About Us
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Pictured from left to right: Professor William Nutting,
Professor William Lefrancois, Dr. Thomas Montagno, Professor Christine
Kisiel,
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Department of Biological Sciences:
Are you are drawn to the current hot button topic of evolution? You might wonder where you stand on the controversy surrounding this issue. Our General Biology courses will help you to make sense of the issues! Bio 109 and Bio 110 reveal the wonders of the biological world and each one serves as a four credit lab science requirement. The possibilities from the cellular level all the way to complex organisms are explored.
Finally, Introduction to Biotechnology (Bio 102) is being offered as a 4 credit lab science course for those who like the science behind such shows as CSI! Here we will explore the potential for technology in helping to improve the quality of our lives, and we will discuss the issues surrounding its use. This course will bring a basic understanding to beginners, while giving enough background to make it interesting for those who might like to explore a good scientific mystery!
For more information about the above, contact your advisor or see the course catalog! You may also contact Department Chair Janice Barney (telephone 978-630-9242) or jbarney@mwcc.mass.edu in the Division of Mathematics, Science, and Technology to find out more.
Programs
Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing | Clinical Laboratory Technology | Natural Resources Technology
Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing Program - General Program Information
Funded, in part, by a grant awarded under the President’s Community-Based Job Training Grants, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.
BioTechnology/BioManufacturing Degree Information SessionsSee the Information Session schedule All sessions begin promptly at 5:30 and are held at the Devens Campus. Prospective students interested in attending a BioTechnology/BioManufacturing information session are asked to call Tami Morin at (978) 630-9578, TTY (978) 632-4916, or send an email to t_morin@mwcc.mass.edu |
The overall purpose of the new curriculum is to graduate students who possess the requisite skills for entry level positions in biotechnology, specifically biomanufacturing. The actual manufacturing of biotechnology products involves three main areas - 1) culturing cells which produce the product (upstream manufacturing), 2) purification of the product from the cell culture (downstream manufacturing), and 3)the quality control of the product during manufacture. Indeed, usually the testing and documentation of the production occupies many more workers than the actual production. At MWCC, we will focus on training workers in the three main areas of manufacturing and in the processes required by technicians in Quality Control and Quality Assurance.
Students who complete the proposed program would be expected to:
- Be familiar with the language of biotechnology.
- Be able to articulate, read and follow an SOP (standard operating procedure).
- Be able to conduct the mathematic and computational operations involved in biotechnology including use of applicable computer programs.
- Be able to understand and appreciate the regulatory requirements of cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices).
- Understand the basic biology behind the manufacturing processes.
An associate’s degree in Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing would allow graduates to enter into the following types of jobs:
- Process Development Associate
- Validation Specialist
- Manufacturing Technician-Upstream
- Manufacturing Technician-Downstream
- Instrumentation/Calibration Technician
- Chemistry QC Technician
- Microbiology QC Technician
- Environmental Health & Safety Technician
- QA Documentation Coordinator
- Facilities Technician
Download Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing Program brochure (PDF)
Download Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing Program brochure for High School students (PDF)
Download Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing Information Packet & Application (PDF)
Download Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Program (Noncredit) Information Packet & Application (PDF)
For information contact:
Tami Morin, Biotech Administrative Assistant
(978) 630-9578
Devens Campus
tmorin@mwcc.mass.edu
Clinical Laboratory Technology
Have you ever wondered what happens to the tube of your blood after it is collected? It goes to the clinical laboratory where Clinical Laboratory Scientists use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and computers to analyze blood and other body specimens. The generation of accurate results of laboratory tests is a vital part of the healthcare practice.
You've heard about physician and nurse shortages, but those aren't the only healthcare professions in short supply. The shortage of skilled laboratory professionals is considered a crisis. A highly skilled laboratory professional contributes to quality patient care as much as other more publicly recognized members of the health care team. In response to this critical shortage of laboratory personnel, MWCC in partnership with Heywood Hospital and Health Alliance Hospital is offering a Clinical Laboratory Science program. The CLS Program offers an Associate’s degree curriculum that integrates general education courses, with basic and clinical science and clinical rotations at affiliated hospitals.
Clinical laboratory technicians are vital healthcare detectives, uncovering and providing laboratory information from laboratory analyses that assist physicians in patient diagnosis and treatment. Certified laboratory technicians use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and technology to perform diagnostic tests on blood and other body fluids to detect and diagnose disease.
