New program puts biotech in hands of Lincoln High students

When it comes to science, technology, engineering and math fields, the American education system is playing catch up. A new program trying to help Philadelphia high schoolers compete in these areas kicks off next month.

Twenty-five juniors from Lincoln and Roxborough high schools will get hands-on training at Thomas Jefferson University — test driving a career in biotechnology for more than six months.

“They’re going to see all the opportunities — all the jobs — that are available with this kind of knowledge,” said Shirley Greening, chair of the bioscience technologies department at Jefferson.

Greening says the new program will be heavy on lab work and concludes with a paid summer internship.

“It’s one thing to take a lecture class and learn about biotechnology,” Greening said. “It’s quite another thing to go into the laboratory and actually run an experiment on an organism.”

Read the rest of this story and hear audio from our partners at NewsWorks.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal