ABE Blog
The ABE blog covers biotech and biotech-education news and trends in and beyond the ABE community. Topical posts often include student activities.
Nothing Is Stopping South African ABE Learners from Pursuing Science
December 30, 2025
Listening to South African students Lesedi and Lilitha discuss their interests in science and plans to pursue medicine, it’s hard to believe they are only 15 and 16 years old. The confidence and passion with which they talk about biotechnology and healthcare—and how they plan to change the world—is infectious, and they say it stems from the Amgen…
Overcoming Obstacles in Pursuit of Innovative Medicine
November 12, 2019
For Cen Xu (above, far left), the scientific discovery process is all about problem-solving and finding answers to the unknown. As Amgen’s scientific…
An Evolving View of Biology Education
October 28, 2019
In Michele Patrick’s nearly 30-year teaching career, one of the most transformative events has been teaching biotechnology at Porterville High School…
Plating Tips and Tricks
October 11, 2019
Plating is a crucial skill in biotechnology; doing it properly helps ensure better results and reduces the risk of contamination. Because students…
Seeking Scalability and Solutions Across ABE Sites
October 7, 2019
Any global education effort must be universal enough to teach students the core skills and knowledge in demand around the world, while also being…
Bioinformatics Resources from ABE
October 1, 2019
Technology has brought about some radical changes in the ways in which science is practiced. What first seemed nearly impossible—sequencing the…
Pivotal Moments on a Path to Biotechnology
September 9, 2019
A series of moments have shaped Rithik Kumar’s path to biotechnology. There was learning about nature from his parents who were avid gardeners. There…
Gel Electrophoresis: Do’s and Don’ts
September 6, 2019
Gel electrophoresis is an important verification step in ABE's Foundations of Biotech labs. It allows students to determine the size of a product by…
Bringing Biotech Out of the Textbooks and Into the Real World in Rhode Island
August 8, 2019
Julie Pankowicz’s students engaging in an ABE activity Julie Pankowicz started teaching high school biology right out of undergraduate school when…