The Biosciences Area partners with Biotech Partners (BP), a non-profit with the mission of educating underserved youth in the Bay Area through personal, academic, and professional development experiences that increase participation in higher education and improve access to fulfilling science careers. In 2019 the Biosciences Area provided internships to seven Biotech Partners high school students.
We are looking for mentors who have a strong commitment to teaching a high school student. The mentor has to be physically present throughout their internship (June 15 – August 8, 2020), provide training, monitor their work, sign-off on timesheets, etc. If you are interested in mentoring but will be away part of the internship period, you may consider co-mentoring with a colleague. Mentors must express their interest by March 13, 2020.
What is the Biotech Partners program?
Biotech Partners is a non-profit organization that helps youth from populations underrepresented in the sciences. They are committed to supporting disadvantaged students who might be at risk of dropping out of high school. The paid summer internships run for 8 weeks, between June 15 and August 8, and includes juniors and seniors. Before they start the internship, the students complete high school biology, chemistry, algebra, and two semesters of biotech lab.
Who can be a mentor?
We are looking for people (postdocs, graduate students, research associates, technology-focused staff, ops staff, etc.) who have a strong commitment to teaching a young student. Mentors will need approval from their supervisors and/or area contacts. It is helpful if the mentor has had some prior teaching/mentoring experience. The internship job description should align with BP’s goal which is to provide a summer experience that will help increase the student’s participation in higher education and provides access to fulfilling science careers.
What was the feedback we have received from mentors?
Here’s some of the feedback we received: “My student got tons of work done for us,” and, “I learned how to tailor my mentorship to an individual’s capabilities.”
Who pays for the internships?
There is a cost involved in hosting the students since these are paid internships. The students work 20 hours a week at an hourly rate of $15.00 for 8 weeks. The source of funds to cover the cost varies depending on your Operations center. See below for details.
Biosciences Operations @ Berkeley
Interested mentors should fill out this form and contact Ashley Dawn with questions. Individual PIs will sponsor Biotech Partner interns.
Biosciences Operations @ Emery Station (JBEI, ABPDU)
Interested mentors should fill out this form and contact Emily Scott with questions. Should you show interest in hosting a student, funding will need to come from the project that is benefitting from the intern.
Integrative Genomics Building
For Biosciences staff situated in the Integrative Genomics Building (i.e., JGI, KBase, Northen Lab members in the IGB), a new process is being launched. Those interested in hosting a Biotech Partners intern should first submit a request here before making commitments. Space to accommodate interns in the IGB this first year will be challenging, so we want to appropriately calibrate expectations. If you have any questions about interns in the IGB, please contact David Gilbert.
Mentor Timeline:
- Fill in the mentor interest form specific for your building or Operations Center contact by March 13, 2020.
- Conduct interviews in between March and May.
- Attend required mentor orientation in May.
- Mentor your intern for about 20 hours/week from June 15 – August 8, 2020.
- BRAVO! Attend final celebration on August 8, 2020.
Additional information
