Putting Biotech to Work:

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Putting Biotech to Work

• Skillfully Incorporating Workplace Skills into
  the Classroom

Marlena L. Jones, MS DCBiotech/CASE Carnegie
Institution of Washington
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From Classroom to Workplace

• Students who might like to work in science jobs
  often are not motivated by traditional science
  teaching methods.
• The transition from science student to science
  worker can be difficult without learned,
  practiced, practical workplace skills.
• So, how does an overworked instructor add
  workplace skill training to the classroom?

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Examples of Workplace Skills

• Intercommunication skills as students work in
  teams
• Conflict resolution skills as team members
  discuss the organization of the lab activity
• Resumé writing skills as students apply for
  internships
• Punctuality
• Appropriate attire
• Appropriate behavior (including communication
  skills, use of phone/iPods/computers, what to do
  during down time, etc.)
• Experimental plan and execution
• Troubleshooting

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National Bio-Link Center

• National Advanced Technological Education (ATE)
  Center for Biotechnology that originated in late
  1998 with NSF grant
• Created to improve and expand educational
  programs that prepare skilled technicians to work
  in the high-tech fields that drive the U.S.
  economy.
• Enhances and expands biotechnology education
  programs by providing cutting edge professional
  development for instructors, by improving
  curriculum, by making use of technologies and by
  creating a system that promotes the sharing of
  information
• City College of San Francisco with office space
  at the University of California San Francisco
• Regional Bio-Link Centers
• located in Seattle, WA San Diego, CA San
  Francisco, CA Austin, TX Madison, WI Graham,
  NC and Portsmouth, NH

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Nationally Recognized Biotech Programs

• http//www.biotechworkforce.org/
• National Bio-Link Center Elaine A. Johnson
  Bio-Link City College of San Francisco 1855
  Folsom St, Ste 643 San Francisco, CA 94103
  [phone] ejohnson_at_biolink.ucsf.edu
• http//www.workforce3one.org/

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National Bio-Link Center (cont.)

• Regional centers develop relations with local
  industry and educational institutions including
  community colleges, baccalaureate institutions,
  and high schools
• Each regional center spearheads a different
  element of the program
• Bio-Link is supporting a cadre of well-trained
  instructors and is increasing the number and
  quality of biotechnology programs for students.
• Bio-Link is bringing a wide range of
  underrepresented students to biotechnology who
  have the knowledge and skills essential to the
  field as well as the ability to continue with
  more advanced education in math, science and
  engineering.

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Bio-Link Resources

• Clearinghouse
• Discussion Group
• Internships
• Jobs
• Resumés
• Job Links
• Biotech by State

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Bio-Link Resources

• Clearinghouse
• A collection of instructional and curriculum
  materials that are specifically targeted for
  courses and programs that educate biotechnology
  technicians and bench scientists.
• All materials and resources are available at no
  charge.
• Options
• View Biotech Materials - Summaries of available
  resources
• Become a Subscriber
• Become a Contributor
• All materials in the Bio-link Clearinghouse are
  contributed by educators who give us permission
  to distribute their work. 

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Workforce3one.org

• http//www.workforce3one.org/
• sponsored by the U.S. Department of
  Labor/Employment and Training Administration
  (ETA),
• an interactive communications and learning
  platform designed to build the capacity of the
  Workforce Investment System (WIS) to develop
  strategies that enable individuals to be
  successful in the 21st century economy
• This platform provides online insight into the
  skills and competencies required by business and
  industry through the innovative workforce
  solutions identified by a wide range of strategic
  partners and grantees
• an invested community of system stakeholders who
  share best practices and model demand-driven and
  regional economic development strategies at work

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North Carolina Biotechnology Center
It's not surprising that solid career skills are
equally as important as scientific or technical
training in the eyes of a prospective employer.
For example, what if a laboratory technician
cut corners or recorded incorrect data?
Scientific and technical training may get you a
job interview, but it's likely your career skills
will land you the job. http//www.ncbiotech.or
g/
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Why Biotechnology?

• Biotechnology is predicted to be one of the most
  important applied sciences of the 21st century.
  The field of biotechnology can trace its true
  birth back to the dawn of civilization, when
  early man discovered the ability to ferment
  grains to make alcoholic beverages, and learned
  of the usefulness of cross-pollinating crops in
  order to create new hybrid strains-the earliest
  form of genetic engineering.
• (Source http//www.plunkettresearch.com/health/
  biotech_trends.htm2)

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Why Biotech? (cont.)

• Biotechnicians help biotechnical researchers and
  biologists isolate, analyze and identify the
  chemicals found in plants, animals, and humans. 
  They use live organisms, to produce drugs,
  fertilizers and new chemicals for medicine, food
  processing, and energy and chemical production. 
  They may help find a cure for cancer, the common
  cold or HIV.  Biotechnicians do routine
  scientific work and conduct supervised tests on
  biochemical products.  Cell culture technicians
  do specialized laboratory work for biotech
  companies.
• ExperienceEmployers prefer two years of
  specialized training or experience at a community
  college or four-year institution.
• Skills - Knowledge of
• Scientific principles
• Research techniques
• How to operate laboratory, testing, field
  equipment
• Computers, computer software
• How to interpret computer printouts

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Biotechnicians Need

• Skills
• Communication skills including strong writing and
  presentation skills.
• Flexible interpersonal skills such as working
  effectively alone, with a partner, or as a member
  of a team.
• Leadership skills including the ability to
  organize, motivate, and manage people and
  projects.
• Organization skills including attention to
  detail, troubleshooting ability, and time
  management.

