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Abbe Kesterson of Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) just completed two semesters of the Entrepreneurs Bootcamp at the University Of Kentucky Von Allmen Center Of Entrepreneurship. In the first semester, Bootcamp 1.0, teams conceived of, developed and pitched ideas. Teams met with a variety of mentors and attended once a week workshops on the principles of lean entrepreneurial start-ups. About one third of the teams were invited to Bootcamp 2.0. Deborah Davis joined Abbe for the more intensive dive into business model development, market research, and customer validation. With this experience, Kesterson and Davis will be better equipped to... Read more

Del Mar College students presented research posters with regional university students from Texas A&M University at the Annual Student Research Day held on April 11, 2019. Read more

I just got a notification from Labroots concerning a listing of all webinars they are hosting. It is impressive and a great way to learn about new techniques and emerging technologies.

I also get notifications from Thermofisher Scientific, and similar companies. Today I received an email from them concerning a 4 part series on 3 D and organoid cell culture. And they have a great educational series on the basics of cell culture that Is worthwhile for anyone new to the field.

Of course, once you realize all the possible sources, you will have to choose what interests... Read more

What did I learn at the meeting? The first panel had representatives from all over Texas talking about what is happening in their areas. From El Paso to Houston to the Central Texas Area to Dallas, strategic partnerships area, and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute (CPRIT) funding is making a positive difference. For example, Emma Schwarz, President and Executive Director, Medical Center of the Americas in El Paso talked about how they are partnering with the biotech industry in Juarez, Mexico. Wayne Roberts, CEO of CPRIT, presented on the positive impacts of the institute. It is amazing what funding from... Read more

Co-written with Sandra Porter, PhD

How do human resource professionals determine if a job candidate has the skills they need to perform well in a certain job?

Imagine you're working in a company and it's your job to hire people for the lab. What if you've never worked in a lab? How do you choose the best person?

Human resources personnel use a variety of methods to determine if a candidate's resume provides evidence that they have the right skills. One achievement that helps is a college degree, but it's not always enough. In some... Read more

The 2018 Texas ASM Fall meeting was hosted by the Texas A&M University and co-hosted by Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, November 8-10th. Both faculty and students gave oral presentations, on topics that ranged across microbiology, as well as molecular and cellular biology. The conference also had an afternoon dedicated to undergraduate and graduate student poster presentations and with prizes awarded for the best talks and posters in each category.

Dr. Daisy Zhang and Dr. John Robert Hatherill from Del Mar College organized the judging and award ceremonies. Dr. Linnea Fletcher and Dr. Daisy Zhang organized and co-chaired... Read more

We had over 500 people attend the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Science Saturday Event this past weekend! Please consider examining the following video (it's only about 60 seconds long) to see a sampling of the exciting things that took place at this AC2 science outreach event for our community.

Thanks!

https://www.facebook.com/SACNASDelMar/videos/247399352495468/?hc_ref=ARS... Read more

The Biology Field of Study (FOS) meeting took place on January 8 & 9, 2018 in Austin, Texas. The report will soon for open for 30 days for public comment. I will update with a link for comment when I get it.

The meeting opened with the charge of the committee and election of the chair and vice chair. Our charge was to identify the courses that should be included in the Biology FOS and to address the TX30X60 Mandate set forth by the state legislature ( http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/9306.PDF?CFID=72966565&CFTOKEN=78411272 ). The mandate states that colleges and universities should... Read more

Dr Porter sent me an article on a possible new trend in hiring biotechicians. Companies are now going back to students with a 4 year degree. Interestingly we are seeing the same thing in Austin ---at least in the companies that are being bought by larger companies whose HR are out of state. One of our two year students, Isabel James, is now going back to UT to get her 4 year degree because of this trend. She will find that UT is actually offering less lab instruction in upper division courses -while in the two year ACC Biotech Program... Read more

@synbiobeta concluded it’s #sbbsf17 annual meeting on synthetic biology Oct 5, 2017. The progress companies are making in harnessing biology as a platform for manufacturing and problem solving is world changing.

