Supporting STEM Students with MassBioEd Career Ambassador Event

As part of its on-going Corporate Social Responsibilities efforts, Arranta Bio recently participated in a MassBioEd Career Ambassador event with Pioneer Valley Regional School, in Northfield, Massachusetts. Career Ambassadors met with the same class over three sessions in December 2020 to bring real-world examples of microbiology and pharmacy as a career and highlighting the importance of microbes to human health. 

Melanie Cerullo, SVP Quality and Regulatory at Arranta Bio, and another biotech professional worked with Nikki Pullen’s AP Environmental Sciences class.  Melanie provided an overview of her career, the science of the human microbiome and its incredible diversity, and the work that Arranta Bio does to help its customers develop and manufacture new live biotherapeutic products to treat diseases. The discussion also included the process of how to grow and evaluate microorganisms. 

Through the generosity of Third Room, Ms. Pullen’s class also received a grant to purchase supplies for the students to get a hands-on experience studying microbes in their own environment. With this grant, Ms. Pullen purchased agar plates and other supplies for students to complete their projects evaluating different bacterial populations, including soil and skin microbes.  The pictures below show the work product of Pioneer Valley students’ efforts to plate microorganisms and the resulting diversity inherent in the microbiome. 

These students are the future of the life sciences industry. Diversity makes us stronger and nowhere is that more apparent than in the Marvelous Microbiome™!