• Attributes
• Successful employees in the biotechnology
  industry are
• Self-motivated
• Eager to learn
• Resourceful
• Problem solvers
• Reliable
• Trustworthy
• Punctual

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A Few Biotech Careers

• Laboratory Technician
• Biologist
• Process Supervisor
• Senior Production Assistant I
• cDNA Library Coordinator
• Software Development Analyst
• Account Manager
• Facilities Manager/Production Scientist
• Research Specialist
• Metrology Specialist
• RD Scientist 4
• Quality Assurance Auditor
• Research Development Scientist
• Process Development Technician
• Quality Control Technician/Analyst
• Manufacturing Operator
• Lot Review Coorodinator
• Research Technician/Associate/Assistant
• Validation Consultant

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From Career Option to Career

• Workplace skills in classroom
• Internships (paid/unpaid) during summer
• or late high school years
• Community college, college, university depends
  upon career selected/desired
• Continued progression from student to employee

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Internships
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Internships

• Opportunity for students to use learned skills,
  knowledge, and talents in different environment
• See importance of workplace skills in action
  realize that lack of proper recording effects
  experiments/lab greatly
• Interns learn self-reliance and self-confidence
  as succeed
• Possible future job opportunity
• Allows program to emphasize workplace skills via
  interaction of interns with other students,
  especially younger students

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Internships

• Pre-intern meetings
• Regular meetings throughout internships,
  including site visits (if practical)
• Post-intern meetings

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Internships

• Pre-intern meetings
• Transition from classroom to laboratory
• Lack of regular grade does not mean lack of
  responsibility
• Emphasize responsibilities of intern
• Communication with lab team
• Conflict resolution

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Internships

• Regular meetings throughout internships,
  including site visits (if practical)
• Opportunity for intern to vent
• Compare lab experiences with non-lab experiences
• Post-intern meeting/Presentation
• Mentor and mentee work towards common goal
• Mentor can access accomplishments of mentee and
  compare to other internships
• Access success of internship
• Suggest areas of improvement

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Incorporating Into Lab Activities

• Expecting students to prepare basic reagents
• Encouraging/rewarding lab clean-up and lab attire
• Thus, students learn the fundamental skills that
  are vital to success in a laboratory environment
• Skills are reinforced by internships, scientist
  visits, and touring neighborhood labs

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Typical Lab
POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION Laboratory
Procedures Briefly (10 sec.) spin each labeled
tube in the profuge. Put the following
components into a sterile sterile 0.5ml
microcentrifuge tube containing a white bad. The
white bead contains the standard PCR reaction
components dNTPs, Buffer, MgCl2, and Taq
polymerase. Template DNA 10?l Primer 1 and 2
(Mixed) 10?l Ultrapure ddH2O 7?l Label the top
of the tube with your initials, date, and expt.
Then, spin (10 sec.) the tube containing all
components to insure each chemical is at the
bottom of the tube. Carefully add 50?l of mineral
oil (or wax beads) to the tube. Place tube into
the thermocycler which will be set to run under
the following specifications Cycle
Condition 1 29 45 seconds at 94?C
(Denaturation) 45 seconds at 45?C
(Annealing) 45 seconds at 72?C (Extension) 30
45 seconds at 94 (Denaturation) 45 seconds at
45 (Annealing) 5 minutes at 72 (Extension) While
the PCR reaction is running, set up a 1.5
agarose, using the 1xTBE buffer. Once the PCR
reaction has completed, take 10 ?l of your PCR
product (below the mineral oil or wax paper) and
add it to a new sterile tube labeled 1.5ml tube.
(NOTE You may need to use a sterile
micropipetter tip to gently pierce the wax
latter. Do not push the tip all the way through.
Then remove the 10?l of PCR product and put into
new tube. add 1 ?l of loading dye. Load samples
and molecular weight markers (MWM) onto the gel
and record what each is in ea well. Run the gel
at 100V for one hour (or until pink dye is 2-3cm
from bottle of gel. Stain gel with ethidium
bromide for 30 minus. View results using IV
light.
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Typical Lab to Biotech Lab

• Students prepare solutions
• Students responsible for lab maintenance (assign
  tasks/grade)
• Students can run lab experiments
  pseudo-independently, especially as progress from
  sophomore to junior to senior years
• Access periodically maturation process comfort
  level, capabilities

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DCBiotech/CASE

• NSF funded grant 0603415
• 2006-09
• Partnership between Carnegie Institution for
  Science, DCPS and OCTE, Montgomery College, and
  others

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DCBiotech/CASE

• Toby Horn, Julie Edmonds, Maxine Singer, Bianca
  Abrams

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For Additional Information

• Visit www.dcbiotech.org
• Contact us
• Marlena Jones mjones_at_ciw.edu 202-939-1103
• Toby Horn thorn_at_ciw.edu 202-939-1136
• Location
• 1530 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

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Enjoy Memphis!
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DC Biotech is

• NSF funded ATE grant 0603415
• A partnership between Carnegie Institution for
  Science, DCPS, MC
• Operates at McKinley Technology High School and
  Ballou Senior High School