This month, we caught up with Dr, Timothy Fawcett, Scientific Director for The BioTechnical Institute of Maryland, Inc. (BTI).
Dr. Fawcett earned his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of New Hampshire, and his doctorate in Biochemistry from Louisiana State University. Prior to joining BTI in May 2001, he was Training Center Manager of Life Technologies, Inc./ Invitrogen. There he wrote, developed, and taught workshops designed to teach medical doctors, principal investigators, and laboratory technicians in areas such as cell culture, recombinant DNA, and protein expression through a combination of lecture and laboratory exercises. Dr. Fawcett has investigated molecular responses to cellular stress at the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institutes of Health in the Laboratory on Gene Expression and Aging. In addition, he consults in the industry. As Director at BTI, Dr. Fawcett leads BTI’s Workshop Program and assists with curriculum development.
BTI was founded in 1998 as a non-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation, to fill a need for specialty scientific training of entry-level biotechnicians for employment in Maryland’s rapidly expanding biotechnology industry. The BTI Laboratory Associates Program provides tuition-free training in basic laboratory skills to bright, ambitious, unemployed and under-employed Maryland residents. A combination of classroom instruction, and on-the-job work experience, enables BTI’s successful graduates to realize employment options, while employers benefit from a stream of ready-for-hire, well-qualified lab technicians.
In addition, BTI serves biotech employers by providing fee-based workshops in relevant science topics through BioSciConcepts, BTI’s social venture offering training to industry professionals. The workshops are designed to teach participants using both lecture and hands-on laboratory instruction. This teaching method enables clients to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and laboratory, and use it in their workplaces. BioSciConcepts is also a source for customized training programs to augment and update the skills of companies’ existing employees.
Read more about workforce development on the MTC POV Blog written by Dr. Fawcett here and to reach him directly, please email tfawcett@biotechmd.org or call, (410) 752-4224 or visit their website at http://www.biotechmd.org.