My Fellowship is with Biogen, IDEC. (click link for more information about Biogen)
My mentor’s name is Doug Osborne. He is the Senior Manager of Cell Culture Development in the Technical Transfer Department. This department helps bridge the gap between product development and manufacturing.
Here we are discussing my activities for the day and other ideas for my curriculum unit. This is called the Hallway Conversation unit. Mr. Osborne is actually in Cambridge, MA for a meeting and I am in the RTP facility. There is actually another unit on the second floor of the building where Mr. Osborne’s department is located. The idea for the units is to help keep the communication between departments flowing.
Within the first two hours of my time with my mentor, I learned the most important skill the scientists needed to have was how to communicate accurate, detailed information. As teachers, we all know the value of communication but to see how important it is in a lab where they are going through the process of using cells to develop medicines is on a completely different level! Over the next few days, I saw how they use written information from the small-scale cell development lab to the pilot- scale development lab to purification lab and to analytical development lab to explain procedures for the particular cells they were developing. It is truly an amazing experience! The scientists use their reading and math skills to help communicate accurate, detailed information. I already have several lesson ideas to help connect what scientists are doing in their labs to classroom instruction. I can’t wait to see what the rest of my experiences will be with Biogen, IDEC & the Kenan Fellows Program!
The scientists I am working with have degrees in the following fields:
biochemistry,
chemistry,
biotechnology,
biomedical engineers,
chemical engineering,
bioprocessing science
Videos about Biogen, IDEC