ATE Biotechnology Projects

There is a renewed sense of urgency to develop a more diverse workforce in STEM-related fields. This project focuses on community college students from groups that are not yet equitably represented in STEM. These communities have also been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most workforce interventions to prepare students for technical positions have been based on the premise that the students simply need targeted skill training and tips on behavioral norms to be successful in these workplace cultures. This “student deficit” model puts the burden on the newcomer to navigate ... Read more

The biomanufacturing industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. It is also known for its continuous attention to modernizing its facilities and adopting new technologies. Emerging technologies are rapidly changing the landscape of biomanufacturing. As a result, biomanufacturing technicians require new courses and workforce skills to stay current. This project will facilitate development of a learn-by-doing instructional model that combines a traditional, in-person laboratory with virtual experimentation. The project predicts that this blended learning environment, which ... Read more

The Madison, Wisconsin, region has a high concentration of jobs in bioscience industries. For example, it ranks fourth in the nation for concentration of pharmaceutical industries. The existing Biotechnology Program at Madison Area Technical College has a 90% job placement rate, but does not produce sufficient graduates to meet regional industry demands. This project will establish a nine-credit Biotechnology Program for liberal arts and undeclared students at Madison Area Technical College. By integrating biotechnology laboratory skills and career development experiences into the general ... Read more

Although technical training at community colleges can prepare students for work in the biotechnology industry, industry and academic employers are sometimes hesitant to hire students with less than bachelor-level degrees. Successful internship programs that integrate work-based learning and undergraduate research experiences can increase the competitiveness of community college-trained students for these positions. The City College of San Francisco (CCSF) is collaborating with the Office of Career Planning and Development at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to address this ... Read more

This project aims to coordinate a network of stakeholders that will promote economic growth through workforce development in Advanced Manufacturing of Cell and Tissue-based Products (CAMCTP). CAMCTP requires a new kind of manufacturing that uses robotics, microfluidics, 3-D printing, computational modeling, and novel types of engineering to construct biologically relevant products composed of living cells in combination with natural or synthetic materials. The field is built upon advances in stem cell biology, genome editing, synthetic biology, computational modeling, micro- and nano- ... Read more

Antibodies are proteins involved in vertebrate immune responses. They are also used for medical and other purposes. For example, nearly 300 employers across the United States develop antibody-based drugs or diagnostic tests, sell antibodies as bioreagents, or provide antibody-related laboratory services. Not surprisingly, antibodies are an important front-line tool for diagnosing and treating COVID-19 infections. Bioengineering antibodies is an active area of applied biotechnology research. Bioengineered antibodies have the potential to reduce the costs of antibody manufacturing and storage, ... Read more

This project aims to educate skilled science technicians, thus supporting Minnesota's goal of developing a high-tech industry corridor between the metropolitan areas of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The project will expand and enhance the College's Science Technician Associate of Science (AS) degree program. To increase the placement of Science Technician AS graduates directly into the workforce, the project will: infuse science technician skills into required courses; develop a job and internship center; formalize partnerships to increase access to internship experiences; and develop an ... Read more

The nation’s capital region, including Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., is an expanding hub of biotechnology innovation and industry. Consequently, the number of biotechnology jobs is projected to increase in the region, as well as nationally. Despite the growing workforce demand, the public has a limited understanding of the biotechnology field or its promising career options. In addition, high school students, including students from economically challenged, underrepresented, and/or rural backgrounds, have limited exposure to the range of possible college and career choices. This ... Read more

The California bioscience sector employs more 300,000 skilled technicians, as well as at least an additional 600,000 related workers. Though the pandemic has negatively impacted many businesses across the state, the bioscience sector continues to expand, including efforts to develop, test, treat, and prevent COVID-19 infection. This project at Los Angeles Mission College focuses on two pressing needs: the acute industry demand for biotechnology lab assistants and technicians due to the pandemic, and the need of many individuals who lost their jobs to find new, sustainable employment. The ... Read more

The rapidly expanding biomanufacturing industries in eastern North Carolina have a growing need for skilled technicians. For example, over the next eight years, Novo Nordisk plans to invest in a $1.8 billion production facility and to hire 800 employees, approximately 500 of whom will be maintenance and process technicians. In addition, Grifols plans to invest $375 million in production facility upgrades and plans to hire approximately 500 technicians. This project will help meet these workforce needs by blending concepts and skills of applied engineering and biotechnology into two existing ... Read more

Advances at the intersection of biomedical devices and tissue engineering are creating new workforce demands for advanced technological education. With the development of combination devices, sensors, photonics, and implantable systems, employers need technician-specialists who understand more than classical biological and chemical sciences and traditional engineering. The emerging technician-specialist will also need to understand fundamental principles of electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, optics, photonics, and process-control/quality assurance. Through its ... Read more

The rapid expansion of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing into every subdiscipline of biomedical research requires concomitant training of qualified technicians. The Technician Training in Gene Editing (TTiGE) project addresses this need through a collaboration between instructors at Delaware Technical Community College (DTCC) and scientists at the Gene Editing Institute (GEI). Through this partnership, the latest techniques and applications of gene editing being used in the research settings of GEI will be integrated into student-centered curriculum in several courses in the DTCC Biotechnology program ... Read more