• 4-29-2021 Make Biology the Recruiting Ground for Biotechnology Courses

• 5-13-2021 Biotechnology and Biotechnology Education: Good for Everybody

• 5-27-2021 Solution Preparation: The Gatekeeper for Working in a Bioscience Research Lab

• 6-10-2021 How to Set Up a Biotechnology Training Lab

4-29-2021 Make Biology the Recruiting Ground for Biotechnology Courses By Ellyn Daugherty, Biotechnology: Science for the New Millennium, 2E Biotechnology courses are popping up all over the country, with several hundred community colleges and high schools delivering programs that prepare students for a rewarding career in biotech. This is not surprising since biotechnology is the largest STEM employer in the world and it is such a high-interest area for both students, teachers and the workforce community. • Biotechnology courses arm students with the experiences and knowledge needed to make good decisions about their academic and career futures. • Educators find that teaching the processes of biotechnology supported by the high-level concepts of science empowers them and improves their own science skills. • Adults in the workforce find excellent pay and benefits in jobs that make a difference and improve the quality of human life. Biotechnology courses allow science educators to teach in a way that students develop a love for the process as well as the concepts of the biochemical sciences. Students learn research skills and get an idea of what it feels like to work in a laboratory environment. Biotechnology courses help develop the scientists, research associates, lab technicians, and science-literate citizens needed in our rapidly changing science-based society.     Senior Manufacturing Technician, Kevin Johnson In his position at Affymetrix, Inc., Kevin operated and maintained high-throughput reagent filling systems. The reagents were included with the Affymetrix microarray reader instruments. Microarrays are used to study gene expression and genetic diversity. Gene targets for pharmaceutical research are often found using microarrays. Kevin not only uses, calibrates, and validates an assortment of common lab equipment but he also trains new lab employees. Photo by Ellyn Daugherty. Unless educators give their students experiences in the process of biotechnology, how are students supposed to know they are interested in biotech careers and how can they be expected to make academic decisions that lead them to those careers? When asked what biotechnology is, a typical response from an American teenager is, "CSI." Although, forensics is a field that utilizes the tools of biotechnology, it is like cottage cheese in the dairy section of biotech, just one important application of biotechnologies. Without an exposure to many of the introductory techniques and applications of laboratory biotech and biotech's pharmaceutical, agricultural, environmentaal, industrial, and diagnostic products, students cannot be expected to make decisions that lead them to academic and career choices in biotechnology. It is important to provide all students biotech education and to consider student recruitment strategies when planning a biotechnology program. Biology (or other general science courses for 9th or 10th graders) is a perfect spot in a school's science curriculum to place a biotech unit or activities for all students to have minimal exposure to the importance of and the opportunities in the field of biotechnology. An Example of a Biotech Unit for Biology or other General Science Course The San Mateo Biotechnology Career Pathway (SMBCP) program consists of courses that prepare teenagers to enter the biotechnology workplace as laboratory or bio-processing technicians, with courses taught in the San Mateo Biotechnology Training Center and in laboratory internships at one of 25 industry and academic partners. Depending on the student and the experience they prefer, students may stay in the program from one to four years. The SMBCP program runs five 1st year courses of Biotechnology 1-2 for teenagers each year and recruits 175 new sophomores and juniors into these courses. These students represent all academic and socioeconomic levels. To successfully meet these enrollment goals, the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) science teachers