Bioscience

Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand and high paying careers. Today we're gonna look at the bioscience program at Athens Tech.00:00:18S2I started out as just, you know, a lab tech, and I am now a senior protein chemist. And I just worked my way up the ladder here. Um, just with the skills that I gained and the knowledge that I gained from Athens Tech.00:00:35S3So we hire Athens tech students. We've hired a number of students. We, you know, interest in these students because they're trained in the skills that I need to do the jobs that my clients want us to do.00:00:49S4On my first day, June 1st, 1998, I walked in the door and the the lab director, Jenks Patel said, here's this, this, this go assay these fractions.00:01:01S1Bioscience technicians use the principles and theories of science and mathematics to assist in research and development and in the invention and improvement of products and processes. Which sounds incredibly cool, but the real story here is jobs. Lots of jobs in a growing industry.00:01:17S5The partnership that we have with HTC is more than just being a student, and it's more than just finding a job. If you look at our charter at Athens Research, we're creating leaders in our company. We're creating leaders that are also that are leaders outside these four walls. We call leaders in the community. And we're also creating leaders that are respected in the industry.00:01:34S1We're going to get to that. But first, let's find out some details of what the bioscience program actually is.00:01:40S6I'm Doctor Nicole Parker, and I am the chair of bioscience at Athens Technical College. Bioscience allows you to develop your skills working in the lab, learning different techniques, manipulation of DNA, growth of bacterial cells, cell culture with eukaryotic organisms, and a lot of chemistry on the side. To really get you a good background, to be prepared to go into industry and work straight out of school.00:02:10S7I'm Michael, married and a teacher. Biology and chemistry. General chemistry and organic chemistry. In addition, I teach, uh, what is called regulatory compliance for bio manufacturing and quality assurance and validation of bio manufacturing and patents and technology transfer. Prior to coming to Athens Technical College, I worked at a biotechnology company, and I got experience then in, um, the bio manufacturing process and development of a process.00:02:52S1So what are the classes in this program really like?00:02:54S6Our classrooms are a mixture of lecture and labs. So we will have a number of labs scheduled for the semester. And we build our lecture around that. So generally our meeting times are let's say from eight to noon. And that sort of is a mixture of the lecture and lab components. And we have a lot of time to be able to really work on our skills in the lab and make sure that we understand not just the results of it, but why we're doing each step so that we have the ability to critically think about any mistakes or any results that might not look correct, and go back and make sure that the students can thoroughly understand what they've done, why they've done each step, and develop those skills that allows them to really succeed when they leave here.00:03:46S1And there's a hands on aspect to the bioscience program at Athens Tech to.00:03:50S7Say about 60%, 65% hands on experimental work and then 35% lectures. So, so 65% laboratory or so, the clean room work and then the 35% lectures.00:04:10S6We do have a hands on approach to the labs and to the courses themselves, and that's to make sure that you have plenty of practice with the skills that you're learning. Our students have the opportunity to create their own chemicals, where in a 

Episode Transcript

S1 (00:03):
Welcome to achieve more with Athens Tech, the official podcast
of Athens Technical College. This is where you'll discover how
the programs at Athens Tech can connect you with in-demand
and high paying careers. Today we're gonna look at the
bioscience program at Athens Tech.

S2 (00:18):
I started out as just, you know, a lab tech,
and I am now a senior protein chemist. And I
just worked my way up the ladder here. Um, just
with the skills that I gained and the knowledge that
I gained from Athens Tech.

S3 (00:35):
So we hire Athens tech students. We've hired a number
of students. We, you know, interest in these students because
they're trained in the skills that I need to do
the jobs that my clients want us to do.

S4 (00:49):
On my first day, June 1st, 1998, I walked in
the door and the the lab director, Jenks Patel said,
here's this, this, this go assay these fractions.

S1 (01:01):
Bioscience technicians use the principles and theories of science and
mathematics to assist in research and development and in the
invention and improvement of products and processes. Which sounds incredibly cool,
but the real story here is jobs. Lots of jobs
in a growing industry.

S5 (01:17):
The partnership that we have with HTC is more than
just being a student, and it's more than just finding
a job. If you look at our charter at Athens Research,
we're creating leaders in our company. We're creating leaders that
are also that are leaders outside these four walls. We
call leaders in the community. And we're also creating leaders
that are respected in the industry.

