The Jackson Laboratory helps empower Connecticut students for biotech success

The Bioscience Careers Forum, which convenes industry and education leaders, elevates bioscience career opportunities through a series of programming geared towards students pursuing those fields.

"Know who's in the room!" "Get your elevator pitch ready." "Talk to everyone."

And perhaps most important: "You only live once! Don't spend your life doing something you don't love."

These were some of the key pieces of expert advice delivered at this year's 8th annual Bioscience Careers Forum, held Friday, Sept. 20 at 101 College Street in New Haven. The Forum is organized by The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) and BioPath - a partnership between the city of New Haven and SCSU aimed at growing participation in bioscience education and career paths.

The event, which is open to students across the state, is a chance for participants to learn about career opportunities in Connecticut, hear from successful individuals thriving in the state bioscience industry and get some tips and tools from experts about how to land a job in the field - then practice those skills in real time during an onsite networking session with representatives from a variety of biotech organizations.

"There is so much excitement surrounding bioscience in the state of Connecticut, and so many opportunities to learn and gain new skills in this field", said Sarah Wojiski, JAX director of Education. "JAX is committed to growing the bioscience workforce in Connecticut and the Bioscience Careers Forum is just one facet of that commitment."

The Bioscience Career Forum was founded in 2017 with the goal of convening bioscience industries across Connecticut, increasing and improving the state's bioscience workforce and ensuring students have access to available jobs - and the tools to succeed in them. Since then, Wojiski and Christine Broadbridge, professor and executive director of Research and Innovation at SCSU, have worked collaboratively to refine the program and provide an engaging and meaningful opportunity for students.

"Our goal since the initiation of this event in 2017 was to provide access, awareness and opportunities for Connecticut students," said Broadbridge during her comments to the participants at the Forum.

Broadbridge and Wojiski joined Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng and CT State President O. John Maduko to provide the morning's roster of comments - including an exciting announcement about new funding that will create specialized scientific educational tools for educators and college students in Connecticut.

Cheng announced that JAX, in collaboration with CSCU, has been awarded a prestigious National Human Genome Research Institute/National Institutes of Health grant titled "Genomics in Action." The three-year, $442,764 grant will support a collaborative genomics education project between the institutions, with the goal of preparing Connecticut State Community College (CT State) students for careers in bioscience and strengthening the state's workforce.

These community college students, Cheng said during his announcement, are truly the "talent engine of Connecticut."

Bysiewicz emphasized that STEM jobs are not only in-demand, but highly compensated, and she encouraged students - especially women - to explore the dynamic and varied career and educational opportunities right here in Connecticut. "You are the great focus of the day," she said to the participants. "This partnership with JAX and CSCU is an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a field that is both high-paying, and very important."

The introductory speakers gave way to a dynamic morning of career-focused programming: a keynote address from Alex Nesta, a data scientist at Vindhya Data Science; a panel discussion between professionals in various bioscience fields including Nesta, Minahil Gilani, an associate science at Alexion, and Ashley Gonzalez, who works as a veterinary technician at the Center for Anti-Infective Research and Development at Hartford Hospital; and a career skills workshop led by Aimee O'Shea and Patti Moran, associate director, Career and Professional Development, and assistant director, External Relations, at SCSU.

The sessions emphasized the importance of honing your career-seeking skills, from the most basic (cleaning up your digital profile and creating a Linkedin profile) to the most high-impact (the power of thoughtful networking).

The significance of mentors - both having and being one - was a mainstay of the discussions. Nesta, who worked in Christine Beck's lab at JAX as a Ph.D student, spoke about her encouragement during his years there as one of the major factors in expanding his expertise, and eventually landing a job.

"She was very open to this idea of combining data science and molecular biology," Nesta said of his time in Beck's lab. "That was the thing that really helped during my time at JAX - I had a chance to meet so many mentors."

After talks concluded, it was time to put those newly-learned skills into practice. The hallway outside the auditorium was lined with small tables, each representing a business or organization, including JAX, Vindhya Data Science, Alexion and numerous others. Students, many with business cards at the ready, wandered from table to table to introduce themselves, ask questions and make connections. Clearly the morning's workshops had paid off - the hallway was abuzz with chatter, each table surrounded by enthusiastic students for the entirety of the session.

Elena Foust, a post-baccalaureate scholar in Yale's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, said that she'd come with members of her lab as a group outing.

"We're growing our professional skills and making connections that will push us further in our roles," Foust said in between rounds at the tables.

Melanie Burgos, a recent SCSU graduate and Biology major who had participated in the school's BioPath program, attended the Forum as a networking opportunity. She said that she was an example of how a STEM education could be a jumping off point for many different careers, not just the typical scientific jobs that come immediately to mind.

After working with the BioPath team, gleaning loads of advice from her mentors, and thinking through varied opportunities, Burgos landed a job as the coordinator of Special Events and Corporate Partnerships for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, a non-profit that works to support healthcare needs for children.

"I realized that what I wanted to do was to help real people," she said. "Through Biopath I was able to get a career that I truly loved."

Kristian Velasquez is a Connecticut State Community College student studying biology, and hopes to focus on genetics in a future career. He said he'd come to the event with an open mind and a simple directive: to "get myself out there."

Which, according to that morning's roster of speakers, was exactly the point.

"Everybody has to start someplace," said Gonzalez during the panel discussion. "Just get your foot in the door."

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