UT helps students pave their way to success

Biology is more than just knowing mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Biology can lead to jobs in higher education, such as microbiologist, nature conservation officer, pharmacologist or even a research scientist. University of Toledo students who wish to pursue a career in biology were invited to attend a night dedicated to the field.

The Biology Career Exploration Night was held in UT’s Bowman-Oddy Laboratories March 14 from 6 to 9 p.m. and gave students the opportunity to talk to professionals in their field of interest.

Amanda Seabolt-Martin, the academic adviser of the organizations in charge of planning the event, said that several different speakers came to the event to introduce themselves and speak about their education and career.

“This event is an introduction to a variety of careers possible with a degree in biology,” Seabolt-Martin said. “We have several speakers from a variety of areas: medicine, chiropractic, bioinformatics, medical laboratory science, careers in the zoo, research, education, lab tech, MD and Ph.D.”

Seabolt-Martin also said that students were able break off into smaller groups and talk to presenters about any questions or comments that they may have.

As an academic adviser for the department of biological studies, as well as an adviser for Biology Undergraduate Studies and Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society, Seabolt-Martin said that it is important for biology students attend the event.

“Students need to know what they can do with their degrees, so I am working hard to expose them to a variety of options and career tracks through empowering my student groups to do events like this,” she said.

Christian Backer, treasurer of Biology Undergraduate Studies, said that the event is very helpful, even to those who don’t know exactly what they want to do with their futures.

“This event means a lot to me because even though my major is biology, I am still not sure of what I want to do with my career, so it will be especially helpful to hear from different professionals in the field of biology to see what options I have,” Backer said.

Backer also said that this is the first year this event has been held and the first year that BUGS has been active on UT’s campus.

“The main purpose of this event is to show that there are lots of different career opportunities in the biology field,” Backer said.

Seabolt-Martin said that all students, not just those studying biology, could benefit from the event.

“People should attend to learn about a variety of careers in science and in the greater Toledo area,” she said. “All of these presenters are from the Toledo community. Students from a variety of educational programs would benefit to learn about the careers and how they can get involved in a new field they maybe have not thought about before.”

She also said it is the department’s job to help expose students to as many possibilities as it can, especially since biology doesn’t always offer a clear career path in the working world.

“I call it ‘high impact,’ as nothing like this has been done before, and it is just very important for students to know what career options they have,” Seabolt-Martin said. “Everyone needs to know what options they have with their degree; it gives them purpose to keep on through the tough courses.”