White House College Opportunity STEM Workshop

October 8,2014
White House College Opportunity STEM Workshop
PBSC was invited to participate in the White House STEM Education Workshop
as part of the White House College Opportunity Initiative. The day long event
was held at FIU in Miami on October 1, 2014. We heard from John P. Holdren,
Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The call to action was to
boost STEM training to create 1) STEM developers and designers, 2) a strong
STEM workforce, and 3) an engaged citizenry. Goals include boosting participation from diverse groups, increasing investments in STEM, and sustaining the STEM fields through
industry support and mentoring. An important take home message: "Our resources are too limited not to collaborate."
John P. Holdren, addressing the guests.
Colin Potts, VP of Undergrad Education at GA Tech talks
about the STEM Pipeline.
Far left, Susan Singer from the National Science Foundation moderates a STEM Panel discussion.
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Student Success!
Cara C. Morris, Esq., General Counsel at Sancilio & Company, Inc. Just over two
years ago, while a partner at a commercial litigation law firm, I began collaboration
on a book that focused on scientific developments and the law. As the project developed, it sparked my interest in science, particularly in the areas of biology and
chemistry. The project and my desire to be more fluent in the subject matter, lead
me to take classes at Palm Beach State College. For the next two years I immersed
myself in classes on biotechnology, biology, chemistry, microbiology, botany, anatomy. The experience was challenging and rewarding. The professors at PBSC were
engaging and supportive and took an interest in my success both inside and outside the classroom.
The Science & Technology Guidebook for Lawyers was published by the American Bar Association earlier this year. The coursework established a foundation for the book and secured my credibility as a co-author on the project. PBSC also provided information and networking opportunities
for jobs in science and identified local employers. My coursework and the opportunities provided by
PBSC, lead to a significant career change. Today, two years later, I am General Counsel at Sancilio & Company,a biopharmaceutical company located in Riviera Beach, FL.
Upcoming Events
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10/9/14 Life Science and Technology Hub, creating careers from ideas! Waterway Cafe Palm Beach Gardens, 2nd Thursday of each month, 6-8:00pm. RSVP here
10/10/14 St. Luke Middle School tour,12-2PM. Students will tour Biotech, Horticulture labs, Medicinal Garden, and the Energy Institute. Students will run hands-on labs and learn about genomics.
10/12-14/14 BioFlorida Conference, Ft. Lauderdale
10/15/14 Development Day/No Classes
10/15/14 STEM Committee Meeting, Open to all Faculty. LW campus, NS244/11:00AM
10/16/14 Max Planck Seminar series,11:00PM/Elmore Auditorium. Attila Losonczy, MD, Ph.D.—Columbia.
“Functional Imaging Hippocampal Microcircuits in Behaving Mice”
10/16/14 Scripps Seminar, 4:00PM/Bldg. B Room B158, “CRISPR-Mediated in vivo engineering of oncogenic chromosomal rearrangements”
10/21/14 Biotech Staff meeting 12:50PM /SC214
10/22/14 Biotech Oktoberfest,12-3:00PM/SC127
10/22/14 Biotech Association Meeting, 10-11:00PM/SC201
Have an event to share? Let us know.
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Bitesize Bio is the place where over 90,000 bioscientists gather to find advice, tips and wisdom on improving their work at the bench and dealing with the challenges of a scientific career. Bitesize bio is committed to providing free,
high quality information and training for bioscientists. Be sure to check
out Bitesize Bio’s line up of October webinars here.
Microscopy:
1. Fundamentals of Fluorescence Microscopy-10/14/14, 12:00PM
2. The Basics of Confocal Microscopy–10/15/14, 12:00PM
3. How to Pick the Right Microscopy Technique-10/16/14,12:00PM
Flow Cytometry:
1. There is No Business Like Flow Business-The Basics of Flow Cytometry-10/20/14,12:00pm
2. DNA Analysis by Flow Cytometry-10/21/14, 12:00PM
3. Time-The forgotten Parameter in Flow Cytometry-10/22/14,12:00PM
Browse the webinars and book your seat here. Space within each webinar is limited so book early!
Student Ambassadors are needed for Oktoberfest!!!
Our annual Oktoberfest celebration will take place in SC127 on Weds 10/22 from 123pm. Student ambassadors are needed to help with the booths. Get involved! The open-tothe-public event showcases the role of biotechnology in food production. This year we’re
building on the success of last year’s inaugural event. We’ll showcase GMOs, host live
demonstrations of the role of biotechnology in the production of bread, cheese, wine, and
beer, and we’ll have fun giveaways.
Biotech Alumni Update
On Tuesday, October 7th Palm Beach State College is filming a story on one of our Biotech alumni! Biotech graduate Matthew Cleary completed his internship in 2013 at Somahlution, a Jupiter
company based on technologies to improve organ transplant procedures. Soon after he was hired full
-time and has been with the company ever since. Previously in the construction management business, Matthew excelled in his science coursework and quickly became a leader in the program, helping other students and participating in various outreach events such as College is Possible and Biotech Awareness Week. His second daughter was born just a few days ago, we congratulate Matt on
all of his personal and professional success, and thank him for keeping in touch.
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Also in the news:
On Thursday, October 2nd, PBSC participated in the Life Sciences South
Florida (LSSF) Executive Committee meeting. Held at Broward College in Ft. Lauderdale, we heard
from the new president of FAU, John W. Kelly, just 7 months into his new job. He stressed the importance of collaboration among south Florida colleges and universities as a means to raise the entire
regions workforce and recruit more industries to the area. By Jove, he’s got it! PBSC looks forward
to collaborating.
Do you have a Palm Beach State College Biotech story ? Let us know!
Don’t forget to register for the BioFlorida Conference:
The annual BioFlorida Conference is coming up! Please visit https://bioflorida.site-ym.com/?page=41
for information on Conference activities and cost to attend.
The BioFlorida Conference has been held successfully for 17 years! This year, the Conference take
place October 12th to October 14th at the Marriott Harbor Beach in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Thank you in advance and we hope to see you there!
Interested in sponsoring the
Biotechnology Program?
We need your support to grow and
provide more opportunities for life
science students. Contact Dr. Mercer
for details on how you can help.
Want to receive this newsletter to a different email address? Know a colleague who could benefit
from the newsletter? Please contact Brenda Lesser to be added to the mailing list.
PALM BEACH STATE COLLEGE
BIOTECHNOLOGY
www.palmbeachstate.edu/programs/Biotechnology
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