Blogs

This October (9-11, 2019), I attended the 3rd NIBLSE conference entitled: "Integration of Bioinformatics into Life Science Education: Roadmap for the Future." It was held at " Hot Shops " in Omaha Nebraska, a space for artists to work, sell, and meet.

You might ask what is NIBLSE and why are they making a roadmap for the future?

NIBLSE - Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education, is five-year NSF funded Research Collaboration Network (RCN [1]) that formed to address the question, with bioinformatics... Read more

In March 2019, members of Bio-Link and the AC2 Bio-Link Regional Center participated in a panel at the annual ABRF conference. The ABRF stands for the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities. These are the laboratories at Universities, companies, and research institutions, that provide core services like DNA sequencing, imaging, and proteomics. Panelists discussed the role of community colleges in educating the biotechnology workforce and some of the innovative strategies for providing students with hands-on experience such as contract service labs, and community college incubators. College-run contract service labs and core labs at academic institutions have many features in common so... Read more

ATEC Announces Algae Cultivation Extension Short-course (ACES): Part 2: Microalgae is NOW AVAILABLE!

This Free Algae Cultivation Exension Short-course is the extension/outreach component of the Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC).

The Microalgae for Aquaculture course is an online compendium of videos and online lectures chosen to give a thorough introduction into the culturing of various commercial microalgae, for those interested in the skill set and techniques required for the aquaculture industry. The course includes: a large number of videos produced by national and international programs, and guided PowerPoint presentations; including... Read more

In the early 1980s, Genentech produced the first biotech drug – insulin. North Carolina’s leaders took note, and planted the seeds to grow a life science sector in North Carolina. In 1984, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center formed as a private, nonprofit company – the first state-funded effort to grow a state’s life science strengths.

Thirty-five years later, they have a lot to celebrate.

A handful of companies has grown to more than 700. Major names in agriculture, pharmaceuticals and contract research have grown – and changed names – and, along with cutting-edge... Read more

Many of National Laboratories offer internships for college students.

Are you a community college student ? Apply for the Community College Internship (CCI). Learn more about the CCI program

Are you are an undergraduate at a 4 yr college or university ? Apply for the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI). Learn more about the SULI program .

Applications for summer internships are due January 9, 2020

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In June 2019, a group of STEM educators from across the country came together to discuss a widely-misunderstood approach to laboratory work: design of experiments (DOE). DOE is a system that optimizes processes through the methodical varying of key parameters and a formalized statistical approach to analyzing and interpreting data, and applying the results. However, as it is not commonly used in academia outside of engineering fields, many STEM educators have little to no experience with DOE.

MiraCosta College’s biotechnology faculty and the Dean of Math and Sciences gave STEM educators an opportunity... Read more

The NIH defines a disease as rare if it affects fewer than 200,000 Americans, or roughly 1 in every 1,000 (as stated on the Global Genes website, a non-profit advocating for rare disease globally). And if your child is that one, finding out why, and figuring out how to fix it, is nothing short of miraculous.

This is the story of Xander , a boy who started out life with too many red blood cells. This story is why I went into science, both because I am enthralled by the amazing details of life,... Read more

As described in on the event page , the Biosciences Industry Fellowship Program, hosted by Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem North Carolina, was an action packed three weeks. The first week included visits and workshops in partnering schools. During the second week we participated in a week long green fluorescent protein biomanufactuing workshop that covered the gamut from 30 liter fermentation, to isolation, to purification, to filling vials in sterile conditions. In the last week we visited and toured area biotechnology companies and closed with presentations by the participants.

Photos from the workshop are below.

... Read more

Do you have promising ideas for improving technician education but are not sure how to get them funded?

Apply by 11:59 p.m. EST, October 11, 2019 to be considered for this opportunity!

What is the New-to-ATE STEM Faculty Mentorship?
Up to 24, two-year college teams will be selected to join the 2020 technical assistance and mentoring support cohort!
STEM faculty teams receive mentoring, instruction, and resources to assist them in preparing a competitive proposal for submission to the National Science Foundation Advanced... Read more

The annual HI-TEC conference will be held July 22-25 in St. Louis, MO. The event is sure to be a busy one, packed with all kinds of great sessions to attend. We assembled a list of sessions presented by Bio-Link community members in order to it easier to plan your schedule. If you're planning to attend HI-TEC, send us your Twitter handle so we can be sure to follow you and make a list of conference-related tweets.

Monday, July 22

8:00 - 5:30 pm Missouri Biotech Day... Read more