North Carolina Biotechnology Center Release: Grants Fund Biotechnology Education Across North Carolina

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The North Carolina Biotechnology Center has awarded 11 grants totaling $300,554 to improve biotechnology education across the state.

The awards, made through the Biotechnology Center's Education Enhancement Grants Program, will fund biotechnology-education activities at colleges, universities, high schools, community colleges, museums and science centers.

"These grants permit educators around the state to initiate new biotechnology training programs, enhance their teaching laboratories or create innovative education materials that can be disseminated to teachers around the state," said Dr. Bill Schy, manager of the Biotechnology Center's Education and Training Program. "In this way North Carolinians learn about the many beneficial applications of biotechnology, and students naturally develop an interest in the career opportunities available in biotechnology and related industries."

Following are summaries of the grants:

A.C. Reynolds High School, Asheville

Martha L. Cowan, $6,000, Connecting Concepts and Technologies in 10th Grade Biology. The Project Director will incorporate more biotechnology into her 10th grade Biology class. These investigations will reinforce the goals and objectives in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, while incorporating activities with a regional flavor. In one activity students will conduct a bioprospecting exercise exploring properties from extracts of plants native to Western North Carolina.

Duke University, Durham

Dr. Stephen B. Baumann and Dr. Glenda Kelly, Electrical and Computer Engineering, $76,085, Development of Instructional Technology to Teach Immunology to North Carolina Middle and High School Students. A computer game, Immune Attack, which models immune system function, is being developed by the Federation of American Scientists for Advanced Placement Biology students. Through this award the Project Directors will adapt the game for use in middle school and by introductory biology students in high school. The modified game and accompanying lesson plans will be tested in local schools and distributed to all interested science teachers in North Carolina.

Durham Technical Community College, Durham

Melissa Ockert, Clinical Trials Research Associate Programs, $30,000, Implementation of the Data Management Certificate at Durham Technical Community College. Durham Technical Community College will develop and implement a Data Management Certificate Program to enhance its course offerings that train students for work in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The new program will be a four-semester, competency-based certificate covering the management of data collected during a pharmaceutical or biotechnology clinical trial.

East Carolina University, Greenville

Dr. Arun P. Aneja and Dr. Paul Kauffman, Technology and Computer Science, $15,000, Enhancement of Undergraduate Bioprocess Manufacturing Education. The award will permit planning for new biomanufacturing-related BS degrees in Industrial Engineering and Industrial Technology at East Carolina University.

Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh

Betsy Bennett and Roy Campbell, $5,258, Conservation Genomics Planning Grant for the Nature Research Center. The award will support planning for a Conservation Genomics exhibit as a component of the new Nature Research Center addition to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. In addition to the new exhibit, planning will support design of the new labs and programs to be offered in Conservation Genomics.

Livingstone College, Salisbury

Dr. John E. Mayfield and Dr. Edward Smith, Biology, $26,030, Biotechnology Enrichment in Science Training. Livingstone College's biotechnology initiative will integrate hands-on biotechnology modules into seven different courses. Seminar presentations by visiting scientists will provide students with increased exposure to biotechnology. These academic enrichment activities will help prepare graduates for jobs in the rapidly growing biotechnology industry.

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, Chapel Hill

Jeff Hill and Denise L. Young, $20,000, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center: Planning Grant for Nanoscience Exhibition. Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will use this award to plan the development of an exhibition exploring nanoscience for the general public. Educational content will include the impact of nanoscience on basic biological questions and on biomedical technologies such as sensing and drug delivery. UNC researchers will provide technical support for the project.

Pfeiffer University, Misenheimer

Dr. Dane K. Fisher and Dr. Mark McCallum, Biology, $45,000, Pfeiffer Integration of Biotechnology Across the Curricula. An integrated biotechnology curriculum that employs active-learning laboratory experiences will be developed through collaboration between the Biology and Chemistry departments at Pfeiffer University. The award will enhance teaching laboratory facilities and integrate biotechnology experiences across the biology and chemistry curricula.

Vance-Granville Community College, Henderson

Garland Elliot and Julie Kinlaw, Economic Development Services, $3,000, Workforce Development in Bioprocessing. The award will enable appropriate staff to obtain professional development in current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) or another area relevant for the continuing education program.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dr. Rudolph L. Juliano, Pharmacology, $34,192, Biotechnology Instrumentation Training for Basic and Clinical Researchers. This project will leverage the research expertise and cutting edge instrumentation available at five selected biotechnology-related core facilities on campus to train students and young researchers how to best utilize the instrumentation in their research. The university's core facilities represent an untapped educational resource to train local researchers, both those based at nearby campuses as well as from the wider biotechnology industry community.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dr. Nichola J. Lowe and Dr. Harvey Goldstein, City and Regional Planning, $39,989, Transitioning to the New Economy: Early Lessons from North Carolina's Biomanufacturing Training Program. The study funded by this award will evaluate the employment outcomes of individuals completing North Carolina's BioWork training program. The results will inform state training policies, as well as make recommendations for additional support services that will help members of disadvantaged socio-economic groups, especially displaced traditional sector workers, transition to the new economy.

The Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the State of North Carolina. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business and education statewide.

North Carolina is the nation's No. 3 state for biotechnology, based on number of companies, according to Ernst & Young's annual survey of the industry.

North Carolina Biotechnology Center

CONTACT: Barry Teater, director of corporate communications, or Jim Shamp,news and publications editor, or Dr. Bill Schy, manager of the Educationand Training Program, all of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center,+1-919-541-9366

Web site: http://www.ncbiotech.org//