High school science teachers from around the region will have the opportunity to get a firsthand look at the high-tech practices taking place at the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM) Aug. 12-15 as part of a professional development program designed to help them incorporate those concepts into their classrooms.
NCTM is a joint center of Texas A&M and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, an engineering research agency of the State of Texas and a member of The Texas A&M University System.
The four-day workshop, "Protein is Ca$h: An Introduction to Biomanufacturing," is a hands-on training event for ninth-12th-grade science teachers intended to help them more effectively teach technical concepts related to biochemistry, such as protein production and purification as well as general lab practices. The workshop is free to all participants and is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and sponsored by the NCTM. Teachers also will receive a $275 stipend and Continuing Education Units from Texas A&M for their participation.
A team of experts headed by Sonia Wallman, executive director and principal investigator of NBC2, an Advanced Technological Education center of the NSF, will lead the workshop. Along with performing technical laboratory activities, participants will have the opportunity to hear from industry experts of the biomanufacturing field and tour local pharmaceutical companies.
Registration for the workshop is limited, and applications are due Aug 5. Individuals interested in participating in the workshop should contact Brooke Schneider at (979) 458-8506 or via email at brookes@tamu.edu.