Expanding Hands-On Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Experience for Diverse Student Populations

该项目旨在促进不同群体、代表性不足的社区大学生和高中生对生物技术和生物制造职业道路的认识。BIOSCOPE(生物科学供应链运营教育项目)模式为学生提供基于项目的活动，通过生产符合行业质量标准和良好制造规范(GMP)的实验室试剂和消耗品，学习生物制造并获得动手操作的行业相关技能。产品通常是实验室试剂盒的组成部分，这些试剂盒被打包并分发给高中，供生物和生物技术专业的学生使用。这一点很重要，因为社区大学和高中之间建立的联系为高中学生进入社区大学生物科学课程和项目创造了意识和途径。该项目为学生提供实践经验，为他们在向上流动的可居住工资工作的入门级工作做好准备。对于许多学生来说，对科学的恐惧是一个障碍，包括那些在追求这类职业的过程中得不到充分服务和代表性的学生，因为许多人错误地认为，生命科学事业需要更高的学位。Bicope消除了这一障碍，并通过为喜欢用手工作的学生提供经验，向他们介绍在生命科学领域从事有意义职业的机会，从而帮助他们。这些学生群体通过进入回报丰厚的高薪职业而受益，通过获得包容、多样化和熟练的劳动力而受益于行业利益。该项目是米拉科斯塔学院生物科学劳动力发展中心、湾区生物科学教育社区(BABEC)和莱尼学院之间的合作，包括加州各地的社区大学、生物科学行业、州工业贸易协会、劳动力发展组织和相关的NSF ATE项目绩效指标。该项目的具体目的是培训社区学院生物技术教师公平地实施Bicope活动，通过开展Bicope活动提高人们对生物技术的认识并提供实践经验，为社区大学的生物技术招生创造一个渠道，并提供指导，为不同、代表性不足的社区学院学生在生物制造领域的职业生涯做好准备。这些学生往往不知道生物技术，也不知道生物技术可以提供适合他们的兴趣、天赋和技能的高薪职业。项目人员的目标是了解该项目是否提高了人们对生物技术的认识，是否支持了进入社区大学生物技术项目的学生渠道，以及它对获得行业实习和工作的学生有何影响。参与社区大学的教职员工将接受调查，以跟踪Bicope活动的实施频率、参加Bicope活动的学生数量、继续从事行业实习或工作的学生数量，以及从合作高中注册社区大学生物技术课程的学生数量。通过在不同的历史上缺乏服务的学生群体中扩大生物技术和生物制造的知识和理解，该项目旨在为他们在这个为许多影响健康和环境问题的全球挑战提供解决方案的行业中的增长和创新做好准备。这项工作的结果将通过网站、社交媒体、面对面和虚拟培训、在会议和行业咨询会议上的州和国家陈述在加利福尼亚州和全国范围内传播。该项目由高级技术教育计划资助，该计划专注于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to promote awareness of Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing career pathways for diverse, underrepresented community college and high school students. The BioSCOPE (Bioscience Supply Chain Operations Projects for Education) model provides students with project-based activities to learn about biomanufacturing and gain hands-on, industry-relevant skills by producing laboratory reagents and consumables compliant with industry quality standards and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Products are typically components of laboratory kits that are packaged and distributed to high schools for use by biology and biotechnology students. This is important because connections established between community colleges and high schools create awareness and pathways for students from high schools to enter community college bioscience courses and programs. The project provides students with hands-on experience that prepares them for entry-level employment in livable-wage jobs with upward mobility. Fear of science is a barrier for many students, including those who are underserved and underrepresented in their participation in the pursuit of such careers, as many falsely believe a career in life sciences requires an advanced degree. BioSCOPE removes this barrier and helps students that like to work with their hands by giving them experience that introduces them to opportunities for a rewarding career in life sciences. These student populations benefit by entering rewarding, high-paying careers, and industry benefits by gaining an inclusive, diverse, and skilled workforce. This project is a collaboration between the Bioscience Workforce Development Hub at MiraCosta College, the Bay Area Bioscience Education Community (BABEC), and Laney College, and includes partners throughout California from community colleges, the Bioscience industry, state industry trade associations, workforce development organizations, and related NSF ATE project PIs. The project specifically aims to train community college biotechnology faculty to equitably implement BioSCOPE activities, create a pipeline for enrollment in biotechnology at community colleges by increasing awareness and providing hands-on experience in biotechnology through doing BioSCOPE activities, and provide mentorship to prepare diverse, underrepresented community college students for careers in Biomanufacturing. These students are often not aware of Biotech or of the accessible high-wage careers Biotech can provide that suit their interests, talents, and skills. The project personnel aim to learn if the project builds awareness of Biotech, whether it bolsters a pipeline of students into community college Biotech programs, and how it impacts students getting industry internships and jobs. Participating community college faculty will be surveyed to track the frequency of BioSCOPE activities implemented, the number of students that participate in BioSCOPE, who continues on to industry internships or jobs, and the number of students that enroll in community college Biotech courses from partner high schools. By expanding knowledge and understanding of Biotech and Biomanufacturing among a diverse population of historically underserved students, the project aims to prepare them for growth and innovation within an industry that provides solutions for many global challenges that impact both health and environmental issues. The findings of this work will be disseminated in California and nationally through websites, social media, in-person and virtual trainings, state and national presentations at conferences and industry advisory meetings. 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.