Hands-On Biotech Opens Doors for Students in Ireland
September 22, 2026
Every year, secondary school students studying biology from schools across Ireland take part in an Advanced Genetics workshop at University College Dublin (UCD) through ABE. Students explore genetic engineering and biology through hands-on experiments, including bacterial transformation, gel electrophoresis, and micropipetting. The activities give…
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On a Zoom call in November, Maria Niño-Soto held up her lab schedule, and it looked more like a complex conference scheme than a classroom set-up. It showed three cohorts, each receiving a lab-driven curriculum spread out over different days and platforms, to accommodate students working virtually… Read More
Bioinformatics, the emerging field that uses software to analyze vast amounts of biological data, is also accessible in the classroom. Bioinformatics as a whole also lends itself well to remote learning, as it relies so heavily on software. BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) is a platform… Read More
In past ABE all-staff meetings, we have discussed barriers to teacher success. Below are some suggestions from various ABE site staff on how to make your ABE labs run more smoothly. For teachers currently teaching virtually, read up on these suggestions to make your transition back to the classroom… Read More
When Hugh Nelson began work as the first teacher ever for the Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE), he had a crash course in cutting-edge biotechnology. Nelson worked closely with Amgen scientist Rick Jacobsen to become an expert and train others in the lab curriculum and thus helped to found ABE, doing… Read More
Our ABE Appreciation this month focuses on the tireless science ambassadorship Dr. Phil Smith brings to ABE and the STEM community in the UK. Phil’s humor and energy have livened up countless virtual and in-person meetings (you may remember his “skeleton selfie” from our ABE Site Advice slides… Read More
What are “flowcharts”?Flowcharts are a common type of graphic organizer; they can help students to organize their thinking and their ideas in a visual way. They often combine a series of diagrams with short summaries, all arranged in a specific order.Why use flowcharts?Flowcharts are an especially… Read More
Connection and problem-solving were the hallmarks of October’s quarterly virtual Lab Technician Meeting in October. Meeting officially for the first time since ABE’s new grant cycle began in July, more than 30 staff from around the world joined in a welcoming and warm virtual gathering. ABE San… Read More
In 1990, the Amgen Biotech Experience made its debut at Newbury High School in Hugh Nelson’s classroom, just down the road from Amgen headquarters in Thousand Oaks, Calif. With the help of Marty Ikkanda and others, the program grew and spread to other U.S. locations and then internationally. ABE… Read More