Important Note

Note: The Biotechnology Center is a regional center supporting biotechnology. If you are interested in taking biotechnology classes at Ohlone, please visit Ohlone's Biotechnology Department web page.

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Education degrees and certificates offered at community colleges in the region

These regional community colleges have active Biotechnology Programs (PDF) and or Biological Science Education degrees and certificates. Typically, Associate in Science degrees may be completed in 2 years and Certificates of Achievement may be completed in less than 2 years.

Map showing location of 26 community colleges offering Biotechnology and Biological Sciences degrees and certificates.(d)

Biotechnology education at regional high schools

Ohlone College offers credit to students enrolled in biotechnology courses at high schools that have articulation agreements with the college. For more information see the Learning Alliance for Bioscience (LAB) Program website.

City College of San Francisco partners with local high school programs. For more information, contact the PI, Dr. Edie Kaeuper at ekaeuper@ccsf.edu.

Contra Costa College offers concurrent enrollment (middle college) to high school juniors and seniors. For more information contact Dr. Katherine Krolikowski at kkrolikowski@contracosta.edu.

Two female students working with petri dishes in Ohlone's Biotechnology Lab.

Training workshops (non-credit) for industry professionals

Training for employees

Short, non-credit, hands-on workshops are offered year-round to industry employees who need to enhance their technical skills. The Center has trained over 1,500 employees of the pharma, biotechnology, medical devices and other sectors of the industry. Workshop topics include quality regulations, good manufacturing practices, specialized laboratory skills, and many others. The workshops are typically short - one-, two-, or three-day - and offer hands on practice in state-of-the-art, well-equipped laboratories. See the current schedule and how to register at Biotechnology Workshops schedule.

On-site company training

Often times employers need training for a group of their employees and it seems more effective to do it on site, on an agreed upon date and time. Contact the Center Director can help procure an industry expert on a contract basis.

Training programs for high school teachers and college faculty

Teachers and college faculty can attend the workshops for industry employees. In addition, the Center sponsors specialized, hands-on professional development opportunities on biotechnology topics of relevance. Some examples of past workshops include a Catalase Enzyme Assay Laboratory and Scanning Electron Microscopy Biological Applications. Teachers are provided with laboratory kits and a lesson plan so that they could incorporate the practice in their biotech programs. All programs are available via announcement to the network. Contact the Center Director if you are interested in suggesting a topic of relevance for a workshop or would like to receive more information.

Technical assistance

Equipment procurement

The Center receives equipment and laboratory supplies from industry donors from time to time. These donations are distributed to all faculty and teachers in the network. In addition, faculty and teachers are advised to register with partner education organizations who also distribute their donations. To register with an education organization to receive future notifications contact:

Mobile Biotech laboratory starter kits

The Center makes biotech laboratory kits (Edward Teller Education Center Level I) available on a loan basis to college faculty and high school teachers interested in starting their biotechnology programs. The kits support p-GLO transformation and DNA fingerprinting activities. To request a kit on loan contact the Center Director.

Level I Equipment: micropipet, mini-sub cells with combs and trays, power supply, UV lamps, mini centrifuge.

Career consultation

Questions from high school and college students related to programs of study are welcome. The Center also offers career-related advice for displaced workers and workers seeking to change careers, or enhance their technical skills. For this, please contact the Center Director.

Student working in Ohlone's Biotechnology Lab.The Center collaborates with the Tri-Cities One-Stop Career Center to offer a job fair on an annual basis that is attended by recruiters of the biotechnology industry. The Center also partners with sponsors of the South San Francisco Life Sciences Career Fair - an annual event that is dedicated to biotechnology industry recruitment including biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

The CCCCO/Bio-Link publication Careers in Biotechnology, a Counselor's Guide to the Best Jobs in the United States (PDF) is available for browsing. The Guide may be copied and used by educators and counselors. Please acknowledge the source when making electronic or printed copies available.

Internships

An internship is a valuable means for a student to gain "real-world" work experience. The Center helps colleges connect with employers for potential internships. Internships vary and can be of different time length, paid or unpaid, and for/not for credit. Students inquire with their instructor if interested in an internship. Companies interested in providing internships may contact the Center Director.

Community Events

The Center sponsors events that help educate the community in general such as student poster presentations, science fairs, company tours, keynote speakers, in-classroom speakers, biotech-related art contests, career day, presentations to parents, middle school science outreach, and other activities. Contact the Center Director for any inquiries.

Biotechnology education partnerships

The Center partners with various education organizations to expand and leverage outreach program opportunities.

Bio-community.org Program

The Center partners with the BayBio Institute and their Bio-Community Program that provides resources for educators and connections to industry. For more information, see the Bio-Community Program website.

Bio-Link

Bio-Link is a National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education Center of Excellence focused on Biotechnology and Life Sciences. Bio-Link provides professional development for educators, laboratory equipment and supplies depot, biotechnology career resources, and a curriculum clearinghouse. For more information, see the Bio-Link website.

BABEC

The Bay Area Biotechnology Education Consortium (BABEC) is a regional network of local science education organizations based in the Northern California Bay Area. BABEC provides training for biotechnology educators, reagents, laboratory equipment donations, and student outreach programs. For more information, see the BABEC website.

CSUPERB

The California State University (CSU) Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) supports collaborative CSU student and faculty research, innovating educational practices and responding to and anticipating the needs of the life science industry. Community colleges faculty are invited to participate in the Annual CSU Biotechnology Symposium. For more information, visit the CSUPERB website.

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