Andover High Students Experiment in Biotech Center

Over 20 Andover High School (MA) students recently got a hands-on biology experience in Merrimack’s Center for Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, as they used state-of-the-art equipment to conduct experiments.

The students were accompanied by Andover High School Principal Jonathan Harris and science teacher Steve Sanborn, while Biology Associate Professor’s Janine LeBlanc-Straceski and Mark Birnbaum led the actual lessons in the labs.

“It’s important to have the students see an actual biotechnology lab,” said Sanborn. “The students have seen videos of some of the latest equipment, but had never seen it in person, or used any of it until now.”

The lesson of the day was cell culture in biotechnology and biomedicine, and students first watched the experiment completed by the professor and then each had a chance to snap on rubber gloves and do it themselves in teams.

“I thought it was a really special opportunity,” said Suin Lee, 19, Andover High School senior. “I’ve never been in an actual college lab using the equipment. It made me feel like a real college student.”

One of the goals of the Center for Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences at Merrimack College is to serve as a community resource, providing the opportunity to learn at a state-of-the-art level when the equipment might not be available otherwise.

“The Center's mission is to be a presence for excellence in biotechnology and biomedical education in the Merrimack valley and beyond,” said Janine Leblanc-Straceski. “Reaching out to high school students to give them hands-on experiences in actual biomedical experiments that are taking place at the College gives them valuable knowledge from which they can draw on when considering career choices.”

Photo Caption: Biology Assoc. Professor Mark Birnbaum stands behind two Andover High School students as they conduct an experiment in Merrimack's Center for Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences.