Webinar: Youth Insights on Opportunities in Boston's Biotech Ecosystem
12.14.2022
Over the summer, Agncy hosted a youth-led team of researchers to identify opportunities to strengthen pathways into biotech careers. Boston is a biotech hub, with over 1,000 biotech companies in the Greater Boston area. Access to biotech careers, however, is not equitable for the region’s population; for example, just 6% of life science college graduates were Black or African American in Massachusetts in 2020, according to a recent MassBioEd report.
The team, led by Jeralmi Canela (Dearborn STEM Academy ‘20; Penn State ‘25), managing Jared Costlychong (Dearborn STEM Academy ‘23) and Marlise Teixeira (Dearborn STEM Academy ‘23), and supported by Joey Arana-Fennell, learned from teens across Boston through one-on-one interviews and surveys. The insights from their research identify opportunities for industry, nonprofits, and schools to shape their work around student values and aspirations, including:
- Helping kids see themselves in biotech
- Being open about both the exciting and challenging aspects of pursuing a career in biotechnology
- Highlighting the full range of positions, skills, and activities in the industry (not just scientists!)
The details of their research—including project rationale, process, insights, and implications—can be found below in the deck they presented to folks from industry, high schools, colleges and nonprofits at a public webinar on December 8. A recording of the webinar follows.
You can watch a recording of the webinar here:
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Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts