Abstract
Before the shelter-in-place orders began, Biotech Partners (BP) was already engaged in contingency planning with its school and industry partners in an effort to mitigate potential disruptions caused by the looming health crisis. For 25 years prior, BP had successfully mentored and prepared underrepresented high school students to complete professional internships at diverse STEM institutions. Often working in a laboratory or pharmaceutical manufacturing setting, the internships allowed students to apply bioscience, biotechnology, and professional career skills developed in school within the context of a professional workplace. The promise of paid internships in a cutting-edge industry creates an incentive to motivate and maximize student learning in rigorous academic training and workforce preparation. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, most industry sites cancelled their 2020 participation, putting the summer internships in jeopardy. BP rapidly shifted. Collaborating with new and longstanding industry partners, the internship program was modified from in-person to remote work and learning environments. This case study examines the pedagogical challenges and opportunities of conducting remote STEM internships amid a global pandemic. This paper illuminates the role of industry partnerships, student outreach, personalized mentoring, and wrap-around support services to broaden students' awareness of, interest in, and preparation for careers in the STEM workforce.
Highlights
When the school shutdowns and stay-at-home orders began in March 2020, Biotech Partners (BP) was already engaged in conversations with industry partners about the public health crisis and potential impacts on school-based learning and summer internships
Examining multiple stakeholder perspectives on training and mentoring students through STEM internships, the project pursues an essential question about conducting cross-sector partnerships: In what roles and in what ways do bioscience educators and business and industry workforce members motivate students from diverse underrepresented populations to become aware of, interested in, and prepared for careers in the STEM workforce? This article discusses preliminary findings and implications observed in making the shift from on-site to virtual internships
Through persistent communication and personalized support, BP program coordinators helped students to remain engaged during spring semester distance learning, to meet the internship eligibility requirements, and to successfully complete the internship work and learning assignments
Summary
When the school shutdowns and stay-at-home orders began in March 2020, Biotech Partners (BP) was already engaged in conversations with industry partners about the public health crisis and potential impacts on school-based learning and summer internships. For 25 years prior, BP had successfully coordinated industry internships for high school students predominantly underrepresented in STEM to work at private or public sector STEM institutions, such as, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Buck Institute for Research on Aging, East Bay Municipal Utility District, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. For six to eight weeks each summer, rising 12th graders enrolled in a BP Biotech Academy, based at one of four Bay Area high schools, have the opportunity to apply for paid positions, working 20 hours per week for 6-8 weeks, usually in a research lab or pharmaceutical manufacturing role. BP staff collaborate closely with the classroom teachers to prepare labs and curricular materials, provide instructional support in the classroom, and offer students personalized mentoring and tutoring in a range of subjects to support their academic learning and social-emotional development. The incorporation of paid industry internships helps engage youth and motivate them to persist in rigorous academic training and professional preparation for the workplace
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