Online CQIA (Certified Quality Improvement Associate) Preparation Courses at Irvine Valley College
Irvine Valley College offers 3-unit online courses to prepare students for taking the American Society for Quality (ASQ) exam to become Certified Quality Improvement Associates.
PASADENA BIO COLLABORATIVE INCUBATOR STUDENT WORKDAY
The Pasadena Biocollaborative Incubator has a long standing relationship with area high schools and colleges. They provide a hands-on, real life lab experience for students and interns during their periodic Student Workdays. To see a sampling of activities, please click the image below:
LOS ANGELES AREA COLLEGE EARNS TOP 10 HONORS IN NSF CHALLENGE (posted 5/03/18) Congratulations to LA Mission College’s biotechnology students (and instructors!) for placing among the top 10 finalists in the NSF (National Science Foundation) event “Community College Innovation Challenge.” The student project uses bacteria in an innovative microbial fuel cell configuration to treat wastewater and produce energy.
LOS ANGELES AREA COLLEGES HOST GMP/QUALITY TEACHER TRAINING WORKSHOPS
Teacher Training at Los Angeles Mission College From R to L – Mehrdad Tajkarimi, Brian Gadd, Amy Heman, Angela Echeverri, Steve Brown, Par Mohammedian, Nikita Malavia, Eleanor Tsark.
The event was organized by Par Mohammadian, life sciences professor at Los Angeles Mission College on Friday, April 27. As you can see from the photos, the participants had a lot of fun learning the curriculum for the 3 hour workshop that introduces students to quality concepts and working under cGMP protocols.
A similar event was held at Pasadena City College with teacher Aron Kamajaya organizing the event in May, 2018. Since then he has used his training to create mini-GMP/Quality Workshops for students at PCC.
Teacher training is part of the overall Life Science/Biotechnology Initiative for California Community Colleges Industry Sector Projects In Common. Several colleges are participating in the first round of projects and funding. For more information, read the PDF
Teachers from nearby community colleges are invited to participate at every hosted training event. For information about upcoming events in your area, please contact Nikita Malavia or Heather Holmes.
The issue of homeless and hungry students is especially relevant to programs that teach career skills like biotech, chem tech and biomanufacturing. It isn’t unusual for an instructor to be aware that one or more
of the students in a program is struggling to continue, weighed down by worries over a place to sleep or where to get a good meal.
Recently, Sprouts Market in San Diego partnered with a program at San Diego Miramar College to provide them with fruit and vegetables that were ear-marked for removal from the shelves. In fact, it’s reported that more than 90% of the donated food was still in very good condition. Nearly 500 pounds of groceries was distributed to qualified students and the entire lot was gone in less than 3 hours.
It can be very helpful to familiarize yourself with your own college’s similar programs to provide that extra boost that can make a difference between success and failure for a struggling student.
Supply Chain Scholarship Students Visit Pfizer, San Diego
The Supply Chain Experience Scholarship benefits STEM and MLT students in San Diego Country. Students who can demonstrate a financial need by qualifying for a California Promise (BOG) waiver or who receive GI Bill benefits are eligible to apply.
The scholarships include 100 hours of Service Learning by the students, who learn basic or advanced lab techniques, listen to guest lecturers and travel to local labs to observe them in action. STEM students receive $1500 on completion of requirements; MLT students receive $3000. The scholarships are offered by the Southern California Biotechnology Center in partnership with The San Diego Foundation and the San Diego Miramar College Foundation. For applications and information, please contact Heather Holmes
BEST (Biotechnology Employment Skills Training) WORKSHOPS
The BEST Workshops are designed to refresh and expand lab skills critical to employment. Participants range from post-grads needing hands-on experience to upskilling current employees to students who want an expanded range of skills.
For information on these workshops, please contact Sandra Slivka
SUMMER SCIENCE EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADES 5-8 provides a five-day in-lab experience taught by Miramar College’s expert science faculty. For information on this program, please contact Rebecca Bowers-Gentry
AMGEN BIOTECH EXPERIENCE (ABE) UPDATE (Posted 5/17/18 – content by Kim Teston) Read More
Ohlone College 2018 LAB program for High School Students
“Carrying on the theme of pigments, they also tie-dyed their shirts – a colorful outcome!
In addition to the agar artwork, the students got some experience using the scanning electron microscope, transformed bacteria with a plasmid that encodes a purple protein, purified green fluorescent protein using hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and extracted their own DNA and did PCR to discover whether they might carry a mutation in a melanin producing gene that can lead to blue eyes when homozygous. They also had the opportunity to tour Atum Biosciences, a local company that makes custom DNA constructs and produces antibodies as well as colorful bacterial strains. They also heard from guest speakers including a scientist from Atum, a young woman who graduated from both the LAB Program and Ohlone’s biotech program and who is now working in the biotech industry, and an Ohlone faculty member whose expertise is the production of therapeutic antibodies. As a last-day wrap-up, students participated in a fun Quiz Bowl activity.” – Laurie Issel-Tarver
Online CQIA (Certified Quality Improvement Associate) Preparation Courses at Irvine Valley College 
LOS ANGELES AREA COLLEGE EARNS TOP 10 HONORS IN NSF CHALLENGE (posted 5/03/18) Congratulations to LA Mission College’s biotechnology students (and instructors!) for placing among the top 10 finalists in the NSF (National Science Foundation) event “Community College Innovation Challenge.” The student project uses bacteria in an innovative microbial fuel cell configuration to treat wastewater and produce energy. 
LOS ANGELES AREA COLLEGES HOST GMP/QUALITY TEACHER TRAINING WORKSHOPS 
Teacher Training at Los Angeles Mission College From R to L –
SUMMER SCIENCE EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS ENTERING GRADES 5-8 provides a five-day in-lab experience taught by Miramar College’s expert science faculty. For information on this program, please contact Rebecca Bowers-Gentry 