implement several methods to educate potential students about the science and industry of biotechnology and stimulate their interest in the opportunities in the field. The San Mateo Biotechnology Career Pathway     An introduction to biotechnology for SMUHSD students begins in the freshman biological science course. All students in the district have a science course during 9th grade. Usually this course is Biology 1-2, although it might be Integrated Science 1-2 or a physical science. Each of these courses includes a biotechnology unit or set of activities called "The Gene Connection®." How "The Gene Connection®" (G-C) unit is implemented at a site depends on the school. Science teachers at a school site may choose to run their own version of "G-C" type activities or may participate in G-C training and then have access to the equipment, materials, or curriculum available from the San Mateo County Gene Connection® program or the regional BABEC organization. G-C acitivities may be sprinkled in throughout the course or may be presented as a stand-alone unit. At San Mateo High School, students in all of the Biology classes (the prerequisite course for Biotech 1-2), complete approximately 4-5 weeks of a biotech primer unit that consists of 6 lab activities and a handful of computer and bioethics activities. The activities are provided as kitted experiments from the County Office of Education. For the rest of the country's educators these lab activities are available as kits from vendors such as G-Biosciences, Inc. (Biotechnology Basics™ by Ellyn Daugherty) or others. Additionally, ideas for lab activities and biotechnology lessons are shared online as shared by fellow educators. Suggested Biotechnology Unit/Activities (Biotech Primer) for Biology Course Biotech Primer Activity Objective Lab Kit Vendor/Source Comments, Notes Biotechnology Product:Cheese Making Made Better Students produce cheese using different curdling agents including a recombinant enzyme G-Bioscience's BTNM-1C* Focus on scientific methodology and an overview of genetic engineering technology DNA Isolation and Spooling Students pull pure DNA strands out of a solution and quantify the yield. G-Bioscience's BTNM-4B* Afterwards, try www.exploratorium.com or find the web article, "Extract DNA from Anything." Introduction to Micropipeting Students learn how to measure very small volumes using a variety of micropipets. G-Bioscience's BBED-3B* It is pretty easy to train students and have them demonstrate their micropipetting skills. Introduction to the Biology, Chemistry and Physics of Gel Electrophoresis Students study charge, current, voltage during electrophoresis and molecular behavior in a gel placed in an electric field. G-Bioscience's BBED-4J* Students run a variety of DNA samples through a gel along with other positively and negatively charged molecules. DNA fingerprinting Students conduct a DNA fingerprint simulation using restriction enzyme digestion (RFLPs). G-Bioscience's BBED-4M* DNA studies/forensics careers prior to DNA fingerprinting and bioethical dilemmas afterwards. pGLO transformation of E. coli Students conduct a genetic engineering procedure to create a GMO. G-Bioscience's BBED-8H Nova® or Frontline® GMOs videos prior to lab and bioethical dilemmas after. • BBED Lab Kits and protocols available from G-Biosciences at www.gbiosciences.com/BTNM Biotechnology in Biology for Everybody Biotechnology is growing faster than any other industry and a rapidly increasing number of employees are needed in all sectors of the science and business of biotech. The shortage of appropriately prepared candidates for positions in biotech research and development as well as manufacturing is becoming a serious concern for many bioscience companies. It is such a concern that companies are building strategic alliances with their local educational institutions, including both colleges and high schools, to increase the number of qualified employees. To create the science workforce of the 21st century, we need students of all ages to develop an interest in pursuing a career in biotechnology. Providing biology students with positive lab experiences in biotechnology will increase the number of students entering specialized biotechnology programs and careers in biotech.

