New biotechnology in process of being approved

Anna Real
Staff Writer

Mira Costa is currently in the process of starting a new Biotechnology course, which will be available for enrollment in for the 2015-16 school year.

Costa Ed Council recently approved the course on Nov. 18. The course will now be submitted for approval by the University of California in the next one to two months.

“Biotech is a great class that is designed to give students laboratory skills,” Advanced Placement Biology teacher Jessica Bledsoe said.

Biotechnology is the manufacturing of biological materials for industrial purposes. This field of study has been used for antibiotics, steroids and genetic engineering. In order to prepare for the course.

“This class provides students with a unique learning opportunity,” Bledsoe said. “It is really for people who are interested in being science majors, are passionate about science and really love the topic.”

Next year, the class will only be offered during zero period. The course will be a three year commitment. Next year, sophomores will be allowed to enroll in the class, as students will take the course from their sophomore to senior year.

“I think this course would really benefit Costa students,” sophomore Annabelle Mirhashemi said. “I think it would help students find better jobs in the science field by giving them the skills they need to be successful.”

Bledsoe is currently in the process of writing the Bichtechnology course’s curriculum for its first year and planning the labs and projects students will be assigned in the class. The curriculum includes instruction on the Biotech Industry, the study of Deoxyribonucleic Acid and other body functions and lab skills.

“The program will give students a sense of what it is like to study Biotechnology at a college level,” Bledsoe said. “They will learn skills that will help them in a science field and in college.”

Throughout the course, students will conduct independent research projects. The students will also keep a notebook that they will use for all three years.

“The Biotechnology students’ industry rated lab notebook that they have for the entire three years will give them a chance to learn what it is like to do projects on the college level,” Bledsoe said.