HSAC is Back
COVID forced a pause in 2020, 2021 and 2022 so Bio-Builders is truly thrilled to embark on a new season of the popular and impactful High School Apprenticeship Challenge program this spring!
You may remember reading about the program in Bio-Builder’s May 2021 blog post. In a nutshell, the program trains under-represented high school students in hands-on life science laboratory bench work. The ultimate goal is for students to complete a paid summer internship at an academic or life science company lab.
Here’s how the Challenge works. From mid-March through mid-May, students attend an after-school lab training program twice weekly and on Saturday mornings. This year, the training sessions will be held at Bio-Builders’s new Learning Lab @ Ginkgo! Students work in biodesign teams to hone their laboratory skills while diving into a synbio design project.
During the training period, Bio-Builders helps students identify and set up interviews with local laboratories for paid summer internships. The Boston area’s life sciences hub presents an incredible number of opportunities for the students, and Bio-Builders partners with many area companies, colleges, and other life science organizations. For example, one of Bio-Builder’s newest partners is the biopharmaceutical company UCB.
UCB focuses on developing treatments for severe diseases that have significant unmet needs, especially neurology and immunology diseases. UCB recognized Bio-Builder’s important work and supports them via a grant and the participation of UCB scientists in Bio-Builders programs, including the Apprenticeship Challenge. What a great place for students to get their first taste of professional work and see the possibilities for their futures!
So far, a dozen students have applied for the Apprenticeship Challenge. That means fewer than half the spots remain – perhaps you or a student you know is interested? Head over to the program webpage to learn more and submit your application. We would love to have you join us!