   
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5-13-21 Biotechnology and Biotechnology Education: Good for Everybody By Ellyn Daugherty, Biotechnology Educator and Author of Biotechnology: Science for the New Millennium What is Biotechnology, who uses biotechnology and why is biotech important to all of us? Quite simply, biotechnology is the application of biology, chemistry and engineering research and manufacturing techniques to create products and services to improve the quality of human life. Biotechnology uses can be seen in almost every facet of life, including environmental products (such as biofuels and oil-eating bacteria), medical products (cancer treatments and vaccines), industrial products (enzymatic cleaners and soft toilet paper) and agricultural products (protein-rich grains and insect resistant crops). The fact that biotechnologists are working to solve problems all around us means that the need for biotech professionals is growing fast. We are in the "Age of Biotechnology" and it has been projected to grow over 11% through 2026 for careers in biotechnology. This economic growth is much faster than the average for all occupations (US Dept of Labor, 2017). The key areas of biotechnology employment include, but are definitely not limited to: • Medical Scientists • Biological Technicians • Medical and Clinical Lab Technologists • Biochemists • Biophysicists • Biomedical Engineers • Microbiologists • Epidemiologists • Research and Development Scientists • Process Development Scientists • Biomanufacturing Specialists/Operators • Bioinformaticians • Biotechnology Business (Administration, Sales, Marketing, Human Resources, etc.) The Covid-19 pandemic and the critical role played by biotechnologists to develop testing, therapies, and vaccines has countered a recent surge in anti-science propaganda. The US population is realizing the importance in biotechnology research and manufacturing and the US is one of the largest markets of biotech products and services. The need for biotechnology-related career employees and the products they develop is not a flash in the pan. Highly qualified biotechnologists will be in huge demand for decades to come. Some of the reasons driving biotech business and employment in industry, academia, and governmental agencies include: • The aging baby-boom population and the demand for lifesaving new drugs and procedures to cure and to prevent disease will drive demand for biologists, biochemists, and biophysicists involved in biomedical research. • New and emerging diseases will require new screening tests, treatments and therapies. • Greater demand for clean energy will increase the need for biochemists that research and develop alternative energy sources, such as biofuels. • A growing population and rising food prices will fuel the development of genetically engineered crops and livestock that provide greater yields and require fewer resources. • Efforts to discover new and improved ways to clean up and preserve the environment will increase the demand for biotechnologists. • As the amount of biological data continues to grow and computer analytical techniques and software continue to become more sophisticated, the number of dedicated bioinformaticians will continue to grow. Careers in biotechnology are important, rewarding and well-paying. In the US, the average annual salary of a biotechnology worker is $91K (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). All US metropolitan areas have a significant number of biotech research and manufacturing companies, facilities and institutes. Your role in biotechnology education in your community? It is pretty clear that biotechnology is important to each citizen personally and that it contributes to the strength of the US economy. These are compelling reasons that each and every American student should have some biotechnology education. By the time students graduate from high school headed towards becoming a voting citizen, each should have some basic knowledge about what biotechnology is and how the science of biotech is practiced. Incorporating biotechnology coursework and lab experiences is relatively easy to do and several education companies provide lab-based curriculum for surveying biotechnology in general science or biology courses. One curriculum is Biotechnology Basics by Ellyn Daugherty (BBED), specifically designed to give every high school student a biotechnology experience to build on. Learn about the BBED curriculum and G-Biosciences' BBED lab kits at ellyndaugherty.com/BiotechEd/importance.htm Many educators and their communities see the value in creating biotechnology courses and/or pathways that lead students directly into post-secondary academia and industry biotechnology. Carnegie Learning's Biotechnology: Science for the New Millennium textbook, lab manual and teacher ancillaries provide the most current, flexible and relevant lab-based biotechnology curriculum. What does a biotech class look like? In a biotech class you will see students: • Doing high level, relevant science • Curious and engaged • Performing high-tech lab work with industry-level equipment and instruments • Processing and sharing data • Practicing critical thinking • Exploring their place in the future Check out our Biotechnology Educator Support website at www BiotechEd.com for all kinds of teacher support including presentations, lesson plans, and tips on how to plan or implement a biotechnology education program. Careers in biotechnology are inherently interesting and attractive to students of all ages. Who isn't interested in cloning, forensics, and saving the world from disease and famine? These important human endeavors attract students to biotechnology programs and keep them there. Ellyn Daugherty, Carnegie Learning and G-Biosciences give you the tools you need to bring your students into the Age of Biotechnology.

