## Module 1 Introduction to Biotechnology

Three students work in an SLCC Biotechnology lab.

Greetings!

Welcome to Biotechnology: Engineering Life. In this course, you’ll perform hands-on experiments that model some of the biotechnologies that are changing our world: genetic modification, use of microbes for pharmaceutical production, and personalized medicine. You’ll explore how these and other biotechnologies have affected your own life and the lives of people around the world, and examine the ethics of using (or not using) these technologies.

Watch this news segment to learn about one exciting use of biotechnology: taking a patient’s own immune cells, and altering them to cure cancer!

### Learning Objectives

In this module, you will

- Explain how biotechnology has positively affected humanity.
- Explain how a particular biotechnology could both positively and negatively impact the global population
- Discuss how socio-economic status, ethnicity, culture, and education levels affect access to beneficial biotechnology.
- Communicate your opinion, informed by research, on a current biotechnology issue.