Year 4
The primary goal of the San José State University Consortium for Stem Cell Internships in Laboratory-based Learning (SJSU SCILL) is to continue to provide the State of California and the central coast region with well-educated scientists who are proficient in stem cell biology at the graduate level. The program is designed to equip students with a broad-based understanding of stem cell biology through classroom instruction and seminars, and in-depth, laboratory-based expertise in a specialty area unique to each student’s professional development plan through a year-long internship.
Specifically, to CIRM 2 round of funding, we incorporated three new classes: 1) patient engagement and interaction, 2) Bench to Bed side- providing a sense of the process of translating a research study into a therapy 3) Community outreach and patient advocacy where students obtain an education on describing stem cells and their promises and inform the public on stem cell therapies. These experiences are built on the foundation of a strong stem cell biology curriculum and classroom laboratory experience at San José State University, coupled with an array of stem cell internship opportunities encompassing basic cell and molecular research at our research university partners (Stanford University and UC Santa Cruz), translational research involving stem cell product development at our corporate partners (Dorian Therapeutics, Notable labs, NeuCyte and Amgen).
The SJSU SCILL program is a two-year program leading to an M.A./M.S. Biological Sciences or a Professional Science Master of Biotechnology (MBT) degree.
Specifically, to this year of the report, an adaptation of the training curriculum and internship start day had to be made due to COVID-19 restrictions.