Author: Amy Prevost

Bioluminescence and Biotechnology: Shining Nature’s Cool Light on Biology

Posted on by Amy Prevost

Imagine you’re taking a refreshing night swim in the warm blue waters of Vieques in Puerto Rico. You splash into the surf and head out to some of the deeper waters of the bay, when what to your wondering eyes should appear, but blue streaks of light in water that once was clear. Do you need to get your eyes checked? Are you hallucinating? No! You’ve just happened upon a cluster of dinoflagellates, harmless bioluminescent microorganisms called plankton, that emit their glow when disturbed by movement. These dinoflagellates are known to inhabit waters throughout the world but are generally not present in large enough numbers to be noticed. There are only five ecosystems in the world where these special bioluminescent bays can be seen, and three of them are in Puerto Rico. 

Bioluminescent plankton exhibit a blue glow when disturbed.
Bioluminescent plankton in the ocean

But you don’t have to travel to Puerto Rico or swim with plankton to see bioluminescence. There are bioluminescent organisms all over the world in many unexpected places. There are bioluminescent mushrooms, bioluminescent sea creatures—both large and small (squid, jellyfish, and shrimp, in addition to the dinoflagellates)—and bioluminescent insects, to name a few. Bioluminescence is simply the ability of living things to produce light.

Continue reading “Bioluminescence and Biotechnology: Shining Nature’s Cool Light on Biology”

Dane County High School Students Attend Conference for Stem Cells at Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery

Posted on by Amy Prevost
Dane County highschool students in attendance at the stem cell conference.


Embryonic stem cells have the extraordinary ability to divide without limit yet maintain the potential to make all types of cells found in the human body.  This holds tremendous implications for the worlds of drug discovery and testing, cell production, and tissue transplantation medicine.

Benjamin


Overall, I’m really glad I decided to go to the talk.  I got to learn a lot about stem cells, how they are used in different parts of the body, and some of the difficulties with using stem cells.  It was definitely way more enjoyable than anything else I was planning on doing during that time.  If there are more opportunities like this that come up, I would definitely try to go to them. 

Thomas

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Dr. James Thomson’s breakthrough work with induced pluripotent stem cells, the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) hosted a panel of University of Wisconsin stem cell scientists to discuss the future of their research on November 13th.  Entitled “Stem Cell Science: The Next 20 Years” and designed for the general public, the audience heard from Drs. Lynn Allen Hoffman, David Gamm and David Vereide, who talked about applying stem cell research to develop clinical applications for skin grafting, vision restoration and regenerative biology, respectively.

Continue reading “Dane County High School Students Attend Conference for Stem Cells at Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery”

Meeting the Needs of Scientists at All Levels

Posted on by Amy Prevost

One of the best things about the BTC Institute is that we have programs for all levels of learners. It is as rewarding to introduce the concept of how bioluminescence is used by different organisms in the natural world to middle-school students as it is to have top-level scientists use reporter genes to track their knock-in genome edits.

We spend a lot of time working over our curricula to determine whether the content meets the learner where they are to allow our students to achieve their goals. We develop activities that let students who comes to us —via field trips, high school courses, non-scientist sessions and graduate level programs—to test ideas and evaluate strategies for problem solving as they learn techniques and concepts central to biotechnology. Continue reading “Meeting the Needs of Scientists at All Levels”

Introduction to the Laboratory: A New Workshop in Partnership with the UW-Madison Center for Educational Opportunity

Posted on by Amy Prevost

During the week of March 26, 2018, while many students were having fun and relaxing during Spring Break, others were busy doing extra lab work at the BTC Institute. This four-day workshop was designed to provide an introduction to the molecular biology laboratory for students affiliated with the Center for Educational Opportunity (CeO) on the UW-Madison campus.  As noted on its website: “CeO promotes access to resources, academic achievement and personal growth for students whose parents have not received a four-year degree, students who meet specific federal family income guidelines, and students with documented disabilities.”

It is well known that first-generation college students, women and students of color persist in STEM fields at lower rates than the general population. This interferes with the creation of a diverse STEM talent pool, in turn needed to ensure diverse problem-solving perspectives.

Further, STEM fields are often seen as being stressful, given their competitive learning environments.  This may be especially discouraging for students from racial/ethnic minorities who may not have as many mentors and role models to turn to.

