Workforce Updates
NCBW and Forsyth Tech Programs
NCBW and Forsyth Tech Programs are featured in the October/November Issue of Community College Journal article, The Value of Innovation, which explores how proposed NSF cuts imperil community college tech advancement.
Del Ruff of NC A&T, co-lead for engagement for the NSF North Carolina Regenerative Medicine Engine, visited the NCBW labs at Forsyth Tech to learn more about its new bioprinting capabilities.
BETA Skills Summer Industry Fellows
The third class of eight BETA Skills Summer Industry Fellows completed their two month fellowships by presenting their findings on Monday, July 28 at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem NC. Special thanks to the NSF ATE and Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein.
2025 InnovATEBIO Bioscience Leadership Institute (BLI) Eleven community college, K-12, and university bioscience educators completed the intensive, six-month 2025 InnovATEBIO Bioscience Leadership Institute (BLI)
Learn More Here
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Held at Wake Forest Biotech Place on June 9th, Public Day combined interactive exhibits, presentations, and hands-on demonstrations designed to educate, demystify and inspire individuals from all walks of life.
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SciTech Lecture Series
SciTech Discussion with Karen Barnes
April 2025Karen Barnes, Ecosystem Development Officer NSF Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine, demystifies PTRME and explains the importance of its ecosystem.
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SciTech Discussion with Dr. Pinar Mesci & Jana Stoudemire, Axiom Space
March 2025Dr. Pinar Mesci (Sr. Program Manager, Global Head, Regenerative Medicine & Disease Modeling) and Jana Stoudemire (PTRME Leadership Team, In Space ITEC Lead), join Russ and Trevor for a fascinating discussion of Axiom's work on in-space biology/biotechnology and the opportunities that it can create for the local workforce.
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SciTech Introduction to Regenerative Medicine with Bill Woodruff
February 2025Russ and Trevor are joined by William (Bill) Woodruff (Professor Emeritus, Biotechnology, Alamance Community College) for a discussion of what's being done, what's possible, and the expansive and diverse opportunities in Regenerative Medicine.
Watch on YouTube
Founded in 2004, the National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce at Forsyth Tech Community College (NCBW) provides leadership and a collaborative platform that connects industry, educators, innovators and workforce developers to meet the nation’s rapidly evolving bioscience workforce needs.
With its focus on skills standards, professional development, and collaborative capacity building, NCBW has led and co-led several national and regional initiatives. (Scroll down to view/download.)
Most recently, NCBW completed the expansive six-year NSF ATE Skills for Biomedical Emerging Technology Applications (BETA Skills) project in July 2025. BETA Skills identifies specialized skill sets to create and support an advanced workforce for the nation’s BETA sector and translates those technical and people skills into “road-tested” professional development programs. Learn more and download BETA Skills Resources here.
NCBW is also home to the state-of-the-art Analytical and Molecular Skills Development Laboratory which provides advanced training and work based learning for students, as well as equipment and bench space rental to small companies and researchers. AMSDL is a key component of NCBW’s professional development programs.
Since 2009, NCBW’s public SciTech Lecture Series has attracted a large and diverse monthly audience. Students, faculty, entrepreneurs, scientists, and other interested participants from throughout the community have participated in more than 125 sessions.
Learn more about these NCBW programs and collaborations
- Bioscience Leadership Institute (BLI)
- NSF Regenerative Medicine Engine in North Carolina
- Bezos Center for Sustainable Proteins at N.C. State NCBW Workforce Partnership
- BETA Skills Bioscience Administrators Program (BAP)
- BETA Skills Professional Development Programs
- BETA Skills Summer Industry Fellowship Program
- NCBW’s SciTech Lecture Series
