Last month we gave our readers a peek at some special projects underway at BioBuilder. This month, we are thrilled to announce the launch of three of these initiatives. Read on for news you won’t want to miss!
The New BioBuilder Website is Here!
BioBuilder has been working diligently to revamp its website in ways that provide updated and additional information on the BioBuilder Educational Foundation and all its programs and opportunities. The result has certainly been worth the wait!
Most notable, the new biobuilder.org site now hosts information on both curricula: BioBuilder and BioTechBuilder.
BioBuilder Track
When you select the BioBuilder track you find dedicated webpages full of information for students, educators, and industry professionals.
The For Students page has helpful information for current and aspiring BioBuilders, including:
- The BioBuilder curriculum
- BioBuilder programs: BioBuilderClub, Apprenticeship Challenge, Summer Research Program, and Summer Internships
- Learning Lab visits and workshops
- Other ways to learn about BioBuilder and careers in biotechnology, such as the BioBuilder blog, podcast, and Career Conversations videos
The For Educators page is where teachers find similar information on BioBuilder’s programs and resources, plus teacher professional development workshops and the BioBuilder curriculum.
The For Industry Professionals page is chock full of ways for industry pros to learn about BioBuilder and how to help train the next generation of biotech professionals. Opportunities abound, such as:
- Volunteering with BioBuilder
- Hiring an Apprenticeship Challenge summer intern
- Helping build BioBuilder’s certificate programs by working with students enrolled in high school career training
Companies can even request a customized upskilling workshop for your current or new employees!
Whatever information you’re looking for on BioBuilder’s foundational curriculum and programs, you’ll find it at Biobuilderlearning.org.
BioTechBuilder Track
When you select the BioTechBuilder track you find equally helpful and important information on this exciting new curriculum, including an overview of the program and it’s three modules:
- Lab Skills: Essential lab concepts and techniques for making solutions and growing cells.
- Foundations: DNA and protein analysis techniques
- Applications: Industrial biotechnology applications commercialization practices
You can explore sample lessons, microcredentialing opportunities, and more! Check it all out at Biotechbuilder.org.
New Teacher Training Platform Launches
The new BioTechBuilder professional development platform for educators is now live! The online training platform gives teachers access to:
- ready-to-use teaching slides
- classroom and lab demonstration videos
- lab materials and instructions to try the experiments yourself
- student assignments
- pointers for BCSI micro-credential testing
Each part of the BioTechBuilder 5-part training series is offered on-demand so you can learn at your own pace on your own time. You get help along the way thanks to online “office hours” where you can get answers to your questions and continue learning from BioBuilder educators. You can even earn a BioTechBuilder Master Teacher credential!
Visit the Training for Educators webpage to explore this unique opportunity designed to help teachers bring BioTechBuilder to their schools and students!
Full Article Now Available!
Last month we teased readers with the abstract of a new journal article co-authored by scientists and educators from BioBuilder and East Tennessee State University. We’re happy to announce that the full article has now been published, and we can’t wait for you to read it!
The investigators looked at the impact of the BioBuilderClub project-based science education approach on high school students’ science identity, self-beliefs, and content knowledge in synthetic biology. The results of their work showed:
- Significant improvements in students’ self-perceived scientific engagement, competency, and content knowledge regardless of gender, locale, and first-generation status.
- Improvement in students’ understanding of synthetic biology.
- Increased student interest in biotechnology and related fields.
The article was published in the STEM Education section of the Frontiers in Education peer-reviewed journal. Be sure to read the full article to understand the robustness of the methods and resulting data that revealed these encouraging conclusions!
Congratulations to Dr. Natalie Kuldell and Chloe Franklin at BioBuilder, and East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Pamela Mims and Dr. Lindsay E. Lee for a well-designed and completed investigation!
If you haven’t done it yet, please find a way to join our growing community of BioBuilders. You can visit our new Learning Lab, participate in our new BioTechBuilder training, or find even more news and opportunities on our new website!
New Learning Lab @Allston is Open!
February 28 marked the day when a ribbon cutting ceremony opened BioBuilder’s new Learning Lab @Allston! This exciting new “learning and doing” space is located on the ground floor of the new Allston LabWorks building at 250 Western Avenue in Allston, MA.
BioBuilder students and teachers will soon be enjoying the new 2000 sf2 laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, and the spacious classroom.
The Boston Real Estate Times recently featured the new Learning Lab in an article titled “BioBuilder Opens New Learning Lab in Allston to Train Future Biomanufacturing Workforce.” Check it out to learn more about the new lab and Allston campus!
