Middlesex Community College Receives Massachusetts Life Science Grant

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has awarded Middlesex Community College a $50,000 grant to provide funding for a planning study for expanding the college's biotechnology facilities, according to a press release from the college. 

The college is looking to expand their biotechnology facilities in order to spur increased enrollment in the program as well as workforce development education and training, according to the release.

The biotechnology programs at Middlesex Community College have seen an 85 percent increase over the last eight years, according to Dean of Health and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Kathleen Sweeney. 

“This funding will enable Middlesex to offer the enhanced training our industry contacts have identified," Sweeney said in the release. "Our goal is to ensure MCC graduates are well prepared for employment opportunities in the life sciences industry.”

The grant will be used to complete analysis on the addition of a new laboratory and clean-room environment to the current biotechnology facilities at Middlesex Community College. 

The funds will also be used to review the curriculum for the biotechnology program, with the plan of adding or revising nine courses based on feedback from local industry contacts that frequently hire graduates of MCC, according to the release. 

New offerings will include courses in in clean-room techniques, clean-room growing techniques, OSHA Certification, quality control, quality assurance and validation, and chromatography.

The college's biotechnology program currently holds the Gold Award from the Massachusetts Life Science Education Consortium, according to the release.