by Jennifer Hornstein 5/3/12 via life technologies.com
Timothy Fawcett, PhD is currently the Director of the BioTechnical Institute of Maryland. He plays a significant role in removing barriers to entry into the scientific field for people that might not otherwise have the opportunity to begin a career in science.
BTI helps people make positive changes in their lives. The BioTechnical Institute (BTI) of Maryland is a 14-year-old independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to train unemployed and underemployed area residents and place them as entry-level lab technicians.
Dr. Timothy Fawcett, BTI’s director, is responsible for the program’s curriculum. “We’re really here to provide great opportunities for good people,” he says. “This is a very rewarding career, and we love giving opportunities to people who wouldn’t normally have them.”
Henry Jackson was a successful financial planner who lost his eyesight as a result of disease. He turned to BTI to start a new career and is now a senior laboratory assistant at Towson University. “BTI has meant to me an entirely new lease on life. I’m back in the game again!”
Joy Levi, a single mom, was laid off from her job and needed a fresh start. Joy is now a laboratory coordinator for The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Oncology. “After you come out of the program, the sky’s the limit. I feel as though I have a voice in the world. I feel as though I’m actually making a change in my life, as well as my son’s life.”
”BTI’s founder, Dr. Margaret Penno, associate director at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, says, “I’m honored to be associated with this program. I’m privileged, actually, to be here.”
BTI has improved the lives of countless residents in Baltimore, but the team at BTI cannot do it alone. Life Technologies understands the value of BTI and supports the program by donating the cell-culture media and reagents needed for each training cycle.
Kathleen Weiss, executive director of BTI, notes, “Life Technologies provides us with critical resources. Just the partnership itself also provides us with credibility in the industry, which is huge, so we’re very appreciative of this relationship,and it’s been expanding over the past several years.”
Timothy says, “We want to bring science to everybody and allow everybody to participate in this fantastic field.”
Life Technologies is proud to support programs like BTI that embody the spirit of giving forward. They demonstrate the importance of our active participation in science education and allow us to see how our choices can change lives, and the path of scientific discovery, forever.