2016 Bio-Link Summer Fellows Forum

Presenter : Sonia Wallman, PhD Description : Biomanufacturing education and training at community colleges took off in the late 1980's through the development of the earliest biotechnology hands-on education and training programs in industry clusters in California, Massachusetts and North Carolina. Community college biomanufacturing programs follow local industry need-early programs focused on biopharmaceutical production and analysis. Recent growth of industrial biotechnology in locales across the nation has led to the development of programs focusing on bioenergy; sustainable energy production and distribution; production and analysis of microalgae, yeast and bacterial industrial bioproducts and biodiesel production and analysis. The presentation shows the ... Read more

Presenter : Ellyn Daugherty, Rock Star Science Participants learn strategies to plan and implement innovative STEM biotech curriculum for all students at all levels, leading students to do science in adult environments. Participants will conduct 2 computer activities (molecular modeling and primer design) from the new edition of Biotechnology: Science for the New Millennium, 2017. Read more

Presenter : Dr. Mayasari Lim, SE3D Education, https://www.se3d.com/ This 3D bioprinting workshop covered concepts and applications of bioprinting technology in the biotech and biomedical industry. The workshop showcased an example of how an industry application can be transferred into a classroom setting and included a hands-on activity showing participants how to use a desktop 3D bioprinter. SE3D's classroom 3D bioprinter, r3bEL, can be used to print biological arrays and models efficiently and serves as a robust lab equipment for illustrating different examples across the biotech and biomedical fields. Read more

Presenter : James DeKloe, Solano College Description : An increasing number of biotechnology companies are introducing single-use (disposable) technologies into their biomanufacturing process. These technologies reduce upfront capital costs, increase manufacturing times,and reduce the risk of cross contamination of products. They also eliminate the need for cleaning and sterilization, reducing the use (and cost) of water, cleaning solutions, steam, and energy. The introduction of these technologies into the classroom better prepare students to work with this innovation. Read more

Presenter : Lori Wojciechowski, Biotility, University of Florida Description : The Biotechnician Assistant Credentialing Exam (BACE) is an industry-recognized exam designed to assess core skills and knowledge sets identified by industry, and represented within the academic and performance standards of Florida’s secondary Biotechnology program. The test has been vetted by the state’s industry organization BioFlorida, representing more than 3,000 companies and research organizations in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and bioagriculture sectors. About the Biotechnology Certification Program The Biotechnician Assistant Credentialing Exam (BACE) is offered by Biotility at The University of Florida’s Center of Excellence for Regenerative Health Biotechnology (UF ... Read more

Presenter: Damon Tighe Algae beads can be used in colormetric assays to study both photosynthesis and cellular respiration in authentic inquiry investigations (AP Biology Big Idea 2: Labs 5 and 6). This lab can be extended to study the effects of light intensity, light color, temperature and other organisms on these processes. Read more

Presenters: Bridgette Kirkpatrick and Carole Twichell ​This presentation introduces the concept of team-based learning (TBL) and it's applications in biotechnology education. TBL fosters higher-level thinking skills, encourages team/group dynamics and makes students accountable for their own performance. The session includes examples of how to adapt a class for TBL and how to use flipped classrooms to make better use of class time. We will demonstrate these concepts with interactive activities throughout the session. Read more

Presenter : Sandra Porter, PhD, Digital World Biology LLC , and Bio-Link This will be a hands on workshop where participants will have the opportunity to use bioinformatics tools to look for and evaluate drugs to treat Zika virus. We will use BLAST, multiple alignments, and molecular modeling to identify potential drugs and determine if they might work. The example below shows Sofosbuvir bound to the RNA polymerase from Hepatitis C virus. Read more

Presenters : Thomas Tubon, PhD, Madison College, Sandra Porter, PhD, Digital World Biology and Bio-Link Together CRISPR and Cas provide bacteria with an adaptive immune system that allows them to identify and defend against new viral invaders. While characterizing the basic biology of this system, researchers discovered that the Cas9 protein could be harnessed to engineer genomic DNA. In this session, we will discuss the basic biology of the CRISPR / Cas system and discuss how researchers are using this system in new ways to engineer living things. We also explored molecular models of Cas proteins ... Read more