by Kelly Rogge
High school students in Kansas City, Kan., spent the last few weeks exploring career fields in the biological sciences during Kansas City Kansas Community College’s annual Bio-Science Camp.
This is the fifth year for the camp, which is a joint effort between KCKCC, PrepKC and the Kansas City, Kansas School District. The goal of the three week camp is to introduce students to the biological sciences through hands-on projects and classes. About 32 students participated in the camp this year, which ended June 19.
“The purpose is to help students take an interest in science by helping them to explore the different fields,” said Jeff McFarlane, an adjunct professor at KCKCC and a teacher at Harmon High School. “I love seeing the students share what they have learned with adults. That is probably my favorite part of the camp.”
The Bio-Science Camp is a multi-year program, which allows students to attend beginning with the summer after their freshman year of high school. They are then able to attend each year until the summer following their high school graduation. An event the last day of the camp allowed families to visit KCKCC to see different demonstrations and attend a closing reception for the students involved in the program.
“The idea of this camp is to help get students college credit before they graduate high school,” said Ed Kremer, dean of mathematics science and computer technology at KCKCC. “They get an introduction to biological science as well as biological manufacturing, which is helpful to those students who have an interest in these fields and careers.”
Kremer said the program is important because of the concentration of animal health interests in this region. Known as the KC Animal Health Corridor, a large portion of the world’s animal health industry sits between Manhattan, Kan., and Columbia, Mo. This makes jobs in the area plentiful.
“There is an increased need for students who have an interest in the bio-science fields,” Kremer said. “That is what this camp is designed to do – give them a glimpse of the careers in the biological sciences and give them the tools they need to move in that direction.”
For more information on KCKCC”s Bio-Science Camp, contact 913-288-7111 or email [email protected].
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.