What is Synthetic Biology?

Synthetic biology is a term that is used to describe the convergence of biotechnology and engineering. The dramatic cost decreases in our ability to read and write DNA (sequence and synthesize), combined with increasing capabilities in automation and informatics has catalyzed a new sub-industry within biotechnology. Synthetic biology utilizes high-throughput combinatorial approaches to quickly evolve living systems to make new drugs, foods,... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - By Jane Caffrey

Last month we told you about a group of Del Mar College students who believe they may have found a revolutionary way to combat antibiotic resistance . This week those three students traveled to Washington D.C. to present their idea as part of a national competition, and today they were named the first place winners of that challenge.

Now with support from some Congress members and possible investors, there is a lot of potential for their product to move forward.

More than a hundred teams submitted ideas... Read more

Can you show up to work on time? Everyday? Can you pass a drug test? Are you able to work well on a team? Can you dress properly for an interview and make eye contact. How's your handshake - firm and confident, or wimpy and lack-luster?. Can you demonstrate good communication skills?

Essential skills. Soft skills. Twenty-first century skills. Workforce ready skills. No matter what you call them, today's employers want them. Now. Regardless of the job you are looking for, these interpersonal skills weigh heavy in an employer's hiring decision. Technical skills may get you an interview, but... Read more

Please Attend the Del Mar College Student Research Day on April 21! Read more

Contributors: Janeu Houston and Danny Kainer, Lonestar College; Bridgette Kirkpatrick and Carole Twichell, Collin College

Introduction to Biotechnology I and II are highly rigorous courses that offer students a balance of theoretical concepts and practical laboratory skills development. Course descriptions are below.

Introduction to Biotechnology I BIOL 1414

Course Description: Overview of classical genetics, DNA structure, the flow of genetic information, DNA replication, gene transcription, protein translation. Principles of major molecular biology and genetic engineering techniques, including restriction enzymes and their uses, major types of cloning vectors, construction of libraries, Southern and Northern... Read more

The AC2 Bio-Link Regional Center recently sponsored two DMC students to present at the student poster competition at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting held in Boston, MA February 16-20, 2017. AAAS is the largest general scientific society in the world and is international in scope.

At the AAAS student poster competition SEA-PHAGES student Mr. John Ramirez and Danial Nasr competed against 4-year university and graduate students from Tier I research universities. It is noteworthy that they were not competing against any 2-year college students. The student’s ability to conduct independent research is unprecedented... Read more

This weekend I attended the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association (TWGGA) Annual Conference and Trade Show in San Marcos. I was there representing the new partnership between VESTA and the AC2 Bio-Link Regional Center. Scott Kohls, co-PI for the VESTA Center, manned the booth and trained me to deliver the "correct spiel" to interested participants. Austin Community College is the latest college to join the consortium of schools who support VESTA. VESTA offers online courses in wine making (enology), viticulture, and the business of wine making. The online components include an hour each week where students from "all over"... Read more

The formal opening of the Austin Community College Bioscience Incubator occurred January 31. 2017. It was a well-attended ceremony and students from the Biotechnology Program were on hand to demo and explain equipment in the facility. Dr. Tyler Drake, Director of the facility already has several companies who would like to lease bench space. The Biotechnology Program plans to offer biomanufacturing this Summer in the facility and the AC2 Bio-Link Regional Center plans to start offering workshops in emerging biotech areas such as stem cell cultivation. Read more

Stephanie Stoelb, Instructional Specialist at Bluegrass Community and Technical College and AC2 Project Manager, along with her two research students, Monsi Serrano and Joe Basel, attended the 2016 IdeaFestival in Louisville, Kentucky. Here is her take on the experience:

“Last week, I purchased a bottle of saliva off of the internet” began one of the morning sessions last week at IdeaFestival 2016 in Louisville, KY. The audience continued to listen as Heather Dewey-Hagborg, a Chicago based artist, discussed her creative, yet sometimes controversial work as she explores the intersection between art and science. She is often referred to as... Read more

I attended the ASMCUE conference in N Bethesda, MD in July. Below are some of the notes that I look at the sessions I attended. This meeting great for those wanting to learn about new teaching strategies. Though its an ASM meeting, the materials can be applied to many different science classes, not just microbiology. I got a lot of great ideas, below are just a few.

