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Did you know Wilson Community College offers a two-year degree in biotechnology?

This field is designed to meet the ever-increasing demands for skilled lab technicians in a wide range of fields in biological and chemical technology. So if you find yourself interested in the sciences, this is a great option to explore. The program focuses on biological sciences, biochemistry and genetics.

The biotechnology program at WCC includes a diverse group of students, including traditional students, early college students and high school students. Biotechnology students attending the Wilson Academy of Applied Technology, one of our early colleges, not only earn a high school diploma, but they also get a two-year degree at the same time. And we also partner with the Sallie B. Howard School of Art & Science to provide biotechnology courses to juniors and seniors as part of the College and Career Promise program.

WCCs biotechnology instructor, Stephanie Winstead, has a degree in chemistry and has work experience in the pharmaceutical industry a win-win for our students. She knows firsthand the importance of and the need for skilled workers in this field.

After 17 years in the pharmaceutical industry, and as my career evolved from a training role to a more administrative role, I realized my passion was teaching, she said. While my career has changed, my goal is the same. I now have the opportunity to train personnel for the job they want, rather than training them for the job they have. I am committed to giving students the skills necessary to successfully gain employment in the biotech field upon graduation. I am incredibly thankful for the privilege of serving the needs of my community.

And to add to that, we just received some exciting news. The North Carolina Community College System just announced that it was awarded $16.4 million over three years in federal funding to implement the N.C. BioBetter project. This is part of the U.S. Economic Development Administration Phase 2 Build Back Better Regional Challenge spearheaded by the N.C. Biotechnology Center.

The funding, awarded to Wilson Community College and nine other community colleges in the state, will help strengthen our states life sciences manufacturing cluster by expanding training and helping promote career opportunities to underserved communities.

With careers in biotechnology, the skys the limit. Graduates are qualified in all kinds of industry and government, including research, manufacturing and sales, just to name a few. We work with some of our local industries like Merck & Co., Purdue Pharma, Fresenius Kabi, Mayne Pharma and Global Laboratory Services Inc. Side note: Global Laboratory Services is not pharma, but rather agricultural biotechnology. We have students doing work-based learning with the company as crop protection agents, and Global Laboratory Services has recently hired one of our biotech graduates with hopes to hire more. And we also have an apprenticeship program with GlaxoSmithKline in Zebulon.

But to be more specific, here are the different types of work available. Graduates will be able to do the following:

Monitor or measure manufacturing processes to identify ways to reduce losses, decrease time requirements or improve quality.

Conduct routine and non-routine analyses of in-process materials, raw materials, environmental samples, finished goods or stability samples.

Interpret test results, compare them to established specifications and control limits and make recommendations on appropriateness of data for release.

Compile laboratory test data and perform appropriate analyses.

Complete documentation needed to support testing procedures, including data capture forms, equipment logbooks or inventory forms.

If youd like more information about the biotechnology program, contact Stephanie Winstead, biotechnology instructor, at swinstead@wilsoncc.edu, or Travis Flewelling at tflewelling@wilsoncc.edu or 252-246-1210. At #WilsonCC, we make Wilson work.

WHATS HAPPENING

Sept. 14 New student orientation.

Sept. 19 Community chorus practice at 7 p.m.

Sept. 24 WCC Car & Truck Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jessica Griffin is director of institutional advancement at Wilson Community College. She can be reached at jgriffin@wilsoncc.edu or 252-246-1271.

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WCC Corner: Interested in the sciences? How about biotechnology? - Restoration NewsMedia

This entry was posted on September 12, 2022 at 2:08 am and is filed under Biotechnology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |