Biotechnology Academy Caught on Camera

Volume 38

Number 2

Spring 2007

By Mark Francis
Staff Writer, Daily Ardmoreite
Reprinted with permission
© Feb. 23, 2007

The Biotechnology Academy at the Southern Oklahoma Technology Center will be featured in a 30-minute presentation by Oklahoma Educational Television Association (OETA) at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Instructor Dr. Fiona McAlister, left, with students

The new biotechnology program is in its first semester and Alisa Hines, videographer for Oklahoma Horizon, went to the technology center to film the complete three-hour class before filming at the Noble Foundation.

"She (Hines) called and asked if they could come that day," Darla Buck, SOTC Communications and Marketing coordinator, said. "I said 'we just started give us a few days.'"

Hines filmed the class on Jan. 7. Dr. Fiona McAlister, biotechnology instructor, said the program is about biotechnology science in southern Oklahoma and the SOTC course will be featured for about four to five minutes of the show.

"A lot of the biotechnology companies are based on the west and east coast," McAlister said. "We need to attract more technology companies to Oklahoma and the midwest. We are already have two pharmaceutical companies in Oklahoma City."

Oklahoma Horizons is a program about improving Oklahoma and focuses on subjects from economic development to education.

McAlister said the course is in its first semester and enrolled to capacity at 12 students, and her strongest concern for her students is to learn and understand the science.

She said most students are attracted to the program for the forensics portion but she stresses to the students that the job is not as glamorous as television programs such as CSI has interpreted it.

"There are long hours and time away from family," McAlister said. "Working 67 hours a week is not unusual."

Jake Logan, Ardmore High School junior, said the course is interesting.

"It's a fun class," Logan said. "We do a lab every day so there is lots of writing and you have to learn all of these weird names of things."

See the Horizon story segment. Click here; Small File Large File