Most high-school teachers finished college before biotechnology developed, so continuing education is necessary. We do this through workshops held at Virginia Tech in the summer and by sponsoring short training sessions throughout the school year across the state. As a result, the high-school teachers have become organized and we have developed the specific training programs they requested. They then pointed out that the training was great, but they did not have the equipment in their labs to teach these new techniques to their students. We recently purchased equipment and supplies that enable a high school to conduct a two-week laboratory for its students.
Teachers use the kit and then ship it to the next school.
Our hope is to get industry to buy many of these kits. Then many more high-school students could join in the excitement of this new biology. The new facility will help us to fulfill all three missions. Our most immediate challenge will be to build such a program during a period of declining state support for education.