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The Hodson Science and Technology Center houses Hood College's Bioscience Research and Education Center. (Hood College)
Hood College awarded nearly $1M to launch biotech program
Listen to this articleHood College has been awarded a $999,850 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies program to launch the Innovative, Immersive Training Program in Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing, the school announced.
Referred to as “ExLENT,” the three-year project has a mission of preparing undergraduate and community college transfer students for biotechnology careers.
Rana Khan is the director of Hood’s Biomedical Research and Education Center, and she will be involved with oversight and management of the newly launched program.
“This NSF ExLENT grant is a recognition of our leadership in preparing students for the evolving workforce needs of the bioscience industry,” she said.
“Focused on cutting-edge technologies in gene therapy and biomanufacturing, this funding will provide hands-on training and paid internships for our students while strengthening industry partnerships and transfer pathways with local community colleges. It supports BREC’s mission to help grow the bioscience industry in Frederick County and beyond.”
In sum, 51 students – 17 each year – are expected to participate in the biotech program’s immersive experience, which will include specialized coursework, paid summer internships, site visits, site-specific mini-courses at partner sites and more.
The project will garner support from local industry partners like the Maryland Tech Council, AstraZeneca, Kite Pharma and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, according to a release.
Hood also plans to partner with Hagerstown and Frederick community colleges, both of which will reserve spots in the program for community college transfers.
