Los Angeles-Orange County Biotechnology Center
The Los Angeles/Orange County Biotechnology Center, hosted by Pasadena City College, is an organization supported by funds from the Chancellor's Office of California Community Colleges to serve the employment and educational needs of the biotechnology community of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
Industry
The LA/OC Biotech Center connects companies with academia in relationships that benefit both sides. Johnston said that she has helped identify and recruit members both for companies’ scientific advisory boards and for grant and development committees in academia. She has helped line up internships for students and garnered equipment donations from local private and educational labs for colleges and high schools.
Working with Oak Crest Institute of Science in Pasadena, Johnston and the LA/OC Biotech Center provide high school, community college and university students with real-world experience in biomedical science. The institute, founded in 1998 as a non-profit chemistry research and education center, has participated in Caltech’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program for several years and has had a successful National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) grant under which students from local community colleges held six- to 12-month fellowships—an invaluable experience, according to Johnston. The classroom education combined with hands-on experience gives students the training and confidence they need not only to secure a biomedical industry position but to launch an exciting, fulfilling career in research.
Economic Development
The final link in the interconnectedness that Johnston seeks through the LA/OC Biotech Center is the Pasadena Bioscience Collaborative (PBC), an "incubator" that provides space, equipment, interns and advice to startup "wet lab" companies. PBC is housed next door to Oak Crest in Pasadena. Its equipment, donated by industry to both PBC and Pasadena City College, promotes new company formation while providing additional specialized education and training for the biomedical workforce.