Events
Please check back for our upcoming events or register to receive notices.
CAREER AWARENESS CONFERENCE AT BAYER HEALTHCARE - 2/9/2010
 BIOTECH ACADEMY CLASSES 2010 - BERKELEY HIGH & OAKLAND TECH
Click on photo to see CAC 2010 Photo Album
Biotech Partners was honored to receive
BayBio's Educator of the Year Award!
We want to sincerely thank BayBio and the support of Bayer HealthCare for making this achievement possible.A Biotech Partners alum, Damian Kirkland, received the award on our behalf.
Link here to read his inspiring story.
Pantheon Photo album
Posters2009 - Check it Out!
Sponsored by
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15th Anniversary Gala Benefit Celebration photos
On February 19, 2009, Biotech Partners celebrated its 15th Anniversary with a gala benefit and awards ceremony at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
Link through the title to see pictures posted on Flickr.
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Posters2008 Event & Photo Gallery
We area very proud to have received the following recognition at our Posters2008 event:
2008 Proclamation from
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
2008 Certificate of Recognition
from Senator Don Perata
Biotech Partners Day
Announced in the City of Berkeley
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College Graduation 2008 Photos
On June 4, 2008 five Biotech Partners college students graduated the BP program with a Bioscience Certificate from the Peralta Community College District.
Link through the title to see pictures posted on Flickr.
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See Posters2007 Event Coverage in the
San Francisco Chronicle 8/26/07:
Program opens biotech doors to teens
through classes, jobs
"The family culture of Berkley's Hernandez clan is a cool blend of Mexican roots and Bay area savvy - jumpy banda music, quinceanera parties, spicy pico de gallo and genetic engineering experiments..."
Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/26/BUU0RK6JH.DTL
(copy and paste into your web browser if you are unable to link directly)
Click here to view the
Posters2007 Photo Gallery
Proclamation from
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
(Click on image to enlarge)
Certificate of Recognition
from Senator Don Perata
(Click on image to enlarge)
Posters2007 Event Press Release:
Biotech Partners Announces $200,000 Grant from Toyota as it Celebrates 97 Percent Graduation Rate
Science education program trains underrepresented students, offers career opportunities
BERKELEY, Calif. – August 15, 2007 – Carlos Tinajero of Oakland credits Biotech Partners for helping him to complete his junior year of high school. He worked alongside researchers who study vaccines instead of, like many of his classmates, dropping out and joining a gang. Because of Biotech Partners, Carlos, and 24 other Bay Area students, is now on track toward a career in the sciences.
Tonight, Biotech Partners, the Bay Area’s only nonprofit organization providing comprehensive hands-on bioscience and job training specifically for groups underrepresented in the sciences, will celebrate the work completed by Carlos and its students, at the conclusion of their summer internships in the bioscience and healthcare industries. At its annual Posters2007 event, hosted by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals in Berkeley, Calif., Biotech Partners also will receive a $200,000 grant from the Toyota USA Foundation, which will further support the nonprofit organization’s science education initiatives. “By combining real-world experience with comprehensive hands-on training, Biotech Partners is preparing these students to become part of the rapidly expanding biotechnology workforce in the Bay Area,” said Patricia Pineda, group vice president, legal, philanthropy and administration at Toyota Motor North America. “Toyota believes in supporting worthwhile programs that share our beliefs in the value of science education.”
Posters2007 gives students from Berkeley High School and Oakland’s Life Academy of Health and Bioscience an opportunity to present their summer internship experiences; students spent time in scientific laboratories, working on research projects and supporting technicians in their day-to-day work. The students also will receive certificates of achievement from Biotech Partners and State Senator Don Perata.
“This summer’s interns have flourished in their respective hands-on, real-life job experiences,” said Deborah Bellush, Biotech Partners executive director. “Graduates of our program have the opportunity to embark on a successful career path and use this training to achieve their goals, no matter what occupation they may pursue.”
Additionally, Biotech Partners will honor Berkeley High School science teacher Steven Fong, who is departing after three years of dedicated service to his students and the program, as well as Dr. Daniel Mills and Kenneth Gerstman, long-time mentors from the East Bay Municipal Utility District.
Dignitaries who will judge the students’ posters and oral presentations include: Alameda County Board of Supervisors President Keith Carson; Berkeley City Council Member Laurie Capitelli; Gina Antonini, field representative for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; David Manson, district representative for Sen. Perata; Michele Brown, deputy chief of staff for Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums; senior aides from the offices of Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and Assemblywoman Loni Hancock; chiefs of staff to Berkeley and Oakland City Council members; Arnold Perkins, retired director of the Alameda County Department of Public Health; as well as representatives from the U.S. Departments of Labor and Agriculture, the James Irvine Foundation, the Toyota USA Foundation, the Y & H Soda Foundation, and the Wells Fargo Foundation.
Biotech Partners was founded in 1993 as part of a 30-year development agreement between Bayer Corporation and the City of Berkeley. Each year, Bayer supports Biotech Partners by providing operational funding as well as job training positions for more than 20 of Biotech Partners’ high school and community college program participants. Bayer has hired 48 program graduates, which is more than half of the students who sought employment in the biotech sector immediately after graduating from the program. “Biotech Partners is Bayer’s most important philanthropic initiative in the Bay Area, and we continue to be pleased with its tremendous success,” said Joerg Heidrich, senior vice president and global head of Product Supply-Biotech, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. “It’s very rewarding to see the transformational effect Biotech Partners has had on the lives of so many individuals, several of whom have gone on to contribute significantly to the vitality of the Bay Area’s bioscience industry. That’s a testament to the importance of this program.”