The Clinical Laboratory Science Associate’s Degree program is designed as a "1+1" format. In the first year of the curriculum, students (designated as pre-CLS) enroll in general education courses, science pre-requisites and 2 introductory CLS courses. Following successful completion of the first year, students will then apply for selective admission to matriculate as a CLS major in the clinical component (second year) of the program. The clinical component is an entire calendar year of full-time professional courses that provide the clinical laboratory medicine theory integrated with clinical experience in the hospital laboratory. In order to provide you with more specific information about the Clinical Laboratory Science Program, there is a site on the college Blackboard website called CLS Information Center. If you go to: https://bb.mwcc.edu and then enter cls as both the username and password, you can access this information center. In addition, you are encouraged to attend an Information Session for the CLS Program held each month. Contact the Admission Office for the next session.
Upon completion of an accredited clinical laboratory science program, graduates are eligible for national certification as a clinical laboratory technician, CLT, by exams offered by the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA). The MWCC CLS Program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
More information about CLS careers and employment outlook can be found:
MWCC CLS website
http://www.ascp.org/bor/medlab/careers/
http://www.ascls.org/about/index.asp
For additional information about the MWCC CLS Program:
Doug Parker, Ph.D., CLS Department Chair
MWCC, room 271
978-630-9433
dparker@mwcc.mass.edu
Natural Resources Technology Program
Do you like to work outdoors? Do you enjoy seeing the diversity of trees and wildlife here in our richly forested Northeast? Do you like being in a greenhouse, growing plants? Do you keep up with the current debate about global warming and alternative energy use? Did you know that MWCC has a biomass plant that provides the school with all its heating needs? If these questions pique your interest, then you should consider looking into our Natural Resources Degree program. We offer a science based Associates Degree program which can prepare you for work in the vast field of Natural Resources. The current emphasis of our program is in plant science with courses such as Horticulture, Ecology, Forestry, Soil Science, Plant Science, and Greenhouse Operations. Graduates from our program can pursue entry-level jobs in horticulture/floriculture, landscaping, agriculture, forestry, and various local/state/private environmental organizations. We also have a joint admissions agreement with UMASS Amherst and Mass. College of Liberal Arts.
The Natural Resources Technology Program will be offering a new science elective course for Spring ’06 semester in addition to two existing program courses. The new 3 hr credit course, Renewable Energy Sources (NRT 104), will provides a comprehensive overview of renewable energies, including solar energy, wind power, hydropower, fuel cells, biomass, and alternative transportation options. Students will investigate the potentials of renewable energy technologies to help solve environmental and economic problems within society.
Additionally, Horticulture (Bio 120, 3 hr) and Greenhouse Operations (NRT 120, 4 hr) will also be offered . Both of these courses satisfy science electives as well as NRT program requirements. Horticulture covers basic plant growth and culture while Greenhouse Operations provides theory and practice of commercial greenhouse operation and management. These two courses will utilize our greenhouse here at the Mount.
If you have any questions or want more information on any of the above courses, please contact Dr. Tom Montagno, at tmontagno@mwcc.mass.edu or at 978-630-9241.
Contact Us
Janice Barney, Dean of the School of Business, Science and Technology
978-630-9207
Rm 231
jbarney@mwcc.mass.edu
Christine Kisiel, Professor of Biology
978-630-9215
Rm 269
ckisiel@mwcc.mass.edu
Linda LaRoche, Science Biology Lab Technician
978-630-9204
Rm 283
llaroche@mwcc.mass.edu
William Lefrancois, Professor of Biology
978-630-9592
Rm 261
wlefrancois@mwcc.mass.edu
Thomas Montagno, Ph.D., Dept. Chair Natural Resources/Professor of Biology
978-630-9241
Rm 227
tmontagno@mwcc.mass.edu
William Nutting, Professor of Microbiology/Biology
978-630-9282
Rm 281
wnutting@mwcc.mass.edu
Lara Dowland, Ph.D., Dept. Chair Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing/Assistant Professor of Biotechnology
978-630-9572
Devens Campus
ldowland@mwcc.mass.edu
Douglas Parker, Ph.D, Dept. Chair Clinical Lab Sciences/ Professor of Clinical Lab Sciences
978-630-9433
Rm 271
dparker@mwcc.mass.edu
Charlene Sundstrom, Administrative Assistant
978-630-9209
Rm 215
csundstrom@mwcc.mass.edu
Important Links
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