| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 1, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 1, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1700152 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Pushpa Ramakrishna
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | May 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | April 30, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $199,980.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $199,980.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
13356 ELDRIDGE AVE SYLMAR CA US 91342-3200 (818)364-7600 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
13356 Eldridge Ave Los Angeles CA US 91342-3244 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Advanced Tech Education Prog |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Los Angeles Mission College (LAMC) will prepare community college and high school students for jobs in biotechnology. The new programs developed will explicitly address skill development and offer students counseling, tutoring, industry field trips, external speakers, and internship opportunities. Combined with excellent instruction in the classroom, these activities will prepare students for entry-level, middle-skill technician positions. LAMC serves a large underrepresented student body and will provide these students with employment opportunities in a high growth sector that needs a skilled workforce. Project evaluation will focus on measuring student progression, success, retention, and degree attainment.
LAMC will develop new academic pathways and curricula in biotechnology leading to stackable certificates and an Associate of Science degree. Stackable credentials will prepare students to enter the workforce in a short period of time while retaining the opportunity to pursue higher degrees at a later date. It will also allow for flexibility that will contribute to student retention and success. The project will provide high school students an opportunity to earn college credit and credentials that will ultimately assist them in obtaining employment.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Serving a student body that is overwhelmingly low-income, minority and first-generation, Los Angeles Mission College (LAMC), a two-year Hispanic-Serving Institution, started this project in May 2017, to increase the underrepresented student biotechnology pipeline. LAMC has implemented and institutionalized a new academic pathway in biotechnology that offers stackable certificate (Biotech Lab Assistant, Biotech Research Lab Assistant) and associate degree programs to better serve underrepresented students with low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Services, such as counseling and tutoring, in addition to industry field trips and speaker series, a well-defined biotechnology curriculum, and industry internship and employment opportunities make up a holistic approach to help ensure that students are prepared for high-demand biotechnology jobs in Southern California.
The LAMC biotechnology program has awarded more than 80 certificates and degrees in the last three and half years. About half of the students have gained employment and many others are being interviewed by local industry partners. Those served range from high school students to graduates from four-year universities looking for training to gain employment.
Student feedback: "Thank you for offering this course and program. I feel that it changed my career goals and professional outlook.?, ?Before this course I thought I was stuck working in a labor kind of job. And now I?m happy to see I can actually work in a lab.", "I have never been more excited to learn as I am now through this program. It is unbelievable that before even finishing the program, I have an interview. I am excited that I have an interview with Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the largest Clinical Trials company?.
LAMC's affiliation with local and national organizations provided additional collaborations and program improvement. The program has solidified its collaboration with high schools, industry partners, Work Source centers and Veterans' centers to create awareness of the biotechnology educational pathway and employment opportunities in this field. Though challenging, the program continued with its efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to train qualified technicians to place them in high demand jobs in this sector. Comments from industry partners include: "I was not sure how the students would handle internships in the middle of a Pandemic, but I'm very pleased with Brett, who has been exceptional. He is an asset to my unit, and I am getting more and more used to his helping hand. Hope he can stay beyond his internship.", "Josh is an exceptional intern. I like how he jumped into learning a new project from the very first day. He has finished more hours than he initially committed to. Working with Joshua, I'm very pleased with the LA Mission College program."
The LAMC biotechnology program has been recognized by its accomplishments nationally. In 2018, a group of four LAMC biotechnology students were selected by an expert panel of judges as one of ten finalists for the NSF Community College Innovation Challenge. As a finalist, the team attended the Community College Innovation Challenge Boot Camp that took place in Alexandria, VA. This was a great accomplishment for these students who were mainly first generation students. In 2020, LAMC biotechnology program was rated as one of the top 10 programs at California Economic Summit's Partnerships for Industry and Education Contest.
The biotechnology pipeline at LAMC is commended for its flexibility, innovation, and persistence and for its commitment to biotechnology education in the region. Offering short-term stackable certificate programs in biotechnology will encourage students to enroll in these programs and find a job as a technician in a short period of time while having the opportunity to advance to higher degrees. Their employment in this high demand and growth sector also helps to break the cycle of poverty so common within students? families. LAMC is committed in continuing to offer these programs and services to support and serve its students and the surrounding community.
Last Modified: 02/02/2021
Modified by: Parvaneh Mohammadian
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