Science Students Turn Out, Tune Up at BPTC Fair

By Jim Shamp
News and Publications Editor

Some 300 college students from around the state crowded the newly opened Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) in Raleigh on Jan. 25.

But this gathering wasn't your typical weekend campus party. Instead, these revelers, representing the future of North Carolina's bioscience industry, were drawn to this annual Biomanufacturing & Pharmaceutical Student Seminar and Internship Fair for more serious pursuits.

All were seeking either career guidance or information. Some were seeking work opportunities through internships or permanent placements.

An Industry Snapshot

And some of the top names in North Carolina's bag of biopharmaceutical manufacturing goodies were there to oblige: Aerotek Scientific, Biogen Idec, Biolex Therapeutics, Catalent Pharma Solutions, Diosynth Biotechnology, DSM Pharmaceuticals, Eisai, GlaxoSmithKline, Griffin Engineering, Hospira, Kelly Scientific, Merck & Co., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries, Novozymes North America, REM Services, Talecris Biotherapeutics, Targacept and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

"I'm from India, and this is all new to me," said Supriya Vasudevan, who's in her second semester of master's degree study in toxicology at North Carolina State University. "This is my first career fair. But I came because I wanted to get an idea about what's available in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries here, what positions they're recruiting for."

Vasudevan's husband works for Nortel, and she hopes to find work in the Triangle also after her anticipated 2009 graduation.

Yorke Reynolds, an NCSU chemical engineering major from Salisbury, said she's been to previous biotech and pharmaceutical career fairs, but at the event she had the opportunity to give her a resume tune-up at the free face-to-face session. She said she hopes the tips will land her a job in drug development.

The majority of students attending this year's installment of the fair came from North Carolina State University, whose Centennial Campus houses the world-class BTEC. The gleaming facility was open to participants for tours.

But students from North Carolina Central University and several community colleges also helped jam the hallways and classrooms.

Job-Shopping Tips

More than 100 of the students sought the free resume reviews offered in brief sit-down sessions with professionals, scheduled by appointment. Other job-shopping tips came in the form of role-playing sessions in the BTEC auditorium, where the student audience watched corporate recruiters and trainers demonstrate what works best in job interviews – and why. That session was moderated by Hal Price, consultant with the Biotech Manufacturers' Forum of the North Carolina Biosciences Organization.

Kathleen Kennedy, Ph.D., vice president of education and training program at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, which co-sponsored the event, led two hour-long panel sessions providing an overview of North Carolina's life science industry. Panelists included Bruce Kaylos of Wyeth; James Kennamer of Talecris; Erika Stearns of Merck; and Tom Chambers of Novozymes.

NCSU Senior Barry Price discusses internship possibilities with Debra Perret of Targacept.

Barry Price, an NCSU senior from the small Perquimans County community of Winfall, on the state's northeastern shore, cruised the corporate booths in search of an internship.

"I'm studying biochemistry and biological sciences with a minor in business, but I've had previous undergraduate research experience," Price told a visibly impressed Debra Perret, who came from Winston-Salem to staff the Targacept booth. After they exchanged information, Price moved on to other booths, confessing he hopes to enroll in dental school eventually.

He took a moment to meet Ashley Ridge, a second-year master's degree student in microbiology at NCSU. Ridge is also interested in business, and plans to pursue an MBA next year "to prepare myself for something in biopharmacy."

Ridge attended the same event last year when it was held at the Biotechnology Center, "clicked" with a recruiter from Catalent Pharma Solutions, and landed a valuable internship with the firm, formerly known as Cardinal Health.

"I think it helped that I'd worked with Inspire throughout my undergraduate college years at NCSU," Ridge said. "And," she grinned, "I think I'm also lucky that I had a chance to work in a grocery store. That's what made me want to go to school forever."

"Many Opportunities Here"

"My passion is research," said Christopher Nduashey, a junior at NCCU who has enrolled in the university's Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE).

"I'm a lab coat guy," added the Kenya native, "so I'm looking for an internship with hopes it could lead to a job after I graduate."

"I'd like to find an internship leading to something in manufacturing research here in the Triangle," said Tamba Musa, a native of Sierra Leone who brought his wife and two daughters to Durham from Washington, D.C. four years ago in search of a better life.

Musa, now a senior at NCCU and also a BRITE enrollee, said he and his family have found the better life in the Triangle they were seeking. "There are so many opportunities here," he said, waving an arm over the span of BTEC equipment and the milling crowd of science students.

"And my wife and I feel that, with all the colleges around here, our children will have even more motivation to do well."

Contact Jim Shamp at 919-549-8889.