News

Lacee Sherman’s Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Journey For Lacee Sherman, science has always been more than just a subject to teach—it’s a way of thinking, learning, and discovering the world. As a teacher at Infinity Middle School in Aurora, Colorado, Lacee has spent years blending her passion for science with hands-on research experiences, ensuring that her students not only learn about science, but experience it. Through the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program, offered by the Colorado BioScience Institute, Lacee has brought invaluable lessons from the lab at STAQ Pharma straight into her classroom, helping her students see the relevance of science in their everyday lives.

The Colorado BioScience Institute (The Institute) proudly celebrates the extraordinary achievements and groundbreaking discoveries made by students in the field of life sciences. Each year, The Institute participates in the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair at Colorado State University with a panel of distinguished judges. In 2024, we are excited to once again present the Future of Life Sciences Award. This year’s recipient is Angelina Wang, an 11th grader from Fairview High School, for her project “Toxin-like Microproteins: A Novel Approach to Unveil the Intricacies of Acetylcholine Receptors.”

April 4th we hosted the annual Life Sciences Industry Showcase! This event consists of a panel that connects Colorado life sciences companies to Colorado university talent from undergraduate to post doc to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the Colorado Life Sciences Ecosystem. Participating companies showcased their company, technology and talent recruitment initiatives with an overview presentation and engaged with attendees through a moderated Q&A session. Our panel consisted of speakers from Tolmar, EnteroTrack, Numiera, Biodesix, and Medtronic. This session grows the state’s future workforce talent pipeline by connecting them with companies and opportunities in Colorado. See the event recording below:

The immersive in-person teacher training, led by our own, Janie Butler, in partnership with Mandi Ruud Singleton  and Dr. Chelsea M. Magin, PhD., brought a new dimension to middle school science education. Over the weekend, educators gained hands-on experience in bringing hydrogel labs to life. Dr. Magin’s expertise as a materials engineer added depth to the training, as participants delved into the intricacies of hydrogel science.

The Institute’s Executive One-Day Intensive: Leading to Inspire Innovation and Creativity, was a huge success with sold out attendance and stellar participant feedback.

This week marked the exciting conclusion of our Biotechnology in the Classroom Training for teachers! Janie Butler led a dynamic group of 8 teachers that brought enthusiasm and energy to the table, diving into the exciting world of integrating industry innovations into their classrooms with the help of LabXchange.

November 29th, 2023 Curious about if our Foundations of Leadership course is right for you? Whether you’re considering enrollment or seeking invaluable leadership insights, this is your chance to gain an inside perspective! – Discover the Training Structure: Gain insights into the meticulously crafted 3-day format designed to elevate your leadership capabilities.– Differentiating Leaders & Managers: Delve into the nuances between these roles and learn effective strategies to harness their strengths.– Real Testimonials, Real Impact: Hear firsthand from previous participants as they share the transformative impact of our program.

October 25th, 2023 We’re thrilled to announce the success of our latest program: Elevate Chemistry Education: Dynamic Virtual Demos for Classroom! Over four weeks, led by Janie Butler, teachers immersed themselves in classroom-ready chemistry demos and lessons. Each week, esteemed guest speakers, including, Patrick Barney, PhD from Corden Pharma, Amy Beckley PhD from Proov Diagnostics and Melissa Krebs, Ph.D from GelSana, provided invaluable insights into the world of chemistry in Colorado. The program facilitated invaluable connections with these local industry experts, providing participants with genuine, real-world insights to enhance their pedagogical approach. This course trained 14 teachers, impacting 1575 students. A thank you to the Medtronic Foundation for their generous support, which makes our mission possible. Together, we empower educators and inspire future scientists.

We had an excellent event last week featuring our own Janie Butler and  Jordan Haas from Green Key Resources, titled “Crafting Your Path: Mastering the Art of Resume Writing for Undergraduates.”

Today, our 84 student mentees and 16 industry mentors came together for our Mentor Kickoff Event! 

