ATE Project Talks: Alumni Programs and Creating Pathways to Biotech

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Talk 1:  Building Community College Alumni Networks

Speakers:  Golnar Afshar, PhD, BioMADE, Julie Griffin, Co-PI, Johnston Community College

• ATE project: Increasing Student Retention and Recruitment through Alumni Programs, Speed Networking, and Industry Engagement
• Description: The objective of this project is to increase student retention and recruitment by fostering mutually beneficial relationships between students and alumni. The project involves the development and testing of a series of methods to directly engage alumni across three colleges located in different regions of the country: City College of San Francisco, Johnston Community College and Austin Community College.  Based on this work, we have drafted a set of guidelines that includes tools, templates, and example activities to build an alumni network, support alumni engagement and share their stories to inspire current and prospective students.
   

Talk 2:  Raising Awareness and Creating Pathways to the Biotechnology Workforce: A Multi-Pronged Strategy in New York’s Capital Region

Speaker:  Donna Barron, PhD, Hudson Valley Community College, NY, CoPIs: Michelle Lewis, Julie Friot

• ATE project: Raising Awareness and Creating Pathways to the Biotechnology Workforce
• Description: New York’s Capital Region is an emerging biotechnology hub, yet workforce development is challenged by limited awareness of biotechnology career pathways. This presentation describes a multi-pronged strategy to increase awareness among middle and high school students, career advisors, and adults exploring career transitions. Drawing on best practices from biotechnology outreach efforts, the project uses targeted outreach, trusted messengers, and intentional follow-up to connect individuals with education and career opportunities. The session will highlight the design of initial programming planned for spring and summer and discuss the project’s evaluation approach and next steps.

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