Group photo of attendees
Introduction to the Laboratory attendees

This workshop aimed to give students an experience that would strengthen their skills and confidence as they continue to pursue scientific paths. In addition to laboratory work, students discussed the importance of clear communication in written and oral presentations, were required to work as partners to experience teamwork, and were encouraged to use reflection and lab reporting as ways to internalize what they learned throughout the week. Continue reading “Introduction to the Laboratory: A New Workshop in Partnership with the UW-Madison Center for Educational Opportunity”

A Nickel’s Worth of Free Advice: Biotech and the Law

Posted on by Amy Prevost
This year’s participants in Emerging Techniques in Protein and Genetic Engineering, a two-credit graduate course offered in partnership with the Department of Oncology, UW-Madison, held July 17-21, 2017.

Today’s author extends thanks to Heather Gerard, Intellectual Property Manager, Promega Corporation for contributing her expertise to this post.

Students most often come to the BTC Institute with the primary goal of learning about molecular biology technologies. Our mission is to help them update their experimental tool-box, facilitating more capable studies of DNA, RNA and proteins back in their home laboratories.

But what else do we do? Well, we’re glad you asked.

Continue reading “A Nickel’s Worth of Free Advice: Biotech and the Law”

Next-Generation Genomics Education: Educating and Preparing the Next Generation

Posted on by Amy Prevost

Students pursuing their interests wit h hands-on activities at BTC Institute.
Students pursuing their interests wit h hands-on activities at BTC Institute.

The BTC Institute has many partners in creating educational opportunities in the molecular biosciences. In recent years, we have worked with the Dane County School to Work Consortium (DCSWC) to create a unique, one-semester class aimed at giving high school Juniors and Seniors interested in scientific research and health careers a chance to explore how concepts they have been learning about in their biology and biotechnology classrooms are used in the laboratory.

To take it one step further, these laboratory experiences are tied to the Gates Foundation Grand Challenges in Global Health. The Challenges provide a framework to help students understand worldwide concerns, including ways in which biotechnology can be applied to generate solutions to these problems. Students are encouraged to place scientific challenges within social and socioeconomic contexts which, in turn, make some solutions more appealing than others. This holistic approach provides the “real world” milieu that is so sought after in academic endeavors. Continue reading “Next-Generation Genomics Education: Educating and Preparing the Next Generation”

Pack a Little Science into Your Summer with Advanced Courses from BTCI

Posted on by Amy Prevost

This new cGMP facility was built to have the least effect on the natural environment as possible--surrounded by rain gardens and native plantings, using grey water for flushing toilets--sustainable growth was the goal.
Summer on the Prairie at Promega–Study science surrounded by birds, bees, flowers and amazing prairie.

Summer, a much-looked forward to season. We typically pack in the activities and make the most of the daylight. We work hard and we play hard.  This summer will be no exception, and at the BTC Institute, we are already getting set to host as many students as we can. We will see middle and high schoolers, K-12 teachers, college students, graduate students, college and university faculty and staff, and professionals in the biotech community under our roof at some point. You may want to join us too!

Our programs for advanced learners, geared toward the graduate student or biotech professional, offer much more than just a rigorous immersion in molecular biology theory and practice. Held at the BTC Institute at Promega Headquarters, they are taught by highly knowledgeable scientists, coming from both industry and academia. These instructors offer a wealth of information and share their expertise as well as life experiences with students. Informal discussions about career trajectories and access to industry are important added benefits to attending these off-campus workshops. Continue reading “Pack a Little Science into Your Summer with Advanced Courses from BTCI”

What Will You Do on Your Summer Vacation? Try a BTC Institute Summer Intensive Course

Posted on by Amy Prevost

Students and community members enjoy a warm spring day at the Memorial Union Terrace at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on May 8, 2009. ©UW-Madison University Communications 608/262-0067 Photo by: Bryce Richter Date: 05/09 File#: NIKON D3 digital frame
Students and community members enjoy a warm spring day at the Memorial Union Terrace at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on May 8, 2009.
©UW-Madison University Communications 608/262-0067
Photo by: Bryce Richter
Date: 05/09 File#: NIKON D3 digital frame

Summer, the sweetest season…here in Wisconsin we look forward to warm evenings on the Memorial Union Terrace at UW-Madison, grilling brats and veggie burgers, fresh harvests from the farmer’s market and of course, the BTC Institute’s intensive summer courses.

