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Funded with two initial $30,000 grants from the Pfizer Foundation and theSan Diego Foundation, the institute is a 501 (c) (3) arm of BIOCOM, theassociation for the Southern California life science community, that willraise awareness and provide training for career opportunities in the biotechand medical device community for students, scientists, career counselors andteachers.
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"The BIOCOM Institute concentrates on introducing one of our greatestresources, our children, to their potential for careers in the biotech andmedical device community," said Tina Nova Bennett, Ph.D. Genoptix's presidentand CEO and chairwoman of the BIOCOM Institute board. "The BIOCOM Institutewill foster the next generation of life science leaders that may potentiallysave lives through scientific discovery."
BIOCOM is committed to developing a life science workforce that can fuelinnovation, drive regional economic prosperity and build understanding of thelife science community.
"The BIOCOM Institute builds on our science education foundation andcreates pioneering opportunities for students, teachers, and scientists towork together to improve the state of science education," said Kristie Grover,the BIOCOM Institute's director. "Through programs that encourage scienceliteracy and interaction with the biotech and medical device community, theBIOCOM Institute will open our student's eyes to the world of science andimprove the understanding of our industry's impact on humanity."
These programs include:
-- The Biotechnology Space Research Alliance, a partnership with NASA toencourage use of the National Laboratory on the International Space Stationfor breakthrough biotechnology discoveries and educational experiences.
-- Career Counselor Outreach, which teaches high school, college andcareer counselors about the broad scientific and non-scientific occupationsthat are available throughout the life science industry.
-- The Life Science Immersion Program, which provides scientists with thebusiness acumen to successfully transition into industry.
-- The Life Sciences Summer Institute, which exposes teachers and studentsto the life science industry through training camps and internships; thisprogram was developed by the San Diego Workforce Partnership and BIOCOM.
-- The Science Education Speakers Bureau, which matches industryprofessionals with K-12 guest speaking and teaching opportunities.
Funding for the BIOCOM Institute from the Pfizer Foundation and the SanDiego Foundation will go to support the Science Education Speakers BureauProject.
The BIOCOM Institute will be pursuing other grant opportunities as aself-sufficient science education arm of BIOCOM and has 501 (c) (3) non-profitstatus for tax-exempt donations. For more information on the BIOCOM Instituteor how you can support and participate in its community efforts, please callKristie Grover at 858-455-0300 x107.
About the BIOCOM Institute
Through support of K-12 scientific education and the continuous promotionof Southern California's world-class colleges and universities, the BIOCOMInstitute will encourage systemic change for broader science education throughcollaboration and outreach. The mission of the BIOCOM Institute is to offerand implement education programs that increase science literacy. For moreinformation on the BIOCOM Institute, please visit the organization's Web siteat http://www.biocomworkforce.org.
About BIOCOM
BIOCOM is the largest regional life science association in the world,representing more than 570 member companies in Southern California. Theasso
