I hope your summer is going well and you're learning lots of interesting things. I know lots of workshops are going on and other kinds of professional development activities. We would love it if you want to share a bit about your experiences. Just send us a couple of sentences and one or two photos and we'll do it.
Our theme for this month is algae, so we've compiled lots of algae articles, events, and information to help you get started working these interesting organisms.
We are currently working on updating all the Bio-Link program pages. If you teach in a Bio-Link college biotech program, please take a look at your page. Is the information correct? Do you think it appeals to students? If not, either log in to Bio-Link and update your page or send us your changes! We want the world to know what makes your college or high school program wonderful.
Sandra Porter, PhD
PI, A Bridge to Bio-Link's Future, DUE 1764225
Two Bio-Link college programs (Des Moines Area Community College, and Lone Star College) are partnering with the University of Texas Algae Culture Collection (UTEX) and NASA to determine how algae produce astaxanthin in space.
Your students can participate in this experiment, too. You can request samples of these algae (Haematococcus pluvialis) after they return from space and compare their characteristics to algae that remained earth-bound. #pluvi
Micro-algae have become increasingly popular for cleaning water, capturing carbon, and producing interesting kinds of bioproducts such as biofuels, nutritional supplements, and food.
But what are the prospects for biotech students in algal technology?
Are the companies that work on algae hiring our students?
To answer this question, I started off at Biotech-Careers.org, used the term "Algae" and filtered by the United States to estimate the number of US companies working in this space.
I found 43 employers.
Most of these companies are using algae to make some kind of food or nutritional supplement, but they also use algae to make cosmetics, fertilizer, chemicals, biofuels, bioplastics, fabric, and vaccines. A few are working on carbon capture technology or using algae to treat wastewater.
To see the number of Bio-Link students working in algae companies, I clicked "Biotech Companies" at the top of a Biotech-Careers.org page. I typed "algae" to see employers that work with algae, then used the "Hired a Bio-Link student" filter to see how many employers hired graduates from Bio-Link college programs.
I found five employers, hired Bio-Link students, and work with algae. Two are in San Diego, two in San Francisco, and one is in Seattle. These numbers might be on the low side, but they indicate that algal technologies are still in an early phase when it comes to hiring entry-level technicians.
If you know former students who are working in algae-related companies, let me know (Sandy at bio-link dot org). It takes a mutual committment to make our community databases the best they can be.
Associates degree & certificate: Santa Fe Community College has a strong focus on sustainable technology and offers both a degree and a certificate in Algal cultivation and biotechnology.
Professional development HI-TEC conference, St. Louis, MO -2019 HI-TEC Sessions of Interest Weds, 24th, 11:15 - Noon: Interested in Learning about Emerging Algae Technologies? ATEC can help Linnea Fletcher, Ira Levine, Stephen Gomez, and Matt Carr will talk about the Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC) and their work to develop educational programs in this area.
Algae Summer Science Institute: July 29th-Aug 2nd, 2019
Austin Community College. View the event or see more info below.
We're happy to congratulate Russ Read, from the Bio-Link program at Forsyth Technical Community College, on receiving the Academic Development Excellence award from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center at the June Triad BioNight.
If you haven't met Russ, he is executive director of the Winston-Salem-based National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce, which focuses on achieving best practices for bioscience workforce training with its national partners.
Russ has worked in the bioscience industry for over 35 years and is the Principal Investigator on the NSF ATE BETA Skills grant. Before that, he led a national DOL sponsored effort to define skills standards in biotech and medical device workforce education.
Before getting involved with education, Russ worked in industry at the Burroughs Wellcome and Glaxo Wellcome companies, where he was involved with the commercial development of antivirals including AZT and 3TC, which are mainstay treatments for HIV illness. He was also the chief executive officer of Kucera Pharmaceutical Company, a start-up company based in Winston-Salem.
Opportunities for Faculty
The Algae Summer Science Institute (ASSI) is a program of The Algae Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of promoting the power of algae to transform human society and the environment upon which it depends. This 5 day hands-on professional development program allows K-12 educators to experience an algae-based STEM curriculum. The first half of the week focuses on algal education for teachers, the second half offers an intensive student learning opportunity.
The Algae Summer Science Institute offers participants:
● 5 days of K-12 STEM initiative training and teaching experience
● $150.00 stipend
● 4.0 CEUs
● Certificate of ASSI program completion
● Materials for lessons in the classroom
● Catered lunch and snacks
This year, the HI-TEC conference will take place July 22-25 in St. Louis. There will be lots of things to see and do, and so we have compiled a list of sessions members of the Bio-Link community might be particularly interested in--starting with Missouri Biotech Day preconference session at the Danforth Center Auditorium on July 22nd NY
Hey industry partners:
Are you looking for employees with the right combination of lab skills and soft skills? Do you have internships for biotech students? Learn how you can post biotech job ads and internships for free.
Funding for this project has been provided through the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technology Education Program, DUE 1764225.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, Bio-Link, or its partners.