Here is a brief list of what we are offering this summer –

Neuroscience 675 : Molecular Approaches to Neuroscience (June 15-19; 9am–5:30pm): An introduction to basic molecular biology techniques including cloning, nucleic acid isolation, amplification and analysis; cell-based assays for studying cell death mechanisms and microscopy techniques are presented as well as approaches to studying kinase activity for drug discovery. Guest lectures augment the laboratory-focused, techniques-based curriculum.

Oncology 675 – 001: Core Techniques in Protein and Genetic Engineering (July 13-17;  9am-6pm): An advanced primer on molecular biology techniques; nucleic acid isolation, cloning tools and techniques, PCR technologies (PCR, RT-PCR, qPCR and qRT-PCR), plasmid purification, protein purification techniques, and Western blot form the backbone of this course. Additional topics are included as lectures to provide examples of applications.

 Oncology 675 – 002: Emerging Techniques in Protein and Genetic Engineering (July 20-24; 9am-6pm): Focusing on transcription, translation and especially epigenetics, this course allows students to explore cutting edge techniques used to study molecular biology. Laboratory exercises testing HDAC inhibitor potencies and analyzing cellular consequences of HDAC inhibition, cell health assessment and kinase inhibitor assays for drug profiling, studying protein-protein interactions in live cells, and investigating biologics in live cells. Lectures will tentatively include discussion of deep sequencing and next-gen sequencing, pharmaceutical development, mass spectrometry for discovery, systems biology approaches to experimental design and others.

Enjoy the prairie at the BTC Institute campus and learn something too!
Enjoy the prairie at the BTC Institute campus and learn something too!

Please direct inquiries about the courses to Dr. Amy Prevost (amy.prevost@btci.org) – we hope to see some of you this summer!

Also, visit our web site to see what else we’re doing at the BTC Institute- we have some great summer programs for upper elementary and middle school students, camp biotech for 9th and 10th graders, and  teacher training courses– more information on all of our course offerings at www.btci.org .

Biotechnology Ice Breakers: A Few Conversation Starters

Posted on by Amy Prevost

quiz pictureThe biotechnology industry is one of the most dynamic out there – in fact, it never stands still! For non-scientists this can be intimidating. For scientists, it can be challenging to explain what we do in ways that non-scientists can understand and appreciate.

Scientists have made great strides in improving our ability to use molecular processes to our advantage, from discovering the basics of how to isolate and manipulate DNA to gaining an understanding of how genes direct the creation of proteins in cells.  It’s clear that there is a lot we can contribute to the scientific literacy of the general public.

In this spirit, we’ve designed a short quiz for both non-scientists (you may learn something new) and scientists (you may find it useful for engaging in conversations with your non-scientist friends and family members).  Spoiler alert: answers are provided. Continue reading “Biotechnology Ice Breakers: A Few Conversation Starters”

Opportunities for High School Students to Learn at the BTC Institute

Posted on by Amy Prevost

Paul Simon famously sang about what it was like to engage as a learner in a high school environment—though his lack of education certainly hasn’t hurt him any, I do wonder about reading the “writing on the wall”. Frequently, in Education, we talk about the challenges of preparing students for careers that have yet to be invented. What to do?

One major initiative within K-16 education can broadly be referred to as “21st Century Skills”—those that are needed for individuals to be successful contributors in a society where concrete goals are moving targets. Though we don’t know the exact details, we’re pretty sure that there are some basic elements that all people will need to be successful contributors to society.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills has built a framework for understanding and aligning our education system toward these skills:

Photocredit: Partnership for 21st Century Skills http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework
Photocredit: Partnership for 21st Century Skills http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework

Applying this model to educational programming takes a lot of innovation and hard work on the part of instructors as well as students. However, students who have the opportunity to engage with a teaching and learning system that makes use of these concepts can reap big rewards when it comes to being able to understand how their learning can be applied to solving problems. Here at the BTC Institute, we have been fortunate to work with the Dane County (Wisconsin) School Consortium to develop two offerings for high school students in the area of biotechnology that really work within this model and give students the contextualization they need to develop academic and career skills. Continue reading “Opportunities for High School Students to Learn at the BTC Institute”