Biotechnology is one of the fastest-growing industries in the country. To meet the growing biotechnology workforce needs, the National Center for Biotechnology Workforce at Forsyth Technical Community College has been supporting nationwide education and training of technicians in biotechnology, bioprocessing, and related programs at community colleges. Biotechnology industries increasingly need workers with hands-on training in high-resolution mass spectrometry. This project aims to expand the breadth and relevance of its support for biotechnology technician education by acquiring a high-resolution mass spectrometer. This state-of-the-art analytical tool can identify specific chemicals in a sample, even when the sample contains only a trillionth of a gram of that chemical. Such information is used in industries ranging from environmental testing, and food and beverage production, to drug discovery and manufacturing. The project proposes to use this spectrometer to train students and faculty in state-of-the art high-resolution mass spectrometry technology, thus aligning technician education with emerging workforce needs.
The project has two goals. First, it plans to acquire a high-resolution mass spectrometer and collaborate with industry partners to use real-world bioscience projects to provide students with skills-based instruction in how to use this technology. Second, it plans to provide workshops that will help high school STEM educators increase their understanding of the bioscience industry, including the use of high-resolution mass spectrometry. These workshops are intended to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to guide students into community college technician education programs that lead to bioscience careers. The College will partner with educators, employers, and entrepreneurs in and around Innovation Quarter in downtown Winston-Salem, NC, to develop instructional labs using high-resolution mass spectrometry on industry-related projects. Labs will include standard operating procedures on how to use the instrument to collect high-resolution mass spectrometry data, as well as how to interpret these data. This skills-based learning will serve faculty and students from the College and high school STEM programs, as well as those at other local universities. The workshops will also serve educators from across the nation who will be selected for their interest in and potential to develop advanced skills training that connects their local industry with the classroom. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.
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.
