Establishment of a New BS Biotechnology Program with emphasis in

Agrobiotechnology and the creation of the Biotechnology Learning and Research

CenterAward # 2009-38422-19876, $295,000.00

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico

Alma L. Santiago, Project Director

USDA COLLABORATORS

Dr. Irma I. Lawrence, Program Point of Contact Dr. Charles Hungerford, Administrative Point of Contact

NIFA\USDA RELEVANT PRIORITY OR MISSION AREA

PRIORITY NEED AREA #1: EDUCATIONAL NEED AREA

Strengthen institutional capacities through new curricula design, faculty preparation and enhancement for teaching and acquisition of scientific instrumentation for teaching.

PCUPR ENROLLMENT Undergraduate and Graduate enrollments are divided between five colleges: Arts & Humanities, Science, Business Administration, Education, and Graduate Studies. The University offers graduate programs leading to the master's degree in Chemistry, Mental Health, Nursing, Business Administration, Hispanic studies, and Education. Recently PCUPR implemented Ph.D.’s in Education and in Business Administration. The prestigious Law School accredited by the American Bar Association offers the Juris Doctor degree.

The College of Sciences, established in 1966, consists of the Biology, Chemistry, General Science, Mathematics-Physics, Medical Technology, Nursing, and Psychology departments. At this moment it is the biggest of the University, with more than 1,500 students & 63 professors of whom 20% hold Ph.D. degrees.

OBJECTIVES

Establish a BS in Biotechnology with special emphasis in Agrobiotechnology. Provide students with the appropriate laboratory and research experiences in the development of new products and processes in the biotechnology field. Promote a critical analysis of the possible problems encountered by biotechnology in ethical and Christian values. Train at least 80% of the faculty in state of the art methodologies in Biotechnology to promote their incorporation in several Biology and Chemistry courses. Renovate and create new laboratory experiences which include state of the art instrumentation.

INTRODUCTION

Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (PCUPR) main campus is located in the city of Ponce, on the southern coast of Puerto Rico and has Branch campuses in Arecibo (north) and Mayaguez (west). It is an accredited comprehensive university with an enrollment of 99.9 % Hispanic students of about 10,000. Most of them are from towns outside the San Juan metropolitan area.

SUMMARY

PCUPR proposes the creation of a new Bachelor in Science (BS) in Biotechnology with an emphasis in Agrobiotechnology and Management and the establishment of a Biotechnology Learning and Research Center (BLRC). This project will provide well-trained personnel for the agro-industrial and technological development of the southern region of Puerto Rico.

As an interdisciplinary program students will be trained in: scientific principles, research, development and laboratory techniques in biotechnology, with special focus in agrobiotechnology and management. It will also promote skills in biotechnology business and entrepreneurship.

ACTIVITIES

Curriculum development: application submission and

approval from the Puerto Rico Council of Higher Education of new BS in Biotechnology curriculum. Revision and update of existing science courses. Capacity building workshops for faculty: Bioinformatics, Molecular Techniques in Biotechnology and Responsible Conduct in Research Acquisition of scientific instrumentation to enhance and create new laboratory experiences. Implementation of the new BS in Biotechnology Program.

BENEFICIARIES

Undergraduate students (1,142) from the Departments of Biology and Chemistry, General Sciences and Environmental Sciences, College of Sciences. Admission of at least fifteen new students the first year. Train 80% of the College of Sciences faculty in state of the art methodologies in Biotechnology.

EVALUATION

Formative and summative evaluation Periodic reports of submitted data Assurance of compliance with process objectives forms and procedures will be designed to establish baselines and measuring progress. In the analysis procedures for formative and summative results, the persons involved in the evaluation process and the Project Director will meet regularly to review program progress. Written reports will be circulated, with intervals varying by the schedule of activities.

EXPECTED IMPACT

Increase by 5.0% undergraduate science students Provide skilled personnel for agro-biotechnology fields Increase the number of Hispanic students continuing a science career Better-prepare faculty to enrich the science curriculum Advance the establishment of the Biotechnology earning and Research Center.

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND AGROBIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND

LEARNING CENTER

The establishment of the BLRC will be geared

toward the development and implementation of

the new academic program in Biotechnology,

which will foster this field’s growth, especially in

the agricultural industries. Remodeling of the BLRC has started. This initiative is a collaborative project between

Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company

(PRIDCO) and PCUPR. It is funded by the Economic

Development Agency (EDA), Project No. 01-01-

08609, Total Budget $2.8 million. The BLRC will house administration area, four

research laboratories, two teaching laboratories,

one plant tissue culture and one animal tissue

culture laboratory.