Filling the Pipeline

Photo: Myrna E. WatanabeBoston University's "MobileLab," a bus outfitted with biotech lab equipment, visited the Connecticut state capitol in Hartford May 1, the day Connecticut United for Research Excellence announced plans for a like vehicle called "Connecticut's BioBus." In 1999, the U.S. biotechnology industry employed 153,000 people, up 48.5 percent from 1995, according to Ernst & Young. In the state of Connecticut alone, total bioscience (biotech and pharmaceutical) R&D expenditures equal

Written byMyrna Watanabe

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Photo: Myrna E. Watanabe

Boston University's "MobileLab," a bus outfitted with biotech lab equipment, visited the Connecticut state capitol in Hartford May 1, the day Connecticut United for Research Excellence announced plans for a like vehicle called "Connecticut's BioBus."

In 1999, the U.S. biotechnology industry employed 153,000 people, up 48.5 percent from 1995, according to Ernst & Young. In the state of Connecticut alone, total bioscience (biotech and pharmaceutical) R&D expenditures equaled more than $2.6 billion in 1999, a 75 percent increase above 1995 expenditures. Total bioscience R&D employment in Connecticut is more than 12,000 people, a 42 percent growth over 1995.

Such exponential industrial growth raises a question: Who is going to fill these jobs in the future? Already there are not enough traditional students (those who decide that they want a career in scientific research and go on to get master's and doctoral degrees) to fill the job openings. ...

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