JOHNSON CITY – Government, business and education leaders across the United States
are working collaboratively to make clear to high school students and others that
bio industrial manufacturing is a career path open to all.
Dr. Pamela Mims is one of several at East Tennessee State University powering this
national endeavor.
“We knew this movement was happening, and we knew it would be a huge area of job development
in the future,” said Mims, a professor and associate dean of Research and Grants in
the Clemmer College. “We also knew we needed to prepare students graduating from ETSU to fill these jobs.”
The $558,432 project, funded by BioMADE in collaboration with Dr. Natalie Kuldell
from BioBuilder and other partners from Ars Biotechnica and Daicel Arbor Biosciences,
aims to build momentum for biomanufacturing careers nationwide, particularly in rural
and urban high schools. ETSU is working with schools in rural and urban regions in
Tennessee that are implementing BioBuilder clubs to research the effect of the clubs
on learning of synthetic biology concepts and interest in pursuing a college pathway
in synthetic biology.
Mims is the principal investigator for the grant at ETSU, meaning she will help prepare,
conduct and administer the project. She will work closely with her counterparts at
BioBuilder, Ars Biotechnica and Daicel Arbor Biosciences to fulfill the aims of the
grant.
The university has been a leader on this front in the Appalachian Highlands. In fall
2022, the ETSU Research Corporation hosted “Growing the Future: Symposium on Innovation and Education for the Bioeconomy.”
The event attracted officials from across the nation, including from the U.S. Department
of Defense.
“The foundational work under this grant will help our region, state and country develop
and drive innovation in the synthetic biology sector, which has the potential to grow
by $2 to $4 trillion per year over the next 10 to 20 years,” said ETSU Research Corporation
CEO David Golden. “As somebody who helped establish the bioengineering program at
MIT and founded BioBuilder, Dr. Natalie Kuldell is a visionary in the synthetic biology
educational space. I am excited for the role that ETSU and Dr. Mims have in working
with Natalie in this hugely transformative field.”
Mims’ work on the bioeconomy marks a shift in her award-winning career. Mims, who
earned a Ph.D. in special education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte,
has researched curriculum strategies to better serve students with intellectual or
developmental disabilities.
Many of her courses mirror her research expertise. She has taught classes about technology
for those in special education, as well as established inclusive settings for students
with special needs.
She taught middle school for seven years, working with children with severe, multiple
disabilities.
“This exciting BioMADE research is a shift for me, but part of what drew me in was
learning that some of the high schools already implementing these ideas were teaching
students with disabilities,” she said.