A revolution in biochemistry and molecular biology education informed by basic research to meet the demands of 21st century career paths

Abstract

The National Science Foundation estimates that 80% of the jobs available during the next decade will require math and science skills, which requires programs in biochemistry and molecular biology to be transformative using new pedagogical approaches and experiential learning as foundations for careers in industry, research, intellectual property law, education, engineering, health‐care professions and other interdisciplinary fields. These efforts expect a scholarly environment that values the individual student, integrates current trends from the primary literature to provide essential fundamentals in the discipline and experimentally‐directed research, collection and analysis of data and scientific writing. Current trends in the discipline dictate these efforts must necessarily include critical thinking, experimental‐testing, computational‐modeling and inferential logic. In essence, modern biochemistry and molecular biology education must informed by, and integrated with cutting edge research. This environment relies on internal and external research support, commitment by members of the faculty to provide the requisite mentoring, access to instrumentation and state‐of‐the art facilities. New academic environments and resource centers must be provided to establish a culture of pedagogical excellence and faculty engagement leading to innovation in the classroom and laboratory through teamwork and active learning. These efforts must not lose sight of the importance of multidimensional programs that enrich science literacy in all facets of the population, including the general public, students and teachers in K‐12 schools, non‐biochemistry and molecular biology students and other stakeholders. As biochemistry and molecular biology educators, there is an obligation to provide students will the skills that allows them to be innovative and self‐reliant. The next generation biochemistry and molecular biology students must be taught the importance of being scientifically and technologically literate, importance of scientific discourse, and skills required to be problem solvers of the 21st century.