Preregister now (!) for a one day forum on Community College Biotechnology Education sponsored by the AAAS and Bio-Link.
The day-long session will highlight cutting edge curriculum and innovative partnerships between college and industry and include plenary panels, poster sessions, and small group discussions.
Organizer:
Yolanda George, AAAS Education and Human Resources
Co-Organizer:
Elaine A. Johnson, Bio-Link
Moderator:
Shirley M. Malcom, AAAS Education and Human Resources
The AAAS Community College Forum on Biotechnology Education will highlight innovative industry partnerships as well as cutting-edge curriclum for use in biotechnology post-secondary education. Community college based biotechnology programs and educators play a vital role in preparing post-secondary students for careers in the biotechnology industries including research and development, diagnostics, regulatory affairs, homeland security, and sustainable energy production and management. Biotechnology education curriculum areas include laboratory techniques, industrial biotechnology, green biotechnology and agriculture, nanotechnology, homeland security, and bioenergy and biofuels. The Forum will include presentations about vision and change in undergraduate biology education, exemplary curriculum in biotechnolgy education, and partnerships with industry. This day-long session will include plenary panels, poster sessions, and small group discussions.
AAAS Community College Forum 2011: Karen Hicks Targacept Inc.
Karen Hicks talks about her companies experience with hiring biotechnology graduates from community colleges and describes the traits and skills that her company looks for in employees.
Bio-Medical Device Manufacturing Training Program at Ivy Tech Community College
Dr. Sengyong Lee compares biomanufacturing and medical device manufacturing and talks about the programs for educating students in these areas at Ivy Tech Community College.
BioOhio: the Ohio Bioworkforce Training Partnership
Dr. Bill Tacon discusses the biotechnology industry in Ohio, the need for biotechnicians and partnerships between industry and the state community colleges.
Dr. Phil Gibson from Gwinnette Technical College, talks about Bioscience in Georgia and the partnership between Gwinnett Community College, Athens Community College, and the Georgia Bioscience Technology Institute.
Dr.'s Lisa Seidman and Jeanette Mowery discuss about the importance of making sure students are well-versed in the basics. After all, no one wants to hire a biotechnician who doesn't understand how to use a pH meter.
Challenges of Undergraduate Biology Education for the 21st Century
Dr. Jay Labov, from the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council, talks about how undergraduate biology education must change to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Dr. Elaine Johnson on Bio-Link and educating students
Dr. Elaine Johnson describes Bio-Link and it's mission to ensure that all community college students have access to a high quality education and the appropriate training in biotechnology and bioscience.
Incorporating Agricultural Biotechnology into the Classroom
Dr. Daisy Zhang talks about having her students do GMO testing, PCR, plant genomic DNA isolation, doing plant tissue culture, and engineering plants with Agrobacterium at Del Mar College.
Leveraging Government, Business, and Grant Support to Grow the Biotech Workforce
Eilene Lyons discusses how St. Louis Community College worked with the government, local industry and research centers, such as the Danfrorth Plant Science Center, to build a strong and vital program in biotechnology education and a contract research lab in BRDG park. Not only do STLCC students provide a resource for the start up companies in the research park, they work on exciting projects like biofuels, genotyping, and qPCR to quantify gene expression in human astrocytes.
What is nanotechnology? How are nanotechnology and biotechnology alike? Deb Newberry, Director of the Nano-Link program at Dakota County Technical College, MN, talks about the exciting area where nanotechnology and biotechnology converge.
Project Based Learning at Salt Lake Community College: InnovaBio CRO and Distributed Gene Discovery
Craig Caldwell talks about two innovative education programs at Salt Lake City Community College: InnovaBio and the Distributed Gene Discovery Project. InnovaBio is a non-profit CRO (contract research organization) that gives students industry experience by having them work on industry projects. The Distributed Gene Discovery Project involves teachers throughout Utah whose students are cloning and sequencing genes from halophilic archea in the Great Salt Lake.
Stem Cell Technology Certification at the City College of San Francisco
In California, stem cells are a new type of gold. The growing importance of stem cells in medical and biotechnological research means that there are growing numbers of jobs for students who are trained in this area. Learn about the industry, the opportunities, and the Stem Cell Certification program from Dr. Paul Raju, City College of San Francisco.
Dr. Robert Hatherill describes his experiences bringing students to work in national labs through the FaST program, presents data that demonstrate the impact of undergraduate research on student learning and discusses other Department of Energy programs that provide internship opportunites for both students and faculty.
