RCN-UBE Incubator: The Mid-Atlantic Biology Research and Career Network: Innovations in Biology Undergraduate Education

The Mid-Atlantic Biology Research and Career (MABRC) network is a community of scientists, educators and business professionals working together to improve workforce preparation of life science students. The MABRC network seeks to determine the essential technical and professional skills needed to succeed in today's life sciences workplace and critically assess the current undergraduate biology curricula with respect to workforce preparation. The results of the network's evaluation will be disseminated by multiple vehicles to reach all interested stakeholders. A career conference will also be organized to inform and train students and to promote networking between graduates and employers. The network will also initiate the design of a framework for providing authentic research experiences for biology students, with an emphasis placed on early engagement in research and in experiences that incorporate emerging technologies that are critical for the workforce.

The MABRC network will create a forum for bridging the divide between undergraduate biology education and student preparation by a) identifying technical and professional skills essential for the workplace, b) evaluating undergraduate biology training in the context of career preparation, and c) serving as a gateway between academe, government, and the private sector to students and teachers at high schools, and community colleges, 4-year colleges, and universities. Preparation of graduates from these institutions for the workplace will assessed via examination of departmental learning aims, curricular offerings, and via surveys of stakeholders including industry leaders. Follow up analyses will be performed to evaluate strengths and deficiencies of undergraduate biology curricula in relation to desired workface skills. Subsequent network activities include enhancing student career preparation through the development of a framework for authentic research experiences that can serve as a model for other networks in a variety of discipline contexts. The network is designed to promote training of diverse student populations, with the intent of recruiting and retaining underserved and underrepresented students in life science careers. Member institutions and organizations will initially be affiliated with the emerging biotechnology industry in the mid-Atlantic region. This strategy will promote direct access to a large network of future employers, facilitates connections with regional high school programs, and allows direct contribution to the workforce in the home states of participating students, the latter being especially important for underrepresented students to serve as peers and STEM role models for K-12 students in their own communities.

This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action http://visionandchange/finalreport/.