Newsletter of the Central Coast Biotechnology Center

Each attendee to the Advisory Committee Meeting and Regional Biotech Curriculum Sharing will receive a copy of the Regional Workforce Census. Each person will also receive a flyer to order a copy of a great booklet due out in June, 1999 titled: “Careers in Biotechnology: A Counselor’s Guide to the Best Jobs”, a project funded by a Career Development Grant of the California Community Colleges.

You are welcome to attend all or any of the day’s activities. We particularly encourage science faculty to attend the Biotechnology Curriculum Sharing, and particularly encourage our industry partners to attend the Advisory Committee Meeting.

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Courses and Resources

Monday - Friday, June 28- July 2, 1999 - Science and Ethics of Biotechnology - Los Angeles Pierce College again hosts this course for college faculty alongside the Miami University Middletown Ohio for a week of active learning experiences that engage participants in laboratory techniques used in the industrial biotechnology laboratory as well as a review of the science & theoretical foundation behind these techniques. Though the priority deadline was 15 March, applications will be considered on a space- available basis until the start of the course. For applications and further information, please contact the Center for Chemical Education, Miami University of Ohio (513) 727- 3392 or Marty Ikkanda, Los Angeles Pierce College, (818) 710-4288 or J._Martin_Ikkanda@laccd.cc.ca.us.

Wednesday April 21 - Seaside Park (Ventura County Fairgrounds) Ventura. “Science for the New Millennium” is the topic for the Career Event hosted by California Lutheran University held in conjunction with the Ventura County Science Fair. To involve fair participants in career options, there will be a variety of interactive displays, breakout session and booths with professionals showing career opportunities in biotechnology, agriculture and marine sciences in Ventura County. Contact Jim Wolf, (805) 493-3385 for further information.

CLUES Kit Trainings - CLUES kits contain five modules related to biotechnology suitable for 50 minute [or longer of course] class periods. The trainings are for instructors who wish to use the kits, which are loaned out from the CCBC or from California Lutheran University. Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA - Friday and Saturday, October 15 & 16, 1999. California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA - Two Saturdays, September 11 & 18 and a One-Day Intensive on Saturday 30 October.

Monday, 19 April - ED>Net Biotechnology Initiative Committee Meeting 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Hyatt, Irvine, CA. AND....

Tuesday, 20 April 1999. 10th Annual ED>Net Meeting, Hyatt Irvine. Contact Kim Perry at 916.395.5697 or kperry@ednet.cc.ca.us or CCBC Director Mary Pat Huxley 805.648-8977 or mphuxley@ventura.cc.ca.us

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College of the Canyons Receives
Laminar Flow Hood

Don Takeda, Lead Faculty in Biological Sciences at College of the Canyons, smiles as he accepts a laminar flow cabinet from CCBC storage for the developing biotechnology program at his college. Don said the timing was good to receive this hood: it will be placed in their new laboratory in the new science building. College of the Canyons is nearly finished constructing this new building that is replacing the one damaged by an earthquake.

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Marty Angerman, from Quality Control at Biosource, Inc. in Camarillo, CA, assists in determining if this ELISA plate reader, a donation from DAKO Corporation, is ready to use.

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• Ten Pharmacia size exclusion columns
• One power supply
• 50 erlenmeyer flasks
• Ten drybath incubators
• Five Statfax 2299 shaker incubators
• 18 Denley Platewashers
• 12 Microtek plate readers
• Twenty freezer boxes for an ultra-cold freezer
• Two boxes of 12 mm test tubes
• Micropipette tips
• Sterile vacuum filter bottles
• Two thermal printers

Rich Grimm, warehouseman from DAKO International, loads surplus equipment that will be used by the regional colleges of the CCBC.

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Career Days

• Oxnard College, Monday April 19, 1999, 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Phone (805) 986- 5838
• Ventura College, Monday May 3, 1999, 10 AM to 2 PM. Naomi Miller (805) 654- 6400.
• Amgen Job Fair at Ventura College, Science Complex, Tuesday 6 April 1999, 2 to 6 PM.
• College of the Canyons, Wednesday April 7, 1999, 11:30 AM to 3 PM. Sandy Kingsley (805) 259-7800.
• Taft College, Tuesday April 27, 1999, 9 AM to 12 noon. Randy Miller (805) 763-4282.

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Attendees at the Pioneering Biotechnology Curriculum Day

Pioneering Biotechnology Curriculum

San Francisco, February 26, 1999

The Pioneering Biotechnology Curriculum Day for community college science instructors held in San Francisco had at least one strong indication that the day was a success: almost all the the 66 attendees voted to have a repeat conference next year. The morning began with an exciting overview of Bio-Link, the National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education Center* for community colleges across the United States. Elaine Johnson, Director of Bio-Link, clarified how the National Center (located at UC San Francisco), will work with the six Regional Centers across the nation.

Elaine Johnson (seated, left) Director of the national Bio-Link ATE Center, chats with participants after her presentation.

Kim Perry, Statewide Director of the California Community Colleges Biotechnology Initiative, presented an outstanding overview of the six biotech centers in the state, including how and what each of them are doing. The general discussion about biotech kits, do they work, sharing of best practices and resources and biotechnology in non-biology science courses was excellent. The afternoon was devoted to round-table discussions on ten separate topics.

Round-table groups followed the general discussion. From l to r, facing: Dr. Maureen Harrigan (Moorpark College), Jim DeKloe (Solano College) and Wendie Johnston (Pasadena City College).

For your information, “The California Community Colleges Biotechnology Curriculum Collection” will be posted on the CCBC Website no later than mid-April. Please access the site and click on the button “RESOURCES”, then on the link to “The Biotechnology Curriculum Collection of the California Community Colleges”. http://www.ventura.cc.ca.us/depts/biotech

Mary Pat Huxley, CCBC Director, collects notes from the round-table discussions, including from Elizabeth Russo, College of the Canyons (seated).

* As you may know, the National Science Foundation announced the Advanced Technology Program in 1993, in response to the Scientific and Advanced Technology Act of 1992. The mission of ATE Centers of Excellence is to improve quality of education in science and engineering technologies, and require leadership from community or technical colleges.

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