Curriculum and Funding Proposal



Laura Weis

Grant proposal S Ed 610

Spring 2008

CURRICULUM FUNDING PROJECT

Funding Agency: ___Senate Bill 70_____________________________________________

Funding Request: $ ___100,000__________________ for ______2___________years.

Principal Investigator: ___College of the Canyons –JW and KB____________

Co-Investigators: ____Wm S Hart Union High School District – Lead Faculty from each High School

___Hart – EH, Valencia – JF, Canyon- KM, Golden Valley – MC, Saugus – DH, West Ranch – LS __

Project Name: ___SB-70 Biotechnology Outreach __________________

Investigator Credentials:

JW is the head of biotechnology at College of the Canyons and has worked on extensive high school outreach programs with California Lutheran University, know as CLUES modules, as well as installing the AMGEN outreach programs in many high schools throughout Southern California. KB is a full time microbiology faculty at College of the Canyons and is committed to brining science to all students. Both College of the Canyons faculty want to continue the outreach program that they have started and bring the technical science skills to the students of Santa Clarita. They are committed to encouraging any science at the high school level, and promote science education voraciously.

The Wm S Hart Union High School District is committed to providing the highest quality of science education to our students within the budget provided by the state. In order to do this, the district relies on the outreach programs that have been in place at College of the Canyons. Each lead faculty from each high school is a veteran science teacher committed to excellence in the classroom. They want the best for their students and strive to prepare them for challenging careers in the science. However, all realize that the growing biotechnology industry has provided a new job opportunity for many students. By affiliating outreach with current school to career programs, the district and lead faculty can provide specific opportunities for jobs in this new field.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

In the 2005-2006 Governor’s budget, money was set aside to address a growing problem in California. There is a lack of trained, biotechnology technicians to fill a growing job market in this state. These skills are specialized and precise. However, these technicians do not need advanced degrees. This market is for students with a specialized skill set and some technical training. Jobs and agencies are looking to hire people for these positions, but they are not high paying jobs and salaries are not a level to cause people to relocate.

In the Santa Clarita Valley, several new biotech and medical technology companies have recently moved into the area. Al Mann Biomedical park in Valencia is 100% leased with Al Mann’s own Advanced Bionics company as well as other biomedical businesses such as Shield Healthcare. These businesses, in addition to the growing biomedical and biotechnology field that exists in Southern California, including Amgen, are creating a new job market. They require entry-level technicians who understand and have training in the specific skill set required, including sterile technique and operating biotechnology equipment.

High schools have struggled to bring biotechnology equipment into the classroom. The startup costs for basic equipment such as gel electrophoresis chambers, micropipettes, centrifuges, and incubators can exceed the $40,000 mark without even purchasing perishable goods, such as DNA and buffers. Even if a high school is fortunate to receive that type of money or a donation of goods, a high school science teacher can be extremely pressed for time and may find it difficult to complete the laboratory preparations that are required for biotechnology labs to function in a high school classroom setting. The laboratory preparations for 200 students can take a single educator over 8 hours to complete. Many educators do not have this type of time to dedicate to laboratory preparations and do not think that biotechnology labs are feasible.

College of the Canyons (CoC) and Moorpark City College have created a biotechnology outreach program, known as CLUES (California Lutheran University's Enriched Science), which is based on the program created at California Lutheran University by JW. This program, with funding from a previous grant, has been able to purchase biotechnology lab equipment to run four different biotechnology labs: High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Size Exclusion Chromatography, Plasmid Insertion and Bacterial Selection, DNA Fingerprinting, and through Amgen, a Polymerase Chain Reaction. CoC has provided this equipment to local high schools, with some of the lab prep completed, for free. It has been very effective at bringing educators biotechnology and brining biotechnology into high school science classrooms. However, when the funding for this grant ended, training for educators ended. Many new teachers came into the district without any background or training in biotechnology.

The SB-70 grant will provide more training for teachers in biotechnology labs, increased numbers of students using the kits and participating in biotechnology, collaboration between all district high schools to increase their use of biotechnology, a pool of highly trained students to help with laboratory prep in the high schools, and new ideas and modules that will meet the standards that each high school needs to bring biotechnology into their classrooms.

ACTIVITIES

LEAD FACULTY MEETINGS:

Lead Faculty meetings will occur once a month. The purpose of these meetings is to serve the needs of all six high school science departments. College of the Canyons will meet with one representative from each high school science department and discuss problems that exist at the high school with completing biotechnology labs. Lead Faculty will be responsible for reporting the state of biotech at their school, encouraging teacher and student participation in other activities that are a part of this grant, and brainstorming new ideas.