   
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5-27-21 Solution Preparation: The Gatekeeper for Working in a Bioscience Research Lab By Ellyn Daugherty, Biotechnology: Science for the New Millennium, 2E Many high school and college biotechnology students realize that having research experience in an academic or industry lab has many benefits. Many search for paid or unpaid internships, part-time employment or propose a research project in their instructor's lab, working independently, applying what they already know and building expertise in experimental design, instrumentation, and data analysis. Working with other researchers in an adult science environment to collect meaningful, valid data is different than the typical lab activity in most lab classes. Since making research progress is important, student researchers need an arsenal of skills to work professionally and productively in a lab. To be productive in a bioscience environment, student researchers must demonstrate a variety of "soft skills" including a pleasant, positive attitude. They should show an appropriate enthusiasm, be able to accept constructive criticism, and act in an alert and safe manner. Obviously, independent research requires self-directedness and the ability to recognize tasks that need to be done. Student researchers also must be able to collaborate with other team members. Research students should be able to reflect on their experimental results and see the values and applications of their work. There are several basic standard laboratory techniques and methods that a beginning student researcher must master. In a bioscience environment these "hard skills" might include record keeping, measurement, microscopy, cell culture, electrophoresis, spectrophotometry, and dissection, to name a few. Of all the hard skills needed in a bioscience research lab, the most important may be the ability to prepare solutions. Solution preparation is the "gatekeeper" of bioscience research and without it being mastered student researchers get stalled and cannot work independently in a lab. Virtually all macromolecules (DNA, RNA and/or protein) used in a research lab must be in a buffered solution. Student researchers must be able to prepare any solution at any volume, concentration or pH. Although it is taught in introductory chemistry courses, most students and many teachers never master solution prep because they don't have a chance to practice and apply it. The math (dimensional analysis) used in solution preparation often causes anxiety in bioscience majors. Biology teachers lose any skill they had in preparing solutions when the activities in their classrooms have them "mix bottle A into bottle B." Rarely, do they know the concentration or pH of the solutions they are using. They unlearn any solution prep they used to know. Biology teachers are often "mole-phobic" and usually have solution anxiety. It is worth the time it takes for biotechnology instructors to learn and have their students learn solution preparation. It can be fun and easy when taught and practiced in small, progressive steps using hands-on activities and having students self-evaluate their skill development. The math and science skills used in making solutions are those that apply the concepts (metrics, measurement, mass, volume, concentration, pH and buffers) that are taught in integrated biology and chemistry courses. The Biotechnology Science for the New Millennium,2E textbook and the laboratory manual cover solution preparation instruction, practice and self-evaluation in Chapter 3. A PowerPoint® presentation covering how to teach solution preparation can be found at http://ellyndaugherty.com/BiotechEd/workshops.htm and Carnegie Learning's Biotechnology Science for the New Millennium Biotech Digital Resources (password-accessed by curriculum adopters) have lab tutorials covering solution preparation. Here is a scope and sequence of skill development activities to master solution preparation. • Metric Measurement and Conversion Cover the use and units of measurements of rulers (cm), graduated cylinders (mL), and a scale/balance (g). Next, conversion (factors) between units moving the decimal point to change between metric unit equivalents. • Measurement of Small Volumes Use of pipets and micropipets to measure diluted food coloring solutions of different volumes into test tubes, microtubes and/or culture plates. • Mass Measurement Use of electronic tabletop and analytical balances to weigh out glucose of different masses. Glucose can be dissolved in a specific volume of water and then tested with glucose test strips to check concentration and thus mass measurement. • Introduction to Concentration Measurement Using salt in water (or sugar in water) introduce the terms "solute", "solvent", "solution" and "concentration" (mass of solute / total volume of solvent). Demonstrate how concentration of the same solution can be reported in different ways i.e.. g/mL, %, and molarity. • Solutions Preparation Calculations and Preparations Students prepare copper sulfate solutions (blue) of different concentration using the three concentration equations to determine the mass of solute to use in the solution. Dilutions of prepared solutions follow. Prepared solutions can be evaluated by measuring the blue color light absorbance at 595 nm on a spectrophotometer. • pH Measurement and Adjustment Students learn to measure pH of different solutions with pH paper and a pH meter and then prepare buffers (a specified volume, concentration, and pH) to use later as the solvent in different protein or DNA solutions. Solution preparation instruction, taught and practiced in this way, gives all students a good foundation for making solutions in current courses, future courses and when working with biomolecules in a research lab. Start teaching measurement and solution prep early and reinforce it regularly as students progress through their biotech courses. Solution preparation skills are lost if not practiced regularly and instructors should give students regular opportunities to demonstrate these skills in each bioscience course. Solution preparation makes math abstraction more concrete and provides students with an absolute requisite skill needed for independent work in any bioscience research facility. Check out our Biotechnology Educator Support website at www BiotechEd.com for all kinds of teacher support including presentations, lesson plans, and tips on how to plan or implement a biotechnology education program. Ellyn Daugherty, Carnegie Learning and G-Biosciences give you the tools you need to prepare your students for academic and industry options in the science or business of biotechnology.

