An Introduction to Biotechnology

W. T. Godbey is the Paul H. and Donna D. Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering at Tulane University. He received his B.S. in Mathematics from Southern Methodist University in 1988. After a successful period that involved starting his own software design and development company in Dallas, Texas, he joined the fields of science and engineering and earned his PhD as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow from the Institute for Biosciences and Bioengineering at Rice University in 2000. From 2000-2003 he was a postdoctoral fellow at Childrens Hospital, Boston and Harvard Medical School. He joined the Tulane University faculty in 2003.

An Introduction to Biotechnology is a biotechnology textbook aimed at undergraduates. It covers the basics of cell biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, and introduces laboratory techniques specific to the technologies addressed in the book; it addresses specific biotechnologies at both the theoretical and application levels.
Biotechnology is a field that encompasses both basic science and engineering. There are currently few, if any, biotechnology textbooks that adequately address both areas. Engineering books are equation-heavy and are written in a manner that is very difficult for the non-engineer to understand. Numerous other attempts to present biotechnology are written in a flowery manner with little substance. The author holds one of the first PhDs granted in both biosciences and bioengineering. He is more than an author enamoured with the wow-factor associated with biotechnology; he is a practicing researcher in gene therapy, cell/tissue engineering, and other areas and has been involved with emerging technologies for over a decade. Having made the assertion that there is no acceptable text for teaching a course to introduce biotechnology to both scientists and engineers, the author committed himself to resolving the issue by writing his own.