Award Abstract # 1400721
Bio-Link Next Generation National Advanced Technological Education Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences

NSF Org: DUE
Division Of Undergraduate Education
Recipient: SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Initial Amendment Date: April 15, 2014
Latest Amendment Date: August 1, 2017
Award Number: 1400721
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Virginia Carter
vccarter@nsf.gov
 (703)292-4651
DUE
 Division Of Undergraduate Education
EDU
 Directorate for STEM Education
Start Date: September 1, 2014
End Date: August 31, 2018 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $3,758,957.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $3,758,957.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2014 = $2,497,721.00
FY 2015 = $1,261,236.00
History of Investigator:
  • Elaine Johnson (Principal Investigator)
    ejohnson@biolink.ucsf.edu
  • Barton Gledhill (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Sandra Porter (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Lisa Seidman (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Linnea Fletcher (Former Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: City College of San Francisco
50 FRIDA KAHLO WAY SH118
SAN FRANCISCO
CA  US  94112-1821
(415)239-3000
Sponsor Congressional District: 11
Primary Place of Performance: City College of San Francisco
CA  US  94103-1214
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
11
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): DKALSBYGYDU4
Parent UEI: DS1MFPPSJC46
NSF Program(s): S-STEM-Schlr Sci Tech Eng&Math,
Advanced Tech Education Prog
Primary Program Source: 04001415DB NSF Education & Human Resource
04001516DB NSF Education & Human Resource

1300XXXXDB H-1B FUND, EDU, NSF
Program Reference Code(s): 1032, 9178, SMET
Program Element Code(s): 1536, 7412
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.076

ABSTRACT

Rapid advances in biotechnology require development of a technologically advanced, middle-skills workforce. The Bio-Link Next Generation Center for Biotechnology and Life Science's mission is (1) increasing the number and diversity of well-educated technicians in the workforce; (2) meeting the ever-growing needs of a continually evolving and diversifying industry for appropriately educated technicians; and (3) institutionalizing community college educational practices that make high-quality education and training in the concepts, tools, skills, processes, regulatory structure, and ethics of biotechnology available to all students.Bio-Link has influenced science education in general through materials and techniques developed within its network. With its partners, it has encouraged and enabled industry to hire community college graduates and has opened doors for underrepresented populations. Bio-Link is continuing and expanding its broad dissemination of cutting-edge resources to improve teaching practice, educational access, and career exploration and opportunities.

Although Bio-Link is situated in the San Francisco Bay Area, its activities embrace biotechnology education throughout the Nation. Members of Bio-Link's leadership team are located in several states (California, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin), and over 100 community colleges from 36 states and territories self-identify as Bio-Link programs. As the network has broadened to cover the diversity of the industry and growth of educational programs, it has also deepened. Bio-Link's broad mission --to prepare technicians and meet industry needs-- remains the same. Goals for this phase of Bio-Link include the following:

1: Utilize Bio-Link's network of information sharing to foster communities of practice that enhance the preparation of skilled technicians.
2: Deepen and diversify industry outreach and engagement to ensure that training programs nationwide respond to industry needs.
3: Increase access to and use of educational and training resources to improve student skill attainment.

Bio-Link's focus is on biotechnology, an increasingly important interdisciplinary industry that warrants significant attention as areas such as biopharmaceuticals, bioenergy, regenerative medicine, biomanufacturing, and other biological fields evolve with great speed. Moreover, the industry provides technicians with opportunities to advance rapidly into high-wage positions. Bio-Link possesses the critical expertise and capacity to continue and expand its work. Bio-Link's particular aim to develop more communities of practice advances the sharing of information and resources by engaging members of its network in sustained partnerships around focused areas of work that result in leveraging and scaling best practices, developing new approaches to challenges faced in educating technicians, and better meeting the needs of industry.


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.

The Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), facilitates the interaction of forward-thinking educators and industry leaders to find solutions to the challenging workforce development issues facing our nation.  The Bio-Link National Center for Biotechnology Education was funded through the ATE program to connect, support, and empower community and technical colleges that provide programs to prepare the biotechnology technical workforce. Biotechnology is the use of biological processes to create practical products such as: antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, regenerative medical treatments, and sustainable fuels. Many high-wage, high- upward mobility, and high-growth jobs exist in biotechnology. Community and technical colleges provide access to these careers for diverse students from a variety of ethnicities, ages, backgrounds, and levels of preparedness.  Community and technical colleges are a major resource for students in their communities and the local companies and enterprises needing skilled workers.

Bio-Link has provided significant support to educators preparing students for biotechnology careers. One of the most impactful activities has been the annual Summer Fellows Forum where educators and industry partners have gathered to support each other and share ideas, resources, and plans for the future.   They also have learned best practices for educating students for current and future bioscience careers.  Bio-Link also developed and made available significant instructional resources, such as courses in a box that are still available on the website at www.bio-link.org.  This on-line resource helps instructors develop and deliver new courses in their own institutions. With collaborators at Pellet Productions, Bio-Link created an interactive, Choose Your Own Adventure, style video series (www.franklinbiologics.org) to help prepare students for biomanufactuing careers.  This video is accompanied by a facilitator guide.  Biomanufacturing allows companies to manufacture products such as therapeutics that are safe and effective for treating disorders such as cancer and diabetes. Bio-Link, with the support of industry, also established the on-going Bio-link Depot which distributes donated equipment and supplies to educators.  This Depot is an innovative, successful resource that motivates volunteers, provides much-needed equipment to schools, and has kept and continues to keeps millions of dollars-worth of unused supplies and equipment from the landfill each year.  

In addition to supporting educators, Bio-Link developed and identified a variety of resources to help individuals who are seeking technical careers in biotechnology.  Bio-Link created a comprehensive website for career exploration, www.biotech-careers.org.  This website is still actively supported. At this site, people can learn about potential employers, explore educational programs all around the country that are recognized by industry, find out where jobs exist and where people have been employed, and explore the many different types of career opportunities in biotechnology. In 2017, almost 600,000 pages were viewed on this career site, with 30,982 returning visitors and almost 300,000 new visitors.  

Bio-Link has encouraged and implemented partnerships among academia, industry, governmental agencies, and undergraduate institutions. For example, Bio-Link member institutions, with support from Bio-Link and local partners, have founded biotechnology incubators that support local entrepreneurs and service organizations that provide materials and research support to local companies. More information about these partnerships is still available on the Bio-Link website at www.Bio-Link.org.

 While Bio-Link as a funded project has ended, its impact will reverberate into the future as its partner educators and successful students move ahead in their careers. An example was highlighted in the October 2018 news from the American Association for Community Colleges (AACC). A biotechnology graduate from a community college biotechnology program not only gained employment but founded the NexGene Girls Club that serves underrepresented middle school girls. This organization has had a positive impact on these girls and their community thus broadening the impact of biotechnology programs by radiating out into the communities and informing and influencing community support for technical education.  

The evaluator summarized the work of Bio-Link by saying "Bio-Link leveraged the knowledge and commitment of hundreds of others to accomplish what the Centers principals could not hope to do on their own."   It is expected that the future will bring new projects and a new national biotechnology ATE center that will leverage the work, resources, and networks that have been established by Bio-Link.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Last Modified: 11/08/2018
Modified by: Elaine Johnson

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.

Print this page

Back to Top of page