The Youth Apprenticeship Program – Biotechnology is seeking faculty mentors for Dane County high school juniors and seniors who are dedicated to exploring careers in science. For over ten years, many CALS faculty have participated in this unique program that has students working in the lab throughout the entire year*. Student apprentices receive pay from the mentor for their work, high school credit, and college credit. Mentors get a young, enthusiastic lab employee who has demonstrated competency in basic lab skills prior to being hired. Before students are employed, they will have had a semester of hands-on laboratory training at the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTCI), a non-profit affiliate of Promega Corporation. The BTCI class continues throughout the student’s participation in the YAP-Biotechnology program. Mentors will have a chance to review student resumes and interview potential apprentices in Fall 2009, for work placement starting in Winter 2009-2010.

Please see: http://www.btci.org/k12/yap/yap.html for more information about the program, or contact Barbara Bielec, BTCI K-12 Program Coordinator barbara.bielec@btci.org. The YAP-Biotechnology program was also recently featured on Wisconsin Public Television, view the segment on YouTube.

If you’d like to hear about this program from a mentor’s point of view, contact Que Lan, entomology; Brian Fox, biochemistry; Diana Downs, bacteriology: or Chuck Czuprynski, veterinary medicine