Bayer Berkeley Sponsors Innovative Biotechnology Program
6/2/2008
Social Responsibility in Action
Continuing its commitment to inspiring local youth to consider careers in the biotech industry, Bayer-Berkeley has forged a partnership with the Biotechnology Institute, a national biotechnology education organization centered in Washington D.C., to launch an intensive program for the 2008-2009 school year.
The partnership establishes the “Bayer Minority Fellow Program,” in which Bayer scientists and executives from Berkeley, Richmond and Emeryville volunteer to serve as mentors to ten top-quality graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in life science disciplines. Minority Fellows, selected from local universities including UC Berkeley, UC Davis and UCSF, received their initial training at the Berkeley campus during a series of sessions over a two-day period last week.
“The program provides each Fellow with a personalized mentoring plan and training on important career development skills such as networking, interviewing, and vita and resume writing,” said Elisabeth Freeman, senior advisor for Fellows programs, The Biotechnology Institute. “Fellows left the program genuinely inspired by the rich knowledge and experiences of Bayer's people, including Joerg Heidrich, who gave generously of his time and spoke to the Fellows about leadership.”
Through the interactive sessions, Fellows and mentors were exposed to a wide range of topics including new areas in which to apply an advanced science degree, establishing career goals and more. The program also included a "Career Choices" panel discussion and an extensive tour of the Berkeley site.
“After spending many years solely focused on research in the lab, students and post-docs can be daunted by the hurdle of choosing a career path in industry or academia. The Fellows program is a great opportunity for industry scientists to share their perspectives on different ways to use one's scientific degree,” said David Asarnow, QC supervisor at Berkeley and mentor. “All of us were helped at one point or another by advice and mentorship from others, and it's nice to be involved in a program that lets us pay it back. The company also benefits if these excellent scientists eventually choose careers with Bayer.”
