Hutch postdocs open doors for Ballard high-school students

Science Article

Postdoc Dr. Karen Spratt (bottom) serves as a mentor for HIgh School Biotechnology Career Academy student Emily Mitchell. Photo by Michelle Hruby

Are students today being prepared for future jobs in biotechnology? Thanks to a mentoring program that pairs Hutch scientists with 11th-graders, students involved in the Ballard High School Biotechnology Career Academy may have a head start.

Drs. Julie Randolph-Habecker, Paul Olivier and other postdoctoral fellows at the Hutch will host visits by students to their workplace, visit the students in their classroom and help them understand the basics of how to prepare for a career in biotechnology.

The long-term goal of the mentoring program is to give academy students exposure to the work environment.

"I remember how hard the high school years can be, when you are not sure what you want to do but everyone acts like you should have it all together," said Habecker, a postdoc in Dr. Beverly Torok-Storb's laboratory.

Non-linear path

"I didn't take a linear path from high school to college to grad school to the Hutch, so I wanted my student to know that you don't have to know exactly what you want to be when you graduate from high school," she said.

"In addition, being a woman, I wanted the opportunity to mentor a young woman interested in science. I am hoping that more positive influences earlier on will help recruit and retain more women in science."

The Biotechnology Academy at Ballard High is designed to introduce career options available after high school including further schooling or entry level jobs in biotechnology.

With skilled workers in high demand, such programs may benefit institutions like the Hutch in the long term, said Han Nachtrieb, vice president of Human Resources.

"It is just this sort of program that influences young students to become scientists," he said.

"As science and biotechnology become increasingly important, the need for scientists is great, now and in the future. We are excited to be a part of this program, and we look forward to current students coming back to work as scientists at the Hutch."

The academy experience gives students first-hand experiences in the scientific workplace. While most will pursue other career paths, the learning experiences gained from the academy will help the student build strong thinking and working skills that can be applied to any vocation.

In addition to regular classroom instruction, academy students are matched with an adult mentor who works at a biotechnology institution in the Seattle area.

These adult mentors are role models for the students and help to develop the connection between academic achievement and professional work skills.

Ballard High School educators in the program work with a steering committee that "brings outside resources to the academy, including surplus laboratory equipment, financial support, advice on curriculum, and guest speakers," said Dr. Nancy Hutchison, director of the Hutch's Science Education Program and a committee member.

Matched internships

Committee members help identify mentors and summer internships with biotechnology companies that are matched with students of the academy.

"Students in the academy program get a sense of legitimacy; they learn that what they are taught in school is relevant to real life," said Ballard biology teacher Penny Pagels, also an instructor for the Center's HutchLab program.

The Biotechnology Career Academy at Ballard High School was initially funded by a grant from the Immunex Corporation to start a science program for high school students.

Further funding from the Career Academy Support Network allows academy teachers to work as a team to coordinate an integrated curriculum of science, math and English centered around the theme of biotechnology.

Career academies

Career academies have evolved from an initial focus on traditional vocational education to preparation of high school students for both work and college.

The programs provide broad information about an industry, exposing students to a range of careers requiring various amounts of formal education and building a foundation on which to add more advanced and specialized postsecondary preparation.

Most academies offer a rigorous academic curriculum that qualifies students for admission to a four-year college or university.

By linking academic coursework to career themes and workplace experience, academies motivate students to stay in school and attend to their studies.

[Dr. Karen Spratt, of the Kemp lab, is a participant in the mentoring program.]

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