RESEARCH
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Trends In Education
will make an easy transition if they win internships in research
labs.
“The sequencer can be used for plants, animals, fish, citrus,
so our research partners are interested in it,” says Casey
Lunceford, dean of Arts and Sciences. “Our students will be
able to walk in the door of a research firm and know how to
use one of these. We are offering real-life experiences. I hope
that every high school student in the area will have a chance
to tour our new building and get excited about the opportunities
we are offering.”
More than 350 students majoring in biology are using
the Thomas STEM center, and 2,000 students are attending
classes there.
Designed to excite and inspire students about careers in
the sciences, the 56,000-square-foot building at St. Lucie
West dovetails nicely with the Brown Center and the Kight
Center at the Fort Pierce campus. All are career-oriented and
filled with the latest technology.
HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE
Adam Carroll, a senior soon to graduate with a bachelor of
science degree in biology, started classes in the STEM center
in January. “Everything in here is brand new — it’s like your
>>
Adam Carroll, senior biology major, prepares to use the ION Torrent genome
sequencer. It is such a hot piece of equipment that scientists from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service are coming
down from Fort Pierce to use it.
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