CSI Berkeley
8/21/2008 4:31:19 PM
The creative activity allowed students to apply their newly-learned biotech skills to solve mock crimes, which were committed on Bayer employees by fellow Bayer employees. “Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” declared American humorist Mark Twain 100 years ago upon reading his mistaken obituary in the morning paper.
But the words could just as well have been those of five Bayer Berkeley directors who recently offered themselves as victims of murder as part of “CSI Berkeley,”—an activity developed by Bayer manager Patricia Kitchen to celebrate the end of summer internships for 24 students in the Biotech Partners program at Berkeley High School.
The creative activity allowed students to apply their newly-learned biotech skills to solve the July 30th mock crimes, which were committed on Bayer employees by fellow Bayer employees. Students were issued statements and reasons for the crime between suspects, adding to the complexity of the laboratory.
“The students used chromatography and other skills they practiced in the labs all summer,” noted Patricia. “In basing the experience on a popular TV drama, we thought we could really grab the students’ attention and get them even more excited about developing their biotech skills and ambitions.”
The program, housed at the Berkeley site, boasts a 100 percent high school graduation rate over the past four years (97 percent since 1993). Bayer alone has hired 48 Biotech Partners graduates.