“Colorado’s economic growth, advancements in health innovation, and quality of life for the life sciences employees depend on a skilled and diverse workforce. Supporting career growth and effective leadership skills is vital to cultivating the best talent pool and an unwavering life sciences ecosystem,” says Meg John, Vice President of the Colorado BioScience Institute (The Institute). “And that’s exactly what we’re doing here!”

Colorado BioScience Institute would like to thank AlloSource®, STAQ PHARMA, Medtronic, Proov, TriSalus Life Sciences, ZimVie, and Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, for hosting teachers in your facilities and providing valuable insights into the bioscience workforce that will be translated into classroom practices – this year’s RET program has been such a success thanks to your participation. Colorado BioScience Institute’s STEM Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program provides middle and high school teachers real-world experience and helping them translate that experience and new knowledge into the classroom. STEM RET is an intensive program, held five days a week for four weeks during the summer. Thank you, as well, to Medtronic Foundation for supporting this work to help the Institute cultivate and diversify Colorado’s life sciences workforce, and to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for your partnership on the teacher professional development trainings.

The Colorado BioScience Institute (The Institute) takes great pride in celebrating the remarkable achievements and groundbreaking discoveries made by students in the field of life sciences. Every year, The Institute joins the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair at Colorado State University with a panel of special judges. This year, an inaugural award was introduced to recognize visionary thinking and pioneering approaches—the Future of Life Sciences Award. 

After 3 days of learning together, our teachers are walked away with supplies and skills for classroom-ready implementation of biotechnology skills. Led by our own Janie Butler, in partnership with Joe Cox of Chatfield Senior High School and Fan Yeung of Front Range Community College, 24 Colorado teachers joined the training from 17 different high schools. Collectively, the participating teachers anticipate that during the 2023-2024 school year, they will reach a combined 2,590 students with biotechnology content and skills learned in this training. Thanks to the support of our sponsors, Medtronic Foundation and Corden Pharma – A Full-Service CDMO , our Biotech Teacher Training was a success! This program helps Colorado BioScience Institute in our work of cultivating and diversifying Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem by offering professional development that provides high school science teachers the opportunity to learn a molecular biology curriculum using the LabXChange platform. 

We were thrilled to see our community come together for BioScience on Tap, Colorado BioScience Institute’s annual fundraising event, last week. Members of Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem gathered inside Sanitas Brewing Co. in Boulder to support our work of cultivating and diversifying the state’s life sciences workforce, and to engage in an evening of networking. With the help of all who supported this event, The Institute will continue our efforts to build a skilled, diverse life sciences workforce with investments in programs and experiences that span elementary school to executive education. We would like to extend a huge thank you to our BioScience on Tap sponsors, the Medtronic Foundation, Corgenix Medical Corporation, and Azzur Group, for making this event possible.

The program will offer founders who are developing or commercializing technologies, products, devices, and life-saving breakthroughs the combined expertise and insights of Innosphere, CBSA, and The Institute.  

Energetic Identity Emphasizes Investment to Cultivate and Diversify State’s Life Sciences Workforce, From Classroom, to Campus, to Career.

We are thrilled to welcome Janie Butler, Program Manager, to the Colorado BioScience Institute and Colorado BioScience Association teams.

Early-Stage Companies in Biotech, Medical Device, Oral Health/Teledentistry, and Health Technology Selected to Take Part in Year-Long, State-Funded Program

Colorado BioScience Association is proud to launch a new incubation program for early-stage companies in partnership with Innosphere and our sister organization, Colorado BioScience Institute.

Through the generous support of the Amgen Foundation, the Colorado BioScience Institute collaborates with Harvard University’s LabXchange to provide teacher trainings in Colorado. LabXchange sat down with 2022 Colorado Teacher of the Year Autumn Rivera to discuss how LabXchange provides access to resources for her and other rural teachers. Autumn is a 6th grade science teacher at Glenwood Springs Middle School in Roaring Fork School District.

State Funding from Advanced Industries Business Accelerator Grant to Support Program

FREDERICK, Colorado – The Colorado BioScience Institute and St. Vrain Valley Schools have been awarded a $435,200 Workforce Innovation Grant from the Weld County Workforce Development Board in support of the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program in biochemistry at Frederick High School.