In 2021, CIRM (California Institute of Regenerative Medicine) awarded Berkeley City College a $2.8 million 5-year grant. This award offers students a 10-month full-time paid internship in local academic and industry laboratories. Along with specialized training, students gain invaluable networking opportunities.
This experience leads to jobs with prestigious labs throughout the Bay Area, including those at UC Berkeley, Children’s Hospital, and UCSF. It is the second time BCC’s Biotechnology program has received this award. With it, BCC launches dozens of students into permanent positions in industry and academic labs or opens the doors to future educational opportunities.
This past summer, 5 CIRM interns had the opportunity to volunteer at a major international scientific conference held in San Francisco. We caught up with four of them to learn more about their experiences in what turned out to be a very busy and fruitful summer. Activities kicked off in mid-June with the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual convention at Moscone Center West. BCC CIRM interns Alex Felix, Gabriella Pangilinan, Karina Zago, and Lillian Caballero volunteered at the event, assisting scientists worldwide with their posters. As volunteers, they were able to attend for free. As a result, they had the opportunity to listen to research presented by some of the world’s top scientists. “Many of the talks were over our heads,” said Zago, but it has not deterred them from continuing in this exciting field.
After the ISSCR meeting, the interns put together their scientific posters and traveled to San Diego for the annual CIRM Bridges Trainee Meeting in late July. This meeting allows interns to present and share their research with others and learn about careers in regenerative medicine. It was an excellent test for the interns, who had little experience speaking about their work with people outside of their labs. “When you are at the lab, you don’t need to explain what is happening because everyone understands,” said Zago, “but explaining to others who do not know your work is a big challenge; it takes you out of your comfort zone.” The meeting also included talks about cutting-edge scientific research, anti-racism in STEM, science communication through social media, and patient advocacy.
The experience of a 10-month internship allows interns to conduct a substantial piece of research that cannot be duplicated in a college class, and what they accomplish is impressive. Felix studied cells in brain tissue at different age points of life. He confirmed that one type of brain stem cell continues to develop throughout a human’s lifespan, contrary to popular belief. Using zebrafish, Zago optimized a method to turn genes on and off in the brain. Other scientists can use it to learn how small changes can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.
Gabby Pangilinan’s work involved creating a special type of cell that will allow scientists to study Parkinson’s disease in more detail to develop new treatments.
BCCs Biotechnology program, and the CIRM grants, allow students from a broad range of academic backgrounds, ages, and life experiences to benefit from a unique training program among college offerings. The 3 CIRM interns we interviewed earned degrees at four-year colleges. Yet, they left those institutions with little lab experience and limited job opportunities in their respective fields. “I think this internship really was my saving grace in a lot of different ways because it serves as a way to put you in these types of environments, where I don’t think I would have been able to put myself on my own,” said Felix. Shortly after our interview, Felix was hired as a Junior Specialist with the UCSF lab where he interned. Pangilinan will continue to work in the lab she interned, and Zago is looking to work in the pharmaceutical industry. Lastly, Caballero, who entered BCC following high school graduation, is heading to Cal Poly Humboldt to start her junior year.
We want to thank Dr. Barbara Des Rochers and Dr. Erika Yeh for their tireless work in recruiting and elevating biotech students to these opportunities with the CIRM grant. They have just launched a second group of interns and will be recruiting ten interns each year for the next several years. Des Rochers encourages any student interested in pursuing work in stem cells and regenerative medicine to take a closer look at what BCC’s Biotechnology program and the CIRM internships have to offer.
