This award is to City College of San Francisco to support the activity described below for 24 months. The proposal was submitted in response to the Partnerships for Innovation Program Solicitation (NSF-04556).
Partners The partners include City College of San Francisco (Lead Institution), San Francisco Works, Bay Area Bioscience Center, Chiron Corporation, Grenentech Foundation for Biomedical Sciences, San Francisco First Source Hiring Administration, San Francisco Mayor's Office of Economic and Job Development, United States Department of Agriculture, University of California San Frisco, and Walter and Elise Haas Fund.
The primary objective is to scale up a successful program that prepares low-income, underrepresented adults with sixth to ninth grade skill levels for successful employment and ongoing education within the burgeoning biotechnology industry. The participants gain skills in math and science through classroom education, hands-on internships at laboratories at the partners' facilities, coaching or mentorship by professionals in the field. Over the two-year period of the grant, the partners will expand to the City College of San Francisco Mission Campus located in a Latino community. Future expansion will include communities and campuses where the language is not primarily English. The program will be formalized and institutionalized.
Potential Economic Impact
The activity will provide a technologically literate bioscience workforce needed to sustain the competitive edge in the biotech industry in the San Francisco Bay area. The activity will bolster the pipeline of skilled bioscience workers and lead to sustainability that includes local public and corporate investment.
The intellectual merit of the project lies in the promotion of innovation in the bioscience industry by increasing the scientific and technical capabilities of the local workforce.
The broader impacts of the activity concentrate on the education infrastructure needed to sustain the biotechnology industry, as well as providing a diverse workforce.
