Bunker Hill Community College Wins Major Endorsement for Biotechnology Courses
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The new biotechnology curriculum at Bunker Hill Community College is one of the first in the state to win a Silver endorsement from the new Massachusetts Life Science Education Consortium. The Consortium’s endorsement of the College’s program acknowledges that it is successfully training students to work in biotechnology companies and allowing the state to keep a competitive edge.
To receive the endorsement, the College developed a new curriculum teaching core competencies, set by industry, for working in biotech. The curriculum includes: biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, immunology, bioinformatics and microbiology.
“This award is a unique example of higher education, the biotechnology industry and government working together to provide excellent educational opportunities for students,” said Dr. James F. Canniff, Bunker Hill Community College Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Services.
“The endorsement is the first step in the collaboration between industry and academia to raise the level of workforce preparedness,” said Lance Hartford, Executive Director of MassBioEd, a backer with MassBio of the new endorsement program.
Dr. Belinda L. Kadambi, Assistant Professor in the Science and Engineering Department, established the new program. “Dr. Kadambi was hired only a year ago as our new Coordinator of Biotechnology, but in this short time she has worked determinedly to meet the requirements for this certification,” said Robert L. Steeper, Professor and Chair of the Science and Engineering Department.
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About Bunker Hill Community College
Celebrating 50 years of excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).