HFCC Biotechnology Outstanding Student completes internship, graduates

The Biotechnology Program at HFCC--which began in 2009--continues to grow. Ryan Finn, of Wyandotte, was named the 2012 Outstanding Biotechnology Student of the year by the program and recently graduated from the institution.

Finn successfully completely a full-time, paid internship with Ash Stevens, a Detroit-based company that is a world leader in chemical process development, as well as the development, manufacture and registration of small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). He is slated to return to Ash Stevens for another internship this summer. In the fall, he will continue his education at the University of Michigan--Dearborn, where he will study Forensics.

'The Biotech Program is really a good program with excellent hands-on experience. Dr. Jolie Stepaniak (lead instructor of the Biotechnology Program) played a big part in my opportunity at Ash Stevens. I learned so much there, met a lot of great people, and picked up a lot of new skills, such as gas chromatography,' Finn said.

Stepaniak praised Finn's efforts.

'Ryan is a dedicated, hard-working student. He set an example for his peers and his instructors. I am very impressed by his accomplishments,' said Stepaniak.

Additionally, enrollment in the Biotechnology Program has increased, according to Stepaniak. Once the addition to the Science Building opens in the fall, the Biotechnology Program will have its own brand new, state-of-the-art laboratory and tissue culture facilities funded by a grant from the HFCC Foundation Board of Directors--something very unique for a community college. In fact, HFCC will be the only community college in Michigan to have such a facility.

'The Biotechnology Program is a very cutting-edge program at the College. It's an extraordinary creative program overall and unique among any community college in Michigan,' said Lisa Jones-Harris, vice president for Student Affairs.

The associate's degree in Applied Science in Biotechnology is an intensive two-year program designed to train students for positions as biotechnology technicians in the region's molecular biology-based industries and institutions. What makes it so unique is that the curriculum is a direct outgrowth of the technical and workplace competencies identified by Southeastern Michigan’s biotechnology employers for technicians.

HFCC's Biotechnology Program integrates authentic work-based experiences, training in modern instrumentation and new technologies, and rigorous science content to produce adaptable technicians capable of supporting the changing workplace. Although this program centers on skills identified by regional biotechnology employers, the skills gained by students in this program will prepare them for employment in biotechnology-based industries in other regions of the country and the world. Additionally, skills gained by students in this program will prepare them for advanced training in biotechnology-related fields.