From Department of Biochemistry, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Gordon Entrepreneurship Institute, Tufts University School of Engineering, Medford, Massachusetts, USA.
Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2021 May;49(3):407-415. doi: 10.1002/bmb.21491. Epub 2021 Feb 11.
While science students are well prepared for careers in biotechnology and pharmaceutical sciences in terms of technical expertise and critical thinking, they rarely have an opportunity to practice the due diligence required for success in industry in their coursework. This includes framing their expertise as solutions to challenges a company may be experiencing, an important skill for the interview process. As most academics have not applied for positions in industry, they may feel ill equipped to help students practice the important skills of framing their expertise within company goals and to discuss the business and financial concepts relevant to careers in scientific industry. Here, we describe an educational activity first developed by a leader in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry that was modified and given educational context by an academic in a class of upper-level undergraduate and graduate students. In this guided inquiry activity, students were instructed to select a start-up company in their field-ideally one to which they intended to apply for a job. Students were empowered by scaffolded hands-on exercises to research the company's scientific focus and finances, and to frame how their expertise could help companies achieve stated goals. Students compiled and delivered their research as an in-class presentation.
虽然理科学生在生物技术和药物科学方面的专业知识和批判性思维方面为从事这两个领域的职业做好了充分的准备，但他们在课程中很少有机会实践在行业中取得成功所需的尽职调查。这包括将他们的专业知识构建为公司可能正在经历的挑战的解决方案，这是面试过程中的一项重要技能。由于大多数学者没有申请过行业职位，他们可能会觉得自己没有能力帮助学生将自己的专业知识应用于公司目标，并讨论与科学行业职业相关的商业和财务概念。在这里，我们描述了一项由生物技术/制药行业的领导者首先开发的教育活动，该活动由一位在高级本科和研究生课程中的学者进行了修改和赋予教育背景。在这个引导式探究活动中，学生被指导选择一个他们所在领域的初创公司-理想情况下是他们打算申请工作的公司。学生通过有针对性的实践练习获得了权力，这些练习可以帮助他们研究公司的科学重点和财务状况，并构建他们的专业知识如何帮助公司实现既定目标。学生们将他们的研究成果汇编并在课堂上进行了演示。
