Jennifer Allsbrook and Polk County High School (PCHS) have been awarded a grant of $5,000 from the Biogen Foundation’s Ignite the Power of STEM NC grant program. This grant program is administered by the North Carolina Community Foundation (NCCF).

The grant will be used to fund special STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) courses at PCHS including engineering, biofuels, and introduction to biotechnology. In these courses, students learn the topics and techniques needed to make useful products and to solve real-world scientific problems.

In engineering, students utilize the engineering cycle to design and build devices such as robots, helicopters, and bottle rockets.

Biofuels focuses on the conversion of waste vegetable oil to biodiesel, the production of soaps and cleaners from waste glycerin, and considers the variety of alternative energy sources needed in modern society.

Introduction to biotechnology examines major biotechnologies including fermentation science for food and fuel production, DNA extraction and manipulation techniques, bioremediation, genomics and more. Students in this course participate in a research project called the Magnolia Detectives Project which is tracking the genetic relatives of a Polk County stand of Magnolia virginiana.

These science electives are a step above the normal course offerings at the high school level. Students are immersed in real science, practice scientific problem-solving in a hands-on approach, and develop valuable bench skills that they can take with them into the world of work or higher education.

Allsbrook stated that the Biogen grant will help to purchase consumable items needed to build devices for the engineering course, DNA manipulation kits and chemicals for biotechnology, and resources needed for the production of biodiesel in the biofuels course.

These STEM courses are all grant-funded and require a significant monetary investment to support.

PCHS started the biotechnology program in 2010, the biofuels program in 2013 and the engineering program in 2016. Allsbrook, the Science Department chair and teacher at PCHS since 1993, says, “we are constantly creating new opportunities for our students in order to make them competitive in the STEM fields.”

The mission of the Biogen Foundation is to improve the quality of people’s lives and contribute to the vitality of the communities in which Biogen operates. The Biogen Foundation is committed to sparking a passion for science and discovery, supporting innovative STEM initiatives, and strengthening efforts to make science accessible to diverse populations. Visit biogen.com/foundation for more information.

For more information about the Biogen Foundation Ignite the Power of STEM NC grant program or how it will help PCHS STEM initiatives, contact Jennifer Allsbrook at jalls@polkschools.org or call 828-894-2525 for more information.

Article submitted by Jennifer Allsbrook