Courtesy of SASinschool.com
By Katie Trapp, North Carolina Biotechnology Center
Enthusiasm is contagious. And that is how Green Hope High School science teacher Rebecca Townsend and hundreds of other educators plan to bring biotechnology into their classrooms.
That’s why teachers from around the world plan to converge on San Diego June 14-17 for the Biotechnology Institute’s 2008 International Conference on Biotechnology Education.
This conference provides teachers with the skills, strategies and knowledge to spread awareness of biotechnology to their students and educate their peers to do the same. There will be sessions on best practices, competitions, hands-on professional development sessions linked to education and skill standards, mentoring workshops, and career development for students interested in biotechnology.
Thanks to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and Syngenta, three high school science teachers from North Carolina will be making the trek to San Diego, and will bring back with them more knowledge and tools to pass on to their students.
“Attending this conference will benefit my students in the long-term because the more I know about biotech, the more I can teach them,” Townsend said. “I am hoping to learn new techniques and lab ideas we can use in the classroom, and make new contacts I can set my students up with as well.”
Education and Training Program Manager of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center Bill Schy has played an integral part in choosing the awardees.
“Hopefully what they bring back will inspire other teachers,” Schy said.
Townsend teaches AP Biology, Honors Research Methods and Anatomy. She uses biotechnology in her classroom through labs, field trips and guest speakers. Her AP Biology students even visit GlaxoSmithKline every year to participate in a lab.
In 2004, Townsend was awarded an Education Mini-Grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for a project called “Protein Expression Patterns in Zebra Fish Embryos and Regenerating Planaria”. With this grant, her students have had the opportunity to participate in protein extraction and protein gel electrophoresis from zebra fish and regenerating planaria.
Another awardee is Pamela Johnston, a teacher at Alexander Central High School in Taylorsville. In addition to AP Biology, Johnston actually teaches a biotechnology course. She says that her students learn the equipment and become comfortable in the lab, helping them in future circumstances.
Careerwise, she tells her students about the incredible opportunities we have in the North Carolina biotechnology industry. “I think it really impacts our everyday lives in many ways,” she said. Johnston even makes a point to teach her students about bioethics so that they can form educated opinions about controversial biotechnology issues.
Johnston first got to know Schy by attending the teacher workshops at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and then applied and won a grant for $18,200 to buy equipment for her classroom. She also participated in a forum at the Center focusing on how to prepare students for a career in biotechnology.
“She really encourages her students to fly and that’s why I thought of her for this award,” Schy said.
The third awardee is Catherine McCluskey, a chemistry teacher at East Wake High School in Wendell. Amber Walker, corporate development manager at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, is an East Wake alumna.
"She was an excellent teacher then and that doesn't seem to have changed. She always found ways to engage her students in learning," Walker said. " I'm glad she's getting this opportunity - it's well deserved and I'm certain she'll bring it back to the classroom!"
“I am confident that all three teachers participating will use this opportunity to the fullest to develop their confidence and knowledge of biotechnology, and in turn become important resources for their teaching colleagues,” Schy said.