Biotech drawing students to town

Group holds workshop to teach job-hunting skills

Sunday, April 15, 2007

By BRIAN LAWSON

Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com

The promises of biotechnology are vast and Huntsville is expected to play an increasing role in shaping biotechnology's future research.

With plenty of work to be done, some 80 students from Huntsville area colleges, as well as Vanderbilt, Auburn and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, came to Huntsville last week to learn more, gain career-hunting skills and network with biotech company officials at a workshop and meeting at the Von Braun Center.

The workshop was sponsored by the Partnership for Biotechnology Research, a Huntsville-based organization that unites government, industry and academic organizations to help create a healthy business and research environment for biotechnology.

The workshop focused on helping students better understand how their personality type fits into the work, interviewing tips, how to build a resume for science-based jobs, keys to networking and other career-building ideas.

Dr. Rusla Du Breuil, manager for Research and Development at Huntsville's Open Biosystems Inc. and a PBR steering committee member, said a resume for a scientific position is unlike a typical business resume and young scientists often don't know how much detail and what is key information to include. She said by helping those at the workshop develop those skills, they will be better prepared to pursue biotechnology and related work in Huntsville or elsewhere.

"PBR wants to promote biotechnology in Huntsville," Du Breuil said. "We're interested in the future work force. In getting prepared to look for jobs, they have a lot of trepidation at this point, especially since they're not taught these skills as part of their training. We want to make the process more familiar and help them become more confident."

There are more than 400 people employed in biotechnology work in Huntsville currently, but that number will grow very quickly.

The planned September opening of the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology in Cummings Research Park is expected to begin a wave of biotechnology work in this area. The institute will open with about 200 workers, including employees of companies based there as well as non-profit researchers. Plans are for it to grow to some 900 employees over the next few years.

Du Breuil said Huntsville is "on the cusp" of becoming a biotechnology job market and PBR is trying to help prepare prospective workers for the boom.

Talitah Hampton, a chemical engineering graduate student at UAH, attended the workshop, curious to see where her training might fit into the job market. Hampton will finish her graduate work in December and is starting to think about jobs.

A native of the northeastern U.S., Hampton is interested in the role chemical engineering plays in computational models for emerging technologies, such as medical diagnostics.

She said she's open as to what comes next, but she'd prefer to stay and work in Huntsville. She said there is plenty of interest in local science jobs.

"A lot of people don't want to leave here when they finish school," Hampton said. "But at this point I don't know what's out there. The potential is definitely out there, I see the buildings going up, but you don't necessarily see job postings going up.

"It would be nice to have a pulse on what's happening."

Donna Hockman, a graduate student in biology at UAH, said she attends the PBR events for the networking opportunities. She expects to finish her graduate work this fall and find a position in research locally or at a research hospital. "I'm hoping the opportunities will be forthcoming in Huntsville," she said. "Other students with masters have recently found employment here."

Befitting Thursday's event, Hockman is considering the future, both the short-term and long-term.

"I'm interested in the influence molecular methods have in human therapy," she said. "Both gene therapies and cellular therapies. Things to work on now and that 10 years from now will be in the development stage."



Biotech drawing students to town Group holds workshop to teach job-hunting skills Sunday, April 15, 2007 By BRIAN LAWSON Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com The promises of biotechnology are vast and Huntsville is expected to play an increasing role in shaping biotechnology's future research. With plenty of work to be done, some 80 students from Huntsville area colleges, as well as Vanderbilt, Auburn and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, came to Huntsville last week to learn more, gain career-hunting skills and network with biotech company officials at a workshop and meeting at the Von Braun Center. The workshop was sponsored by the Partnership for Biotechnology Research, a Huntsville-based organization that unites government, industry and academic organizations to help create a healthy business and research environment for biotechnology. The workshop focused on helping students better understand how their personality type fits into the work, interviewing tips, how to build a resume for science-based jobs, keys to networking and other career-building ideas. Dr. Rusla Du Breuil, manager for Research and Development at Huntsville's Open Biosystems Inc. and a PBR steering committee member, said a resume for a scientific position is unlike a typical business resume and young scientists often don't know how much detail and what is key information to include. She said by helping those at the workshop develop those skills, they will be better prepared to pursue biotechnology and related work in Huntsville or elsewhere. "PBR wants to promote biotechnology in Huntsville," Du Breuil said. "We're interested in the future work force. In getting prepared to look for jobs, they have a lot of trepidation at this point, especially since they're not taught these skills as part of their training. We want to make the process more familiar and help them become more confident." There are more than 400 people employed in biotechnology work in Huntsville currently, but that number will grow very quickly. The planned September opening of the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology in Cummings Research Park is expected to begin a wave of biotechnology work in this area. The institute will open with about 200 workers, including employees of companies based there as well as non-profit researchers. Plans are for it to grow to some 900 employees over the next few years. Du Breuil said Huntsville is "on the cusp" of becoming a biotechnology job market and PBR is trying to help prepare prospective workers for the boom. Talitah Hampton, a chemical engineering graduate student at UAH, attended the workshop, curious to see where her training might fit into the job market. Hampton will finish her graduate work in December and is starting to think about jobs. A native of the northeastern U.S., Hampton is interested in the role chemical engineering plays in computational models for emerging technologies, such as medical diagnostics. She said she's open as to what comes next, but she'd prefer to stay and work in Huntsville. She said there is plenty of interest in local science jobs. "A lot of people don't want to leave here when they finish school," Hampton said. "But at this point I don't know what's out there. The potential is definitely out there, I see the buildings going up, but you don't necessarily see job postings going up. "It would be nice to have a pulse on what's happening." Donna Hockman, a graduate student in biology at UAH, said she attends the PBR events for the networking opportunities. She expects to finish her graduate work this fall and find a position in research locally or at a research hospital. "I'm hoping the opportunities will be forthcoming in Huntsville," she said. "Other students with masters have recently found employment here." Befitting Thursday's event, Hockman is considering the future, both the short-term and long-term. "I'm interested in the influence molecular methods have in human therapy," she said. "Both gene therapies and cellular therapies. Things to work on now and that 10 years from now will be in the development stage." © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.