Biotech Program Coming to Life on Campus

By Paul Glicklin

Raritan Valley Community College’s science department has grown considerably over the past four years. Opportunities for students interested in a career in one of the many fields of science are becoming increasingly available.
Among its many accomplishments, the science department has opened a biological technology (biotech) program, in coordination with such companies as Merck, Ethicon and Aventis, to train students for careers in this rapidly growing field.

Dr. Melanie Lenahan, the head of the biotech department here at RVCC, defines biotechnology as “using existing or new technology along with living systems to either develop drugs or advance bioremediation.” (Bioremediation is genetically modified organisms that can break down compounds in nature such as oil.)

The biotech program, under the leadership of Dr. Lenahan, will provide students with techniques and skills necessary for them to work in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. That industry was called “very exciting” and “very interesting” by Dr. Dondapati Chowdary, a principal scientist at a new biotech company called Veridex and guest speaker at Dr. Lenahan’s Oct. 12th class.

There are no prerequisites for the program, and eight courses are to be taken, the introductory course being Topics in Biotechnology, and follow-up courses such as Biotech Seminar and Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Students striving to achieve a degree in biotechnology have their choice of three programs: The first is a certificate program, which offers one year of courses and is designed mostly for those who are returning to school after prior employment. The second program is a more hands-on experience that involves two years of study, followed by graduation with an Associate of Applied Science degree. The graduate is then eligible for an entry-level position in the biotechnology field. The final program offers the Associate of Science degree, and then the students follow a more traditional pattern: they would transfer their credits to a four-year school with a biotechnology program, such as Kean University, and complete their bachelor’s degree.

Kean University has big plans for their biotech program as well. Dr. Lenahan explained that Kean plans to construct a science building here on the Raritan Valley campus, where it would offer bachelor- and master-level courses. “A student would be able to complete two years at Raritan Valley, then complete three years of Kean’s program and obtain their master’s, all on the same campus,” Lenahan said.

The partnership of companies like Ethicon and Merck with the development of the biotech program is largely a result of the realization of the need for employees and interns at those companies. Students enrolled in any of the three degree programs would be eligible for internships and possible direct employment. Raritan Valley Community College has formed an advisory committee, composed mainly of human resources officials and scientists from the large companies such as Johnson and Johnson or Aventis, to provide the RVCC science program with feedback of what their companies’ needs are.

As advanced as the biotechnology program here at RVCC has become over the past four years, it is constantly making strides to get better. Jim Marinaccio, the head of the Science Department, eagerly expressed his hopes for the expansion of the biotechnology department’s wing into about 3,000 square feet of the upper floor of the Science Building by early next year. Dr. Lenahan also states that although there are only about ten students in the biotech program this semester, “we’re hoping to go to about 40 or 50 by about 2007 or 2008.”

The students themselves seem to take to the course with great interest. Sophmore Jonathan Bober, who is planning on eventually completing his doctorate, said: “If you have an interest in [the course], then it’s fun.” Dave Brzyskar, who is finishing the associate degree of biotechnology, calls the course “very fun and interesting” and “a good field to be in, because it’s very important for the future.”

Dr. Lenahan shared with me some of the nuts and bolts of biotechnology. The focus of Topics in Biotechnology, which is the introductory course of the biotech program, is on biopharmaceuticals, which is using living organisms to make proteins used for therapy. One example would be to use bacteria or yeast to produce proteins that would become medicinal treatment. There are also special proteins called monoclonal antibodies, which are produced by cells such as those of a hamster-and can be used for treatment of conditions such as arthritis.

While the accomplishments of the Science Department at RVCC up to the present have been great, the future looks even more promising. It is hoped that the convenience of not having to leave the campus to complete a bachelor’s or master’s degree when Kean University’s proposed science building is available will encourage more students to consider taking up biotechnology as their field of study. As the Science Department continues to grow, Dr. Lenahan eagerly awaits the enrollment of students within the expanding biotechnology program.