Lead faculty meetings will be a source of new laboratory modules and will be able to specifically reflect the needs of each school being served. New ideas for lab modules will be generated, along with promotional ideas, and supplements to the existing laboratory modules. According to the writers of Senate Bill 70, “The purpose of the Biotechnology Initiative is to identify the workforce needs of the biotechnology industry and businesses in California and to develop solutions through a balance of entrepreneurial, academic and vocational resources of the California Community Colleges.” Lead faculty will strive to create ideas that will bring the resources of the Community Colleges into high schools so that students will be exposed to the job market as the senate bill desires. “The California Applied Biotechnology Centers Initiative specifically serves the workforce needs of the biotechnology and biosciences community in California. California is fortunate to currently (2004) be home to approximately 30% of all U.S. biotech employees working in about 30% (420) of all the U.S. publicly and privately owned biotech companies.” The goal of lead faculty collaboration is to create new lab modules, discover new supplementary materials to include with existing modules, create new ways to bring biotechnology into science classrooms, and raise awareness of biotechnology in their respective staff and school.

TEACHER TRAINING WORKSHOPS:

Teacher training workshops will be implemented bi-annually. The purpose of these workshops is to train current science educators in the Santa Clarita Valley on the current and new laboratory modules that are currently being offered through the College of the Canyons outreach program. Workshops will take place on Saturdays during the school year and will provide attendees with a stipend and two meals. Workshops will take place at two new facilities at College of the Canyons: a working clean room facility and new biotechnology laboratory buildings that will be ready in the second year of the grant. By exposing high school science educators to these facilities, we plan on demonstrating College of the Canyons commitment to science education and encourage students to study science at College of the Canyons. This in turn, will increase student enrollment in College of the Canyons science courses and technical training programs and create a skilled pool of applicants for the current biotechnology job market. Recommendations from a 2001 study completed by the California State University program for education and research in biotechnology are that “California must invest additional funds for current and future company employee training needs in specific areas [biotechnology] at all degree levels.”

Teacher workshops will train teachers in new and existing biotechnology modules. An increased use in biotechnology kits will allow more students’ access to biotechnology and will be the outcome of teacher training.

WINTER STUDENTS WORKSHOPS:

Each winter we will hold a student workshop. A select group of students will be trained in laboratory preparations for all of the modules offered through the outreach program. These students will complete 20 hours of training and receive a certificate of completion and full laboratory skills training. These students will be eligible to enroll as a biotechnology laboratory assistant in their high school for five units and a letter grade. Only students who have completed this training are eligible to enroll and earn course credit as a biotechnology laboratory assistant. Students will be selected based on recommendations and early submission of applications. 24 students will be able to complete the student workshop each winter.

The purpose of this workshop is to create students who have been trained in vocational laboratory skills that can assist high school science teachers with biotechnology laboratory preparations to alleviate some of the burden on educator lab prep. These students will have all of the necessary skills to complete all of the biotechnology outreach modules that exist and will be able to help set up and run each lab.

A second purpose of the workshop is to create students who have already had basic laboratory skills training and may fill some of the void in the workforce when they graduate. Students who are targeted for this may be general students who may complete training at College of the Canyons after graduation and become part of the applicants for biotechnology jobs in Santa Clarita. According to a 2001 study completed by the California State University program for education and research in biotechnology, “California is not only the generative force for the industry but is also home to three of the four largest biotechnology companies and 40-55% of the nation’s total biotechnology presence, depending upon whether you measure the number of companies, revenues, or the number of employees.”

Students that have signed up to be biotechnology laboratory assistants will be a direct outcome of these workshops. In addition, these workshops will create enthusiasm for science among students. It will also provide 24 students with specific biotechnology skills and give them a direct link to a possible career.

LAB PREP AND SUPPORT:

Throughout the entire school year College of the Canyons will be providing all science teachers in Santa Clarita access to perishable lab equipment and a majority of laboratory preparations completed. This include, but are not limited to preparation of agarose, plating of culture plates with and without ampicillin, preparing DNA and bacterial cultures, preparing buffer solutions, aliquoting reagents for classes, and cleaning reusable lab supplies.

The purpose of lab prep is to encourage high school educators to include biotechnology instruction in their classrooms by eliminating the prep work of running a lab. In addition to these preparations, we will also be providing them with the lab manuals, both student and teacher versions, practice worksheets, and other demonstration tools yet to be constructed. These tools may include large scale models and kinesthetic activities that can help students understand the main ideas presented in the lab. A study by the California State University research program on research and biotechnology recommends “Regional, intersegmental training facilities should be created that can address the training, space and equipment needs of universities, junior colleges and vocational-education institutions so that together, they can do a better job of meeting fast-changing industry workforce needs.” Increased use of the kits will require more lab prep and the need for more resources.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

The site team will develop a specific website to promote biotechnology at the high school level. It will be an interactive experience and students will be able to write a paragraph about biotechnology or take a quiz on biotechnology and be entered to win an Ipod. This interactive experience is aimed at promoting science in the classroom and creating enthusiasm for science for all high school students.

DISTRIBUTION AND CONTINUATION

The results of this grant will be shared with the regional SB-70 committee at regular intervals throughout the grant as well as at summative conferences. In addition, ipod giveaway results and specific increased uses in the kits will be shared with individual schools and the Wm S Hart Union High School District administrators. A full account of the entire program will be found on websites that are being developed. The CLUES website will be augmented to include new modules and the extra, supplemental materials that all of kits will include, and educational hints that can help educators use the modules in the classroom.

