The city of New Haven celebrated the graduation of the first class of students from the BioCity Academy, a pathway program within the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) that prepares students for college and careers in bioscience. The thirteen students, who will all be attending college in the fall, were part of a unique program that provided them with hands-on experience in labs and side-by-side research with top scientists.

Pathway to Success

The BioCity Academy is one of several pathway programs within NHPS, which aim to provide students with experiential learning and career preparation. The program is a collaboration between the city’s public schools, local colleges, and industry partners, including developer Carter Winstanley, who provided the students with a dedicated lab space at his bioscience and tech hub at 101 College St.

The students, who were bused to the lab daily, worked together in small groups to learn advanced college-credit courses, including pre-calculus, advanced calculus, and chemistry. They also gained hands-on experience with state-of-the-art equipment, including microscopes, centrifuges, and DNA sequencers.

A New Vision for Bioscience Education

NHPS Superintendent Madeline Negrón praised the graduates, saying they were “trailblazers” who had helped to shape a new vision for bioscience education. The program’s success is due in part to the partnership between the schools, local colleges, and industry partners, which provided the students with access to resources and expertise that they might not have had otherwise.

The graduates themselves spoke about the impact that the program had on their lives, saying that it had given them a sense of purpose and direction. Many of them plan to pursue careers in science, medicine, and technology, and credit the BioCity Academy with helping them to develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed.

Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.