 11th, in the Faculty Senate meeting.

The Biotechnology Department had already made a proposal for a biotechnology minor a year and half ago, but the proposal had to go through a modification to be approved.

``There were concerns about the costs to college,'' said Koetje.

So the proposal was modified in fall 2001 to make it easier for the faculty to understand and accept what the new minor would consist.

For instance, the students will have three different options to fulfill the requirement of the Investigations in DNA Technology course for the minor.

Students can take the course itself, take an internship in places like VanAndel Institute in Grand Rapids, or do an undergraduate research with one of the professors during summer. In this way, more students could have the option of fulfilling the course requirement.

Biotechnology right now has about two-dozen declared majors, but Koetje and his department felt the need for a new minor program for the students who are not as strong in Biology.

The decision to add the new minor program came from the concerns expressed by both the professors and students on wanting it. Students who major in another science course will only have to take a few more classes to receive the biotechnology minor. While some course like BIOL-256 and BIOL-334 will be required, as it is for the major, the minor program will allow students to choose from a greater number of electives.

``We're gong to allow more flexibility,'' Koetje said.

The new minor will give good understanding of how biotechnology can be tied into the students' majors. Today, the careers available to biotechnology majors and minors are growing.

David Janke, a Chemical Engineering major who plans to take on the biotechnology minor, said, ``There is an increasing amount of research and advances in the biotech industry, as well as jobs and opportunities. Having more detailed knowledge of this field is important to be able to take advantage of these opportunities.''

However, the biotechnology department is not just concerned about providing students with career opportunities.

The department's proposal for the new minor states that although one of its goals is to provide students with ``hands-on experience essential for future employment'', it also wants to provide ``a high-quality, Christian critical engagement of biotechnology.''

``[Students] need to have some practice at applying Christian perspective to topic [and] be better critiques of technology,'' said Koetje.

The students had the option of choosing the biotechnology as a minor as of Tuesday, Feb. 12th The department expected five to ten students in the program per year.

Koetje said that there are at least three students interested in signing up as biotechnology minors; one of them is Steve Geelhood, a Chemical Engineering Major. He is currently doing an internship at VanAndel Institute, fulfilling one of the biotechnology minor requirements.

He chose the biotech minor because he could fit it in with his Chemical Engineering major. For his area of interest, which is chemical and pharmaceutical production industry, he needs a fundamental background of biotechnology is essential. He also said that there is a big ethical debate about how biotechnology should be used.

``We as Christians cannot give an informed viewpoint on the ethical impacts of biotechnology until we understand what the impacts are, thus necessitating a background education in biotechnology,'' Geelhood said.

Students and Professors alike welcome the new minor program. It will provide students with an additional opportunity to integrate Christian perspective into the field of biotechnology.