Biotechnology Education Infusion Program

The Biotechnology Education Infusion (BEI) project is creating a three-phase program to help high school and community college science teachers and career counselors enhance students' biotechnology content knowledge and career awareness, and increase the number of students entering the biotechnology workforce. The objectives of the project are to (1) recruit 48 high school and community college science teachers and 48 career counselors in the Spokane region to participate in a one- to two-week BEI Institute (Phase I), (2) recruit 16 Phase I teachers and their students for five-week, industry-directed biotechnology lab experiences (Phase II), (3) recruit 4 Phase II teachers for five-week industry internships (Phase III), (4) help teachers and counselors create a BEI Resource Guide that includes instructional materials, laboratory investigations, and career advising materials, (5) evaluate the program's effectiveness in enhancing teacher infusion of biotechnology into their curricula, raising teacher and counselor awareness of biotechnology careers, and improving student biotechnology content knowledge, career awareness, and attitudes, and (6) disseminate the BEI Resource Guide and BEI Model Program. The project is impacting an estimated 17,000 students.