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Volume 41, Issue 6
November 11, 2003
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January 20, 2004
MCC, with community to
promote genomics
group’s addition bolsters MCC’s
potential
Kimberly Hosey
Mesa Legend
Maricopa Community Colleges and MCC’s biotechnology program, which
provides the only two-year biotechnology degree in Arizona, have teamed
up with a world-famous genomics research institute to promote biotechnology
education, research and career opportunities in Arizona.
The Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen, founded in July
of 2002, seeks to use the level of genomic research and data available
since the Human Genome project to uncover new diagnoses and treatments
for many debilitating diseases.
Educators, students, scientists and members of community partnerships
met Dec. 3 at the Arizona Issues Forum: “TGen in Focus,” to
discuss the field of genomic research and what it means for public education,
from elementary education through secondary education and entrance into
the research industry and biotechnology workforce.
Through its partnerships with the Maricopa Community College District
and other academic, clinical and corporate entities, TGen hopes to deliver
discoveries in the field of translational research “to the patient
bedside as improved healthcare interventions,” according to the
institute’s website.
MCCD chancellor Rufus Glasper opened the forum by welcoming everyone in
attendance and commending the partnerships TGen has forged throughout
the Valley. Regarding Maricopa schools, Glasper said they will do everything
possible to support bioscience education in Arizona, “including
educating front-line TGen researchers and workers.”
John Carpten, senior investigator and director of TGen’s Genetic
Basis of Human Diseases division and a world leader in research of hereditary
prostate cancer, spoke particularly to college students and students entering
college, and offered valuable advice on college and choosing a career.
Carpten, who claims he was always a “science nerd,” said he
got to be a world-renowned scientist through passion for his work and
dedication.
“I knew where I wanted to go and nothing was going to stop me,”
Carpten said. “I utilized resources, especially people,” he
added, advising students to make the most of their relationships to teachers,
advisers and anyone else in the college environment. Carpten also stressed
the importance of staying well-rounded, and attributed much of his ability
to stay on track to his involvement in music and athletics as well as
his devotion to academic pursuits.
Denise Resnik, whose son suffers from autism, helped to personalize the
issue of genetic research as well as emphasize the importance of understanding
not just the genetic principles and the bioscience industry, but also
the people it seeks to help.
In 1997, Resnik co-founded and began serving as board president of
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