Bunker Hill Community College Receives Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Workforce Development Capital Grant for Biotech Classroom Renovations
Grant will fund technology, equipment, and facilities improvements serving more than 600 diverse biological sciences students at state’s largest community college
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
The Healey-Driscoll Administration awarded Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) a Workforce Development Capital Grant to make critical improvements to life sciences classroom facilities and equipment on the College’s Charlestown campus. The grant was part of more than $13 million in awards by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to support life sciences workforce development and STEM education initiatives across the Commonwealth. This grant builds on an initial investment by the MLSC of $200,000 awarded to BHCC in 2013.
The grant of $449,786 will be used to support the life sciences at BHCC by:
- Completely renovating one classroom;
- Upgrading 52 computers and 5 printers for six lab classrooms;
- Purchasing 18 stereo microscopes with high-definition cameras for one biology classroom; and
- Installing four interactive flat panel displays.
These improvements will serve more than 600 students in BHCC’s Associate in Biological Sciences program, which includes a transfer track for students who plan to earn a bachelor’s degree in the field, and a terminal Biotechnology Option, which combines rigorous academic preparation with industry skills used in a wide range of biotechnology careers. BHCC’s biological science programs are among the most diverse in the state: about two-thirds of students in the programs are women, more than a quarter are Latino, and about a fifth are Black.
“This grant is the seed money that will grow a more inclusive and skilled biotech and life sciences workforce right here in Massachusetts,” said BHCC President Pam Eddinger. “It is another demonstration of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s vision and commitment to ensuring that our state’s innovation economy benefits all state residents. This Workforce Development Capital Grant means that we will be able to provide best-in-class facilities for instruction for years to come.”
"The renovations and upgrades funded by this Workforce Development Capital Grant are so important to ensuring Bunker Hill offers biological sciences education that keeps up with the latest industry advances” said Professor Libby Dunphy, Coordinator of the Biological Sciences A.S. program. “Whether it is computers that can run the latest software, the replacement of decades-old stereo microscopes, new interactive flat-panel displays where students can learn and collaborate, or the latest lab equipment available, these improvements will help to prepare Bunker Hill students for advanced work in the biotech field."
Read the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s full announcement of the grants.
Media Contact:
Brendan P. Hughes, Director of Public Affairs
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 02129
Phone: 617-937-9365; Email: brendan.hughes@bhcc.edu
About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. The College offers associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific training programs. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).