Biotech Partners provides a comprehensive, hands-on, bioscience education and job training program for populations typically underrepresented in the sciences — especially students of color (96 percent), young women (68 percent) and those from low-income households. Overall, 97 percent of Biotech Partners students who complete at least one year of the program, including the summer internship, graduate from high school, compared to 71 percent of students statewide. Its unique holistic approach consists of a career-focused science and technology curriculum from 11th grade through community college, paid summer internships for high school students, year-long jobs for community college participants, and support services to help each student achieve success.
Contact:
Deborah Bellush
Executive Director, Biotech Partners
510-705-5192 (o) / 510-847-3191 (c)
debbi.bellush.b@bayer.com
For more information about Biotech Partners, visit www.biotechpartners.org.
** The Posters2007 event is not open to the general public. Invited guests and members of the media are welcome to attend. If members of the media would like to profile one of the program’s students, please contact Deborah Bellush at the above-listed phone numbers.
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About Biotech Partners
Founded in 1993 as part of a 30-year Development Agreement between Bayer HealthCare and the City of Berkeley, Biotech Partners is a nationally recognized model nonprofit organization that connects youth to the world of biotechnology. Biotech Partners works with students who are not traditionally considered college-bound, and who come from ethnically diverse populations; for a significant number, English is their second language. Partnering with Berkeley High School, Oakland’s Life Academy and Laney College, Biotech Partners delivers a lab-based biotech curriculum. High school students are placed in eight-week paid summer internships, and freshmen-year community college students in one-year paid co-op worker positions at local biotech companies, healthcare institutions, and research laboratories. For more information about Biotech Partners, visit www.biotechpartners.org.
About Toyota USA Foundation
The Toyota USA Foundation is a $42 million charitable endowment created to support education programs serving kindergarten through 12th grade students and their teachers in the United States, with an emphasis on mathematics and science. For more information about the Toyota USA Foundation, visit www.toyota.com/foundation.
About Bayer HealthCare LLC
Bayer HealthCare LLC, an affiliate of Bayer HealthCare AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The Pharmaceuticals division comprises the following business units: Women’s Healthcare, Diagnostic Imaging, Specialized Therapeutics, Hematology/Cardiology, Primary Care and Oncology. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. The products enhance well-being and quality of life by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases. To learn more about Bayer HealthCare LLC, visit their Web site: www.pharma.bayer.com.
Past Events
(The following article is posted with permission from Bayer HealthCare)
Bayer Hosts the 13th Annual Career Awareness Conference for
Local High School Students
January 16, 2007 - Berkeley, CA
On January 10, 2007 Bayer funded and hosted the annual Career Awareness Conference (CAC), a half-day event where Berkeley High School students enrolled in the Biotech Partners program (formerly Berkeley Biotechnology Education, Inc.) visit our facility. This year, Bayer opened its doors to 30 BHS students, welcoming them to the world of bioscience and the careers that exist for them after high school. The response from BHS students and Biotech Partners employees was overwhelmingly positive, making this year's CAC one of the most successful events since its inception 13 years ago.
“As well-trained and enthusiastic participants, you have the opportunity to contribute to the pool of skilled technicians qualified for entry-level positions within our company,” said Peter Kramer, Director of Manufacturing Sciences and board member of Biotech Partners, as he greeted participants. “On behalf of everyone at Bayer, I would like to congratulate you on your accomplishments thus far and for your dedication to the Biotech Partners program.”
 Throughout the conference, Bayer volunteers served as navigators and presenters while seniors who have completed the Biotech Partners internship program assisted as student navigators and co-presenters. Activities included: a Human Resources presentation to discuss such topics as developing a resume and asking questions during an interview; tours and demonstrations hosted by Process Sciences Purification (B55) and BioAnalytics (B50), Purification Manufacturing Sciences (B19), Small Scale Cell Culture & Small Scale Fermenters (B28), and Packaging and Inspection (B80); as well as an opportunity for students to practice clean-room gowning.
 Students were then invited to a luncheon where graduates of the Biotech Partners program, co-ops, interns, Peter Kramer and Rochelle Faiola, Administrative Assistant to James M. Glover, captivated the crowd with their panel presentations. They provided information about their personal history with Bayer and the corporate world, and encouraged participants to persevere within the Biotech Partners program. Panelists also gave accurate accounts of what their occupational duties consist of on a day-to-day basis and the challenges they have faced.
 Every year, Bayer’s investment in the CAC creates a win-win situation for graduates of the Biotech Partners program and the Berkeley site. The program includes a two-year segment at the high school level where students learn essential work skills needed in the field of biotechnology and continues at Laney Community College where students receive a Certificate of Achievement in Biotechnology. To date, Bayer has hired roughly 48 former Biotech Partners program participants. We have even reached a point where some of the graduates are now supervising program students!
“I was stuck on the decision to either go to Laney Community College or to San Francisco State University,” said one participant. “But after attending the Career Awareness Conference, I have decided to continue my education in the field of biotechnology with the program at Laney.”
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