BHCC Receives $200,000 to Expand Biotechnology Program

BOSTON, April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has awarded $200,000 to Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) to strengthen the College's biotechnology program by expanding its laboratory capabilities and enriching its curriculum. The award, announced by Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center at Children's Hospital on April 8, is part of more than $9.35 million in grants awarded to Greater Boston hospitals, medical schools and colleges to plan, renovate and equip life sciences laboratories.

"The equipment purchased with this generous grant will help us train more students for high-demand jobs in the expanding biotechnology industry in Greater Boston. Our goal is to help meet regional workforce needs while ensuring that our students will be competitive in this critical job market," said BHCC President Mary L. Fifield.

BHCC's growing biotechnology program was recognized in 2010 with a prestigious Silver endorsement from the Massachusetts Life Science Education Consortium, which promotes a coordinated approach to the development of the Massachusetts life sciences workforce through a partnership between the life sciences industry and higher education. 

"I am pleased Bunker Hill Community College is the recipient of this capital grant, especially with so much competition for limited resources. The physical improvements will create an experience that will prepare students for employment opportunities in this region," said State Representative Eugene L. O'Flaherty.

Through the Life Sciences Center, a quasi-public agency of the Commonwealth, the state invests in public and private institutions that are advancing life sciences research, development and commercialization as well as building ties among sectors of the Massachusetts life sciences. Under the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative signed into law in 2008, the State will invest $1 billion over 10 years.

Media Contact:
Karen M. Norton, Executive Director of Integrated Marketing and Communications
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 02129
Phone: (617) 228-2177; Email: [email protected]

Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts. The College enrolls more than 14,000 students on two campuses and at three satellite locations. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Sixty-seven percent of the students are people of color and more than half of BHCC's students are women. The College also enrolls more than 800 international students who come from approximately 100 countries and speak more than 75 languages.

SOURCE Bunker Hill Community College