HI-TEC

The High Impact Technology Exchange  Conference (HI-TEC) is planning an IN PERSON meeting at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. HI-TEC is supported by the National Science Foundation's Advance Technological Education (NSF-ATE) program and is a national conference on advanced technological education where secondary and post secondary educators, counselors, industry professionals, trade organizations, and technicians can all update their knowledge and skills. 

The deadlines for submitting proposals are approaching!  Find more information at https://www.highimpact-tec.org/hitec2022-callprop

1. Preconference Workshops, Convenings, and Special Interest Groups (3.5 Hours)

Preconference events will take place on Monday, July 25, and Tuesday, July 26.

2. Main Conference Session Presentations (45 minutes)

Main conference sessions will take place on Wednesday, July 27, and Thursday, July 28.

3. Poster Sessions – Displayed Wednesday, July 27, 3:00-6:00 p.m.

Each poster session presenter will display their materials on a 48"x72" bulletin board (push pins are provided) and be present to discuss the display Wednesday, July 27, 3:00–6:00 p.m. (includes the 4:30-5:30 p.m. Exhibit Hall Reception). No equipment or tables will be used in the poster sessions.

Here is a list of the biotech sessions that might be of interest!

Weds, July 27th
10:15 - 11:00 am 

A Simulated Entrepreneurial Experience for Biotechnology Students
This session will include a panel discussion consisting of two collaborating faculty members and a student who participated in a simulated entrepreneurial experience in the biomanufacturing sector. This experience involved original student ideas regarding a company and a novel algae-centric technology that formed the basis of that company. Panelists will discuss the process of coming up with the idea, the resources utilized to support the endeavor, the promise that the developed technology holds should it be further developed, and lessons learned from the overall experience.

Daniel Kainer, Director, Lone Star College Biotechnology Institute, Scaling Microsystems Support, Lone Star College-Montgomery, Conroe, TX

11:15 - noon

The InnovATEBIO Biosciences Leadership Institute
The InnovATEBIO Biosciences Leadership Institute (BLI) is a novel professional development model created through the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-five high school and community college instructors participated in a yearlong session that was done initially virtually and ended with a hybrid session in June 2022. Business cases, two of which were actual scenarios provided by industry, were solved in teams with industry representatives. The program consisted of multiple phases including the pre-work assignment of reading, taking a leadership profile, working in teams solving business cases, applying knowledge to one’s own case, and presenting it.

Russ Read, Co-PI, InnovATEBIO, NCBW, ForsythTech, Winston-Salem, NC; Tom Tubon, Chief Workforce Director, BioMADE, St. Paul, MN; Todd Smith, CTO, InnovATEBIO, Digital World Biology LLC, Seattle, WA; Linnea Fletcher, Executive Director, InnovATEBIO, Austin Community College, Austin, TX

1:15 - 2:00 pm

A Model for Developing an Industry-Recognized Credentialing System
The NSF and InnovATEBIO have (respectively) funded and endorsed the Biotechnician Assistant Credentialing Exam (BACE) managed by Biotility. Biotility has developed a system for generating and validating the exam, which leads to an industry-relevant and recognized BACE credential. Come learn the process by which the BACE is maintained, annually updated, and validated to ensure a credentialing system that is accurate, aligned with corresponding industry-defined standards, and relevant to industry requirements for technician-level positions.

Philip Gibson, Principal Investigator, Implementation of an Industry-Recognized Credentialing System, Center for Global Health Innovation, Atlanta, GA; Tamara Mandell, Director for the Education and Training Programs, Implementation of an Industry-Recognized Credentialing System, Biotility, Alachua, FL; Bridgette Kirkpatrick, Biology Faculty, Implementation of an Industry-Recognized Credentialing System, Collin College, Plano, TX

2:15 - 3:00 pm

Small But Mighty: Data-Loaded Microcredentials, the Professional Currency

Bioscience Core Skills Institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide bioscience workforce skills assessment and issue digital microcredentials that are recognized by industry and educational partners as reliable, valid, and transparent. We will discuss the use of digital microcredentials to document skills mastery in biotechnology talent. The certified faculty evaluator will share personal experience in assessing programs and student self-efficacy data. The presenter will provide a case study overview of the model used by BCSI and describe the assessment and credentialing process utilized, share data compiled from skill assessments, and provide insights on curriculum alignment and a gaps analysis.

