Assignment 1 is the first phase of a project that you will complete, in stages, during the term. You will begin by selecting a specific biotechnology that you would like to cover through the entire project. It can be an established technology, such as genetically-modified crops, or an emerging technology, such as CRISPR. The choice of biotechnology is up to you, but consider selecting something that relates to your major, career, or personal interests.
CRJ students might consider an established or an emerging biotechnology for crime scene investigation. BUS students might consider a technology that will provide an opportunity to explore bringing new biotech products and services to market or the ethical considerations around marketing biotech to consumers.
Choose one magazine or newspaper article that covers the specific technology that you will use throughout the project. It must be a recent article (no more than four years old). For instance, if you choose genetically-modified crops as your biotechnology, then you would need to select one recent article about genetically-modified crops for this assignment.
Some biotechnologies that you may want to consider include:
• Genetically modified crop plants
• Genetically modified microorganisms (such as yeasts and bacteria for industry)
• Genetically modified animals
• Personal genomics for humans (also called personalized medicine or precision medicine)
• Gene therapy
• CRISPR
• Emerging forensic uses of DNA (such as facial prediction)
• Databases for DNA fingerprinting
Write a one to two (1–2) page paper in which you:

1. Summarize the article in one (1) or more paragraphs, using your own words. Be sure to identify the article using an in-text citation in the body of the paper, as well as a reference in the reference section.
2. Identify which biological concepts from the course and / or text are relevant to the topic covered in the article. Citing the course text, discuss the ways in which this course does (or doesn’t) provide background information to help you understand the article and the larger issues surrounding it.
3. Explain why the article caught your attention. Relate the article to your life and to issues that are important to you. Discuss how or if the scientific knowledge about the topic covered in the article affects you directly or indirectly.
4. Discuss your opinion on how research on this topic should be funded. State whether you think taxpayer monies should support research on this topic or whether such research in this area should be funded by the private sector. Rate the importance of research on this topic, relative to other areas of research.