Progress 09/01/06 to 08/31/07
Outputs
The first year of the program included a six week internship at cooperating sites for 20 students. The interns began their program by participating in a seven day survey course on Environmental Biotechnology, offered through our cooperating partner, Massachusetts Bay Community College. The course was designed specifically for the Career Pathways Grant program, and focused on the biotechnical skills and lab procedures the students would be utilizing at the internship sites. The course involved both technical training and laboratory exercises, designed to connect real world problems with their biotechnical laboratory counterparts. The course was offered for two college credits. Following the biotechnology course, ten of the interns worked with Massachusetts General Hospital, with Dr. Steven Niemi and Ms. Julie Joncas from the Center for Comparative Medicine. The students and their NCAHS instructor Lori Pelletier, completed rotational training sessions which included
activities such as observing surgeries, completing animal necropsies with staff veterinarians, learning laboratory procedures and gaining hands-on skills for the research setting. Students worked with an array of rodents, rabbits, livestock, and fish during their internship. The program also included targeted field trips to facilities in and around New England to expand the student's knowledge of the diverse aspects of the animal research field. At the same time, the other ten interns (with their instructor Mr. David Green) worked with the New England Wildlife Center, under the direction of Dr. Greg Mertz. The students at this site were involved in myriad activities including serving as wildlife rehabilitators in the hospitals wards for injured or abandoned wildlife, preparing educational talks for visiting groups, assisting with surgeries, and preparing animals ready for release. Students worked with a wide range of animals including song birds, raptors, raccoons, possums, squirrels,
turtles, bats, fox, skunk, gulls, geese, coyotes, rabbits and chipmunks. The group also participated in a series of field trips which included visits to local estuaries (to collect mollusk blood samples for analysis), traveling to the center's animal release facility to assist with releasing rehabilitated animals, and participating in a behind the scenes tour of the Harvard University's Museum of Natural History.
PRODUCTS: a) A year long program was created, culminating in a six week internship for 20 students at the Massachusetts General Hospital Research Animal Facility and the New England Wildlife Center in 2007. b) The grant provided intense professional development for instructors in a structured work environment and the biotechnology college course. c) The training students received aligns with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, and helped to prepare students for the Massachusetts Certificate of Occupational Proficiency. d) The grant provided educational preparation and a college experience in laboratory techniques and the science and ethics of the workplace for two college credits for the student participants. e) The students received career and educational advisement from the site supervisors. f) The project created a formal partnership between the four collaborators.
OUTCOMES: a) Pre and post assessment surveys indicated a 50% increase in the number of students interested in the field of laboratory research, and a 30% increase in interest in the field of wildlife rehabilitation. b) The training received by the staff through this professional development will be directly reflected in their teaching, and will help to better prepare students for the ALAT exams. c) Students participating in this program all passed the two credit college course with a minimum of a B average, and now have a college transcript to take with them after graduation from high school. d) Students were better able to make career decisions in the fields of animal research or wildlife rehabilitation based on their conversations and advice received from their site mentors
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Since the internship was being conducted at the time of this reporting period, we have not yet disseminated activities of the project.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: Post conferences with the sites have revealed that the interest and aptitude of the students for the project have initiated some minor recommendations for changes to the program for the second round. Additional activities will include expanded field trips with additional activities at each field trip site. The face to face mentoring will be expanded to include online mentoring for students as part of a structured career exploration unit in animal science. Tours will be offered to the staff of the host sites to better familiarize them with the school's facility and types of training students receive prior to the internship. Future initiatives also include tracking students as they graduate and make decisions about college to see the influence of this project on their career and educational plans.
Impacts
A year long program was created, culminating in a six week internship for 20 students at the Massachusetts General Hospital Research Animal Facility and the New England Wildlife Center. The process of presenting the project, selecting interns and designing the project were collaboratively done by the cooperating partners on the project. The grant provided intense professional development for instructors and real-world training for students in a structured work environment, mentored by professionals in the industry. The impact of the experience affects the students career choices, the staff's classroom teaching and the future direction of the animal science curriculum in this field. The training students received aligns with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, and helped to prepare students for the Massachusetts Certificate of Occupational Proficiency. The grant provided educational preparation and a college experience in laboratory techniques and the science and
ethics of the workplace for two college credits for the student participants. The project created a formal partnership between the four collaborators, and gave the students a strong foundation upon which they can make educated career decisions based on their personal experiences obtained through this grant.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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