High School Students Explore Life Science Careers at Biotech Futures
On October 12, 80 Massachusetts students from The Bromfield School, Innovation Academy Charter School, and Littleton High School traveled to Endicott to participate in Biotech Futures, a regular event held at Endicott and organized by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation (MassBioEd). Biotech Futures is a college and career exploration event that exposes students to the educational opportunities and diverse fields of study in the life sciences at the college level though hands-on laboratory experiences and campus tours.
Visiting students participated in three hands-on projects and presentations: Dirt into Drugs, Genes and Genomes, and Case and Virtual Dissection. They also took a campus tour and enjoyed lunch in the Callahan Center. Feedback from students overwhelmingly expressed an appreciation for experiencing college-level lab courses. One student from The Bromfield School said: “I liked being able to get insight into what college level science courses may be like. It was cool to be able to get exposure to new kinds of lab work.” Another shared: “My favorite part of the day was being able to experience what fields I could potentially major in and what careers are available to me in the life sciences field.”
“This is our second year hosting Biotech Futures events and I’m proud to see the interest it is garnering in our participating students and educators,” said Dr. Justin Topp, Assistant Dean of Science, Technology, and Mathematics at Endicott. “In our exit survey, 95% of students stated that this event has increased their interest in pursuing a college and career path in the life sciences – what an exciting outcome! We have growing programs here at Endicott and a wealth of opportunities available to students in biotechnology in the North Shore and Massachusetts, and programs like this can help connect students with resources to ensure their success.”
Biotech Futures is a component of MassBioEd’s BioTeach program, which provides lab-based training in biotechnology to 150 public high school science teachers each year, along with funds to public schools for lab supplies and equipment.
Future Biotech Futures events at Endicott include another forum for students on March 8, 2019 and a teacher workshop on February 8, 2019.
Visit MassBioEd to see how you can get involved: https://www.massbioed.org/get_involved.