   
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6-10-21 How to Set Up a Biotechnology Training Lab By Ellyn Daugherty, Biotechnology Educator and Author of Biotechnology: Science for the New Millennium, 2E Many new biotechnology teachers have never run a laboratory facility where time and and productivity are important. Even if an educator has spent time in a corporate, academic or governmental laboratory, setting up a biotech lab facility in a high school or college environment to train numbers of students can be a daunting task. In this blog, I discuss some of the items to consider when setting up a biotechnology training laboratory, one that prepares your students to work in adult science environments where productivity is expected. The key areas that I focus on are: • Lay-out/Workflow/Storage • Lab Stations • Common Work Areas • Chemicals/Chemical Storage • Refrigerator/Freezer Storage • Student Sample Storage • Waste Disposal • Other Safety Issues • Other Issues Layout/Workflow/Storage The layout and workflow of your training lab must be carefully planned to ensure efficiency when biotech students are present. Consider student movement and bottlenecks during the lab period and how these will affect time constraints. Consider how and where to set up individual lab stations for students to work, individually or in pairs, and what instruments and supplies will be located there. Consider the location of common work or supply areas where shared equipment and reagents will be located. Remember, these common areas are likely to cause the bottlenecks. If possible, and if resources and space allow, replicate work areas to avoid long waits and "long distances".   For improved efficiency strategically place tables and carts around the lab space with commonly used reagents and consumables and have extra deionized water near the sinks. For safety, consider placement of gas and Bunsen burners, if possible, in appropriate fume hoods and/or biosafety cabinets and have appropriate trash and disposal receptables located nearby. Finally, ensure adequate immediate, short- and long-term storage areas for equipment and consumables such as plastics and reagents. Storage for 4°C and -20°C items are needed, so one or more refrigerators and freezers will be required. Student Lab Stations In a typical biotech teaching lab, students work individually, in pairs, or in groups of 4, depending on a given activity. Most typically students train and work in as a group of 2 lab partners, at a lab table, across from another set of lab partners. The lab table has 2 lab stations with replicate materials but also has materials shared by the 2 lab groups. The lab table that should be equipped with the following, used by both groups: • 1 mini-centrifuge • 1 hot plate stirrer • 1 vortex mixer • 1 (serological) pipet rack (if micropipets are to be stored on the tabletop) • 1 micropipette stand • Box of disposable gloves • Disinfectant spray bottle • Box of lab wipes Each lab group needs their own equipment supplies, maybe stored in a drawer or plastic tub, including: • Micropipets (such as, P-1000, P-200, P20) if not stored on the tabletop • Micropipet tip boxes for the different pipets • Pipet pumps (red, blue, green) for serological pipets • Safety goggles • Scissors • Permanent markers (such as Sharpies) • Labeling tape • Magnet stir bars • pH paper In addition, make use of the drawers and cabinets of the lab benches and store the following at each station: • Student samples or reagents that require room temperature storage • Small equipment & reagent cabinet containing gel boxes, power supplies, etc. Common Work Areas Common work areas are used for communal reagents and equipment. If possible, replicate common work areas to avoid delays and bottlenecks. In strategic locations, set up common work stations featuring the following, when applicable: • Electronic & analytical weighing stations • pH meter/pH adjustment buffers • Centrifuges (clinical and high-speed microcentrifuges) • VIS or UV/VIS spectrophotometers • Refrigerators and freezers • Gel staining and visualization station • Incubation ovens, water baths, heat blocks, microwaves • Deionized water (dH20) • Autoclaves and drying ovens Other common areas to have in a biotech teaching lab are hoods. Consider the type of hoods required. Either laminar flow hoods and/or biosafety cabinets for sterile work, protect user