Edward Kremer, Dean of Math, Business, Science, and Technology at Kansas City Kansas Community College; Ying-Tsu Loh, Executive Director of the Bay Area Bioscience Education Community (BABEC)

3:45 - 4:30 pm

A Program at a Distance: Biotechnology Hybrid Course Shells
In this session, Justin Tickhill and Jason Tucker from North Central State College (NCSC) will provide a set of resources for technician and distance education in the field of biotechnology. These resources will include accessible course shells for Biology I and II (Majors Biology), Introduction to Bioscience Techniques, Advanced Bioscience Techniques, Histology, Genetics, Introduction to Agricultural Science, Environmental Science, and Pharmaceutical and Toxicology Bioscience. During the COVID-19 pandemic these education materials were put to the test in a rigorous fashion. The presenters will discuss best practices and lessons learned during this opportunity for disruptive innovation.

Justin Tickhill, Associate Professor and Program Director of Biology, Bioscience Technician Expansion Project, North Central State College, Mansfield, OH; Jason Tucker, Assistant Professor and Bioscience Program Coordinator, Bioscience Technician Expansion project, North Central State College, Mansfield, OH

Thurs, July 28th
8:15 - 9:00 am 

Unveiling a Grant to Prepare Biotechnology Students for the Modern Workforce in COVID Times
Internships are an integral part of technical education training. However, obtaining one can be a challenge. Valencia College’s biotechnology program wrote an NSF ATE grant to improve the internship experience. originally designed to be implemented pre-COVID. While seeking to understand student needs and unexpected challenges, project personnel uncovered new opportunities during the process of implementing the grant in the unprecedented conditions caused by COVID. In this session, strategies will be presented to initiate a grant and successfully complete the first year’s objectives. Participants will reflect on the strategies presented and their impact on the student internship experience. Participants will share their own obstacles and insights.

Susan Ingersoll, Professor and Program Director, Improving the Biotechnology Internship Experience to Better Prepare Student Technicians for the Modern Workforce, Valencia College, Orlando, FL; Sothy Kien, Instructional Lab Supervisor, Improving the Biotechnology Internship Experience to Better Prepare Student Technicians for the Modern Workforce, Valencia College, Orlando, FL

9:15 - 10:00 am 

BioMADE: Creating an Ecosystem for Bioindustrial Education and Workforce Development
BioMADE’s mission is to enable domestic bioindustrial manufacturing at all scales, develop technologies to enhance U.S. bioindustrial competitiveness, de-risk investment in relevant infrastructure, and expand the biomanufacturing workforce to realize the economic promise of industrial biotechnology. This session will introduce the newest Manufacturing USA Institute underwritten by the U.S. Department of Defense. Participants will learn about the benefits of membership and opportunities for funding bioindustrial processing projects. The presenters will discuss biomanufacturing sectors, cooperative agreements, and the proposal process for funding.

Thomas Tubon, Chief Workforce Development Officer, BioMADE, St. Paul, MN; Louise Petruzzella, Education and Workforce Development Senior Program Manager, BioMADE, St. Paul, MN

1:45 - 2:30 pm

Using Virtual Laboratories and AR to Enhance Students' Professional Skills and Understanding
This hands-on session will present an innovative, technology-rich blended learning environment for biomanufacturing and IoT education and professional skills training developed in collaboration with biopharma companies. It enables students to perform authentic online experiments using digital copies of actual equipment and, in this context, study pertinent theoretical subjects and develop troubleshooting skills. Making students comfortable with equipment and process workflow and boosting their job-related understanding prior to hands-on practice dramatically enhance their performance at college labs and during on-site training. Participants will learn how to adapt virtual labs and associated resources and integrate them with their own curricula.

Yakov Cherner, Co-PI, Blended Learning for Biomanufacturing Education and Training in Emerging Technologies #1902673, The Internet of Things Education Project #1801090, ATeL - Advanced Tools for e-Learning, Swampscott, MA; Isso Bayala, Professor of Biotechnology and Compliance at Quincy College, Blended Learning for Biomanufacturing Education and Training in Emerging Technologies, #1902673, Quincy College, Quincy, MA; Gary Mullett, Professor and Department Chair of Applied Engineering Technologies Department, The Internet of Things Education Project #1801090, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, MA