S1 (01:34):
We're going to get to that. But first, let's find
out some details of what the bioscience program actually is.

S6 (01:40):
I'm Doctor Nicole Parker, and I am the chair of
bioscience at Athens Technical College. Bioscience allows you to develop
your skills working in the lab, learning different techniques, manipulation
of DNA, growth of bacterial cells, cell culture with eukaryotic organisms,

(02:00):
and a lot of chemistry on the side. To really
get you a good background, to be prepared to go
into industry and work straight out of school.

S7 (02:10):
I'm Michael, married and a teacher. Biology and chemistry. General
chemistry and organic chemistry. In addition, I teach, uh, what
is called regulatory compliance for bio manufacturing and quality assurance

(02:31):
and validation of bio manufacturing and patents and technology transfer.
Prior to coming to Athens Technical College, I worked at
a biotechnology company, and I got experience then in, um,
the bio manufacturing process and development of a process.

S1 (02:52):
So what are the classes in this program really like?

S6 (02:54):
Our classrooms are a mixture of lecture and labs. So
we will have a number of labs scheduled for the semester.
And we build our lecture around that. So generally our
meeting times are let's say from eight to noon. And
that sort of is a mixture of the lecture and
lab components. And we have a lot of time to

(03:15):
be able to really work on our skills in the
lab and make sure that we understand not just the
results of it, but why we're doing each step so
that we have the ability to critically think about any
mistakes or any results that might not look correct, and
go back and make sure that the students can thoroughly

(03:38):
understand what they've done, why they've done each step, and
develop those skills that allows them to really succeed when
they leave here.

S1 (03:46):
And there's a hands on aspect to the bioscience program
at Athens Tech to.

S7 (03:50):
Say about 60%, 65% hands on experimental work and then 35% lectures. So,
so 65% laboratory or so, the clean room work and
then the 35% lectures.

S6 (04:10):
We do have a hands on approach to the labs
and to the courses themselves, and that's to make sure
that you have plenty of practice with the skills that
you're learning. Our students have the opportunity to create their
own chemicals, where in a number of other labs, the
chemicals would be created for them and they would simply

(04:31):
be doing the reaction. But in our courses, we have
the ability to go from step one, which is construction
of the different solutions that we'll be using all the
way to the assay we might be conducting, or any
other various experiments so that they see how it's done

(04:52):
from the ground up and it's not prepped for them,
but they get the experience of prepping their own lab
materials in order to complete their labs. Yeah. Go.

S7 (05:01):
Through the process working in a clean room. So everything
under sterile conditions and which about. Yeah, really interesting. And
you know, that, uh, could go around looking like spacemen,
you know, with the gown on and mask and first
step on a techie mat, you step on tech mat and, uh,
eliminate debris from your shoes and then spraying your hands

(05:23):
with sanitizer and then donning gloves and, and then, uh,
a gown and then mask and then putting on a
shoe covers as one steps over from the clean part. Well,
from the dirty part, what's called the dirty part of
the clean room to the clean part. So whole, you know,
it's all worked out, like everything to minimize any contamination.

S1 (05:44):
And the hands on learning experience will prepare you for
working in a lab, and there are plenty of jobs
to be found.

S5 (05:50):
Hey, I'm John Mitchell, I'm CEO here at Athens Research
and Technology. Athens Research Technology is a 35 year old
company that provides key proteins, human and animal proteins for
drug research, disease diagnosis all over the world. And we
provide our products to over 1500 customers in 28 different countries.
So I've been at Athens Research now for 15 months,

(06:14):
and one of the things that we realized that we
were growing and, uh, you know, we were kind of like,
it's a post-Covid environment. Labor was tough to find. And
so what we created was we worked on creating what
we call a talent pipeline. And we looked at ourselves
and we looked at the surrounding educational institutions. A mile
and a half away is Athens Tech. And so what
we started to do was engaged leadership to say, how

(06:37):
can your bioscience program students coming out with two degree?
How can they fit into our our world in protein chemistry?

S1 (06:44):
That's right. There's a major bio manufacturer working with Athens
Tech to make sure that the bioscience program teaches you
what you need to know to hit the ground running
with the job. But that's not all.

