Improving Biotechnology Outcomes Through Pre-Professional Experiences and Industry Partnerships

Cerritos College, Norwalk CA

Investigators

Abstract

Over the past six years, Southern California has become one of the nation’s leading centers for biotechnology, with a focus on biomanufacturing as well as biological and chemical technology. In the last decade, more than 93,000 workers have been hired by 2,800 companies in the region. In order to meet industrial needs, Cerritos College will establish the Cerritos College Biotechnology Initiative with the goal of providing an accessible academic pathway to high wage jobs with high growth potential. The Biotechnology Initiative will create new certificate and degree programs, offer enrichment activities to increase awareness, provide professional development, and strengthen partnerships with regional employers. This initiative should generate new knowledge regarding effective strategies to create interest in biotechnology careers through pre-professional experiences that will ultimately result in a more highly skilled technical workforce. Cerritos College will develop and implement an academic pathway with three new courses that will result in a biotechnology certificate and may also be used to complete an associate's degree. This project is expected to enroll 42 students each year. To attract current students into the program, a new biotechnology focused lab module will be implemented in the high enrollment general biology course featuring experiments on antibody testing and effective manufacturing practices. To further support the initiative, faculty from Chemistry and Biology will participate in 27 hours of professional development activities that will increase their knowledge of relevant biotechnology experiments and content, and optimize their ability to recruit students through more personalized “shoulder tap” methods. In order to professionalize students, the Biotechnology Initiative will feature a seminar series, field trips, mock interviews, and community service activities. An in-depth evaluation plan will assess the success of the program and the degree to which certificate and degree completers are able to meet the needs of regional employers. Results from the project will be disseminated regionally through professional organizations and nationally among the two-year college community. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.