Enabling Educators: Biotechnology in the Classroom

Abstract

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is an independent, non-profit corporation established by the State of North Carolina to stimulate the growth of biotechnology industry in the state. The Biotechnology Center’s Education and Training Program provided comprehensive support for secondary and post-secondary education across the state in order to promote public understanding of applications of biotechnology and develop an educated workforce to support industry growth. Our primary tools were workshops, conferences, and publications to inform educators about biotechnology science, industry, and careers; and a competitive grant program that provided funding of up to $100,000 for biotechnology education projects . We addressed public outreach both directly and through the secondary school system. Over nearly three decades, we organized summer workshops about biotechnology for some 2,000 North Carolina school teachers , including agricultural biotechnology workshops in collaboration with companies in this rapidly growing industry sector. Our studies of biomanufacturing industry hiring needs and employee education requirements supported industry collaboration with state universities and the community college system to build major new education and hands-on training facilities. We addressed a critical need for manufacturing technicians in the industry by developing a community college course that companies often required for pre-hire and new hire training.