Journal of Science Policy & Governance
Volume 23, Issue 01 | October 23, 2023

Op-Ed: Building a Robust Bioeconomy Workforce: A Policy Approach to Bridging the Gap in Undergraduate Experiential Learning

Julie Ming Liang(1),(2), Leah N. Davis(3), Kathryn R. Brink(4), Emily R. Aurand(5)
  1. Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 
  2. Opera Bioscience, Evanston, IL 
  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 
  4. Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
  5. Engineering Biology Research Consortium, Emeryville, CA 

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Corresponding author: julie@operabioscience.com ​​
Keywords: experiential learning; bioeconomy; biomanufacturing; STEM education; STEM workforce development; community colleges; Executive Order ​
https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG230106 ​

Executive Summary

 The U.S. bioeconomy is rapidly expanding and is expected to open the door to over a million jobs by 2030. Experiential learning, also known as “learning by doing”, is a critical component of education and training for workers entering the bioeconomy. To prepare students with the skills they need to succeed in the bioeconomy workforce, we recommend that the NSF create a center to develop experiential learning opportunities in biotechnology and biomanufacturing in four-year undergraduate degree programs. These recommendations include prioritizing project-based learning labs and providing coordination and financial support for industry internships that enable students to tackle industry-relevant problems with hands-on projects. ​

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Background header image courtesy of Bio4Products
Julie Ming Liang is a biological sciences Ph.D. graduate from the Tullman-Ercek lab in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department at Northwestern University. Her research sits at the interface of biology and cellular engineering; she studies the genetic regulation of a bacterial protein transport complex to engineer a cost-effective protein manufacturing platform that reduces developmental timelines for biologically-derived products such as therapeutics and biomaterials. She founded a company based on her research, Opera Bioscience, and pursued science policy to improve and expand STEM education, having experienced limited opportunities to have joy with science in school. 

​Leah N. Davis is a Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. candidate at Rowan University, conducting research in synthetic biology, systems biology, and immunoengineering. Her work centers on engineering mammalian whole cell-based biosensors and developing synthetic biology tools for applications in immunoengineering. Additionally, she translates the foundational principles of designing these biosensors and tools into computational methodologies, with the goal of propelling the fields of computational oncology and computational synthetic biology.

Kathryn R. Brink was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Biotechnology Innovation & International Security at the Stanford Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) and earned her Ph.D. in Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology from Rice University. Kathryn has since started a position as Associate Director for the Executive Office at BioMADE. 

Emily R. Aurand is the Director of Roadmapping and Education at the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the principal editor of the EBRC technical research roadmaps. She also leads EBRC's education, workforce, and outreach activities, including the Industry Internship Program. Emily has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Colorado and was an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow (2016-2018) 

Acknowledgements 
We would like to extend our gratitude to Becky Mackelprang, Beth Vitalis, Mark Styczynski, Natalie Kuldell, Melissa Takahashi, Sandra Porter, Terry Johnson, Tom Tubon and the EBRC Education Working Group for their invaluable feedback, which played a crucial role in shaping this report. We would also like to thank our editors, Dilara Kiran, Joseph Long, and Ethan FitzGerald, for helping us transform our manuscript to its final form.

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