Biotechnology Resources for Educators:
Virginia, National, and Global Documents and Web Links

Virginia Department of Education
Office of Career and Technical Education Services
March 2002

Biotechnology Resources in Virginia

• Information Systems for Biotechnology
  “ISB resources are designed to serve the agricultural and environmental biotechnology community at large, including scientists, regulators, teachers, administrators, and the interested public.”
  ISB: 207 Engel Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061; 540-231-3747; isb@vt.edu.
• Fralin Life Science Institute
  “The Fralin Life Science Institute is an interdisciplinary research center at Virginia Tech whose purpose is to bring scientists from different disciplines together under one roof to solve some of biology's more complex challenges.” See the Outreach link for information on how the Institute can assist teachers and students.
  Fralin Biotechnology Center: West Campus Drive, Room 101, Virginia Tech 0346, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0346; 540-231-6933; 540-231-7126 (fax).
• Bioinformatics at Virginia Tech
  “Research programs in bioinformatics, computational biology, and genomic science at Virginia Tech encompass biological questions from the DNA sequence level all the way up to the phenotype level. Projects range from modeling complex biological systems and developing new algorithms for data analysis to producing new biotech products and improving experimental methodologies.”
  Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech
• Virginia Tech Center for Genomics
  This center provides focus on teaching statistical genetics, functional genomics, bioinformatics and molecular engineering.
• James Madison University: Biotechnology Major
  Biotechnology Sector Courses and Resources.
• Biotechnology at the University of Virginia
  The university offers several biotechnology-related degree programs:
  Undergraduate Bioethics Program
  Biomedical Engineering
  Center for Biomedical Ethics and Humanities
• Virginia Biotechnology Research Park
  Located in Richmond adjacent to the medical sciences campus of Virginia Commonwealth University and the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals, the Park is home to 34 biotechnology, bioscience and related companies and research institutions.
  
• Virginia Biotechnology Association
  See especially “VCAT” for Virginia careers in biotechnology.
  VaBIO Office, Virginia Biotechnology Association
• Virginia Community College Biotechnology Programs
  Two Virginia community colleges offer programs in biotechnology.

Other State, National, and Global Biotechnology Resources

• Access Excellence
  This site is “a national educational program that provides high school biology and life science teachers access to their colleagues, scientists, and critical sources of new scientific information via the World Wide Web.” It contains links to biotechnology issues, careers, and a graphics gallery, as well as classroom activities, a teaching exchange, and other educational resources.
  National Health Museum.
• Guide to Biotechnology
  Has links for biotechnology tools, timeline, technologies, techniques, applications, associations, and industry statistics.
  Biotechnology Industry Organization, 2003
• Bio-Link: Educating the Biotechnology Workforce
  Bio-Link is a National Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Center for Biotechnology that originated in late 1998 with a grant from the National Science Foundation. This site contains curriculum links, career information, and other biotechnology information useful to teachers and students. Users must register (no cost) to get curriculum materials.
  Bio-Link: City College of San Francisco
• Electronics Technicians Association (ETA) Competencies
  Mastery of these competencies is required to earn the ETA Electronics Certification (Journeyman Option) as a Biomedical Electronics Technician or Biomedical Imaging Equipment Technician.
• Dupont Biotechnology
  This commercial site includes links to the history, the science, the safety, and the future of biotechnology, as well as Internet resources, background articles, fact sheets, and speeches related to biotechnology.
  E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., 2008
• Your World: Biotechnology and You
  A biotechnology publication for 7th-12th grade students. Each issue provides an in-depth exploration of a particular biotechnology topic by looking at the science and its practical applications.
  Biotechnology Institute
• Iowa State University’s Office of Biotechnology
  The Biotechnology home page from Iowa State University is a comprehensive web site that contains information on educational, bioethics, research, and industrial resources.
• Biotechnology for Agriculture
  On this site of the USDA, see particularly the information on biotechnology-related laws and regulations, trade, and links.
  U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Council for Biotechnology Information
  The Council was formed in 2000 “by leading biotechnology companies to create a comprehensive communication campaign about biotechnology.” This Council site concentrates on agricultural, environmental, and nutritional aspects of biotechnology. It gives an explanation of biotechnology and offers free printed and downloadable publications on the subject.
  Council for Biotechnology Information
• Academic Info : Biotechnology
  This site provides links for directed research about biotechnology, including Table of Contents, Indexes & Directories, Digital Library, Organizations, Agriculture, Genome Projects, and related subjects.
  Academic Info
• DNA Interactive
  This site from Dolan DNA Learning Center includes a DNA timeline, plus links to many lessons and classroom activities related to DNA.
• National Center for Biotechnology Information
  This Center is a national resource for molecularbiology information, NCBI creates public databases, conducts research in computational biology, develops software tools for analyzing genome data, and disseminates biomedical information. See especially the education and tutorial links.
  National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health
• National Centre for Biotechnology Education
  This site from the United Kingdom includes international biotechnology education links and free discussion groups.
  NCBE School of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, United Kingdom
• Agricultural Biotechnologies
  This United Nations site contains information to the role and impact of biotechnology in food and agriculture, including the following:
  • FAO Statement on Biotechnology
  • Overview of FAO’s biotechnology activities
  • Overview of biotechnology in the agro-industry, crop, fisheries, forestry and livestock sectors
  • FAO Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture
  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Bioethics Research Library
  This Georgetown University resource is an interdisciplinary and multi-format collection on ethical issues related to health care, biomedical research, biotechnology, and the environment.
• AgBioForum
  This journal is “devoted to the economics and management of agrobiotechnology.”
  University of Missouri-Columbia