Jackson Laboratory Collaborates with CSCU To Bring Genomics To Community College Students

The state’s community college students will gain more access to bioscience, genomics, and skills preparing them for careers in that field thanks to a partnership between Maine-based Jackson Laboratory and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities.

The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) Genomic Education team, in collaboration with Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU), was recently awarded a $442,764 three-year National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)/National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant titled “Genomics in Action.”

Sarah Wojiski, JAX’s Director of Education, said the funding will allow both groups to work together to develop a curriculum around bioscience.

“It’s really designed to train the entry-level biomedical workforce on this really important and up and coming topic of genetics and genomics that will help them bring those skills into the workforce when they finish their degree programs,” Wojiski said.

Wojiski said JAX has been collaborating with the Connecticut State College and University system since 2017 working on co-development and programming to build the biomedical workforce in the state.

“We recognize that the community college students that are earning associate’s degrees and certificates from CT State are living and working and staying in Connecticut. And that’s really who we’re here to support with this program,” Wojiski said.

According to information from the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities website, 93% of CSCU graduates stay to live and work in Connecticut. More than 50% of CSCU’s students are from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. Genomics in Action will meet NHGRI’s Strategic Vision by training a diverse entry-level genomics workforce needed by employers, officials said.

Organizers are hoping to pilot some of the modules as early as this coming spring semester, with around 100 or students exposed to the curriculum at that time, Wojiski said.

“We are really designing these curricular resources as modular and entry levels. So they’re designed so they could be put into existing courses that were designed for foundational courses in biology and genetics that broad numbers of students enroll in. Those courses and faculty can sort of pick and choose which elements of the curriculum that they want to insert into their classes,” she explained. “So there’s opportunities for multiple touch points with the curriculum across their programs, and again, reaching a very broad number of students.”

This curriculum will provide practical knowledge and skills that faculty can bring into the classroom.

“It’ll be knowledge and skills that will be definitely applicable to career paths that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. So somebody could get their associate’s degree in two years or get a certificate in two years from CT State in one of the health professions programs or in a biotechnology program, for example, and go work as a laboratory assistant or go work in a clinical, lab setting and take some of these skills that we’re providing with these modules and apply them directly in the workforce after earning an associate’s degree,” Wojiski said. “Not all biomedical careers have to involve having advanced degrees.”

Lesley Mara, CSCU Associate Vice President, Systemwide Initiatives & Sponsored Programs, said three CT State professors – from Gateway, Capital, and Northwestern Community College – are working with JAX to come up with the modules.

She said that this latest collaboration – digital education modules – is particularly exciting after working with JAX for eight years.

“People forget that a lot of our students are commuters, first generation, so this is our sweet spot,” Mara said.

She added that there are 12 community colleges in the state, and those students will contribute to a diverse and innovative workforce.

Mara added that these modules will help provide community college students with better employment options once they graduate or the opportunity to further their education at a four-year institution.

“This opens up so many opportunities,” Mara said.

Biomedicine broadly applies biology to treat patients, while genomics is more specific, looking more closely at the DNA level and genetics, Wojiski explained.

“It’s trying to understand how changes trying to understand how changes in our DNA might be contributing to the development of diseases, and how we can use that information to better diagnose diseases,” Wojiski said, “and then ultimately how can we use that information to either prevent or better treat those diseases.”

She added, “It’s really important for people working in the biomedical workforce to have an understanding of genetics and genomics and these concepts so that they can do a better job in treating patients and they can do a better job in designing therapies and looking for cures for diseases.”

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