WIRED Biotechnology Program (Finger Lakes Region) Gives Students Glimpse of High-Tech Future Careers

BATAVIA, NY (08/21/2008) -- Lauren Mullen, a senior at Byron-Bergen High School, plans to attend college after graduation to study veterinary science. This summer, she took the opportunity to participate in the WIRED Biotechnology Program at GeneseeCommunity College, a course that allowed students to earn money while attending college credit courses for six weeks. One goal of this grant-funded program, aimed at students in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties, was to encourage students to seek careers in the life sciences career field.

"I really enjoyed the program. It was great to have something to stimulate my brain during the summer," Lauren said. "And it was nice to get paid too."

Approximately forty of the area's brightest students participated in the program, which ran from July 7-August 16 and included instruction in Career and Educational Planning, Fundamentals of Cell Biology, and an Introduction to Biotechnology. One of the key features of the program included field trips to locations such as Gaymar Industries, Inc. in Orchard Park, a company that produces high-tech medical equipment; Syntec Custom Injection Molder in Pavilion, which manufactures injection molded plastic products for the pharmaceutical industry; University at Buffalo in Amherst, where students toured the Dental School Library and the School of Dental Medicine; and United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, where students visited the hospital's laboratories.

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