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The Georgia Bioscience Technology Institute (GBTI; see www.gabioscience.org) is a collaboration created through a Community Based Job Training Grant from the United States Department of Labor. The collaboration is between Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Athens Technical College in Athens, Georgia. Through the GBTI, these colleges are working to develop a biotechnology workforce in an area of Georgia known as the Innovation Crescent (www.innovationcrescent.com). This effort consists of an array of activities intended to facilitate a workforce pipeline stretching from middle school to employment in the biosciences industry.
Since the grant's inception, numerous initiatives have been implemented. Chronologically for elementary students, the development of middle school tasks incorporated into the state's academic standards will capture the interests of students at a time when they often lose interest in math and science-related topics. Some examples of these tasks include a nuclear transfer utilizing Jello™, an electrophoresis rig made from Lego™ blocks, and an artificial heart valve made from rubber tubing and latex gloves. These tasks, coupled with the necessary teacher training, create an early student interest in the field of bioscience. GBTI implemented high school opportunities for students to explore bioscience while meeting the necessary graduation requirements. Two separate career-track curricula and a stand-alone biotechnology science course have been incorporated into the options for Georgia's high school students to meet their graduation requirements. Of course, teacher training required for delivery of the course competencies has been developed and delivered within the Innovation Crescent to facilitate this K-12 educational path. Technical college-level programs have been established, including certificates in regulatory assurance, clinical research, and laboratory technologists, along with associate degrees in bioscience and biotechnology. These postsecondary educational programs deliver hands-on instruction that prepares students to move directly into the workforce or continue on to baccalaureate programs. Included in these programs is a 300-hour internship that smoothes the transition into the workplace.
The creation of a life science educational system requires an extensive and coordinated network of educators, industry partners, governmental agencies and students. Specific transition points are particularly vulnerable to loss of students. The transition from middle school to high school is one of these points. Development and implementation of bioscience-based teaching tasks is a method by which students can develop a keen interest in math and science during the impressionable middle school phase. High school graduation, or lack thereof, is another transition point where students often exit the pipeline. Here we can implement hands-on, engaging curriculum based on bioscience techniques utilized in industry and research settings to establish a foundation in math and science learning. An engagement in high school is likely the most critical phase in the pipeline. Technical college programs solidify the experiential learning coupled with supportive theory that enables students to become contributing employees. This science education system is not only critical for individuals interested in science-based careers, but also provides for a science-literate population to participate in public policy making.
The GBTI consists of a variety of educational professionals linked to industry representatives. Together, we seek to incorporate bioscience learning into our educational system. Careers in the biosciences will offer students opportunity to contribute in health care, alternative energy, agriculture, forensics, and, of course, education for the future. Join us as we move to a new place in science education in the United States.
A presentation by the GBTI at the upcoming National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) conference will highlight much of this endeavor and describe opportunities to get involved.
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