Austin Community College was named one of six community colleges located around the country that will share a $2.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop biotechnology curricula. Analysts believe that “bio-tech” is fast becoming a critical part of the Central Texas economy. ACC’s share of the grant will be $270,000 and will go toward developing curricula aimed at teaching and training students for jobs as lab technicians in the oil-cleanup field and as forensic scientists in engaged in DNA testing. City College of San Francisco will oversee the program.
Steven Spurlock, an ACC student, welcomed the new emphasis on providing job training in addition to academic courses. “We’re going to be trained by industry reps, and they’re going to teach us exactly what we need to know.” After graduating, he plans to transfer to the University of Texas or one of California’s universities. This emphasis on biotech is new and comes just four years after the City of Austin’s Chamber of Commerce gave up on a plan to attract biotech companies to the area. A big handicap for Austin in attracting biotech companies was the absence of a medical school. Most biotech companies were located near university centers like San Francisco in the North or Boston and California’s San Diego and Bay areas.
Source: Austin American-Statesman, October 16, 1998.