Provides concise definitions of terms for persons unfamiliar to biotechnology, and clarifies new terms and how they are being used for those who are already somewhat conversant in the area. Written in non-technical language, and serves to bring you up to date on biotechnology terminology to provide for more effective communication.
Glossary of Biotechnology Terms began as a hobby of Nill, Technical Issues Director for the American Soybean Association, who saw the need for specialists working in different areas of the biotechnology field to keep up with each other's terminology. Now in its third edition, this book is a useful dictionary for current terms in this continually developing area. Entries cover a broad range of concepts relating to biotechnology, including chemical compounds, organism names, procedures, organizations, and acronyms. Nill's definitions are aimed at a general audience, allowing readers to "conceptualize the idea embodied in the term" without advanced technical knowledge. Because of this, definitions are occasionally vague (the entry for the plant Brassica, for example, does not specify that it is a genus). In general, though, his use of analogy to help define terms will be useful for non-specialists who don't require exact definitions. The entries are extensively and effectively cross-referenced. According to the publisher, the third edition expands on the second version by over 30% more terms (It is estimated that there are just under 3,000 entries total). No guide to pronunciation is given. Alphabet tabs on page foredges are a useful feature.Glossary of Biotechnology Terms is recommended for science, law, corporate, and other more general libraries that have need for a biotechnology dictionary aimed at a general audience.Reviewer: David Romito, Assistant Biology Librarian, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Couch Biology Library,
dromito@email.unc.edu Copyright 2003 E-Streams Reviews
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