S3 (06:54):
My name is David Bloom, and I am the director
of the Bio Expression and Fermentation Facility. So we are
a contract research organization within the university, and we provide
services to different customers. That could be UGA faculty. It
could be a company that's a startup company at UGA

(07:15):
or any any company or any university outside of the
the UGA. So we hire Athens tech students. We've hired
a number of students. We, you know, interest in these
students because they're trained in the skills that I need
to do the jobs that my clients want us to

(07:35):
do in a college environment. You're learning a lot of theory,
but not a lot of practice. And so at Athens Tech,
they're getting more of the hands on skills that you
need to work in industry. They teach them how to
do tasks that we're required for our projects.

S5 (07:57):
These tech schools do a great job of gearing education
towards the local industry need. So in looking at life
science organizations and biotechnology in this area, his program is
really geared toward providing the foundation necessary for laboratory technicians.
And so here they are. They've got this custom program

(08:17):
that's really closely aligned to my need. And then I'm
participating with them, sharing them where we're growing. And they're
going to adjust and fine tune their program to meet
our future needs. So now I've got this collaborative process
for this talent pipeline. They're not just, you know, fill
out a form, we'll send you an intern. You know,
they're trying to understand my needs and adjust how they recruit,

(08:38):
how they teach so that the students come better prepared
to meet my needs. Did you.

S1 (08:43):
Hear that? Athens Tech will teach you the skills you
need to know. So that you can get a job
and a career and be ahead of the game.

S5 (08:50):
That's right, that's exactly right. And the nice thing is,
with them being so close, their students can actually come
and work here half time and go to school and
we'll accelerate their training. So when they actually graduate school,
they've got a job here and they're starting at level two,
not level one, not entry level.

S1 (09:05):
After you finished the bioscience program at Athens Tech, what
exactly is the job that you'll be doing? Let's talk
to Christy and Renee.

S2 (09:12):
My name is Christie Hinson. I graduated from Athens Tech
in 1991, and I have been employed at Athens Research
and Technology for 28 years.

S4 (09:27):
I am Renee Russell Moore. I work at Athens Research
and Technology. Um, I am a senior protein chemist. I
graduated from Athens Tech May of 1998, a very long
time ago, and I started working here June 1st, 1998
at Athens Research and Technology, and I've been here ever since.

S1 (09:48):
Side note did you notice that both of them have
been in their careers for a very long time?

S2 (09:53):
Athens Tech. We learned a broad spectrum of things, and
we hit on lots of topics in the science industries and.
Our favorite part was always the biochemistry part and the
organic chemistry part. And the skills that I learned there
have helped carry me through and learn even more skills.

(10:17):
That was like my basis, my foundation for the skills
that I've learned over the years. Without that foundation and
that hands on experience and knowledge that I gained at
Athens Tech, I think it would have not been quite
as easy to ease into to the field that I'm
in now.

S4 (10:36):
On my first day, June 1st, 1998. I walked in
the door and the the lab director Jenks Patel said,
here's this, this, this go assay these fractions. And I
just kind of looked at her and I knew exactly
what to do. I didn't need I knew how to
use the micro pipettes. I knew how to do everything.
And I think what I like the best about it

(11:00):
is that, I mean, I hit the ground running and
I've never really stopped. And I like that because it's,
you know, I learn something new every day, especially about
the bioscience world and everything that's going on that's been
going on since 2020. Just, um, it's pretty interesting. But
the fact that I know that my products that I

(11:21):
purify and everybody else is purifying is going to help people.
They're either going to researchers or they're going to companies
that are cylinder researchers, or they're going into like a
pharmaceutical type to that kind of a company so that
they can be reworked and redone so that, you know,
can eventually end up helping the world. And it's pretty

(11:42):
it's pretty interesting when you've got publications of work that
you've done and people see your publications and they order
from you and, you know, buy our products because other
researchers have actually been published for it. And it's just
a pretty cool thing I like, but I do I
do like helping others, and I feel like it makes

(12:03):
a difference in this field. I feel like especially with
lipoproteins and no one, you know, like everybody has cholesterol issues.
It's it's not just, you know, a certain demographic, it's everyone.
And I feel like that helps a lot. We also
do a lot of stuff for stem cell media, which
really that's a big deal too. So I mean, I
know that I like that aspect of it.

S1 (12:26):
The bioscience program at Athens Tech will provide you with
the training to work in an in-demand career that, just
like Rene said, helps people and helps the world. Rene,
what are some of the details of your job?

