What is Botany?
Botany is the scientific study of plants. "Plants," to most people, means a wide range of living organisms from the smallest bacteria to the largest living things - the giant sequoia trees. By this definition plants include: algae, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants. Today scientists believe bacteria, algae and fungi are in their own distinct kingdoms, but most general botany courses, and most Botany Departments at colleges and universities, still teach about these groups.
Because the field is so broad, there are many kinds of plant biologists and many different opportunities available. Botanists interested in ecology study interactions of plants with other organisms and the environment. Other field botanists search to find new species or do experiments to discover how plants grow under different conditions. Some botanists study the structure of plants. They may work in the field, concentrating on the pattern of the whole plant. Others use microscopes to study the most detailed fine structure of individual cells. Many botanists do experiments to determine how plants convert simple chemical compounds into more complex chemicals. They may even study how genetic information in DNA controls plant development. Botanists study processes that occur on a time scale ranging from fractions of a second in individual cells to those that unfold over eons of evolutionary time.
The results of botanical research increase and improve our supply of medicines, foods, fibers, building materials, and other plant products. Conservationists use botanical knowledge to help manage parks, forests, range lands, and wilderness areas. Public health and environmental protection professionals depend on their understanding of plant science to help solve pollution problems.What Is a Botanist?
A botanist is a biologist that studies plants. Botanist started over 1000's of years ago when people needed to to learn if plants were edible, poisonous, or had medicinal use.
A botanist (plant biologist) studies microorganisms and giant trees — all plant life. Botanists who like to be outdoors may be plant explorers. They may study the effects of pollution (such as acid rain) on plants and work toward environmental protection, or they may identify new plant species and evaluate their parts and uses. Some botanists produce entire plants from single cells with a technique called tissue culture. Others use biotechnology to develop new or improved plants.
Educational institutions hire botanists as teachers and researchers. Some botanists work in botanical gardens, arboretums, herbariums, zoos, and medical plant or germplasm resources laboratories. Others work in plantrelated industries such as biological supply houses, biotechnology firms, pharmaceutical companies, nursery or greenhouse businesses, and petrochemical companies. Some work in publication, sales, or animal or plant health inspection.
To be a botanist, get a bachelor's degree in botany. Be sure to take English, mathematics, chemistry, physics, arts and humanities, social sciences, and biological sciences. Computer and communications courses also help. Summer jobs or internships with educational institutions, governmental agencies, or private companies are also valuable.
In high school, take college preparatory courses in English, mathematics, biology, history, geography, and foreign languages. Get involved in science clubs or fairs and in hobbies such as camping and photography.
