Palm Beach State College is the recipient of a $200,000 grant from the NSF’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, designed to promote the education of biotechnology lab technician.
During the course of the two-year grant, the College will implement a multifaceted plan for improving enrollment, retention and graduation rates for its College Credit Certificate and Associate in Science degree programs in biotechnology. The grant-winning proposal, titled Project BLAST (Biotechnology Laboratory and Skills Training), also sets the goal of expanding opportunities for Associate in Arts (transfer degree) students to study biotechnology and explore the field.
“The grant is providing some really wonderful opportunities to help the students succeed within the program and beyond,” says Professor Alexandra Gorgevska, Ph.D., principal investigator for the NSF-ATE grant and department chair for natural sciences at the College.
Gorgevska, working with professors and co-principal investigators Tod Fairbanks, Ph.D. and Silvio Arango-Jaramillo, Ph.D., will oversee a variety of initiatives designed to create an active learning community for the biotechnology students, including events that involve industry partners and the public.
One such event is the Biotechnology Student Poster Symposium to be held Monday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the BioScience Technology Complex, Room SC127, on the Palm Beach Gardens campus, 3160 PGA Blvd. “It’s a great event because the students learn how to present scientific data to an audience, and our industry partners and the community get to see the type of work that’s being done here,” says Gorgevska. Attendees, including local high school students, also will have the chance to learn about biotech careers and meet local scientists. A panel of industry partners will judge and award prizes to the top presenters. Upcoming grant-funded events include Biotech Awareness Week, April 16-20, 2012, which will feature activities and films highlighting the impact of biotechnology on daily life, and another student poster symposium set for April 30, 2012.
In addition to curriculum enhancements, the NSF-ATE grant is funding many initiatives. Biotechnology students will have more internship opportunities and new educational tools to keep them on track. The grant will pay for student participation in industry conferences, as well as professional development for faculty and advisors.