NJ's First DNA Learning Center Opens In New Biotechnology Hub At Passaic Tech

WAYNE, NJ — Students studying biotechnology at Passaic County Technical Institute will get hands-on experience for their future careers at a brand new facility, which the school unveiled on Sept. 18.

The 55,000-square-foot John Currie Biotechnology Innovation Center also hosts New Jersey's first DNA Learning Center, where students can study the very latest techniques in genetics and biology and prepare for future careers in a rapidly-growing industry.

This new educational hub also will allow students to earn a 60-credit associate's degree in biotechnology through Passaic County Community College, according to PCTI. It also has space for another 800 high school students to attend Passaic Tech, "providing them access to high-skill, high-wage career opportunities in the region’s biotechnology industry."

The DNA Learning Center is equipped, licensed, and operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational center on Long Island which has programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, and quantitative biology.

"The opening of the John Currie Biotechnology Innovation Center marks a transformative step for PCTI, " said Chief School Administrator John Maiello. "It will serve as a hub of innovation and hands-on learning, where students will earn industry-valued credentials and engage in practical experience to prepare them for the workforce.”

Currie, whom the center is named for, is the current chair of the Passaic County Board of Elections and chair emeritus of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.

"This center is about giving our students a chance to dream bigger and reach higher," he said in a statement. "By opening these doors, we’re giving them the opportunity to explore their potential and build a brighter future for themselves and our community. Knowing that this center will help young people succeed in ways they may have never imagined is the greatest honor I could ask for."

Construction for the biotech center was primarily funded by a grant from the New Jersey Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act, which is geared towards expanding career and technical education programs.