Program Overview
Georgia Bio initiated an education and workforce development program in January of 2007 through a partnership with the DeKalb County School System and the Biotechnology Institute to improve student achievement in science. Oversight is provided by an Education Committee composed of representatives of member organizations and educational partners, and is co-chaired by representatives of industry and education.
Mission and Goals
Georgia Bio’s mission in education and workforce development is to accelerate the alignment of Georgia’s current and future workforce with the needs of its life sciences industries. Programmatic goals include:
Accomplishments
- Formation of the Innovation Crescent. Georgia Bio is one of the project leaders for the Innovation Crescent, a 13-county regional workforce development initiative focused on the life sciences industry. This regional team secured nearly $1 million in funding from the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development for its programs to document and upgrade skills of existing workers, increase high school graduation rates, and promote high school science, technology, engineering and math programs. The Innovation Crescent model connects education and career pathway development with Georgia’s Work Ready Program, and places it all in an industry-focused context led by an Human Resource Network.
As part of this grant, the Innovation Crescent (IC) links high schools with the Georgia Bioscience Technology Institute (GBTI; a collaborative two year biotechnology degree program at Athens and Gwinnett Technical Colleges) and four year institutions. Nearly $500,000 has been directly invested into launching high school biotechnology pathways in IC high schools (see below).
- Launch of a new biotechnology curricula in Georgia’s high schools. Georgia Bio championed the implementation of a new state-approved high school biotechnology curriculum as a science elective and as a career and technical education career pathway, depending on the school’s needs.
Through the Innovation Crescent initiative, Georgia Bio piloted this course in fall 2009 in eight high schools in four counties. In partnership with the GBTI, we provided teacher professional development, nearly $500,000 in equipment funds, ongoing assistance and evaluation. In the fall 2010, nearly 20 high schools across the state will be offering this curriculum to over 700 students.
We are disseminating best practices from the pilot experience to encourage broad adoption of the curriculum. We conducted an evaluation showing that both student and parent attitudes toward science were significantly and positively impacted by this curriculum; and prepared a detailed resource guide to assist schools in efficiently launching the curriculum.
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Development of low cost biotechnology tasks to integrate in existing middle and high school science classes. We are providing hands-on activities to students, then showing them how the science is relevant to companies and people working in Georgia. With the Georgia Department of Education (GDOE), we developed low cost biotechnology tasks aligned with the Georgia Performance Standards for the existing middle and high school life science curricula and related to Georgia industry and careers. These tasks are provided to all teachers via the Georgia Performance Standards website as part of the 7th grade life science and high school biology curriculum maps. Georgia Bio has tested these tasks in the Innovation Crescent, and provided direct training to nearly 200 teachers. . We are providing hands-on activities to students, then showing them how the science is relevant to companies and people working in Georgia. With the Georgia Department of Education (GDOE), we developed low cost biotechnology tasks aligned with the Georgia Performance Standards for the existing middle and high school life science curricula and related to Georgia industry and careers. These tasks are provided to all teachers via the Georgia Performance Standards website as part of the 7th grade life science and high school biology curriculum maps. Georgia Bio has tested these tasks in the Innovation Crescent, and provided direct training to nearly 200 teachers.
- Support of bioscience learning opportunities for teachers. We provide access to high quality educational opportunities for Georgia’s teachers.
o Georgia Bio has developed a first-ever partnership with the Georgia Science Teachers Association to offer a Biotechnology Focused Program at their 2011 annual conference in Atlanta. This comprehensive program will connect Georgia’s teachers to regional university resources and industry to provide intensive hands-on instruction, presentations and field trips in biotechnology.
o We hold an annual Life Science Workforce Forum in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to convey economic development and industry viewpoint to science educators and to provide real-world content to share with students .
o Since 2007, we sent 22 Georgia educators to the nationally-recognized Teacher-Leader Workshops at the Biotechnology Institute’s Annual Conference on Biotechnology Education to learn the latest techniques for teaching hands-on biotech in their classrooms, and to share their training with their peers in their home districts.
o As part of the 2009 BIO International Convention activities in Atlanta, Georgia Bio, the Biotechnology Institute and Georgia Tech provided a Best Practices workshop to over 200 science educators to showcase exemplary science, math and technology programs related to biotechnology and outstanding teaching practices and programs.
- Connection of business and science professionals with the classroom. Through our Visiting Scientist Program, we regularly participate in career fairs, science fairs, classroom visits, mentoring and demonstrations. In the 2009 school year, we reached in excess of 2000 students in just classroom visits, and another 1000 students through science fair participation.
- Development of shared solutions for existing worker training needs. Through the Innovation Crescent’s Human Resource Network, we are collaboratively developing shared solutions to existing firms’ training and recruitment needs through a volunteer network of industry human resource professionals, recruiters, and post-secondary education representatives.
- Formation of a statewide consortium of technical college bioscience programs.
Georgia Bio has led the expansion of the Georgia Bioscience Technology Institute, a statewide consortium in Athens, Atlanta, Gwinnett, Augusta and Valdosta to share curricula, resources, articulation agreements and coordinated strategies for training the state’s skilled bioscience workers.