PathSource - FIELD ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGIST: Our Future Depends On Knowing How The World Operates

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FIELD ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGIST: Our Future Depends On Knowing How The World Operates

About this video

David is a Field Environmental Microbiologist who helps repair and lessen the damage done to our environment by companies and industries who contaminate and pollute it. He says that it's absolutely critical to understand why we have clean water and air, and plentiful food, so that we can understand how to keep them.

Degree: English Language and Literature

Job Title: Field Environmental Microbiologist

Job Summary: Microbiologists

Job Description

Microbiologists study the growth, development, and other characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, and fungi. Most microbiologists work in research and development. Many conduct basic research with the aim of increasing scientific knowledge. Others conduct applied research, using knowledge from basic research to develop new products or solve particular problems.

On-the-Job Training

None

Additional Info

A bachelor’s degree in microbiology or a closely related field is needed for entry-level microbiologist jobs. A Ph.D. is needed to carry out independent research and to work in colleges and universities.

Quick Facts

Average salary

National Statistic Change Location

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$40,000 - $115,000

Projected Job Growth

10 to 20 percent

Typical schedule

Full-time

Typical workplace

Hospital / Clinic, Indoor, Office

Personal Qualities

Analytical skills, Mathematical skills, Problem solving skills, Strength/stamina, Verbal communication skills, Written communication skills, Detail oriented, Technical skills

Educational Path

Education Requirement

Bachelor's degree

Recommended Education Degree

Bachelor's degree

Recommended Majors

Biology
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
Biochemistry
Human Biology

Related Careers

Agricultural and Food Scientists
Biochemists and Biophysicists
Epidemiologists
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians
Medical Scientists
Natural Sciences Managers
Physicians and Surgeons
Postsecondary Teachers
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists

View Detailed Career Data

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P3.instances[0].transcript.parse_transcript_data({"transcript":"My name is David Hill, and I would call myself a Field Environmental Microbiologist. I certainly spend some time in a laboratory, and probably should spend more. But most of the time I'm actually out in the field trying to solve problems that are caused either by a lack of microbes, or by the wrong microbes, or by too many microbes. And typically, these are not microbes that are pathogenic to people, although sometimes they are. So we do things that include making materials decompose faster, making materials decompose more thoroughly. That includes what are typically called bioremediation projects where we are using microbes to clean up things that people want to get out of the soil and out of the water, such as hydrocarbons and petroleum hydrocarbons, other types of compounds. And we do things as simple as try to help composters decompose material without odor. Our customers would include bioremediation companies, landfills, compost plants, wastewater treatment plants, food processing plants. They've included people who were car manufacturers, anybody who might potentially cause a contamination of land or water that has to be cleaned up. Actually, my formal study was in English literature, and primarily in Shakespeare. I was studying to be a Shakespearean scholar and critic. And one of my counselors said that there was room in the world for three really good, and I was fourth or fifth, so I might want to take up another field. So I went into business and invested, actually, in a compost facility that cost several million dollars and had a lot of investors in it. And when we turned it on, so to speak, or when we started, it didn't work. So basically to save myself and my investors, I very quickly started learning a lot of science that I hadn't done before. I actually monitored a lot of classes at three different universities, used a lot of people who were willing to help me on faculties. And probably in the space of about two years, learned as much at an older age as I would have in seven or eight at a younger age because I had to. I had no options. And we were fortunate because we had a facility to field test everything. We weren't doing things in a laboratory level, we were doing things on the level of 60,000 tons, and 200-300 tons a day. After that we sold that facility successfully, started another company, and began to incorporate lab work on other people. And now we develop products to solve the problems that we had in that situation. What I wish I had known when I was in school was that, while it was naturally easier for me to do literature and composition, in the long run being aware of what makes the world around you operate and what keeps it operating in a way that is good and sustains our lifestyle is extremely important. We take for granted that things are just going to be there, and that is not the case. We owe it to ourselves and our children to be aware of why we have clean water, why we have enough food, why we have good air, and what we have to do to keep it. And no matter what you study, if you ignore those things, eventually they're going to pop up in your life in ways that you won't like. So what I would do differently is devote more effort to the sciences, and not study what was the easiest for me to get through with the least amount of time. ","file":{"id":345503,"video_id":"3122903197001","name":"1847-David-FieldEnvMicrobiologist1","duration":270258,"thumbnail_url":null}});