and samples and/or chemical fume hoods for dispensing organics, caustics, flammables, noxious reagents. Chemicals and Chemical Storage Chemicals must be stored probably to protect user and reagents and you must be familiar with your organization's specific policies on chemical storage, but as a general guideline the following must be considered. • Chemical storeroom/chemical cabinet for general safe (green labels) chemicals • Flammable cabinet for flammable liquids, such as alcohols (red labels) • Oxidizers and corrosive cabinet for bases, acids and peroxides. Label corrosives with a    yellow and corrosives with a white label • A locked cabinet for toxics, such as ethidium bromide. Use blue labels In addition to these storage locations, ensure access to a built in or portable chemical fume hood and plenty of latex and nitrile gloves and safety goggles. Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Many reagents used in biotechnology labs require cold storage due to their sensitivity to temperature, these include proteins (enzymes), DNA, and cell and tissue samples. When ordered commercially these temperature sensitive reagents will be clearly labelled and must be stored promptly on arrival. Often, a kit or shipping box may have items that have different storage temperatures. Check each item carefully so they can be stored promptly at the correct temperature. Also, notify staff when shipments of reagents are expected so that proper storage is assured. For easy and timely access to these stored items and that each remains viable: • Store items alphabetically • Record the date on reagents upon arrival and when the item is first opened • Do not use defrosting (cycling) fridges and freezers • Note that repeated freezing/thawing compromises most samples (aliquot samples on    receipt into more usable volumes, if necessary) Waste Disposal Another thing to consider is waste disposal and, similar to chemical storage, is region specific. Make sure staff is aware of the facility's, municipality's and state's disposal guidelines. Here are some general waste disposal guideleines. • Most hazardous waste must be collected and disposed of by professionals • Biohazard bags are used for biological hazards = such as contaminated bottles and plates    (no sharp items), fill only ? full • Autoclave bio-contaminated items for 15-20 min @15-20 psi before disposal • Bio-contaminated loops and tubes can be soaked in 10% bleach for 30 min before disposal • Many chemicals may not go down drain (see district rules), i.e. CuSO4, silver nitrate, etc.    These must be collected and disposed of by professionals • Label waste with type/concentration/date Other Safety Issues Some other simple safety guidelines to follow to protect staff and students, include: • Gloves and goggles should be at every lab station and workstation, used for all chemical work • Latex or nitrile gloves should not be used when using a Bunsen burner or microwave (burn hazard).    Explore silicon gloves. • Use hot hand protectors or lab mitts for hot bottles/beakers • Disinfectants (1x Lysol® or Amphyl®) should be at each hood or counter where bacteria    is used • Use 10% bleach or 70% EtOH as disinfectant, where plant tissues are used • Use lid-locks for 1.7 mL tubes when dry heat blocks are used • A safety shower and eyewash must be associated with a working lab space • Broken glass cartons, fire extinguisher should be located conveniently around the lab space Other Issues Some final suggestions for a biotechnology training lab facility: • Computers - keep them away from chemicals and water • Not enough space? Explore portable items? • Set up alphabetized small items drawers or containers • Cable-lock down balances, computers and expensive equipment • Have a designated hand-washing sink, separate from glassware washing lab sinks • Lots of paper towels are used • Crushed ice is needed and preferred (vs. cube ice) • Post emergency numbers and signs Check out our Biotechnology Educator Support website at www BiotechEd.com for all kinds of teacher support including presentations, lesson plans, and tips on how to plan or implement a biotechnology education program. Ellyn Daugherty, Carnegie Learning and G-Biosciences give you the tools you need to prepare your students for academic and industry options in the science or business of biotechnology.

   
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