Opportunities
The major employers of plant biologists are educational institutions,
federal and state agencies, and industries. Job opportunities usually depend
upon educational training and experience. New positions in botany are expected to increase at an above-average
rate through the turn of the century. Growing world population continues to increase
the need for better food supplies. Environmental concerns, such as air, water
and soil pollution, will create openings for ecologists in government and industry.
The search for new drugs and medicines and useful genes for improving crop plants
will continue to create a need for botanical explorers.
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| Leading students to discover more
about plants and the botanical sciences can be a rewarding and fulfilling
experience. |
| Photo courtesy of Marsh
Sundberg. |
Educational institutions, which employ most plant biologists,
range from high schools and community colleges to universities. High schools
and community colleges have few openings for those who wish to teach specialized
courses and there is little time or equipment for research activity. Nevertheless,
for botanists who primarily enjoy teaching, such positions are very satisfying.
Most positions for professional plant scientists are in colleges
and universities. Almost all colleges and universities offer courses in plant
science and there are faculty positions for botanists who have different specialties.
In addition, educational institutions employ botanists as researchers and as
administrators.
Federal and state agencies need botanists in many different
fields. Plant biologists work in various branches of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, including the Medical Plant Resources Laboratory, the Germplasm
Resources Laboratory, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the National
Arboretum, and the U.S. Forest Service. The U.S. Department of the Interior,
which includes the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and
the U.S. Geological Survey, also employs botanists. Plant scientists also work in several other federal agencies,
including the Public Health Service, State Department, National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, Smithsonian Institution, and Environmental Protection Agency.
In addition, each of the 50 state governments employs plant scientists in agencies
similar to those of the federal government. Environmental organizations, like
the Nature Conservancy, also hire botanists.
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| Field studies can lead you to a
variety of interesting places. These students collected a small specimen
of the brown alga, Nereocystis. Growing along the rubbery stipe
are epiphytic red algae Of the genus Porphyra. Porphyra
known as Nori, is raised commercially in the orient. |
| Photo courtesy of Marsh
Sundberg. |
Industry is the third major employer of plant biologists.
Drug companies, the oil industry, the chemical industry, lumber and paper companies,
seed and nursery companies, fruit growers, food companies, fermentation industries
(including breweries), biological supply houses and biotechnology firms all
hire men and women trained in botany. Recently the first genetically altered
food crop, the FlavrSavr(tm) tomato, reached store shelves. This opens a new
career field for botanists.
Botany offers many interesting and worthwhile career opportunities.
The work is frequently varied and the surroundings pleasant. Because of the
great diversity in the plant sciences, people with many different backgrounds,
abilities, and interests can find a satisfying career in botany.
View one member's perspective of a "career in botany" at:
http://www.botany.org/profiles/david_spooner.php.
View current botanical/plant science employment opportunities at: http://www.botany.org/newsite/employment/.
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