Education Stakeholders Day a Success

Rockville, MD - On Friday, November 11th, UMBI hosted the second in a series of events to celebrate its 20th Anniversary year. "Building a Competitive Workforce for the Bioscience Industry" was the topic of discussion, with both an industry and education focused panel presentation. The event was held at UMBI's Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology in Rockville, Maryland and was attended by several Montgomery County elected officials, including Delegates Brian Feldman, Joan Stern, Carol Petzold and Senator Jennie Forehand, as well as representatives from the business, scientific and academic communities. To view the program of this event click HERE.

The industry made it known that they are looking for bright scientists; as well as those that possess good project management, cost containment and business management skills. Industry officials noted that a research and development specialist is often making important decisions that also affects a company's bottom line. Many businesses were asked by the education panel to consider expanding their involvement with students so as to provide young people with the opportunity to intern or work within the industry while they are still going to school. Industry officials noted that there seems to be a gap between higher education and everyday business skills.

The education panel noted a variety of workforce development and training programs available to the business, teacher and student community, to improve skills and encourage students to obtain an interest in science careers. The education panelist encouraged the business community to be more proactive in helping government and others determine where the education/skills training needs are and how they can help. They noted that the Governor's Workforce Investment Board is sending out a survey to bioscience industry human resources personnel and encouraged industry participation in this information gathering process. While educators were encouraged to work more at the K-12 level to educate younger audiences about future career clusters and pathways to these clusters. Industry asked the education community to provide a unified source of services or provide a one-stop listing of various education programs, as businesses often have difficulty understanding the invisible lines between jurisdictions.

Dr. Larry Mahan, Director of Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development Bioscience team noted that businesses looking to expand in Maryland or relocate to Maryland often ask, "Where is your available workforce, and is it a sustainable workforce?" highlighting the need for the business and education communities to continue to dialogue and exchange information and build programs. He also noted that we have to do more to build our internal workforce, to grow our own workforce by promoting and mentoring within. Today nearly every state focuses on the biosciences whereas ten years ago only a dozen or so states were focused on this sector.

   
(1st photo left Delegate Carol Petzold talks with Jennie Queen-Baker, Education Specialist at UMBI, about UMBI's education programs; 2nd photo right Dan Kuebbing, Director GMP Core Facility, UMBI's Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology; Senator Jennie M. Forehand; Lisa McDonald, Program Specialist, J. Craig Venter Institute)

   
(1st photo left Delegate Brian Feldman; Dr. Edward Eisenstein, Director, UMBI's Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology; Dr. Hercules Pinkney, VP and Provost, Montgomery College Germantown Campus; 2nd photo right Dr. Marian Jackson, VP Academic Affairs, UMBI; Dr. Jennie Hunter-Cevera, President, UMBI; Senator Jennie M. Forehand)

   
(1st photo left Robert Seurkamp, Director, Governor's Workforce Investment Board gives his final views on the day's topics; 2nd photo right standing L-R Dr. Rosemary Jagus, Associate Professor, UMBI Center of Marine Biotechnology; Pat Mikos, Lead Specialist, Maryland State Department of Education; Dr. Collins Jones, Biotechnology Program Director, Montgomery College; Dr. Robert Ouellette, Program Director, Information & Technology Systems Department, University of Maryland University College; Dr. Larry Mahan, Director of Biosciences Group, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development; Eric Seleznow, Director, Montgomery County Division of Workforce Investment Services; Robert Seurkamp, Director, Governor's Workforce Investment Board; 2nd photo right sitting L-R Lynn Johnson Langer, Senior Associate Program Chair, Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Dan Kuebbing, Director GMP Core Facility, UMBI's Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology; Jeanne Hugg, Director of Human Resources, Avalon Pharmaceuticals; Donna Dimke, Senior Director of Human Resources, Human Genome Sciences)

   
(1st photo left exhibit area; 2nd photo right MdBio Program Specialists Mary Stapleton and Andrea Neuman)

(Left to right Dr. Lori Urban, UMBI's new Plant Transformation Core Manager talks with Dr. Jane Ladner who is heading up the expanded W.M. Keck Structural Biology Facility at the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology.)

To learn more about UMBI and it's K-12 outreach and education programs, teacher training and other workforce development programs, visit the UMBI website at http://www.umbi.umd.edu.

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Celebrating our 20th anniversary year, UMBI is Maryland's premier biotechnology research institute within the University System of Maryland and was established in 1985. The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) consists of five major research and education centers and is dedicated to advancing the frontiers of biotechnology. UMBI’s centers of research include: CARB, the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology located in Rockville; CBR, the Center for Biosystems Research located in College Park; and COMB, the Center of Marine Biotechnology, MBC, the Medical Biotechnology Center, and IHV, the Institute of Human Virology, all located in Baltimore. For more information, visit www.umbi.umd.edu