Pivots: Pivotal Pathways and Inclusive On-Ramps to Careers in Biomanufacturing

支点：生物制造职业的关键途径和包容性入口

• 批准号: 2322714
• 负责人: Christine Bolzan
• 金额: $ 99.96万
• 依托单位: Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2322714&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Pivots; Pivotal; Pathways; Inclusive; Ramps

This project's significance lies in its ability to provide supportive hands-on, experiential education in the life sciences and biotechnology fields, providing on-ramps to underserved and underrepresented individuals previously unable to access STEM opportunities, thus enabling substantial career pivots. The inability to meet the growing demand for biotechnicians weakens the nation's position as the global bioeconomy leader and poses national security risks. Through a certificate program and upskilling courses with robust support services that enable success, the project will increase employability, wage potential, and career growth for up to 180 adults over two years. This serves the national interest by promoting the progress of science, advancing, and supporting education and diversity. The project also contributes to the advancement in the biotechnology field and benefits society by producing professionals for the growing biomanufacturing industry. Additionally, the project fosters a more inclusive scientific community and provides an example of innovative, hands-on learning for the adult vocational learner. It establishes a framework for closing a workforce gap while simultaneously addressing societal goals of promoting equity and increasing access for diverse learners.Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI), a 501c3 non-profit founded in 2013, addresses critical challenges facing our oceans, human health and the environment through innovative scientific research and education. GMGI operates the Gloucester Biotechnology Academy, whose 10-month biotechnology certificate program combines hands-on classroom and laboratory training with paid internships. GMGI prepares adults with no prior mathematics or science experience who are struggling to connect with college and career, to pivot into roles as laboratory technicians in life science and biotechnology fields. GMGI's proprietary curriculum allows participants to master standard lab practices and fundamental molecular biology techniques including DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing. A biomanufacturing workflow follows and participants prepare solutions, media and plates for growing cells, engineer bacterial cells to produce proteins of interest, generate cell banks and confirm productivity, demonstrate proficiency in batching, sampling and decontaminating fermentation processes, practice upstream and downstream processing and purification, and incorporate process analytical technologies to monitor mammalian cell cultures in single-use bioreactors. Students learn on industry-recommended equipment including thermocyclers, UV-Vis plate readers, NanoDrop/Qubit instruments, electrophoresis gel chambers, DNA sequencers, BioFlo fermenters, Celligen CLU single-use bioreactions, AKTA Pure column chromatography, and additional tools. In addition to technical coursework, students complete a career skills curriculum preparing them for the job search and professional laboratory environment. This project will increase outreach to move diverse and economically disadvantaged communities and includes robust wrap-around services for adult vocational learners including stipends, childcare and housing vouchers, technology and transportation, DEIA training, as well as resources for mental health services. The comprehensive curriculum taught by industry experts and experienced educators breaks barriers and will be a model to enable expansion and scalability, thereby closing important workforce gaps in the advanced manufacturing fields. Outcomes will be thoughtfully captured, monitored, and shared broadly through conferences and publications across research, education, and industry. This project aligns with the NSF ExLENT Program, funded by the NSF TIP and EDU Directorates, as it seeks to support experiential learning opportunities for individuals from diverse professional and educational backgrounds to increase their interest in, and their access to, career pathways in emerging technology fields.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目的意义在于其在生命科学和生物技术领域提供支持性的动手，体验式教育的能力，为以前无法​​获得STEM机会的服务不足和代表性不足的人提供了越野车，从而实现了实质性的职业枢纽。无法满足对生物技术医生的不断增长的需求削弱了美国作为全球生物经济领袖的地位，并带来了国家安全风险。通过证书课程和提高技能课程，并提供了强大的支持服务，该项目将在两年内提高最高180名成年人的就业能力，工资潜力和职业增长。这通过促进科学的进步，发展和支持教育和多样性来为国家利益提供服务。该项目还通过为不断增长的生物制造业培养专业人士，为生物技术领域和福利社会的进步做出了贡献。此外，该项目培养了一个更具包容性的科学界，并为成人职业学习者提供了创新的动手学习的例子。它建立了一个框架，以缩小劳动力差距，同时解决促进公平和增加多元化学习者的访问权限的社会目标。GloucesterMarine Genomics Institute（GMGI）（GMGI）是2013年建立的501C3非营利组织，该非营利组织成立于2013年，是通过我们的海洋，人类健康和环境来解决的。 GMGI经营Gloucester Biotechnology Academy，其10个月的生物技术证书计划将动手的课堂和实验室培训与付费实习相结合。 GMGI为没有以前的数学或科学经验的成年人做好准备，他们正在努力与大学和职业建立联系，以使其成为生命科学和生物技术领域的实验室技术人员的角色。 GMGI的专有课程允许参与者掌握标准实验室实践和基本分子生物学技术，包括DNA提取，扩增和测序。生物制造工作流程遵循和参与者为生长的细胞准备解决方案，培养基和板块，工程细菌细胞以产生感兴趣的蛋白质，产生细胞库并确认生产力，证明了熟练度的熟练度，取样，取样和去氨基化的发酵过程，在上游和下游处理和下游处理，并培养分析型细胞培养物中，并培养单个细胞培养物。学生了解行业推荐的设备，包括热循环器，UV-VIS读取器，纳米旋风/Qubit仪器，电泳凝胶室，DNA测序仪，Bioflo Fermenters，Celligen Clu单使用生物反应，Akta Pure Compure Compure Compure Chormokatight和其他工具。除了技术课程外，学生还完成了职业技能课程，为他们的求职和专业实验室环境做准备。该项目将增加宣传，以移动多样化和经济弱势群体的社区，并包括针对成人职业学习者的强大包装服务，包括津贴，育儿和住房优惠券，技术和运输，DEIA培训以及精神卫生服务的资源。行业专家和经验丰富的教育工作者教授的综合课程打破了障碍，并将成为实现扩展和可扩展性的模型，从而缩小高级制造领域的重要劳动力差距。结局将通过研究，教育和行业的会议和出版物进行周到的捕获，监测和共享。 该项目与由NSF Tip和EDU局资助的NSF Exlent计划保持一致，因为它试图支持来自多元化专业和教育背景的个人的体验式学习机会，以增加对新兴技术领域的职业途径的兴趣，并在新闻技术领域中获得职业途径。这是NSF的法定任务和审查的审查，反映了综述的经验。