Did you know that ACC actively supports the biosciences? Have you ever toured our Bioscience Incubator at HLC in Building 4000? This article reminds us that our academic programs have scope and impact, including our biology and biotechnology programs. And this article illustrates how the Bioscience Incubator makes a difference for our local community.
ACC’s Bioscience Incubator provides wet lab space for local companies to rent as they try to move their product from the research stage to commercialization. The facility opened in February 2017 and was initially funded through a $4.9 million grant from the State of Texas. It is the only such facility at a community college in the state. And the best part is that ACC students have opportunities to serve as interns, gaining additional skills in their chosen field. In addition, ACC faculty have opportunities to collaborate with professionals in life sciences to enhance their teaching. A variety of companies lease space in the Incubator, supporting the creation of additional full-time jobs in Central Texas.
As a student intern in the ACC Bioscience Incubator, Mike Delisi gained confidence in his capabilities as a scientist. This confidence has directly contributed to his career in biotechnology.
“The extended exposure to lab protocols, day-to-day lab activities, equipment, and processes all helped me to become familiar with most of what a job might throw at me. Working close proximity with numerous industry professionals from a variety of backgrounds offered a demonstration of what I could expect to encounter. I think the single largest contribution the Incubator has made to my career is the confidence in my own capabilities as a sciences that I developed over my time there.”
Mike is now fully employed at X-Biotech as a manufacturing associate. X-Biotech is a publicly traded early-stage pharmaceutical company in Austin.
Three cheers for ACC’s life science programs and our ongoing interest in innovation and collaboration.
Picture courtesy ACC Marketing. Some content courtesy of the 2018 ACC Student Success Report.