FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2006
Bellevue, Shoreline
community colleges share $227,000 Amgen Foundation grant
Project will bring biotechnology education to Bellevue, Shoreline and
Seattle public schools
BELLEVUE, WASH. –
Bellevue and Shoreline community colleges will share a three-year grant
of more than $227,000 from the Amgen Foundation, using the funds to
implement the Amgen Bruce Wallace Biotechnology
Laboratory Program
in the Bellevue, Shoreline and Seattle
school districts.
The Amgen-Bruce
Wallace Biotechnology Laboratory Program enables teachers to integrate
recombinant DNA technology into their science curriculum and provides
faculty training, equipment and curriculum at no cost to the
participants. The goal is to introduce and excite students about the
wonders of scientific discovery.
The Amgen Bruce
Wallace Biotechnology Laboratory Program has been implemented
successfully in schools throughout California. The grant to Bellevue and
Shoreline community colleges will support the first application of the
program in Washington state.
Over the three
years of the project, Bellevue and Shoreline community colleges will
provide training in the program’s biotechnology curriculum to high
school and middle school teachers, who will then teach the content in
their classrooms to hundreds of students per year.
The grant also will
fund three sets of microbiology lab supplies and equipment, such as
thermocyclers and electrophoresis equipment, which will be shared among
the schools in the three districts.
The initial faculty
development workshops will be held in August, with classroom
implementation beginning in the fall.
"We are excited that the Amgen
Foundation is launching the Amgen Bruce Wallace Biotechnology Laboratory
Program in Washington state," said Victor Fung, Amgen director and site
head of Process and Analytical Science in Washington and a member of the
board of the Alliance for Education. "The addition of this program
complements the many science education programs that the Amgen
Foundation funds throughout the region benefiting a number of non-profit
organizations and schools. The program will be especially helpful in
advancing the Amgen Foundation strategy of providing pivotal hands-on
science experiences for students and teachers. Additionally, it is a
good fit for the Foundation’s strategy to develop future scientists and
engineers for this region."
“I’m thrilled that
we have been invited to join Amgen in this cutting edge project that
provides biotech tools and teacher training to the Bellevue, Shoreline
and Seattle school districts,” said Bellevue Community College President
Jean Floten. “It is our hope that this program will spark keen interest
among high school students and entice them to pursue exciting careers in
science and engineering – fields that are so important to our region’s
economy.”
The grant-funded
program will be headquartered at Bellevue Community College, which will
act as fiscal agent and overall project manager.
about amgen and the amgen foundation
Amgen discovers,
develops and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology
pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the
new science's promise by bringing safe and effective medicines from lab,
to manufacturing plant, to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the
practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the
fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other
serious illnesses. Headquartered in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Amgen
maintains facilities in Seattle and Bothell and is the largest
biotechnology employer in Washington state.
The Amgen
Foundation (www.amgen.com/citizenship/overview.html) seeks to advance
science education; improve patient access to quality care; and
strengthen the communities where Amgen staff members live and work.
Since 1991, the Foundation has made $70 million in grants to local,
regional and national non-profit organizations that impact society in
inspiring and innovative ways. It has also supported disaster relief
efforts both domestically and internationally.
about bellevue community college
Serving 35,000
students per year, Bellevue Community College (BCC) is the third largest
institution of higher learning in Washington state. BCC offers associate
degree programs covering the first two years of a college education as
well as degrees, certificates and continuing education programs in more
than 90 professional and technical fields, such as information
technology, telecommunications, business, education, health and public
safety. BCC is one of five community colleges chosen by the Department
of Labor to form the National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce.
BCC’s specific role in the Center is to develop bioinformatics curricula
and faculty development programs for nationwide use.
about shoreline community college
Shoreline
Community College, established in 1964, is located just north of
Seattle. Serving 12,000 students each year through university transfer,
career training, adult basic education, and extended learning programs,
SCC has a long-established tradition in higher education for serving the
community in the Puget Sound area. SCC is home to Bio-Link Northwest.
Bio-Link, a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education
Initiative, is a consortium of higher educational institutions that
provide critical skills training to workers and future employees of the
biotechnology industry.
###
Media Contacts:
Bob Adams, Bellevue
Community College
(425) 564-3081
Judy Yu, Shoreline Community College
(206) 546-4634
Carol Pawlak, Amgen
206-265-7061
