2013 Bio-Link Summer Fellows Forum
Event Details
Event Description
Each year Bio-Link Fellows from across the nation travel to the Clark Kerr Campus (CKC) in Berkeley, CA to learn about the latest practices in biotechnology education.
Event Location(s)
Clark Kerr Campus
Berkeley, CA
United States
Event Presentations
Core Competencies Workshop
The Department of Labor is funding twelve Bio-Link programs to work together on identifying core competencies for biotechnicians.
Presented by: Dr. Jeanette Mowery, Madison College, and Dr. Linnea Fletcher, Austin Community College
WHAT ARE THESE STANDARDS? - Jeanette Mowery
There have been many efforts over the years to determine what biotechnology technicians must know to be successful in their jobs. These have been published in regional and national skill standards documents that can be accessed through the Bio-Link Clearinghouse. The current effort focuses on the identification of skills that are held in common across biotechnology industry sectors and is supported by the recent Department of Labor TAACCCT grant that was awarded to the Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials, a consortium of 12 community colleges led by Forsyth Tech Community College in North Carolina.
This document is a draft of "common core" technical skill competencies that are considered to apply broadly to most biotechnology workplaces. Specialized skills, such as operating a flow cytometer or performing the polymerase chain reaction, while critically important in some settings, are not considered to be core and are not included here. This draft document is provided for discussion and evolution. Please participate in this process!
- Review the draft standards: Draft of Common Core Standards for Bioscience Laboratory (docx)
- Learn more about the Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials (slide presentations from Community College Day at BIO 2013)
- Provide feedback: Jeanette Mowery, jmowery@madisoncollege.edu
- Share your comments HERE
- Sign up to recieve updates on the status of this project
Additional References:
Washington State Skill Standards
Stem Cell Technology: developing and sustaining stem cell programs
Panel Discussion for Programs & Courses in Stem Cell Technologies Workshop
Working with Industry - Going Beyond Mere Advice
How can you engage members of your industry advisory board as partners in your students' success?
Dr. Josephine Pino describes a strategy that has worked well for Portland Community College.
This article from the Portland Tribune describes the positive results: Bioscience industry builds a course's DNA
Opening sessions
Opening session and Welcome from Dr. Elaine Johnson, Bio-Link Executive Director.
Dr. Kristin Charles led a session to gather feedback on trends in biotechnology and needs of the community.
Download the Word file & notes
Working in a Regulated Environment - Are your Biotech Students Prepared? workshop
As your students leave you and your program and find employment in the biotechnology industry, they will suddenly find themselves in a tightly regulated environment. The nature of biotech products requires this regulation by the FDA. Unless one is familiar with this environment, it can be challenging adapt and thrive in it as a worker and an contributor to the company's success. Thus, preparation for this regulated environment is important to student success in the transition from education to the workplace.
I put together the following presentation for a Bio-Link SFF 2013 workshop to show what are key considerations when working in a regulated environment and to provide you with suggestions on what you can do to help your students prepare for it.
Workshop details are below. Hope you see you there!
Vivian.
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Working in a Regulated Environment - Are your Biotech Students Prepared?
The biotechnology industry is heavily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While the FDA regulations have been in place for decades, companies still struggle with compliance. This workshop will provide an overview of the regulated environment: basics of FDA regulations, the mechanisms in place within companies to achieve compliance, and some of the common observations FDA inspections have revealed. This framework, along with suggested topics and activities from the presenter, will allow attendees to better prepare their students for working in a regulated environment and making positive contributions toward compliance.
For additional instructional materials on FDA regulations and quality systems prepared by the presenter, check out the Quality Training Course 2 in the Survey of Quality, Regulations, and Standards section of Bio-Link's Courses in a Box resource.