At the end of the SB-70 grant, lead faculty meetings will stop, however communication will still occur via email and telephone conversations. Most teachers in the district will be trained in the CLUES modules. Module use will continue to be promoted and used at each high school. Other funding will be required for lab prep on the CLUES modules. Other funding will also be required to continue the student winter workshops. The website will still be operational, however, there will not be any prizes or giveaways.

TIMELINE

June 2008 – initial lead faculty meeting, questions about the needs of each school

August 2008 – lead faculty meeting, discuss Clues modules that exist and create new modules

September 2008- first teacher workshop. Lead faculty meeting.

October 2008 – lead faculty meeting

November 2008 – lead faculty meeting

December 2008 – lead faculty meeting

January 2009 – student winter workshop. Lead faculty meeting

February 2009- lead faculty meeting

March 2009-lead faculty meeting, second teacher workshop

April 2009-lead faculty meeting

May 2009-lead faculty meeting, ipod 1 giveaway

June 2009- break for summer

August 2009- lead faculty meeting

September 2009-3rd teacher workshop, lead faculty meeting

October 2009-lead faculty meeting

November 2009-lead faculty meeting

December 2009-lead faculty meeting

January 2010-2nd winter student workshop

February 2010- lead faculty meeting

March 2010-lead faculty meeting

April 2010-lead faculty meeting

May 2010-lead faculty meeting

BUDGET

|Contracted Services for College of the Canyons Sub Grantee |$100,000 |

|Faculty Leadership |$36,000 |

|High School Faculty Leadership |$18,000 |

|Winter Workshops |$10,900 |

|Technical support for CoC students |$16,500 |

|Workshop Supplies/Food |$2,000 |

|Workshop Preparation & Presentation |$6,200 |

|Web Cast Promotions |$5,600 |

|Web Cast Promotional Supplies |$1,200 |

|MP Brochure Development |$6,800 |

Administrative Fee’s will constitute $10,000. Administrative faculty from College of the Canyons, JW and KB will each be paid $13,000 over two years. Duties include running the grant, planning activities, coordinating lead faculty and workshops, and documenting results. Lead faculty will each be paid $3,000 over two years. Duties include collaborating on activities, recruiting teachers and students, and promoting grant activities within each school. Winter Workshop budgets will be $5,450 for each workshop. This will pay for supplies, facilities, staff, and amenities for each workshop. Technical support, including a lab prep technician, the cost of repairing equipment, perishable supplies, and support during workshops will have a budget of $16,500. Teacher workshop supplies and food will have a budget of $2,000. Teacher workshops will have a budget of $6,200. This will include $200 stipends for each participant. Promoting ipod webcasts of science lectures, creating our website and quizzes for students, and development of these activities will have a budget of $5,600. Giveaway prizes will have a budget of $1200. Developing brochures, posters, and other promotional materials will have a budget of $6,800.

RESUME

Laura Solarez

Science Teacher

OBJECTIVE

To meet the biotechnology needs of all students in the Wm S Hart Union High School District in partnership with SB-70 and Community Colleges. The goal of the SB-70 grant is to create a skilled workforce in biotechnology.

EMPLOYMENT

Wm S Hart School District- West Ranch High School 2005-present

Science Teacher/ Biology, Chemistry, AP Environmental Science Santa Clarita, CA

Tocaloma 2004

Play Specialist/Counselor West Los Angeles, CA

Lesson plan, organize activities for children ages 5-13, teach 8 classes a day.

Los Angeles Youth Orchestra of the Stephen Wise Temple 2003-2005

Music Librarian/Asst. Orchestra Manager West Los Angeles, CA ]

Organize and distribute all music, including coach parts and scores for a youth Orchestra,

ages 9 -17.

EDUCATION

Master’s in Science Education (2006-2008)

California State University, Northridge Northridge, CA

Master’s Thesis: The ability of Thinking Maps to help students demonstrate Higher Order Thinking Skills.

California State Teaching Credential (2004-2005)

California State University, Northridge Northridge, CA

Major: Single subject: Science: Biology, Chemistry

Bachelor’s Degree of Arts and Sciences (1999 -2004)

UCLA Los Angeles, CA

Major: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology and Music, Performance

Achievements: Maintain a 3.6 GPA, Independent Research with Jennie Perry, principal chair in the UCLA Wind Ensemble and UCLA orchestra, solo performances with the Wind Ensemble.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1. AP by the Sea, AP Environmental Science, June, 2007

2. Completed BTSA and Induction, 2007

3. Attended the National Science Teachers Conference, April, 2006

4. Attended the California Science Teachers Conference, October, 2006

5. Part of the eMss electronic mentoring community, weekly, 2005-2007

6. SDAIE training, March, April, and May 2007

7. Reading and literacy training, August-June 2005-2006

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Lab prep: Ongoing throughout the entire 2 years. More lab prep is required before each workshop and during the workshops.

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