Corporation Donates Equipment to College

The Ventura College biotechnology program has received equipment from Baxter Healthcare Corp. that will assist in training people for one of the region’s fastest growing industries.

In addition to a much-needed centrifuge machine, the company donated $97,000 in equipment, program director Bill Thieman said.

Prior to receiving this equipment, students had to perform certain laboratory functions in a slow and tedious manner, according to Thieman.

“It makes it possible for us to provide state-of-the-art training for techniques performed routinely in laboratory work needed for research and development in biotechnology,” Thieman said.

The 4-year-old program, which was started with a grant from Amgen, has an enrollment of about 100 students who are studying the genetic makeup of humans and plants.

In addition to Baxter Healthcare Corp., several other companies--including Biopool International, Bioenchancement Technologies, JH Biotech Inc. and Twyford Plant Laboratories Inc.--have either contributed equipment or provided on-site training as part of the Ventura College program.

The program is also working out an educational partnership with the Navy where they would receive about $75,000 in Navy equipment, Thieman said.

In the meantime, the new equipment just received from Baxter Healthcare Corp. will be used in the program’s capstone course this summer.

The course was not going to be offered until the fall, but the companies involved in the partnership provided $14,000 so that the course could be offered this summer, Thieman said.

Enrollment will be limited to 24 students. For more information, call 648-8954.