The opening keynote speaker was Eric Brown talking about FDA Food Safety

Genomics in food safety. Now use whole genome to trace food borne illness; have a library of... Read more

This summer two Del Mar College students are working at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), which is part of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBL) in Berkeley, CA. John F. Ramirez and Lorie Leyva are working on projects that involve E. coli membrane protein expression, isopentenol tolerance, production, and secretion for use as a potential biofuel. Some membrane proteins improve isopentenol production and a knockout strain of E. coli also improves membrane protein expression. John and Lorie are also testing the effects of multiple plasmid transformations have on the growth dynamics of their production strains of E. coli.

John... Read more

There is a new group in town, ASCN, Accelerating Systemic Change Network. I attended the first meeting two weeks ago and realized everything they were talking about is what we are trying to do in Texas and Kentucky! Read more

There is a new group in town, ASCN, Accelerating Systemic Change Network. I attended the first meeting two weeks ago and realized everything they were talking about is what we are trying to do in Texas and Kentucky! Read more

Kentucky's Governor, Matt Bevin, wants all Kentucky high school graduates to leave with at least nine hours of college credit. The announcement came from Gov. Bevin and Workforce Development Secretary, Hal Heiner, at a recent visit to Russell County High School. The Kentucky Dual Credit Scholarship Program will provide $15 million over the next 2 years for any high school student to earn dual credit at no cost to students. Eligible dual credit courses include general education classes, and career and tech education courses that are in a state-approved career pathway leading to an industry-recognized credential. The Kentucky Community and... Read more

The brain is a tricky organ to treat, being both important and complex! Not like the appendix for example, which is as close to disposable as you can get as far as internal organs are concerned. To add to the trickiness the body has a barrier system to protect the brain from "intruders" whether harmful or beneficial, making delivering a drug to the brain somewhat akin to storming a castle.

However Austin-based Mystic Pharmaceuticals is building a drawbridge. The company's recently issued patent "Dose-Dispensing Containers" (US Patent 9,248,076 B2) facilitates their development of non-invasive nose-to-brain delivery... Read more

A goal of the AC2 Bio-Link Regional Center (AC2) is to incorporate LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) in to biotechnology classes, possibly as a component of bioinformatics instruction. This is reasonable because students entering the workforce will have advantages over others if they have some experience with such systems. Also, CSO's and incubators need to consider LIMS to manage lab operations, train students in modern practices, and support their clients.

Sounds easy.

Getting, planning, building, using, and maintaining LIMS is a challenging endeavor. So challenging in fact, that there are countless systems available, a world of consultants, and... Read more

Tapping into a goal of providing collaborative learning in our S-STEM scholarship grant, our scholars were challenged to submit a research proposal to the EPA p3 Sustainable Design project. ("p3" stands for "people, planet, and prosperity".) Different teams that included students in the biotechnology, environmental sciences, engineering, and geological sciences programs developed their own ideas for a research proposal during fall of 2013. Following team presentations of their research proposals to their peers, our scholars voted on which project they wanted to submit, using feasability, potential impact, and commercial viability that the project might have on society. The winning team... Read more

Austin Community College began work Feb. 4th on the Advanced Commercialization ACCelerator in ACC Highland with industry representatives and community leaders in attendance. Biotechnology students participating along with up to 200 guests.

From the ACC web site :

The business incubator will provide companies with the specialized equipment, wet-lab space, and conference areas they need to transform their research and concepts to marketable products. ACC students will be able to take advantage of real-world learning opportunities.

“We’re going to see hundreds of millions of dollars of additional economic activity and thousands of jobs... Read more