S4 (12:37):
I take human plasma and I purify out lipoproteins, which
are your cholesterol, LDL, HDL, LDL. You're good. You're bad.
You're really ugly. When you go and have your cholesterol
tested at your yearly doctor's exam, we have purified the
standards that your blood is compared to. That's 50% of

(13:02):
my day. The rest of my day is getting out
the components of those lipoproteins, because there's more proteins that
go into those, to the lipids that you make up,
the lipids. That's pretty I mean, lots of centrifuges and
just gels. And people in bioscience will know what I'm
talking about. An 82, 80 and just lots of column

(13:24):
chromatography during the day.

S1 (13:27):
And what are the skills you learned at Athens Tech
that you use every day?

S8 (13:30):
Let's see.

S4 (13:31):
Chemistry, molarity, knowing chemical properties, knowing how reactions between chemicals work. Um,
column chromatography. That's a daily basis. Ion exchange, gel filtration,
you name them. They're they're I'm trying to think of
all the ones affinity chromatography reading a two 80s, uh,

(13:53):
absorbance just that's running gel gel electrophoresis. That's a major
part of my day. And that was that's one of, like,
the favorite thing that I do. Um, we actually did
ultra centrifuge work. And so when I started at Athens
Research and Technology, I realized, oh, I know how to
use this machine and didn't realize that 24 years later,

(14:17):
I was still going to be running that machine every
day so that I love it. And it's great. But yes,
I mean, everything in the bioscience program, the.

S7 (14:27):
Demand for people. Yeah. Qualified people is is definitely there. Yeah, undoubtedly. Yeah.
We we try, you know, it's all coming in like
you'll be able to just walk into a job like,
you know, go through the program, everything you required. And
there's a job jobs available for you.

S1 (14:45):
Can you achieve more with the bioscience program at Athens Tech?
It's definitely worth looking into.

S7 (14:49):
Some of it. You know, it may look a little
scary that. Yeah. So the chemistry and general chemistry, organic chemistry,
the whole purpose, the purpose of the program is then
to train you then. So don't get frightened about, you
know what? What's involved. So that, you know, many students
thought of feeling that same way, you know, very apprehensive

(15:11):
and and uncertain and then say, well, it's really not
that bad. You get into it and it's, it's, uh,
you can get the hang of it. And it's actually
quite fun. And, and then you could feel the satisfaction
that you've accomplished something that you never thought you could
do it. And you get through it and you'll feel
so much better for it.

S5 (15:32):
The partnership that we have with ATC is more than
just being a student, and it's more than just finding
a job. If you look at our charter at Athens Research,
we're creating leaders in our company. We're creating leaders that
are also that are leaders outside these four walls. We
call leaders in the community. And we're also creating leaders
that are respected in the industry. So come join with
us and ATC beyond this journey, with this company that's growing,

(15:56):
and be part of this program that feeds right into
our company and start your career. Accelerate your career with
us by partnering with ATC and working through their two
year degree bio sciences program, and be in our intern program,
and then just launch your career with us for the
next 20 years. And I think that's what's missing today.
I think these kids oftentimes have these brilliant minds, but

(16:16):
not sure exactly how to apply it with what we're
doing with program is we're partnering with the intellectual side,
and we're partnering with mastery on the skill set side
and showing them that there's a career, that there's this
progression of steps where you'll learn more than just the
protein chemistry side, but you'll also learn the leadership side
and the program, all those functional skills that are so
important to growing leaders in our industry and our company

(16:40):
and in our community.

S3 (16:41):
So, I mean, having these well trained staff members helps
us complete the projects on time under budget. And, you know,
we get a higher success rate than if we we had,
you know, workers that weren't trained at Athens Tech.

S2 (16:59):
Our company has really started growing. We have been in
business for 36 years. And the internship program that we
have with Athens Tech has really helped us to grow.
As far as personally, if I had not gone to
Athens Tech, I wouldn't be in this field. But, you know,

(17:23):
I think where would I be if I had not
gone to Athens Tech? But it has helped me to
be able to work in a field that I love,
and a field that has allowed me to grow professionally
and intellectually and even emotionally. I mean, it has helped
me grow in all areas of my life, in leadership

(17:46):
and everything. Athens Tech was really a great starting point
for my career.

S1 (17:53):
Thanks for listening to achieve more with Athens Tech, the
official podcast of Athens Technical College. For more information on
the bioscience program, be sure to visit Athens Tech Edu.

S9 (18:05):
This podcast is a production of BGR Group. All rights reserved. I.